1-4 Administrators Guide for Dynamic Converter
Since version 6.0 circa 2004, Dynamic Converter converts content items that match a conversion rule when the content item is checked in, rather than when the user
requests it. As a result, users will be able to immediately view the dynamically converted rendition of the content item.
This upfront conversion applies only to content items that match a conversion rule in Dynamic Converter. Rules are specified on the Template Selection Rules page see
Template Selection Rules Page on page A-9.
If no rule exists for the content item, then an upfront conversion will not take place, even if a default template and layout file are available for the content item. The default
templates and layout files are specified on the Dynamic Converter Configuration page see
Dynamic Converter Configuration Page on page A-2.
Please note that upfront conversions must be enabled in the Conversion and Caching Optimizations section of the Dynamic Converter Configuration page see
Conversion and Caching Optimizations
on page A-7.
1.6 Forced Conversions
You can designate multiple conversions of the same content item so that it can be used for different purposes on your web site. You might, for example, include it as a snippet
of HTML code in one location and as a complete article in another location. This is done using a forced conversion in Dynamic Converter.
Forced conversions allow you to specify a list of rules where every rule is evaluated. If the first rule matches, it will be applied. If the next rule matches, it will also be applied,
and so on. In this way, Dynamic Converter may create multiple renditions of the same content, if necessary. As a result, content can be converted multiple times using
different templates and layout files.
You can enable forced conversion for a template rule on the Template Selection Rules page see
Template Selection Rules Page on page A-9.
A forced conversion takes place at the same time as an upfront conversion; that is, when the content item is checked into the Content Server. The end users will not be
able to tell the difference between an upfront conversion and a forced conversion. Regardless of the method, the goal is the same: to have a content item converted and
stored in cache by the time the user clicks the HTML link.
Please note that forced conversions must be enabled in the Conversion and Caching Optimizations section of the Dynamic Converter Configuration page, along with
upfront conversions see Conversion and Caching Optimizations
on page A-7.
1.7 Fragment-Only Conversions
One type of forced conversion see Forced Conversions
on page 1-4 is the fragment-only conversion. A fragment is a piece of content that will be included in
another content item. Individual fragments can then be combined to form a content-rich web page. A fragment generally contains no html or body tags, so
that it can be easily included in another web page. The fragment is not intended to be viewed by itself and as such should not be displayed to users who click the HTML
dynamic conversion link. Rules designed for fragments should be excluded from Dynamic Converters rule evaluation during a user request.
When forced conversions are selected, you can enable fragment-only conversion for a template rule on the Template Selection Rules page see
Template Selection Rules Page
on page A-9.
Introduction 1-5
Like other forced conversions, fragment-only conversions take place upfront, when the content item is checked into the Content Server.
1.8 Caching and Querying
