IdeaDesigners

Topaz

Topaz is a web framework - it provides all the basic functionality that every modern website needs, like accessing and updating database, handling of forms, gluing page content and navigation, and few other functions like sending e-mails and generation of web feeds.

Thanks to Topaz we're not re-inventing the wheel for every website. By re-using code we have a base that is solid, well-tested design and has proven to be secure.

Framework vs pre-built CMS

Topaz is not a CMS package, it's not jack of all trades with hundreds of configuration options.

It's a programmers tool, an engine for the website, so you really won't see it's there. It's designed to allow us quickly and easily create CMS exactly tailored to your needs and skills.

This way you can get CMS that does exactly what you need, in time not much longer that it would take to configure and adapt an existing CMS.

Design based on experience

There are many web frameworks, but most of them are overloaded with unneccessary features that were added just for sake of having more functions than competing product.

We've been writing, using and refining Topaz for last 3 years, only adding features that were needed to build real websites. As a result we've come up with very useful, solid framework.

Technically:

  • MVC design.
  • Object-oriented PHP5 with PDO and SPL.
  • Advanced ORM for database access
  • Page actions and parameters automatically type-checked and can be exported as a Web API (AJAX)
  • Not tied to any practicular template subsystem. Supports XSLT, Smarty and others.
  • XML-friendly, easily generates RSS/Atom and other XML feeds.
  • Forms used via robust object-oriented, event-based wrapper.
  • Uses Unicode (UTF-8)

Extended explanation of technical aspects of Topaz