Why Standard October CMS Plugins Slow Down Development?
Creating a simple blog or catalog on October CMS often turns into writing repetitive plugins: model, controller, migrations, forms. It takes days, and code gets duplicated from project to project. According to our statistics, 90% of typical entities (blogs, catalogs, settings) can be implemented through Tailor — a built-in content constructor in October CMS 3. Tailor solves this: we configure it for client tasks in 1–3 days, completely eliminating routine. 80% of models on standard sites are implemented via Tailor, reducing development time by 3–5 times compared to the traditional approach. This saves up to 70% of the budget on content management.
How Tailor Simplifies Content Management?
Tailor replaces the plugin/model combination for typical scenarios. Content structure is described in YAML-blueprints, and the system automatically generates migrations, models, and the admin interface. This cuts development time by 3–5 times. Tailor comes with ready-made features: drafts, versioning, translations, presets for slugs, built-in file uploader — all without a single line of PHP.
Blueprint Types
| Type | Purpose | Example Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Collection of records | Blog posts, products, events |
| Single | Single record | Homepage, contacts |
| Global | Global variables | Site settings, social links |
| Mixin | Reusable fields | SEO fields, metadata |
Tailor vs Custom Plugins
| Criterion | Tailor | Custom Plugin |
|---|---|---|
| Development speed | 1–3 days | 5–10 days |
| PHP required | Only for complex logic | All code |
| Versioning/drafts | Built-in | Must implement |
| Translations | Out of the box | Via plugins |
| Flexibility | High for typical tasks | Full, but expensive |
How to Create an Entry Blueprint in 5 Steps
- Create a YAML file in the
blueprintsfolder, e.g.,blog/post.yaml. - Specify a unique
uuid,handle, andtype: entry. - Add fields:
title(text),content(richeditor),featured_image(fileupload), etc. - Configure relationships:
categorywithsource: Blog\Category,tagsas taglist. - Use
mixin[seo]for SEO fields.
Tailor is not just for blogs. In one project, we configured a product catalog (Entry), contacts (Single), and site settings (Global) — all in 2 days. Time savings — 70% compared to plugins. Tailor flexible content allows easy adaptation to any tasks.
Why Choose Tailor Instead of Custom Plugins?
Tailor provides ready-made features: drafts, versioning, translations, presets for slugs, built-in file uploader. All without a single line of PHP. If complex logic is needed, we supplement blueprints with custom handlers. Our experience shows that 80% of models on standard sites can be implemented via Tailor. For example, on one project we replaced three plugins (blog, product catalog, settings) with one set of blueprints — time savings were 70%. As the October CMS documentation notes, Tailor allows creating structures without PHP.
Contact us to evaluate how Tailor can accelerate your project. Get a consultation from an implementation engineer.
Example Entry Blueprint
# blueprints/blog/post.yaml uuid: a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890 handle: Blog\Post type: entry name: Blog Post drafts: true revisions: true navigation: label: Blog Posts icon: icon-pencil fields: title: label: Title type: text required: true translatable: true slug: label: Slug type: text required: true preset: field: title type: slug excerpt: label: Excerpt type: textarea translatable: true content: label: Content type: richeditor toolbarButtons: bold|italic|insertLink|insertImage|insertVideo|formatOL|formatUL|insertHR|fullscreen translatable: true featured_image: label: Featured Image type: fileupload mode: image imageWidth: 1200 imageHeight: 630 category: label: Category type: entries source: Blog\Category displayMode: list maxItems: 1 tags: label: Tags type: taglist published_at: label: Published At type: datepicker mode: datetime is_featured: label: Show in Slider type: switch default: false mixin[seo]: source: Mixins\Seo Global Blueprint
# blueprints/site/settings.yaml uuid: b2c3d4e5-f6a7-8901-bcde-f12345678901 handle: Site\Settings type: global name: Site Settings fields: site_name: label: Site Name type: text phone: label: Phone type: text email: label: Email type: text social_links: label: Social Links type: repeater displayMode: builder fields: platform: label: Platform type: dropdown options: vk: VKontakte telegram: Telegram youtube: YouTube instagram: Instagram url: label: URL type: text How to Use Tailor in Templates?
{# Entry — list of posts #} {% set posts = tailor.collection('Blog\Post') .where('published', true) .orderBy('published_at', 'desc') .limit(12) .get() %} {% for post in posts %} <article> <h2><a href="{{ post.url }}">{{ post.title }}</a></h2> {% if post.featured_image %} <img src="{{ post.featured_image.getThumb(800, 400, { mode: 'crop' }) }}" alt="{{ post.title }}"> {% endif %} <p>{{ post.excerpt }}</p> </article> {% endfor %} {# Global — site settings #} {% set settings = tailor.global('Site\Settings') %} <a href="tel:{{ settings.phone }}">{{ settings.phone }}</a> {% for link in settings.social_links %} <a href="{{ link.url }}" class="social-{{ link.platform }}">{{ link.platform }}</a> {% endfor %} {# Single — homepage #} {% set homepage = tailor.single('Site\Homepage') %} <h1>{{ homepage.hero_title }}</h1> Mixin — Reusable Fields
# blueprints/mixins/seo.yaml uuid: c3d4e5f6-a7b8-9012-cdef-123456789012 handle: Mixins\Seo type: mixin name: SEO Fields fields: seo_title: label: SEO Title type: text seo_description: label: SEO Description type: textarea og_image: label: OG Image type: fileupload mode: image imageWidth: 1200 imageHeight: 630 Process
- Audit current content structure — identify typical entities and their relationships.
- Design blueprints — create YAML files for all content types.
- Implementation — configure relationships, translations, presets, permissions.
- Testing — verify record creation/editing and template output.
- Deployment — roll out to production, hand over documentation.
What's Included
- Blueprint development for your structure (Entry, Single, Global, Mixin).
- Integration with templates (Twig examples of ready output).
- Permission settings for editors.
- Documentation on working with Tailor and changes.
- 1 hour of training for the client’s team.
- 30-day warranty on the work.
Timeline and Cost
Setup time — from 1 to 3 days depending on the number of entities (5–8 blueprints). Cost is calculated individually after an audit. To get a project estimate, contact us — we'll prepare a commercial proposal within one business day.
Contact us for a consultation — we'll prepare a commercial proposal within one business day. Order Tailor setup and get flexible content management without headaches.
Our team has extensive experience with October CMS and has completed over 30 projects with Tailor. Get in touch — we'll implement flexible content management without the hassle.