For all of the content management systems that are out there, most of them have something in common (well, a lot in common, but that's more than I mean) - they all use databases to manage their information. Sometimes, that's just not what a developer really needs. All they want is a simple, light, file-based solution. Well, this new tutorial from Sitecritic.net can help. It details the creation of a simple file-based management system, including login abilities.

A Content Management System (CMS) allows you to update your website easily without touching anything in the backend. If you are a non-IT person, you will almost always want a CMS for your website because it makes you less dependent on your web designers or developers to add, edit or delete contents in your website.

There are many good CMS out there but most of them require some sort of database access in the backend. Many PHP CMS uses mysql or postgres database which resides in the server. Installation and troubleshooting of CMS might require some technical knowledge and server configuration which could be daunting for some.

The tutorial steps you through the login form first, then creating the template HTML files, before adding in the adding and editing functionality to store the content in the files. The full source for the application is also available for download.