Published on: 5th December 2016
In the previous entry in this series, we talked about page properties in our favoured CMS (Content Management System) and how they can be used to manage a page from behind the scenes. This time, we're going to be looking at a system built on top of these that allows administrators to add content to their site quickly and easily: Composer.
Composer is designed for types of content that are repeatable. What we mean by that is content which is always of the same structure every time it is added, such as news stories, team member profiles and case studies. While the freedom that is offered by the CMS's Edit Mode gives our clients a great deal of control over how their content is presented, in the case of repeatable content types this is sometimes a little too much freedom. It's best to ensure that the title, date and main image of each news story are positioned and styled consistently, and for that reason we deliberately strip back some control using Composer.
So how does Composer work?
Composer is a little fiddly for us as developers to configure, but it makes creating new content much easier for our clients. When adding a page for which Composer has been set up, again using news stories as an example, the Composer window opens in place of the usual Edit Mode interface. This window asks for required and optional properties using a standard web form, which in the case of a news story could be Title, Date, Summary, Main Content and Thumbnail Image.
But the beauty of Composer is that it can be configured differently for each type of page, even within the same website. Need to have news stories, blog posts and case studies all on the same site? Not a problem! Below is a table listing some of the potential uses of Composer, and the properties it might ask for in each case.
| Type of page | Typical properties |
|---|---|
| News | Title, Date, Summary, Main Content, Thumbnail |
| Blog | Title, Date, Author, Summary, Main Content, Thumbnail |
| Case Study | Title, Date, Category, Summary, Main Content, Thumbnail |
| Testimonial | Quote, Name, Position, Company |
| Team Member Profile | Name, Position, Start Date, Photo |
| FAQ | Question, Answer |
| Event | Title, Date, Location, Summary, Main Content, Thumbnail |
| Project | Title, Start Date, End Date, Manager, Summary, Main Content |
| Training Course | Title, Course Materials, Summary, Main Content |
| Job Vacancy | Role, Salary, Deadline, Summary, Full Description, Requirements |
| Review | Title, Date, Author, Rating, Summary, Main Content |
Is Composer not too restrictive?
We explained earlier how we deliberately strip back some control using Composer, so what happens if you have a news story that requires a unique layout, or some functionality that's not supported by Composer? Don't worry, all that Composer does is create a new page in the site, encouraging consistency in the way it does so. Once that page has been created, it can be edited just like any other, meaning administrators have the freedom to add more types of content to the page and edit the properties of the page not requested by Composer.
Can I save part-finished content?
Composer makes creating a new page in several sessions really easy. Not only does it allow you to save your page as a draft at any time, it also automatically saves it for you every minute, so if your browser or computer crashes unexpectedly you won't lose all your hard work. When it's time to pick up a part-finished page, you simply select the page you want to work on from a list of your own unpublished pages.
Composer is a powerful tool that allows site administrators to add content quickly and in a manner that is consistent with one another. To see if Composer can help with keeping your own site updated, send us a message via out Contact page.
Use the links below to view previous entries in this series:
CMS Features: Page Properties
CMS Features: In-context Editing
Controlling who sees what on your website