Fields: content records

These fields control the properties of content records that are defined in the system. By default, these fields are found in the following locations:

■    Content Management > Content designer > Manage content, then from the Document System toolbar choose New > Website Content (or select an existing content record, then from the toolbar choose Edit).

■    You must be logged on to the website and have Content Editor permissions in at least one content authority group (CAG) in order to use the Surf-to-Edit (STE) feature to modify a content record.

The Save options available for a content record are:

■    Save: A Working version of the content record is saved. Publish the content record to make it the active version.

■    Save As: This option is available on System content records. You can rename and save the content record to a new (non-System) folder. The Save and Save & Publish options are hidden.

■    Save & Publish: This option is available if you have the Content Approver CAG permission. When you Save and Publish, your changes are immediately visible on any CM website that uses the content record.

■    Save and Submit for Approval: This option is available if you do not have the Content Approver CAG permission. When you Save and Submit for Approval, your changes are saved and a content publishing request is submitted to the content folder’s Content Approver. 

Note: Content records might also contain additional CM user-defined fields (UDFs). UDFs appear in the Properties section, beneath the Mark as important until field.

Note: The iMIS content folder and all of its descendant content folders and content records are protected for use by iMIS. The default Document System permissions for these content folders and content records permit editing only by members of the SysAdmin role.

Note: System content records cannot be edited or deleted. If you want to update a System content record, create a copy of it, and then edit the copy. Be sure to also update any navigation items or shortcuts that point to that content record.

Note: You cannot use Export and Import to make copies of objects within the same iMIS database. To make copies, use Organize > Copy and Organize > Paste.

Status

Specifies whether this definition object is in a Working, PublishPending, Submitted, Published, Inactive, or Active state. Click the expand icon to view further details, including who created the record, who modified it last, and dates of these changes.

■    Content records in a Working state have been saved within the iMIS database, but the latest changes have not been made active on the associated CM websites by the associated publishing servers and their corresponding iMIS publishing service (AsiPublishing15). The Publish command on the toolbar queues the content record to the associated publishing servers, during which the content record is in a PublishPending state and can be viewed in the Pending Requests detail for the associated publishing servers. After each publishing server has successfully processed the publishing request, the latest changes become visible on the associated websites and become active within iMIS, both of which are denoted by the Published state.

If an iMIS user does not have content authority group (CAG) Content Approver permissions, they will see a Submit command instead of a Publish command. The Submit command queues a publishing request to the Content Designer Task List of all CAG members who have Content Approver permissions. (Alternatively, if workflow is enabled for the parent content folder, only those members of the content folder's assigned CAG who have Content Approver permissions.) Only a person with Content Approver permissions in at least one CAG can actually publish content records.

■    For all other definition objects, the publishing process is less complex and does not involve CAG permissions, publishing servers, or the iMIS publishing service. When the object is in a Working state, the latest changes have been saved within the iMIS database, but they have not yet been made active within iMIS. The Publish command makes the latest changes active within iMIS.

■    Websites in an Inactive state are offline so that browsers cannot view the website content, and instead see a 503 error (Service Unavailable) from IIS. Selecting the Is this website active? checkbox in the Status section of the website's definition puts the website in an Active state, enabling browsers to view the website content. Clearing the checkbox puts the website in an Inactive state.

Title

Specifies what is rendered in the title of a browser window or browser tab when the rendered output of a content record is displayed. The words used in this field also factor into the relevancy weighting of search results. (System Setup > Set up content management > Search configuration.)

Publish File Name

Specifies the name of the .aspx file to which this content record is published.

Generate full URL

Enables you to paste a full URL for this content record into the body of an iPart (for example: http://10.40.10.105/iMIS/ContactManagement/ContactLayouts/Personal.aspx).

