October 18, 2016

Content Type Basics - Web 8 XPM

Content Type - It is predefined Component presentation that can be added to a Page using Experience Manager if that Component type is allowed on particular Page Template.

How to create  - Go to publication Property on the tab "Content type", at bottom click on Insert. you will see following form on the screen.


Already defined component presentation on a page automatically become content type for that page.

All the fields are very descriptive itself.  Define you content type at some common publication 
e.g Website Site Master. so that it gets available to all the site publication in XPM.

Settings:
There are two types of settings in Content Type:
  • Blueprint Context Setting
  • Content type mapping Setting
Blueprint context Settings: Here we define if  a component for is created for a page in any publication what should be physical location of that component. as pages and components are created in different publications.
Just choose the publication here.
Content Type Mapping: In this mapping we basically specify mapping between Page template and Content type. e.g Carousel content type should only be available on Article and home page template

So you can do this setting on parent publication and post that. its get available to all child publication. 

Because "Inherit setting from Parent" is selected by default on all publications. so this setting get automatically available to all child publications. if you wan to override these settings, you can un-check the check-box and define new setting for that required publication.

Here you see all content type available in choose publication. here you can define what all Content type are available to which page template


Content type usage in XPM

After defining the content type, time to use it on desired pages. So load the XPM with the target page where you need to insert the content. when page loads. make sure lock sign in not there on top of the page. else you will not see options under Insert Content, as shown below


when you load a page in Xpm, and select Create and insert New Content option, on left side slider all content type enabled(which we did in last steps) on that PT is shown here. You choose it and it show you form to give a name to the component and choose the folder of that component, if you want to go ahead with earlier selected location that is also OK.

Publication for the component is chosen as per the blueprint context you set in settings.

Some issue exists in Content type
  1. Only first level of components are cloned in content types any linked component is not cloned but same component is used.
  2. When we create Content-type and choose folder location, it does not pick the blueprint context but show the folder from that publication only.
    but when you create component in XPM publication and folders are selected as per blueprint context. if folder choose at creation of content type not exists in the publication as per blueprint context, XPM throws Error.

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