3 Site Studio Metadata

3.2.1 xWebsiteObjectType

The xWebsiteObjectType metadata field is used to indicate what type of web site–related item the managed document is. The field is an option list containing the following values for possible managed objects:

• Data File: Content files in XML format that are generated by Site Studio. Contributor data files are edited using the Site Studio Contributor application.

• Page Template: Fully-formed HTML files that define the layout and high-level look-and-feel of web pages, including the placement of contribution regions (that is, editable areas on the page), navigation aids (in the form of fragments) and site-wide images (banners and the like). Page templates are the highest-level site design object.

• Subtemplate: Partial HTML files (that is, without head and body sections) that can be inserted into placeholders on page templates to divide them into further smaller, reusable areas with their own placeholders and contribution regions.

• Region Template: Partial HTML files (that is, without head and body sections) that define the layout and look-and-feel of the data in contribution regions within web pages.

• Placeholder Definition: Files that define what region definitions, region templates, and subtemplates are allowed for the associated placeholders. They also specify what contributor actions are allowed for the placeholders.

• Region Definition: Files that define the type of content that elements of a particular type consists of. They also specify the content creation and switching options available to contributors for contribution regions, and set default metadata for content files associated with these regions.

• Element Definition: Files that define the editing experience for element types. Specifically, they specify what a contributor can do when editing an element.

• Native Document: Content files created using familiar third-party applications such as Microsoft Word. Native documents are converted to HTML format using Dynamic Converter, and they are edited using their associated application.

• Fragment: Chunks of code that enhance the functionality of a Site Studio web site (for example, by providing dynamic navigation aids or a standard page footer).

• Image: Graphic files (JPG, GIF, PNG) that are included in content files or page templates (for example, corporate banners or product images).

• Script: JavaScript files that provide a series of commands that can be executed without user interaction. Scripts are often used to provide additional functionality to web pages.

• Stylesheet: Cascading style sheet (CSS) files that provide control over how page content is displayed (more specifically, how different HTML elements, such as headers and links, appear on the page). Links to CSS files are often embedded in page templates, so their formatting rules apply to all web pages based on these templates.

• Project: XML files that store all information about a Site Studio web site that Designer needs to work with the site, such as the site hierarchy, site section properties, data associations, placeholder mappings, and so on

• Custom Element Form: HTML files that define custom forms for use in elements (for example, selection forms for specific file types). Site Studio comes with several predefined custom element forms (in CS-Dir\custom\SiteStudio\elementforms).

• Custom Configuration Script: JavaScript files that override the default Contributor editor configuration to provide contributors with a customized editing experience.

• Validation Script: JavaScript files that define the validation rules for element data to determine that the data meets the requirements (for example, it does not exceed a certain maximum length or contain some illegal characters).

• Manager Settings: Files that define the functionality that is available in Site Studio Manager. Manager is a web-based tool that allows designated users (site managers) to modify the structure of a web site.

• Conversions Definition: Files that specify the conversion rules for native documents on a web site.

• Other: Any other media files that could be used on a web site, such as Flash animations, video files, audio files, and so on.

See the Oracle Fusion Middleware User's Guide for Site Studio Designer for detailed explanations of each of these file types.

3.2.2 xWebsiteSection

The xWebsiteSection field is used to determine which web site section should be used to display a managed item if a link to that item is generated but does not explicitly include a target section already. This is primarily used for contributor data files and native documents. Internally, it contains a siteId:nodeId value, and the Site Studio component overrides the standard content server pages to provide a more friendly user interface for picking a site and section.

The contents of this field become important when understanding the different URL formats available in Site Studio. These are described in detail later in this document.

3.2.3 xWebsites

The xWebsites field is used to determine which web site (in the content server) the managed document belongs to. Internally, it is a comma-separated list of site identifiers, and the Site Studio component overrides the standard content server pages to provide an easier-to-use list of site names.

Each web site has its own ID. When an action is performed within either the Designer or Contributor application that involves a managed document (typically adding or editing an asset), the current site identifier is automatically appended to the xWebsites field for that managed document, if it did not already exist. This means that when you use any managed document within a site in the Designer or Contributor application, that managed document will automatically become part of the site.

It is important to realize that the site identifier will never be automatically removed from this field once it has been added because it is currently impossible for Site Studio to know all of the places that a managed document might be referenced from. Designers can use the site assets pane within the Designer application to manually add and remove managed items to and from their web site.

3.2.4 xDontShowInListsForWebsites

The xDontShowInListsForWebsites field lists the web sites for which a contributor has specified, through the user interface, that a contributor data file or native document should not display in dynamic lists on the web site. This field allows the "Include/Exclude in Dynamic List" feature to work properly.

When a contributor excludes a file from a dynamic list, the web site ID is added to this value. If the contributor later re-includes the content in dynamic lists for the web site, the web site ID is removed from this metadata field and the content becomes available to the dynamic lists again.

3.2.5 xRegionDefinition

The xRegionDefinition metadata field specifies the region definition that a contributor data file is associated with. A data file can be associated with only one region definition, but a region definition may be associated with many data files.

Region definitions define the types of content used on a web site. They could be thought of as 'content classes'. They are essentially groups of individual elements which define the various chunks of reusable information for a particular site content type. For example, there could be a region definition ('content class') called "Press-Release," which consists of the elements Title, Subtitle, Intro-Text, Body-Text, and Image. Contributor data files are associated with a region definition to store the data for each element in the region definition. (What a contributor can do with the data is controlled by element definitions.)

In addition to defining site content types in terms of its constituent parts (elements), region definitions also specify the content creation and switching options available to contributors for its associated contribution region(s). For example, if a contribution region is set up to allow contributors to switch the content of that region, they might be allowed to use existing contributor data files on the server only (not native documents or new contributor data files). (Please note that placeholder definitions control whether contributors can actually switch content in contribution regions.) Finally, region definitions also set the default metadata for content in contribution regions as it is checked into the content server.

See the Oracle Fusion Middleware User's Guide for Site Studio Designer for more information about region definitions.