Generate Freelink

 Enables you to paste a wiki-style internal link for this content record  into the body of an iPart (for example: [[About_Us]]). The freelink text is the defined Publish File Name of this content record. When the web page is rendered in a browser, the freelink is replaced by a standard URL link:

<a href=http://www.ourdomain.org/iMIS/Content/About_Us/About_Us.aspx>About_Us</a>

(optional) You can add replacement text to the freelink using the following format: [[About_Us | Learn about our organization]], which would be rendered as:

<a href=http://www.ourdomain.org/iMIS/Content/About_Us/About_Us.aspx>Learn about our organization</a>

If you have multiple content records with exactly the same Publish File Name (which is possible if the content records are in different content folders), you can assign a unique content code to each content record. The system will copy the content code instead of the name. Alternatively, you can manually add a content folder path to identify a specific content record (for example, [[@/Legal_Services/About_Us]]).

Caution! If you add a content folder path to a freelink, the freelink will not resolve correctly in rendered webpages if the target content record is moved to a different content folder. For this reason, it is generally best practice to ensure that all your content records are uniquely named and thereby avoid the need to add a content folder path to a freelink.

add content

Displays an iPart Gallery browser that lets you select from available ASP.NET iParts to add to this iPart zone of the content record by selecting the desired iParts and clicking OK. After the iParts have been added to the zone, you can drag each iPart into the order you want them to appear in that zone of the rendered web page.

The Content folder contains the system-defined iParts that ship with iMIS, and are meant for general-purpose content authoring. For example, the Content Html iPart enables you to author a block of HTML text, and the ContentTaggedList iPart enables you to specify the automatic inclusion of other content records or even entire content folders that have a certain tag associated with them.

The Or, enter a path to a web user control field allows implementers to specify a path to a user control that is not defined within the iPart Gallery. See Defining custom iParts as content types.

To see the Communities iPart gallery, you need a COMMUNITIES license.

To work with iParts that have been added to a content record, click the drop-down arrow at the right of an iPart's title bar and choose from the following commands:

■    Configure - Displays a window that enables you to define the properties of the iPart. For example, performing this action for a Content Html iPart displays an HTML editor. When configuring an iPart, click the  link for Configuration Help.

■    Copy To - Copies the iPart to another content record.

■    Move To - Moves the iPart to another content record.

■    Connect - Displays a connection editor that enables staff or consultants to define iPart connections. Connections allow one iPart to interact with another iPart on the same content record. Not all iParts support connections, so when configuring an iPart, open the Configuration Help to determine the iPart’s connection options.

When creating a new connection, the available connection types are listed, and a drop-down list enables you to select from the other iParts on the same content record. For example, to configure iPart A to act upon iPart B, create a connection, and set iPart A to be the Object Consumer. Set iPart B to be the Object Provider. Each iPart can only have one Consumer and one Provider per connection type. So an iPart can only act as an Object Provider for one other iPart, for example, not as an Object Provider for several other iParts.

The connection editor lists all current connection points for the iPart and allows you to define new connections. Each iPart (consumer and provider) displays the connection once it is defined. For example, if you select iPart A and connect it to iPart B, and then look at the connections for B, you will see the connection there as well. Connections can also be disconnected from here.

Currently, connections can be of four types: Object, Atom Object, Uniform Key, or String. The type of connection to use depends on the implementation by the iPart’s author. Please refer to the specific iPart’s Configuration Help for details.

■    Minimize - Collapses the iPart's preview box, instead displaying only the iPart's title bar.

■    Restore - Expands a collapsed iPart to display its preview box.

■    Remove - Removes the iPart from the content record.

Note: The content types defined in the system determine the behavior of ASP.NET iParts controls within iMIS. Each iParts control must have an associated content type, which tells iMIS how to create the corresponding iPart within the system, how to edit it, how to display it, how to publish it, and so on. The system-defined iParts in the Content gallery all have a corresponding content type. A special ContentWebUserControl content type is used as the default content type for all custom iParts that you add to a content record. You can optionally define entirely new content types to enable more sophisticated system handling of a custom iPart that has been added to a content record.

Properties (the link at upper right of each iPart zone)

Specifies the displayed title and CSS classes associated with this iPart zone of the content record.

■    Title - Specifies a title for the zone, which is displayed in the rendered output at the top of the zone, preceding the content items in that zone.

