Import Module, Refactoring Automation, and Beyond — Community Survey & Collaboration

Good day everyone,

I’m currently developing something quite ambitious and wanted to reach out to our UNACMS community — especially those who aren’t PHP developers but are entrepreneurs, creators, and problem-solvers exploring self-hosted and open-source solutions.

Over the years, my own experience has shown that while there’s an endless supply of software and platforms out there, most of them end up taking us down the same road — reinventing the wheel or starting over from scratch.

Now, with AI tools rapidly changing how we build and create, it might seem like open-source systems like UNA are becoming less relevant. But in truth, AI comes with its own challenges and costs. The real magic happens when we combine the stability of open-source foundations (like UNA) with the adaptability and automation of AI-driven development.

That’s what I’m working toward — an AI Full Stack Development App for UNACMS, starting with:

  • Automated import/export modules for system and data migration.
  • Refactoring automation to help developers clean, upgrade, and maintain code more easily.
  • Tools designed to help non-programmers and community builders customize and extend UNA without deep technical knowledge.

Before I go too far, I want to hear from you —

  • Would this be something useful for your UNA projects?
  • What features or pain points would you want this AI-assisted toolkit to solve first?
  • Should we open a collaboration or early testing group?

I believe UNA still holds enormous potential — especially when we start bridging it with modern AI workflows.

Looking forward to your thoughts, feedback, and ideas!

— Chris Buys

Developer, AI Full Stack for UNA CMS

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Replies (8)

    • Some insights:

      We can spin up a UNA CMS sandbox to test custom-built modules, even preview them in React before deploying to the PHP backend. It’s also possible to import existing modules for refactoring and automation.

      • It may help, I guess. However, professional support will remain unmatched.

        • @UMIT OZAYDIN Nothing is impossible nowadays ... nothing.. But it is of concern and must not go unnoticed though

          • @UMIT OZAYDIN .. I have to be honest — your comment made me stop and think for a bit, and that’s good. There are many factors at play here, and this is very important to mention.

            UNACMS is the foundation and always will be — make no mistake about that. What I’m working on is meant to be a high-level solution, especially for non-PHP programmers who still want to build and extend UNA.

            And you’re absolutely right — human support remains unmatched. While automation and AI can streamline and accelerate development, nothing replaces the insight and guidance that come from real people working together.

            • Honestly, I was hoping this kind of idea would come from the UNACMS team itself. I say that because I truly believe many in our community are longing for more ownership and control — especially when it comes to shaping requirement specs and turning ideas into real, working modules.

              Too often, it feels like we’re running into closed doors, which limits what people can truly achieve. Our community should be growing and thriving, but I see less of that happening lately.

              As much as I love UNACMS, I can’t ignore what AI is bringing to the table — and I don’t think we should. The question is: how do we keep our community engaged and excited?

              Because we have one of the best open-source platforms ever built — and I say that with full conviction. I’ve explored many tools like Directus and Strapi integrations, and they’re amazing, but UNACMS is different. Still… if we don’t evolve, it might not stay that way for long.

              • I’m glad to report that my first AI-generated UNA CMS module worked successfully. It’s been a great learning experience and a good sign of what AI can help us achieve within the UNA ecosystem.image_transcoder.php?o=sys_images_editor&h=2941&dpx=1&t=1763560974

                • The unacms modular runs as a normal module within your unacms system. I had it stand alone first but made testing quite difficult, so yes... I will see what's next while building it to a point where one can comply with ongoing upgrades etc.

                  • I think it has great with great potential I wrote a webcam chatroom yesterday fully working then changed it into a full una templated module for studio upload using chatgpt It understands fully una cms and had all the knowledge to build it , asking the all imporatnt questions you would expect first, I think its a good idea for individuals but of course it would be down to yourself to maintian and of course the all important testing phase. I do think it would be great as you said, regarding your our community should be growing and thriving I think lots of coders are maybe cutting back on some expenses eg:Servers licence fees etc due to the world living in a cost of living crisis, But I think the tough people will stick with it and it will like many industries grow in fits and starts for the immediate future but things change rapidly of course. Simon

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