How do I create a section and put content into it? #

A section is a label that every object carries, exactly one per object. Roles use it to decide who may read or edit what, the administration uses it to choose the active top menu tab, and designs can give a section its own templates. You create the label first, then you put content into it.

Who can do this #

• Creating and editing sections needs the policy section/edit.
• Putting content into a section needs section/assign. That policy can be narrowed: its NewSection limitation lists the sections you may hand out, and its Class, Owner and Section limitations decide which objects you may change.
• Administrators have both.

Steps #

1. Click Setup in the top menu and choose Sections. The list of sections opens, with figures for each one.
2. Click New section.
3. Fill in Name, for example "Members area". The Identifier is suggested from the name while you type (here members_area). Change it if you like: letters, digits and _, starting with a letter, not used by another section.
4. Leave Navigation part at Content structure for ordinary pages.
5. Click Create section. The list opens again and says that the section was created. It is empty.
6. On the new section's card, click Assign content. The content browser opens.
7. Find the item at the top of the part of the tree that belongs in the section, select it with its radio button and click Select. The item and the content below it now carry the section. For a very large subtree you are asked whether to do it now or as a background job.
8. Open the section with View and check the number of published objects.

To give a single object another section, open it, go to the Details tab, choose the section and click Set.

What can go wrong #

• The content disappeared from the public site. That is the usual first effect: visitors may only read the sections their role names, normally just Standard. Add a content/read policy for the new section to the role that should see it (How do I set up a members-only area?).
• Some objects below the item kept their old section. Assigning changes the objects whose main location is in that part of the tree. An object that only has an extra location there keeps its section, because an object has one section, whichever place it is shown in.
• Assign content is greyed out. Your section/assign policy does not offer this section. Its tooltip names the reason.
• New pages land in the wrong section. New content takes the section of its parent when it is published. Moving a subtree carries the new parent's section along to the objects that still had the old parent's section.
• The section cannot be removed. Remove selected refuses a section that still holds objects (drafts and archived versions count) or that a policy or a role assignment names. Move the objects to another section with Assign content on that section's card, and remove the limitation from the roles first.
• A renamed identifier broke a template. Override rules, fetches and templates may name the section by its identifier. Roles name it by its ID, so renaming the section itself changes no permission.

Related pages #

• Sections: every page and rule of sections in detail
• How do I give a group edit rights on one section only?
• How do I set up a members-only area?
• Sections, roles and policies
• Override by section
• User manual
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.