CKEditor and CKFinder – great way to screw up a good thing..

On May 7, 2010 · 3 Comments · In Development, Web

Anyone who does web development for a CMS will tell you how nice FCKEditor is to work with. Not only is it nice to work with, but it’s an open source project with a huge community following. While support is optional, there is plenty of it you can find free online. The other nice feature of FCK is the integrated file manager to allow for uploads right from link or image creation. Making it very easy for people to upload PDF’s and link them right in their updates.

Then in early 2010 the new kid on the block rolled out. CKEditor. Tons of visual and functional improvements, but one big downfall. No integrated file manger. That to me really is a deal breaker, and luckily you can still download the latest version of FCKEditor with the filemanager from their website. They did create CKFinder which is a much more robust (and admittedly impressive file manager) but it’s plastered with DEMO all over it when you use it unregistered.

I understand that they want to make some money from such a wonderful project, but I think there were better and more tasteful ways to do this, than to surprise the users after upgrading to CKFinder to find no decent file manager integration. There are some reported hacks and workarounds to make it work, check them out below.

Open File Manager
Integrating FCK File Manager with CKEditor

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  • http://cksource.com/ FredCK

    I'm sorry to hear that, but we've set the CKFinder pricing in a way that it should not impact that much ($59). I know people is getting used to have all software for free, but be sure that financial support brings back lots of benefits to you, when talking about our projects.

    Thanks for the post!

  • http://www.synergy-blog.com/ Steve Latronica

    FCK- glad to see you hopping on for this discussion. It was not so much that it's no longer 'free', but a bait and switch type operation where it did not seem clear to me at all when looking at the new versions that it was going to be plastered with DEMO upon installation.

    While $59 is very reasonable for a one of install, the corporate is 10x that, and OEM tips up over a grand.

    I will end in saying the system (CKEditor/CKFinder) is great, and I have not seen a set of comparable products to date.

  • http://www.mixedwaves.com Penuel

    Thanks for including my hack (Integrating FCK File Manager in CKeditor). It can certainly be used as a free and easy alternative to CKFinder although with very less features compared to CKFinder.