PowerSite Frequently Asked Questions

What language is PowerSite created in?

PowerSite was created in ColdFusion, one of the first server-side web application platforms. The platform and related CFML language is not as popular as it once was, giving way to such open-source languages as PHP, Python, and Node.js, but it still has a loyal following and it is regularly updated by its current owner, Adobe Inc.

Stargate continues to develop PowerSite in ColdFusion because of its speed, robustness, excellent security, and rapid development approach.

How much control do I have over my PowerSite?

The mindset behind PowerSite is that Stargate handles the design and programming to create an easy-to-use, custom web application exactly for your needs. You simply use the provided administration controls to create, upload, and update content and other data. You also have the ability to control user accounts and security permissions yourself and/or delegate those tasks to other users if you wish.

The primary benefit of this approach — to restrict the programming access to Stargate staff — is that it mitigates the security problems of a full DIY platform like WordPress. Users cannot update server-side programming, and there is no need to update plugins and themes, which are the primary vulnerability points of those platforms. We do all of that for you.

Stargate incorporates the design for your website through custom ColdFusion HTML templates and standard CSS. This helps your site maintain a consistent look and feel without having to worry about the design as you edit the content. If necessary, we can add custom interfaces for updating the design and layout of pages, including editing the CSS if you wish to have that level of access. (Cascading Style Sheets are essentially safe for most users to edit, although learning CSS can be daunting.)

Can my PowerSite be hosted at another web hosting company?

Although you own the content and design of your website, the PowerSite back-end is proprietary. It's a cloud-based hosting service available only at Stargate Connections. Every PowerSite requires our continued participation to update the programming and overall design, and we need it to be hosted on our servers so we can properly control the server requirements and security environment.

If you wish to move your website to another hosting provider or another developer, we can export a non-PowerSite version of your site. This can be done as static HTML pages, or a simplified ColdFusion or PHP front end to access the content database. You simply lose the back-end administration interfaces that are part of PowerSite. Your new developers may be able to create new user interfaces for you using their own preferred platforms, but in any case, there is nothing proprietary about the front-end side of PowerSite. All of the exported files we provide could be edited with any standard editing applications.

Does PowerSite use themes like WordPress?

We develop PowerSite in much the same way as any static HTML site — by hand. That means we create the front-end appearance of your site using custom HTML markup and custom CSS styling. This means we're not limited by which themes are available. We can create essentially any design you want.

In fact, our preference is for customers to use a third-party designer of their choice to create mock-ups, and then have us build the site according to their specifications. And if you like, we can replicate a favourite WordPress theme. Our creative team can create replacements for any licensed content so you could own the design yourself.

How is PowerSite licensed?

There are no actual licenses for PowerSite, only a monthly hosting fee plus whatever hourly fees are required for development and subsequent updates on an as-requested basis. Security and stability maintenance updates are included in the monthly hosting fee. Any requests requiring development of new PowerSite features are simply part of the hourly fees.

Most PowerSite installations are hosted on our shared ColdFusion server. Some customers prefer to host their PowerSite(s) on a private server at Stargate Connections. In those situations, the monthly PowerSite hosting fee may be incorporated into the private server hosting fees. However, a separate license fee for Adobe ColdFusion is required for any private servers.

The only other time licenses may be involved is when the site uses third-party utilities which aren't strictly part of PowerSite. For example, we have incorporated Google Maps into several PowerSite installations, but in 2018 Google began requiring a billing account to use their Maps API. Customers are responsible for managing those accounts and then providing us with technical access or API keys.

How actively is PowerSite updated and maintained?

PowerSite has seen active development since it was first created in 1997. Development is driven and funded by customer requests. Once a new feature is added to PowerSite for a specific customer, it becomes available to all of the customers that need it.

Monthly hosting fees include monitoring and updates for security and performance issues. Stargate is regularly alerted to suspicious activity, both by priority email notifications to Stargate staff and logging within each PowerSite database.

Some of our customers run external security audits on a regular basis, and we eagerly use those reports to further refine PowerSite security for all of our customers.

What kinds of documentation do you provide for PowerSite?

For the most part, our objective is to create a user interface that is intuitive and easy to use. PowerSite provides authorized users with a main Administration Menu containing all of the functions available to them. However, we also incorporate context-aware administration links throughout the front-end templates so users can quickly access editing functions near the relevant content. It's often as simple as clicking a link saying "Edit this Item" or "Add a Child Page." (Regular visitors do not see these links.)

The administration forms also support custom help topics to explain certain functions or editing fields. The help topics can also be updated by your team to document tips, tricks or procedures unique to your organization.

It's important to note that, because of the highly-customized nature of each PowerSite, it's largely impossible to provide a stock set of documents on "How to Use PowerSite." Each site is different and therefore requires specific documentation. Because of that, we also provide a certain amount of free support. If you find a task is not as intuitive as we hoped, just send us an email. Our reply with instructions is free of charge. (Note: If you require us to make an update you could have done yourself, we would still need to charge for that.)