Building Media Templates

Building media page templates

Before you begin the process of building a media page or media page template, confirm that you have all the required categories , meta information ,and tags prepared. If you haven't yet created the options you need pause now and add them to the tool.

Step 1: Create a template builder subfolder

You can't create template media pages directly in the templates builder folder. You will need to first create a sub-folder to store your media pages. If you already have a subfolder you can skip this step.

To create a templates builder subfolder, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Media Manager node in the content tree and open it
2. Open the 'Templates Builder' node. A list of existing subfolders will expand
3. Right click the "Templates Builder" node to open the node options menu
4. Select 'Create'
5. Select the 'Media Pages Subfolder' document type
6. Enter the subfolder name in the 'Enter a name...' field. Examples might include Bylaw Templates, Policy Templates, or Real Estate Templates.
7. Select an override global node or an override design style if required. These appearance overrides will modify the look and potential function of all templates created in this folder. Note that these overrides will not carry over to media pages created with these templates. Overrides will have to be applied to the media page subfolder that contains your media pages to appear on the live website
8. Activate disable delete, if necessary. This prevents the template subfolder from being deleted unless this setting is disabled
9. Select 'Save and publish...' to complete the process

Step 2: Create a media page template

Once you have your subfolder, categories, meta information, and tags prepared, you can begin creating your media page template.

To create a media page template, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Media Manager node in the content tree and open it
2. Open the 'Templates Builder' node. A list of existing subfolders will expand
3. Right click the target subfolder node to open the node options menu
4. Select 'Create'
5. Select the 'Media Page' document type
6. Choose an existing template as your starting point or select 'Blank' to build a template from scratch. For these instructions, we'll assume we're using the blank option
7. Enter the media page name in the 'Enter a name...' field
8. Select the 'Add' button next to 'File' field to add a document to the media page. The 'Select media' dialogue will open. Choose a file from your media section or upload a new option using the button at the upper right. Note that documents added to templates are place holders only and will be replaced when creating individual media pages
9. In the 'Categories' field select 'Add'. Choose all that apply from the list provided. Once again these will be placeholders for the purpose of the template
10. In the 'Tags' field select 'Add'. Open a media tags group and select all relevant tags. You can select multiple tags from a single group, but if you need to apply tags from additional groups you will need to repeat this step for each group. Once again these will be placeholders for the purpose of the template
11. Next we'll add the meta information for the media page. Each meta information field is data that will appear with your document on the media page.
12. In the 'Meta information field, select 'Add content'. The 'Add content' dialogue will open
13. Select the type of meta information to add. This will create a new field in the 'Meta information' section of the page
14. Select the 'Add' button next to 'Meta information' in the new field. This will open the 'Select content dialogue'. Choose the meta information from the options available.
15. Enter a 'Value' for the meta information field. This value can be left blank on the template or you can add placeholder text
16. Repeat steps 10 to 13 for each meta information field you would like in your template
17. Move to the 'Content' tab at the top of your page and specify a layout and headings for your template if required
18. Add components using the 'Intro main content' and 'Outro main content' fields. Intro content appears above the meta information table in the template and outro content appears below. Adding content components to your template is optional
19. Hide the meta information field if required. Use this option if you prefer to present the content on your media pages using components rather than the standard meta information table. Hiding the meta information table does not impact the way pages are displayed in listings or their searchability
20. If you would like to add additional text to the top of your media page template you can do so using the 'Text' field in the 'Summary' tab. This text will appear just below the list of categories and above the intro content components and details table. This text is also pulled as the summary that appears on tiles in the grid view of the media manager listing component
21. Add a summary image to your media page template using the 'Image' field in the 'Summary' tab. This image will appear only in the grid view of the media manager listing component. Summary images are optional and unnecessary if you are using the table view in the media manager listing
22. Select 'Save and publish...' to complete the initial page setup. To be able to use your page as a template you will need to complete one more process

Step 3: Convert the media page template

The media page template you've created will appear only in the 'Templates Builder' section of the media manager. To be available as a template when creating new pages in the 'Media Pages' section, you can use your page to create a system template.

Note that this is optional. You can also use your template to make media pages by creating copies of it in media page subfolders. To do this use the standard process for copying a page. While this requires more steps than using a system template it has the advantage of allowing updates to the template at a later date.

To create a system template from your media page template, you'll need to follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Media Manager node in the content tree and open it
2. Open the 'Templates Builder' node
3. Open the target subfolder and select your media page template. The page will open for editing.
4. Select 'Actions' at the upper right of the page and choose the 'Create Content Template...' option
5. In the 'Create Content Template' dialogue enter a name for your template. You may want to include a version number. System templates cannot be updated directly so the only option if edits are made will be a new version.
6. Select 'Create'

Your template will now be available in the 'Create' dropdown in the 'Media Pages' section of the media manager and can be used as a starting point for future entries.

System templates are stored in the website code and cannot be deleted directly. If you need a system template deleted please submit a support ticket.

Pro tip

These templates are starting points only. They are not connected to the documents created from them. Updating your media page template will not alter or update the pages created from them. If edits are required, you will have to make updates on a page by page basis.