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libraries with many predefined samples are automatically checked in when you install the Site Studio component on the content server.
The predefined fragments come in four categories: navigation fragments, dynamic list fragments, static list fragments, and other fragments. Each category contains a variety
of fragments in multiple scripting languages. You can use any fragment as-is or copy and edit the fragment to suit your needs. You can also create fragments from scratch.
See
Appendix C, Sample Fragments for details on the fragments provided with
Designer. As you start building your own fragments, you should create your own fragment
libraries for these fragments. This offers several benefits:
■
You can easily track and organize where your fragments are.
■
You can easily move, copy, or back up your fragments when they are stored in your own fragment library.
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You will not inadvertently alter a fragment created by another designer, which affects the Web sites currently using that fragment.
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If you create a fragment from an existing fragment, you can easily revert to the original fragment, if need be.
See Chapter 13, Working With Fragments
for more information.
3.16 Cascading Style Sheets
Cascading style sheets CSS are a popular method to control positioning and layout of a page template. CSS files can be used in Site Studio Web sites. They are separate site
assets that are stored and managed on the content server. CSS files can be edited directly in Site Studio Designer. When a CSS file is selected for editing, it opens in
source view.
To use CSS files on your Web site, you must reference them directly on a page template, or you can wrap them in a fragment and include that on a page template.
An alternative method of controlling page layout is to use tables to place objects in specific locations on a web page. The advantage of using tables rather than CSS is that
tables allow for more specific placement of objects in a more straightforward manner. Table-based page templates look more natural in design view than CSS-based page
templates. However, tables can become very complex to create certain layouts, and also do not allow for other types of control that a CSS file would. For example, CSS
enables you to control placement, fonts, paragraph styles, alignment, backgrounds, cell actions, and much more.
When CSS is used to control layout, the applicable CSS styles for the item that the contributor is editing are made available in the toolbar if the designer has made that
portion of the toolbar available in the element definition.
Specific information on the capabilities of CSS is available online at www.w3c.org.
3.17 Project Files
Project files are XML files that store all information about a Site Studio Web site on the content server. In fact, when you connect to a Web site in Site Studio Designer, you
essentially connect to its project file on the content server. Project files should never be edited outside of Site Studio Designer or Manager
Understanding Site Studio Web Sites 3-25
Project files store lots of site-related information including:
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Site hierarchy
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Properties of each site section including associated page templates, region templates, and content files, and custom section properties
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Explicit data file associations that is, what content files are used where in the site?
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Mappings of placeholder names to placeholder definitions
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Items in the asset pane including how they are categorized
3.18 Primary and Secondary Pages
The primary page of a site section is its landing page; that is, the page that is displayed when a visitor first enters that section. It essentially represents the index file of the
site section. Sections in the site hierarchy usually have a primary page assigned to them, but this is not required. For example, a search results page, which you do not
want users to browse to directly, may only have a secondary page . You assign a page template as the primary page of a site section.
The information on a primary page is statically linked. Contributors can change the contributor data file on the primary page using the Contributor editor, and native
documents using their associated third-party application.
Secondary pages are optional for site sections, and they are typically used to
dynamically present content on a Web site. A secondary page can have static content, but what makes secondary pages useful is their ability to have dynamically placed and
replaceable content. As such, they are used to create multiple versions of the pages within a site section; they provide a different content view for a site section. Secondary
pages allow you to handle large sites without needing to physically create thousands of pages.
A secondary page basically serves as the backdrop for content added to the site by a contributor. Secondary pages are required if you allow contributors to add new
contributor data files or native documents both of which amount to new web pages to the Web site. These files are made available to the site when they are picked up by a
dynamic list, a search, or the target of a link. Page templates can be configured as secondary pages.
You can create a site comprised entirely of primary pages, but then you must create sections with new primary pages in order for the site to grow. By using secondary
pages, your site can grow on its own from additional content submitted by contributors, and you, the designer, do not have to do anything. Your site becomes
much more scalable with secondary pages.
One common use of secondary pages is with dynamic lists of hyperlinked items say, press release titles, as shown in
Figure 3–17 , each of which, when clicked, opens in full
on a secondary page. More specifically, the target of the link opens in the replaceable region on the secondary page of the same section by default.
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Figure 3–17 Dynamic List With Press Releases
4
Efficient Web Site Planning 4-1
4
Efficient Web Site Planning
Site Studio Designer 11gR1 uses site assets to make the maintenance and upkeep of Web sites as efficient as possible. To best create a Web site in Site Studio, some design
points should be remembered when planning the Web site and the site assets of the Web site.
Planning is key to building a successful Web site with Site Studio. Before you begin inserting text, graphics, and scripts into your page templates, you should ask: What is
the function or role of the site? Is it a department-level site, a company-wide site, an internal site, an external site? How many users will visit the site? How many users will
contribute to the site? Will there be different security access levels for each contributor? Do you plan to replicate or publish the site? Is the site expected to grow over time?
These are all important questions to ask before you begin. We cannot predict your particular needs, but we can suggest some key points that you should consider before
developing your site:
■
Planning the Web Site on page 4-1
