It would seem that CityDesk treats every variable as a global variable. And that was where I ran into trouble. The scripting examples in the documentation always used the same variable, so I did too. What caused a problem was when one script made a call to a page containing another script (which used the same variable). The fix is rather simple... just use a unique variable in each script.

Although this fix may seem rather simple and straightforward, three professional programmers, and Fog Creek's tech support were unable to find the error. It may have just been a case of seeing the forest for the trees, but Fog Creek tels me a clarification in the documentation is scheduled. As of press time though, it had not been updated.

We should note that treating all variables as global is not a good design architecture. It makes the symbol table lookups easy for the CityDesk programmers, but it makes scripting far more difficult and unreliable than it should be. When scripting is part of a program, as it is in CityDesk, it shouldn't be a bolt-on solution. Scripting boosts a product into an entirely new level and it should support good programming practice inherently in its design. Making everything global is not good programming practice.

Another update FogCreek has promised to make to the documentation regards where the scripts are actually placed. I found this information to be rather vague, and only found the answer by trial and error. For purposes of clarity, I will come right out and say it. The scripts go in the very same place you would put the text and images for your pages.

Scripts can go a long way toward automating may site functions, and some users have even managed to generate thumbnail images with CityScript. I didn't. I opted for the "easier" method of direct placement shown in Figure H.

FIGURE H


Each thumbnail is a link that opens the full-size image in a new window. Roll over picture for a larger image.

If you're an experienced programmer, or like fiddling with code, you may be able to figure out a way for CityScript to generate a grid of thumbnails.

Conclusion
CityDesk has so many features, in fact, that it would be impossible to cover each and every one in an article of this scope. Whether you're a hard core webmaster, or new to Web publishing, CityDesk will definitely make your publishing experience easier and more manageable -- provided you can master the scripting.

Even if you do have trouble with the scripts, there are a lot of very helpful resources available online, in addition to the support at FogCreek. Coming from someone that is not all that savvy when it comes to setting up and maintaining a Web site, CityDesk eliminates a lot of the hands-on work. Once your site is up and running, the hard part is done. And because it's an all-inclusive package, you don't have to worry about dealing with PHP, CGI, or having specialized software installed on your server. I give CityDesk from Fog Creek Software 3 out of 5.

One of the nice things about CityDesk is there's a free version, limited to a total of 50 files (including articles, pictures, and everything). You can try it out and get to know how a CMS works. The full product is a more pricey $299 per user.

OUR RATING: 3 of 5

David Gewirtz is the author of How To Save Jobs and Where Have All The Emails Gone? For more than 20 years, he has analyzed current, historical, and emerging issues relating to technology, competitiveness, and policy. David is the Editor-in-Chief of the ZATZ magazines, is the Cyberterrorism Advisor for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, and is a member of the instructional faculty at the University of California, Berkeley extension. He can be reached at david@zatz.com and you can follow him at http://www.twitter.com/DavidGewirtz.