Creating Datatypes

Introduction

C1 CMS combines page-based and item-based approaches as a content management system. As a page-based system it visually gives you a 1:1 relation between pages created in C1 CMS and the pages on your website. As an item-based system, C1 CMS makes a full use of structured data, the role of which is played by data types in C1 CMS, also known as custom content types.

Figure 1: Data types in Data perspective

This guide focuses on creating data types that you can further use on web pages via input forms for entering data. It also gives an overview of data type properties as well as data type fields and widgets used with these fields.

Besides, it features step-by-step instructions on how to create fields that serve specific purposes in input forms. It also provides information about how to add input forms based on data types to web pages by using the Forms Renderer add-on.

Who Should Read This Guide?

This guide is intended for editors who want to learn to create data types and use them with input forms on web pages.

We assume that you know how to work in the Content perspective of C1 CMS. We also assume that you have an idea of structured data such as tables in databases.

As a data type creator, you will primarily work in the Data perspective where you will need permissions to create and edit data types. As a data type user, you will mostly work in the Content perspective where you will need permissions to add and edit pages and data items.

To make use of input forms on the web pages, you will also need to know how to add functions to pages in the Content perspective.

Getting Started

To get started with data types, you are supposed to take a number of steps.

Getting Started

Step

Activity

Chapter or section

1

Create global data types

2 Creating and Managing Data Types

2

Add fields to data types

3 Creating and Managing Fields

3

Select widgets for data type fields

4 Widgets

4

Create specific fields for input forms

5 Creating Specific Fields

5

Use input forms with data types

6 Using Input Forms with Data Types

 

In the following few chapters, you will learn more about these and other activities.

Terms and Abbreviations

The following is the list of terms and their definitions used throughout this guide.

Terms and Definitions

Term

Definition

Data type

An entity used to store and reuse structured data in C1 CMS

Global data type

A data type that represents data reusable across all web pages on all web sites created in C1 CMS.

Page datafolder

A data type that represents data associated with one specific page.

Page metatype

A data type that represents flexible metadata structures assigned to a page or a section of the website.

Widget

In C1 CMS, a control used for getting input values from users and storing them in corresponding data type fields