Content management is organizing, categorizing and structuring information so that it can be stored, published and reused in several ways. A content management system (CMS) collects, manages and publishes content. The book describes four things a CMS does, and each one has a place in Exponential:
| A CMS should | In Exponential |
|---|---|
| Store content as parts (with metadata) or as whole documents | Content is stored as objects made of typed attributes. A document, such as a PDF, is a file attribute of an object. See classes, attributes and objects. |
| Keep the links between parts | Objects relate to each other, and one object can sit in several places of the tree. See the node tree and sections. |
| Keep track of versions | Every object is versioned. See versions, translations and related content. |
| Run a workflow: approvals, notifications | Workflows run on events such as publishing, and notifications go out by e-mail. See workflows and triggers. |
How the content gets out
The book names the protocols: HTTP for the browser, and WebDAV and SOAP for other programs. Today the site and administration use HTTP, and programs use the REST API (REST API). The text format is still a structured XML of headings, lists, tables, links and embedded objects (rich text tags).
Design before you build
The book's first practical advice has not aged: plan the content before you build it. There are no fixed rules, only good practices from the people who build taxonomies for document collections. A short list:
- Write down the kinds of content (articles, products, people, events) and what each one needs. These become content classes (creating a content class).
- Sketch the tree: what belongs under what. The top entries often become the main menu.
- Decide who may do what: groups and roles (roles and policies, step by step).
- Decide the sections: parts of the site that need a different look or different rights.
- Only then create the first class.
For a small project with experience behind you, the book allows starting at once with a rough outline made in the administration. For a large project, take the time at the blackboard. The pages Designing your content model and planning an example site work through it.
Next: the node tree and sections.
Source and license
Adapted from chapter 2, "Content Management with eZ publish", of Learning eZ publish: Building Content Management Solutions by Paul Borgermans, Tony Wood, Paul Forsyth, Martin Bauer, Björn Dieding and Ben Pirt (additional material by Bruce Morrison), second edition, 2024, Book-Learning-eZPublish. Copyright (c) 2004-2024 7x and Graham Brookins. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License, version 1.3 or any later version, with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts and no Back-Cover Texts (the license). Changes: rearranged and shortened; settings, labels, datatypes, tags and URLs checked against Exponential 6 and corrected; links to the current guides added.