■    Title CSS Class - Specifies a CSS class attribute for the <div> element that comprises the rendered zone title. This class must be available in the stylesheets associated with the theme used for the associated website.

■    Zone CSS Class - Specifies a CSS class attribute for the <table> element that comprises the rendered zone. This class must be available in the stylesheets associated with the theme used for the associated website.

Display within the template

Renders the content record within the content area of the website's master page. When cleared, renders the content record as a standalone web page that contains none of the navigation areas or graphic look-and-feel of the website's master page.

Content is restricted to members

Makes the rendered version of this content record non-readable unless the person attempting to view the rendered content on the website is:

■    Logged on to the website with a valid iMIS logon, and

■    The contact record that corresponds with the iMIS logon is a member type (customer type) that is defined as Is a member in Customers > Set up module > Customer types.

When cleared, the rendered version of this content record is readable by any user regardless of their member type.

Content requires user to log on

Makes the rendered version of this content record non-readable unless the person attempting to view the rendered content on the website is logged onto the website with a valid iMIS logon. When cleared, the rendered version of this content record is readable by anonymous website visitors.

Content is secure (https://)

Makes the rendered version of this content record be displayed through a secured connection (SSL) to the web server regardless of which navigation item sends the user to this content record, but only if both of the following two conditions are also met:

1.  The website(s) whose sitemap navigation items point to this content record have valid https:// URLs listed in the Secure URL(s) pointing to the IIS website root field in their definition.

Important: Restart IIS whenever you change the Secure URL(s) pointing to the IIS website root setting. Note that localhost is not a valid Secure URL.

2.  You have installed valid site certificates in IIS for each web server that hosts these websites.

Because a content record cannot know in which websites it will ultimately be used, there is no validation possible for this checkbox. If this content record ends up being served by a website that does not meet the above criteria, the content record will be displayed through a non-secured connection (http://).

Content allows user impersonation

Note: In iPart-based websites, enabling user impersonation is no longer required. Instead, you can use On Behalf Of, so that staff can complete transactions on behalf of your customers.

If you are not using On Behalf Of, enable this option to make the rendered version of this content record available to logged-on iMIS users who are currently changing information on behalf of another user (Contacts > Contact management and click the Change link at the upper right of every window in this area of the product.) When cleared, the rendered version of this content record is non-readable by iMIS users who are currently changing information on behalf of another user.

For example, assume that content record X is defined such that you do not have the required Document System permissions to view its rendered web page, but user "John Doe" does have the permissions to view the rendered page. If you log on as yourself and use the above technique to impersonate user "John Doe", you will be able to navigate to the rendered page and view its contents if this checkbox is selected.

Description/Summary

Specifies a description of the content record that is oriented to the people who perform web content authoring, and which is also included in the <META> element's description attribute in the rendered page's source code for this content record. This text is not displayed in the rendered web page itself or in search results summaries, but the words used in the <META> element enable searches performed through the CM search engine (and also many external web-based search engines such as Google) to locate this content record even if the words are not actually used anywhere in the visible rendered content.

The words used in this field also factor into the relevancy weighting of search results. (System Setup > Set up content management > Search configuration, the SE.SearchDescriptionHint field.)

Keywords/Metatags

Specifies the keywords that should be included in the <META> element's keywords attribute in the rendered page's source code for this content record. These keywords enable searches performed through the CM search engine to locate this content record even though these keywords are not actually used anywhere in the visible rendered content.

Note: External web-based search engines such as Google do not typically index the contents of this <META> element.

The keywords used in this field also factor into the relevancy weighting of search results. (System Setup > Set up content management > Search configuration, the SE.SearchKeywordHint field.)

Date of Publication

Specifies the publication date for this content record, for the purpose of filtering search results or for filtering and sorting of the output from ContentTaggedList iParts. For example, you could override the default (actual) date that this content record was published if you wanted searches based on a different date to find the rendered version of this content record.

