Rudix CMS

Complete Feature & Administrator Manual

Version 2.0.0·PHP 8+·MySQL/MariaDB·Self-hosted

Core features are native. Optional features can be attached as third-party plugins under rx_plugins/ without taking the site down if that folder is removed.

1. Installation

Requirements

· PHP 8.0+ with pdo_mysql, mbstring, json, session, filter

· MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+

· Apache mod_rewrite or Nginx equivalent

· Write access to rx_data/ (and config during install)

Steps

· Upload the package to the web root or a subdirectory

· Create an empty database and user

· Open /rx_install/ and complete the wizard

· Installer writes rx_sys/rx_config.php and imports schema.sql

· Log in via /login.php — remove or lock rx_install/ afterward

Schema files

· rx_install/schema.sql — used by installer (full schema)

· rx_install/FULL_SCHEMA_COMPLETE.sql — reference copy

· rx_docs/FULL_SCHEMA_COMPLETE.sql — documentation copy

Do not re-import the full schema on a live site unless you intend to reset tables.

2. Architecture

· index.php — front controller

· rx_sys/ — core (blocked from direct web access)

· rx_adm/ — admin application (via /admin/)

· rx_data/ — uploads, cache, logs, backups

· rx_plugins/ — optional third-party plugins (safe to delete)

· rx_install/ — web installer

All core tables, classes, and helpers use the rx_ prefix.

3. Public site

· Pages and posts with slug URLs

· Home: latest posts or a static page (Settings → Reading)

· Category and tag archives

· Site search (?s=)

· Comments on posts (moderation, IP)

· Custom forms

· RSS (/feed), sitemap.xml, robots.txt, ads.txt

· Menus, theme tokens, optional Theme Designer layout

· Maintenance mode and site-wide noindex option

4. Admin — Content

Pages & Posts

Create and edit content with status counts (Published / Draft / Deleted). Posts support categories, tags, scheduling; pages support templates and parent pages.

Editor

HtmlSourceEditor: Visual and Source modes, toolbar for headings, lists, links, images, tables, embeds. Keywords use a chip UI. Excerpt and SEO title/description are generated automatically from content and site defaults when appropriate.

Media, Menus, Categories & Tags

Upload media, build navigation menus, manage taxonomies.

Comments

Tabs for Pending, Moderated (approved), and Junk. Shows author, body, content, IP, and actions (approve / junk / delete).

Forms & Search

Form builder and submissions; search index tools.

5. Admin — Design & SEO

Theme Builder

Presets (editorial, business, magazine, knowledge, dark, onload), colours, fonts, layout widths, sticky header, live preview iframe.

Theme Designer

Tab 1 Structure: name, type, responsive, onload/onscroll, sidebars, columns, colours, Activate checkbox. Tab 2 Widgets: recent posts/pages/comments, HTML, text, image, YouTube, AdSense, RSS, menu, categories, search, archives, tags, calendar. Tab 3 Live preview and activation.

SEO

Default title template (%title% — %sitename%), default meta description, organization logo, extra meta HTML, favicon, robots.txt, ads.txt. Per content: keywords, canonical, OG image, noindex.

Redirects & Import/Export

Path redirects and migration helpers.

6. Admin — System

Users

Role counts: Admin, Editor, Author, Subscriber, Blocked. Delete users (not yourself). Registration IP and last login IP when schema supports it.

Settings

General (title, tagline, registration, maintenance), writing, reading, discussion, media, permalinks, privacy.

Security, Backups, Updates & Cache, Multisite

Security options, backup tools, update ZIP apply and cache clear, multisite foundations.

Plugins

Attach/Detach third-party plugins from rx_plugins/. Core never depends on this folder.

7. Plugin system

Plugins are PHP packages under rx_plugins/. If the directory is missing or a plugin crashes, Rudix keeps serving native features. Active plugins are listed in settings; Attach loads them, Detach unloads them.

API: rx_add_action, rx_do_action, rx_add_filter, rx_apply_filters, rx_register_admin_page.

Example plugin: rx_plugins/rx-hello-example/

Use PHP for plugins. Optional JS/CSS assets are fine; Python is not executed by the CMS.

8. Security summary

· Password hashing, secure sessions, CSRF

· Prepared statements, output escaping (rx_esc)

· Capability checks, rate limits, optional inbuilt captcha/Turnstile for Register/Login/comments

· Directory hardening and security headers / CSP

· Audit log for sensitive admin actions

9. Production checklist

· Complete installer; lock down rx_install/

· Strong admin password; registration off unless needed

· Set site title, tagline, SEO defaults

· Create primary menu

· Enable comment moderation

· Clear cache after theme changes

· Schedule backups; protect rx_config.php

10. Support boundaries

Hosting, SSL, and DNS are environment concerns. Core CMS is rx_sys + rx_adm + installer. Plugins are isolated; Detach them if they misbehave.

Rudix CMS 2.0.0 — native core + optional safe plugins.