Such a plugin should be directly implemented in Wordpress (I loved the Widgets plugin too and I think it should be incorporated too). Unfortunately it uses and requires PHP5 and that’s not present on every server (many are still using PHP4 indeed).
Canvas uses a simple drag-and-drop interface to manage your blog’s layout. Moving content and controlling functions is as easy as pointing, clicking, and dragging.
Canvas adminThe administrator has the ability to move any block of content (be it static or plugin-based) to any container on the canvas of the homepage, single posts, archives, or any number of Wordpress-generated pages. Block settings and locations are updated live in the Wordpress database and instantly applied to the layout. Through the cunning use of CSS, content will look stylish and line up perfectly no matter where you put it.
Unless you’ve got a penchant for PHP (and plenty of time on your hands), you’ve probably found yourself frustrated with how difficult it can be to accomplish seemingly simple tasks. Changing images, moving links, rearranging content … it can quickly become a headache.
That’s where Canvas comes in: to bridge the gap between the average user and their layout. With the Canvas back-end powering your theme, the days of deciphering PHP to rearrange content and change function variables are gone.
Sad note: the canvas project is no longer actively developed by the authors.
Karsten and I are saying goodbye to Canvas — at least as lead developers. Neither of us possess the time or expertise to continue to develop Canvas to its full potential. Hopefully, someone out there does.
Our hope is that Canvas will continue to thrive as an open-source project. Much of the infrastructure is already there — the forums, bug reporting system, wiki, and SVN will all continue to exist, and we’re happy to foot the bill. Canvas just needs a few brilliant and motivated minds to take it further. Who knows, maybe one day Canvas will become part of the Wordpress core.
I tried it on my home server and I’m pretty happy with it. Nice configuration. Nice layout. Nice themes. Nice growing possibilities. We should not let it die, because such plugins are almost revolutionary. Spread the word and hopefully someone will notice it, adopting the plugin.