Publish on Future Date

Specifies a delayed and automated publication date for this content record, enabling you to embargo the content by completing the content record now but ensuring that its rendered version does not become available on any websites until later.

Automatic Publishing Frequency

Specifies how frequently to automatically republish this content record. This field can be used to prevent a content record from ever being automatically expired if a non-zero value has been specified in the Content is considered expired n days after last published field for the content folder that contains the content record. You do this by specifying a value here that is smaller than the value in the Content is considered expired… field.

Mark as important until

Specifies the date after which the New icon for an entry in the rendered version of a ContentTaggedList iPart will stop being displayed.

Note: This field affects only content records that contain a ContentTaggedList iPart, and only if the CM.UseImportantUntilDate configuration option is enabled (System Setup > Set up content management > Content designer configuration).

Content code

Specifies a unique identifier for this particular content record that can be used to ensure that a navigation item will always point to this content record even if the content record's location in the Document System hierarchy changes at some future date. Normally if this happens (by moving the content record to a different content folder), the Content or URL to Link to field in a navigation item must be manually changed to point to the new relative path of the content record within the Document System hierarchy.

However, if you specify this ContentCode value in the Content or URL to Link to field in a navigation item, then even if this content record is moved to another content folder or renamed, the navigation item will still point to this content record.

Cache duration

You have the option to cache webpages on your server to improve website performance. This option only caches pages for unauthenticated users. A version of the page is cached for each major browser version that accesses the page (for example Firefox 14, IE9, etc.). Pages can be cached for 5 seconds (Short), 5 minutes (Medium), or 1 hour (Long).

When you enable this option, the first request for the content record generates and stores a cached version of the webpage on the server for the specified duration. Within that period of time, if another unauthenticated user visits the page using the same web browser type and version, then the page is loaded from the cache, instead of accessing the database again.

Consider what type of content the page displays when you choose the cache duration. For example, if the content record contains a Content Tagged List, and new data is tagged regularly, then you would likely only want to cache the page for a short or medium period of time. However, if the data is more static, like an article, then caching for a long period of time may make more sense.  

The Cache duration is ignored if the content record contains any iParts that require dynamic data, because dynamic data cannot be accessed from the cache. This applies to the Payment Creator iPart, Contact Account Creator iPart, Cart Details Display iPart, and any Content HTML iParts that contain script tags (such as C# code or JavaScript).

Page caching can be disabled site-wide when the following value is set to false within the website’s web.config file:

<add key="Content.EnablePageCaching" value="true"/>

Content Parameters

(appears only in content records that contain a custom iPart)

Specifies the parameters for a custom iPart that has been added to this content record. The exact parameters cannot be described here because they are defined in the custom iPart and its associated content type. Contact the staff or consultants who created the custom iPart for information about what you should enter in this field.

This content is part of the site's Template design

Enables this content record to populate a named content area of a template design. When cleared, the rendered version of this content record can only be viewed if it is pointed to by a navigation item.

The available content areas that you can specify in the associated Show in content area field are the first part of the .aspx file names listed in the Content Areas folder of the CM website folders created in IIS. For example, if you want this content record to be the content displayed for the HomePageContentArea6.aspx page in a website created with the master page template, you would specify HomePageContentArea6 in this field.

Workflow Management

(appears only when a CAG is assigned to the parent content folder, which means that content workflow is enabled for this content record)

■    Owner of this content - Specifies which person should receive email notification when this content record approaches its expiration date, and should be assigned a content change request in their Content Designer Task List when a Surf-to-Edit user requests a change to this content record. If the person who creates a content record has Content Editor CAG permissions in at least one CAG, that person is automatically assigned as the content owner. You can subsequently change this value. The drop-down list includes only those members of the assigned CAG who have Content Editor permissions.

■    Content is considered expired n days after last published - Specifies the expiration interval for this content record. When expired, the content record is no longer rendered on CM websites, but the content record remains in the system with no change in status until it is manually deleted by using the Organize > Delete command on the Document System toolbar or by using the Delete Selected button on a CAG member's Content Designer Task List. Manually republishing the content record makes it appear again on the CM websites and resets the expiration interval.

