Home » Documentation » Using Site Structure
Before you read this chapter it’s recommended that you read Using Channels.
Site structure
Site structure is a hierarchal navigation and content structure. A channel’s navigation is defined by applying a site structure registry where the registry points to a site structure. By applying the same registry to multiple channels you can achieve a setup where two or more channels share the same content and site structure, e.g. localized channels www.mysite.se and www.mysite.no.
Within the site structure there are a number of content nodes to work with:
Folder
A folder is used within the site structure to group content nodes to create a better overview of the site. A folder node has no function on the public site.
Master page
A master page is an abstract content page that you can add blocks to. A master page cannot be viewed in the public site but used as a base when creating new pages. Pages created from a master page inherit the blocks and layout of the master page and reflects any changes to its master page.
Content page
A content page can either be created inheriting blocks from a master page or as a standalone content page. A content page can be seen as the canvas on with you place content blocks. The content blocks could be any of the standard Scensum blocks, e.g. product list, rich text etc, or custom blocks created in the customer project.
Out of the box there are a couple of different content pages:
- Content page – Canvas on which you place content blocks such as rich text, product listing etc.
- Product detail page – Page that renders a product based on a posted product id.
- Order detail page – Page that renders an order based on a posted order id.
In the customer project it’s possible to create custom page types, e.g. Store page.
Short cut
A short cut is a link to another content node within the same site structure registry. A short cut is normally used to provide multiple entries to the same content, e.g. “how to purchase” or “customer service”.
Link
A link is a URL reference usually used to link outside the site, e.g. to a manufacturer site or the main corporate site.
Content page vs. Blocks
A content page is a web page requested by a visitor. The page defines the URL, if it should be visible in a navigation menu etc.
Blocks are placed on a content page to build up the page content. Using blocks and the site structure admin interface in back office a content manager can rearrange order and layout, modify and display or remove content for a page.
Out of the box Scensum comes with a variety of blocks that supports a content manager to create the business offer. Depending on the content page type the available blocks vary, e.g. a alternate product image block can only be placed on a product detail content page while a rich text block is possible to place on any type of content page.
Master Template vs. Page Templates
While the content page defines the content, accessibility, status, URL etc it states nothing about its actual appearance on the public site. The design of the page is set by applying a master and a page template to the content page.
Master template
The master template defines the overall design of the web page. Reoccurring design elements and business functionality such as company logotype, cart, top menu, public site search components are normally placed here as well as links to various resources, e.g. CSS-, script files etc.
The master page has variables for rendering a content page within its design elements.
Normally a site has one to, in an advanced solution, a handful of master templates, which can be used to extend the design statement. In a shop-in-shop solution there will normally be a number of master templates that enhances the different segments of the site.
Page template
In the page template a designer creates areas in which blocks can be placed. The page template defines the design and layout of these content areas.
The page template can also contain components to add business logic that isn’t manageable from the site structure admin, e.g. the bread crumb trail is normally not managed from the back office administration but could be added to a content page by selecting a page template with the bread crumb control.
A site will normally have a handful to a dozen page templates for a content manager to choose from, e.g. two-column template without bread crumb, tree-column template with footer, one column template with left menu site navigation etc.