# Croxley Rail Link CMS
URL: https://www.associativetrails.com/work/croxleycms/
Client: Arup
Type: CMS
Summary: Retro-fitted content management to the rescue — A bespoke CMS retro-fitted to an existing static site.

A clean and intuitive interface helps non-technical staff keep the website updated. Keeping the public informed about major civil engineering works in the local area requires a vast amount of information to be published and be reliably navigated.

## The challenge

The original Croxley Rail Link website was built without any content management interface, meaning team members could not easily maintain or update the vast amount of information about the major infrastructure construction project, including the proceeds of the extensive public enquiry.

We were approached by Arup, a global engineering consultancy, to retro-fit a content management system to allow easy maintenance - but without altering the existing website design.

## The solution

The Content Management System (CMS) we built to administer the public-facing website provides team members with a clean and intuitive interface that requires no technical knowledge or training but retains enough power and flexibility to keep the website fresh and pertinent. Key features include:

- A Microsoft Word-style rich text editor to write page body text
- Search engine friendly page URLs
- Automated news listings
- Automatic optimisation and resizing of images, saving time and expense on specialist image editing software and training
- Content publication scheduling and expiry
- The ability to specify page review dates to ensure content is regularly reviewed
- Full versioning and rollback

## The outcome

The website is now much easier to keep up to date. This is especially important as building work on project progresses.

Technologies used

Python, Django, MySQL, HTML5, CSS3, jQuery, Bootstrap.

## Screens
- Retro-fitted CMS without changing the existing website design: The public-facing site kept its original visual design after the content management system was retro-fitted.
- Full management of site navigation including content pages, documents and external links: Editors can reorder and manage the site's whole navigation structure, including pages, files and external links, from one screen.
- Image optimisation and resizing: Uploaded images can be resized to a chosen target size through this library screen.
- Content page editing via WYSIWYG editor, keywords, search engine friendly URLs, content expiry and review: A single form lets editors set a page's title, URL, keywords and body text alongside expiry and review dates.
- Automated news listings: News items are managed in a dedicated list that feeds the automated news listings on the site.
- Image metadata and usage: This screen shows a graphic's alternative text and lists the pages currently using it.