CMS Features
A CMS manages content throughout its life cycle, from early conception, throughout the approval and revision processes and into online publication. CMS also facilitate the management of content expiration and the archiving process, helping to keep Web content timely and of high value to site visitors.
Content creation
CMS provide built-in tools for creating Web content without requiring specialized Web development skills. No HTML, Javascript or other Web programming knowledge is required to create new pages or modify existing ones. Often, these tools work like a word processor within your Web browser, providing an intuitive user interface, eliminating the need for software installs and allowing for cross-platform, remote access to the system.
Workflow management
CMS allow the creation of defined roles for multiple individuals who can participate in various aspects of the Web development process. These roles can include authors, editors, publishers and administrators, all with various degress of access to content and the ability to create, move, edit or publish site pages or structure. Internal security mechanisms ensure that content cannot be posted, deleted or modified without appropriate permissions.
Most CMS rely upon databases or similar methods to save Web content and supporting information into a central repository. Leveraging this kind of platform, CMS can often allow content publishers to keep track of and even compare versions of Web pages, see who has made changes to content over time, "roll-back" pages to previous versions, approve new content before it is made visible or prevent unwanted edits from being published to the live site.
Presentation
CMS separate the content from its presentation; page layout and site design are based upon templates that are automatically applied as new pages are created by system users. Navigation is automatically generated as new pages and sections are added to the Web site. CMS can even support multiple templates, to support delivery to multiple platforms or to publish multiple sites within one system.