Content Management
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      Connecting the Content Database to Templates: Content Links

      Content linking is the process in CampaignDrive that connects the Content Database to an individual template.

      Introduction to Content Links

      Content Links are created by an Admin User inside a template (either Master or Campaign) to connect the fields of one or more content categories to the fields in a template. The connection creates content tags based on the content category fields. The Admin User then can assign the tags to images and text in the template. Once the tag is assigned, the content tag will pull the data associated with the content category field onto the template. When any layer that uses a content tag is accessed by the End User, a menu will appear on the right side of the page that allows them to customize the content. The content is selected by category item - each item is a set of data that will populate the fields in the template. The End User selects the item from a drop-down menu. Control of what items they see is based on the location permission of each item, with the user only seeing items connected to the locations in which they are associated.

      For the Administrator: The template composer sets up the content link within the template and assigns tags to specific content, which automatically populates on the template based on the end user selection. Additionally, the Admin user assigns a default item within the category, which populates on the template when the user first opens it.

      For the End User: The End User will access the content link drawer by double-clicking on any layer associated with a content tag. The drawer will allow customization of all fields at the same time. The end user will select an item based on the items that are available to them.

      Steps to Installing a Content Link in a Template

      1. Create a new link and assign a default item
      2. Assign tags to content
      3. Set up template for front end experience
      4. Test the experience on the front end

      Creating a New Content Link

      Linking the template to a content category is the first step. To do this, go into a template (either Master or Campaign) and follow the steps below:

      1. In the top right-hand section of the template select “Content Links” and click “+Add”.



      2. A form will open up to enter information about the content link:
      3. Give the Content Link a name. This name should represent the type of items within the category you are selecting. For example, if you are linking headlines to your template, the Content Link Name might be called “Headline Options”.
      4. Once you add in a name, select the category in the Content Database that you want to link to the template.
      5. Once you have chosen the category, select the default Item.
        1. The default item is what will appear to users upon loading the template on the front-end. Unless “locations” are set for an item, it will appear to ALL users.
        2. If your items are location specific, the default item for your end-users will be based on their location. In this case, the default item set here will only apply to you as an Admin. 
        3. The default item can be a “regular” item or a special item formatted to be the default. This special default item could contain instructional placeholder text such as “Add Name Here” to guide users in adding content. If you want this default item to apply when location-based items are used, set the location of this item to be visible to every location.
        4. PRO TIP: You can toggle between different default items with the category to ensure the formatting and placement is appropriate within the template before making the template live to your end-users.
      6. Optional: Advanced Search fields.  If the Content Category contains many items or the items fall into multiple groups, then it might be advantageous to allow the End User to filter the content items.  The Advanced Search field allows the Admin User to select a field (or multiple fields) within the category to filter from to assist in breaking down large sets of items.  This filtering field may be any field in the category. Sometimes a field will be set within the category just to be used for such filtering.
      7. Click “Apply” and the content link will be added to the template.

      Repeat the steps above to add additional content links to your template. Templates may contain as many content links as needed. The same content category may also be used more than once within a template with a different content link. This is actually necessary if the same content category is accessed but the content should be connected to a different item in the category. An example of this might be real estate agents where multiple agents’ information might appear on a template.  All agent information will be pulled from the same category, but each set needs to have their own item.

      Notes About Naming Content Links: Content links must have unique names and CANNOT be changed once they are created, so name wisely.  The titles of the fields within a content link are the names of the content item field in the content database. These titles will also appear to the End User in the editing drawer. It is important to make sure that there are no extra spaces between words or at the end of a content link name, as these extra spaces can cause issues when content links are assigned within the editing drawer.

      Assigning Tags to Content

      Once the content link is associated, new tags will be available within the template based on the fields in the associated content category. Any text fields in the category will be available to be associated to text layers in the template and any image fields in the category will be available to be associated to image layers within the template. To add text or image tags to content follow the steps outlined below:


      Steps to Adding a Content Tag to a Text Layer

      1. In the template, either create a new Text Layer or open up an existing text layer.
        1. To create a tag from scratch, click in the editor to place the cursor and click the “Add/Edit Tag” button.
        2. To create a tag for existing text, highlight the text you wish to tag and Click the “Add/Edit Tag” button

      2. The Tag Editor will open to reveal all the tagging options. 
      3. Select “Content” from the tag list.
      4. Select the Content Link. All the content links that were added to the template will appear here. Select the one that applies to the content you are tagging.
      5. Select the Field.  The fields that will appear will be all the text fields that are within the category in which the link is associated. Select the appropriate field.
      6. Editability: If this content should be editable by the End User, leave this slider toggled on.  If this content is not editable, disable editability.  
      7. Important: Even though a text layer might be position locked and content locked (click here for documentation on template composition, including editing text layers), if it has a content link with editability set to “On” the End User will be able to edit this content in the content drawer.
      8. Click Add.
      9. Once the tag has been added, the default content item set for that content link will populate on the template.
      PRO TIP: If you need to edit the field once it has been created, simply click inside the tag and click on “Add/Edit Tag”. This will bring up the tag pop-up for you to make changes.

      PRO TIP: Multiple content tags may be used within a single text layer BUT content tags may not be combined with other tag types within the same text layer.

      Steps to Adding a Content Tag to an Image Layer

      When using content tags on images, it is important that the image in the layer is an image used in the content field that you are attaching AND that the image be sized to its final dimensions. It does NOT have to be the image in the default item.

      1. In the Content Source drop-down, select “Content Links”.


      2. In the Content Links drop-down, select the appropriate Content Link.
      3. Once you choose the Content Link, select the appropriate image field in the “Select Content Field” drop-down.
      4. Click Add.
      5. The default image associated with the content category field will now populate on the template.

      IMPORTANT: Be aware that the new default image will NOT be the same as the original template image, unless the original template image is the one used in the default content item.

      It is often recommended that image slots where different images will populate using the Content Database have cropping enabled.

      PRO TIP: The “selectability” of content for either type will depend on the type of Content Database field.  If the Content Database field allows for multiple text or images, then that text or image field on the template will allow those selections. The “editability” of a field will depend on whether or not the “editable” slider is on for text and whether or not cropping is turned on for images.

      Not every field in a Content Category must be used  in any given template.  The Content Database documentation has additional details on setting up Content Categories for optimal functionality.