2. Create Article Template

As ConPresso keeps content and design of a project separate, article templates have to be created before users start their editorial work. Article templates can contain any number of placeholders for users to fill with content, such as texts, images and links.

While users do not need to have any programming skills for their editorial work with ConPresso, creating article templates requires at least some knowledge of HTML, as the formatting code mainly consists of HTML. ConPresso comes with a set of basic templates by default. You can use these templates as they are and add content instantly or you can modify them and create your own article templates.

[Tip]Tip

When taking your first steps in the creation of article templates take a look at ConPresso's "Placeholder Demo", that is installed by default. There you will find a good example of how to apply placeholders and their options.

To create a new article template please click on the entry “Create article-template” in the menu “Templates” and open the view “Create article-template”.

The view “Create article-template” shows the entry fields “Name”, “Rubric page”, “Article page” and “Javascript/PHP”. Aside from the template name, a ConPresso article-template thus consists of three sections used for formatting different areas of a ConPresso project.

This division into three sections facilitates the output of content on the rubric page and/or the article page as well as a creation of different layouts for each of these pages. In other words: which content will be displayed in what way on which page is defined by the placeholders entered into the fields “Rubric page” and “Article page”.

The rubric output-page in the frontend of your ConPresso project usually shows a list of article-teasers. By clicking on a "More"-link users can call up the article output-page with the complete content of the article. This combination of listing and "More"-links is well suited for news or job pages, for example.

Contents formatted in the section “Article page” are shown after clicking on the "More"-link.

If required, you can configure the section “Rubric page” so that the rubric output-page shows all article contents instead of teasers and "More"-links.

Which method you choose depends largely on the structure of your project. Whatever you decide and want to do, ConPresso's template system provides the possibilities of an extensive and individual customization of rubric and article output-pages as well.

Code entered into the third section “Javascript/PHP” works as a template for publishing contents from your ConPresso project on external websites (Content Syndication). For more information on publishing contents on external websites please read Chapter 15, Customize ConPresso.

Name

Please enter the name of the new article-template here. This name could be, for instance, "Portrait with image on right side". Please try to use unique and descriptive names so that content-editing users can discern and find them easily when they are working on articles.

Rubric page

Please enter the template code for the rubric output-page here. Click on the link “Manage” below the preview window to open the the section called “Template-Editor”.

Article page

Please enter the template code for the article output-page here. Click on the link “Manage” below the preview window to open the the section called “Template-Editor”.

Javascript/PHP

Please enter the template code for content output in external projects here. Click on the link “Manage” below the preview window to open the the section called “Template-Editor”.

[Note]Note

A current browser version with javascript enabled is required for the template-editor to work properly. See also Section 1, “System Requirements”.