Experience FLATCMS in Action - Live Demo Available

See why web designers and agencies worldwide choose FLATCMS for their clients (Watch our 2-minute demo video)

Access the live demo now and discover how easy content management can be. Explore all features risk-free - this is a demo environment where changes aren't saved.

Demo credentials: Admin access: username "admin" / password "1" or User access: username "user" / password "1"

Why Choose FLATCMS?

FLATCMS revolutionizes website management by eliminating complexity. Your clients can update their website content instantly - no technical knowledge required, no HTML experience needed. It's the perfect solution for web designers who want to deliver professional content management without the overhead of database-driven systems.

Seamless Integration with Any Website

Whether you're working with custom HTML, templates from Dreamweaver, Frontpage, Studio Webdesign, WebCreator, or any other platform - FLATCMS integrates effortlessly. Simply add editable region tags to your HTML files, and FLATCMS handles the rest. Your design stays intact while gaining powerful content management capabilities.

Complete Control for Designers

As the administrator, you maintain full control over the system. Configure which folders are accessible, customize WYSIWYG editor buttons, switch languages, and manage user permissions - all from an intuitive admin panel. Set it up once, and your clients can manage their content independently.

Quick Setup - Start in 3 Simple Steps

Getting started with FLATCMS is incredibly straightforward:

  1. Tag Your Content: Add simple tags (<!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="one" --> and <!-- InstanceEndEditable -->) around editable areas in your HTML files.
  2. Upload to Server: Transfer your files and the FLATCMS admin directory to your web server via FTP.
  3. Install & Launch: Run the installation wizard and log in. FLATCMS automatically detects all editable regions.
  4. Need Help? Our comprehensive installation manual guides you through every step (included in the installation wizard).

That's it! Your static website is now a fully-functional content management system. Your clients can start editing immediately.

Powerful Features That Drive Results

Discover why FLATCMS is the smart choice for professional web designers and their clients:

Client-Friendly Features

  • Intuitive Page Management: Edit any page content with a user-friendly WYSIWYG editor
  • Complete Media Control: Upload, resize, crop, and organize images and files effortlessly
  • Built-in SEO Optimization: Customize title tags, meta descriptions, and keywords for every page to boost search rankings
  • Mobile-Ready Interface: Fully responsive admin panel works perfectly on desktop, tablet, and smartphone
  • Multi-Language Support: Available in English, Spanish, Italian, German, and Dutch - perfect for international clients

Designer & Developer Benefits

  • Automatic CSS Integration: FLATCMS automatically applies your site's CSS to the editor, or use custom editor styles
  • Dedicated Admin Access: Separate administrator login with advanced configuration options
  • Industry-Standard Tools: Powered by TinyMCE 5 WYSIWYG editor and Roxyfileman for reliable performance
  • Rapid Deployment: Transform client websites from static HTML to manageable CMS in minutes, not hours
  • Advanced Editing Options: Use prefixes for specialized content areas - plain text for menus/JavaScript (js_), simplified formatting (ts_), or hide meta fields (nm_)
  • Flexible Configuration: Multiple textarea types, debug mode for troubleshooting, and demo mode for client training
  • Developer-Friendly: Clean, organized codebase with prefix system for different content types

Technical Excellence

  • Modern Framework: Built on Bootstrap for responsive, mobile-first design
  • Enterprise Security: Advanced brute force protection and secure authentication
  • Standards Compliant: xHTML valid, clean source code
  • Broad Compatibility: Works with PHP 5 through PHP 8
  • No Database Required: Flat file architecture means simpler hosting, easier backups, and faster performance

See Real-World Examples

Bootstrap Template Demo: We created a complete one-page Bootstrap website with FLATCMS in just 10 minutes! Visit http://bootstrap.flatcms.nl/ to see the live site and view the source code to see how editable regions are implemented. Then log into the admin panel (username: admin, password: 1) to experience the management interface. This demonstrates how quickly you can deliver professional CMS solutions to your clients!

Extend Your Capabilities

Premium Add-ons Available: Enhance your FLATCMS installation with powerful TinyMCE plugins including YouTube Search & Insert and Flickr Image Search & Place. Give your clients even more content options!

Common Questions Answered

Q: I'm getting an error during installation about the FTP test file not being found. What should I do?
A: This typically indicates the "FTP Root Directory" field needs adjustment. Open your FTP client, navigate to your website's root directory (where your HTML files are located), and note the exact path (e.g., /httpdocs/). Enter this path in the installation field "FTP" → "Root directory" and click "Install" again.

Q: FLATCMS installed successfully, but no files appear for editing. Why?
A: Two common causes:

  • Missing tags: Ensure you've added the correct editable region tags to your HTML files. Review the installation manual for proper tag syntax.
  • Permission issues: The CMS needs read access to your root directory. CHMOD the directory to "755", "766", or "777" and refresh.

Q: FLATCMS worked before but now shows errors or doesn't function. How do I fix this?
A: Your hosting environment may have changed (server paths, FTP credentials, etc.). Open config.php, remove the username and password values, save and upload. This triggers a fresh installation. Follow the setup wizard to reconfigure FLATCMS with current settings.

Q: My website's CSS doesn't display correctly in the WYSIWYG editor. What's wrong?
A: For complex websites, FLATCMS may not automatically parse all CSS. Solution: Edit the editor.css file in the admin directory to manually define styles for the WYSIWYG editor.

Q: Some features aren't working as expected. How can I troubleshoot?
A: Enable debug mode by opening admin/config.php and setting DEBUG_MODE to 1. This displays detailed error messages to help identify issues.

Q: The "Copy Pages" function isn't working. What's the solution?
A: Some hosting providers restrict PHP file creation. Enable FTP settings in the configuration panel to bypass this restriction.

Q: How do I remove extra spaces from JavaScript and plain textarea content?
A: Open admin/index.php, locate ' . $html . '</textarea> and replace with ' . preg_replace( '/\h+/', ' ', $html) . '</textarea>

Q: What are the advanced prefix options?
Four powerful prefixes give you precise control over editable regions:
ts_ Simplified WYSIWYG with only essential buttons (bold, italic, colors) - perfect for basic text formatting
nm_ Hides meta tag fields for this region - useful when SEO fields aren't needed
js_ Plain textarea without WYSIWYG - ideal for editing navigation menus, JavaScript, or code snippets
tx_ Basic textarea only (no WYSIWYG or JS buttons) - for raw content editing
Note: These prefixes are visible only to administrators, keeping the client interface clean and simple.

Watch FLATCMS in Action