The expiration interval can be effectively overridden by specifying a value smaller than the expiration interval for the Automatic Publishing Frequency field. This ensures that the expiration interval is never reached for that content record.

■    Content set to expire - Specifies an exact expiration date for this content record. You can specify a value for this field only if the value specified for the Content is considered expired n days after last published field is 0. Otherwise, this field is read-only.

■    Automatically delete expired content? - Overrides the default expiration behavior described above by automatically deleting the content record when it has passed its expiration date. The content record is moved into the Recycle Bin at the bottom of the content folder hierarchy and its status is changed to Recycled.

Current Tags

Specifies the tags that are currently associated with this content record. The Tags inherited from parent hierarchy area lists all tags that are being inherited from a content folder higher in the content folder hierarchy. Clicking the Modify link opens a window that enables you to select the tags for this content record.

Only the inherited tags and the specific tags that you select here are used by the CM search engine. If you want search results to also find this content record by descendant tags in the tag hierarchy, you must select the parent tag and also the specific descendant tags.

Although the CM search engine recognizes tag inheritance and finds descendant content records based on inherited tags, the Items by Tag report does not recognize tag inheritance and won't list the descendant content records and content folders for a tag that they inherit.

To choose useful tags for the dynamic handling of a content record, it helps to understand how tag-related functionality handles tag inheritance.

□    The pre-filtered result set of a basic or advanced search includes all published content records that are tagged with any descendant of the tag that is matched by the search keywords.

□    The pre-filtered result set of an advanced search includes all published content records that are tagged with any descendant of a tag that is specified in the configuration of the AdvancedSearch iPart if the user selects that tag at runtime on the rendered page that contains the advanced search form.

□    The pre-filtered result set of a rendered ContentTaggedList iPart also includes published content records that are tagged with any descendent of a tag that is specified in the configuration of the ContentTaggedList.

□    The content of the Items by Tag report (in Content Management > Reports) does not list published content records that are tagged with any descendant of each tag in the report.

Note: Tags are always overwritten on import. For example, if you import a content record from a staging server to a production server, the assigned tags on the production server are overwritten by whatever tags were assigned on the staging server.

Access Settings

Specifies the Document System permissions granted for this definition object to iMIS security roles, security groups, specific iMIS users, iMIS member types, or to all Full and Casual users based on their assigned authorization levels.

■    Apply changes to all descendants - Changes to this section, when saved, flow automatically to all descendant definition objects. When cleared, changes to this section apply only to the current definition object. This checkbox usually appears only on Document System folder objects.

■    Use a preconfigured security set - Specifies a preconfigured security configuration to use for this definition object, which can be much simpler than using the Make this available to option to specify the permissions for definition objects. The specific permissions in the preconfigured security configuration are displayed (read-only) in the Make this available to area.

If you select a preconfigured security configuration and then switch to the Make this available to option, the permissions granted by the preconfigured security configuration are copied. This enables you to use a preconfigured security configuration as a starting point for defining custom permissions.

■    Make this available to - Lists the roles, groups, users, member types, or authorization levels that have been enabled to define or view rendered output from this object. This option enables you to specify custom permissions for the definition object if none of the preconfigured security configurations meets your needs. The SysAdmin, Content Administrator, and Everyone roles are default system-defined security roles that are assigned to every definition object used by CM. The SysAdmin role is assigned in the definition of an iMIS user record, but the Content Administrator role is automatically assigned to every iMIS user who is a member of a CM content authority group (CAG) that is designated as a Master Admin CAG.

The permissions that can be assigned to each entry in the list are:

□    Full Control - Enables all of the following permissions.

□    Read - Enables users to see this object both in CM definition windows and as rendered output in CM websites, but they cannot change the object's definition.

□    Add - Enables users to create new objects, or to paste or import an object into the Document System.

□    Edit - Enables users to edit this object's definition, but not to delete the object.

□    Delete - Enables users to delete this object.

□    Select - (WCM only) Enables users to assign a tag to content folders and content records.