Web content authoring options

We can tailor the authoring behavior of the web content environment by changing configuration settings such as workflow, profiling, and version control. We manage authoring options in the WCM WCMConfigService service using the WebSphere Integrated Solutions Console.

Prevent automatic manager-level access when artifacts are created

Ensure that the workflow.skipDefaultManagerAccess property is set to true to prevent creating manager-level access rights when artifacts are created or edited. This property improves performance.

Enabling workflows

We can update the WCM WCMConfigService service to enable workflows for different items.

To enable workflows, create a new property for the item type to which we want to apply workflow, and specify a value of com.aptrix.pluto.workflow.WorkflowControl for the property.

The workflow is only applied to items created after you update this setting. To add or remove workflows from existing items, run the workflow update tool. For information, refer to Update workflows using the workflow update tool.We can enable workflow for the following item types:

• Content items (control.Content)
• Presentation templates (control.Style)
• Authoring templates (control.Template)
• Taxonomy items (control.Taxonomy)
• Categories (control.Category)
• Site area items (control.SiteArea)
• Library components (control.Cmpnt)

For example: to enable workflows for an authoring template, add com.aptrix.pluto.workflow.WorkflowControl to the control.Template property:

• Property name: control.Template
• Value: com.aptrix.pluto.taxonomy.ProfileControl, com.aptrix.pluto.workflow.WorkflowControl

To disable workflows for an item type, we remove com.aptrix.pluto.workflow.WorkflowControl from the item's property type.

Note: If workflows are enabled for the following items, a workflow view is not available in the item views navigator.

• Site areas.
• Taxonomies and categories.
• Workflows, workflow stages, or workflow actions.

Individual items can still be moved through workflow stages by accessing them through the normal item views and approving them.

Note: Only content items can be moved through a workflow using the web content API. If you enable workflows for other item types, we cannot approve or reject these items using the API.

Enable profiling

Note: From CF08 onwards, all items are enabled to use the profiling feature by default. To disable profiling for an item type, we remove com.aptrix.pluto.taxonomy.ProfileControl from the item's property type.

Update the WCM WCMConfigService service to disable profiling for different items.

To enable profiling, create a new property for the item type to which we want to apply profiling, and specify a value of com.aptrix.pluto.taxonomy.ProfileControl for the property.

The profiling feature is only applied to items created after you update this setting. To add or remove the profile section from existing items, run the profile enablement tool.You can enable profiling for the following item types:

• Content items (control.Content)
• Presentation templates (control.Style)
• Authoring templates (control.Template)
• Taxonomy items (control.Taxonomy)
• Categories (control.Category)
• Site area items (control.SiteArea)
• Library components (control.Cmpnt)

For example: to enable profiling for components, we need to add com.aptrix.pluto.taxonomy.ProfileControl to the control.Cmpnt property:

• Property name: control.Cmpnt
• Value: com.aptrix.pluto.workflow.WorkflowControl, com.aptrix.pluto.taxonomy.ProfileControl

Version control options

By default version control is enabled with the following properties:

• versioningStrategy.AuthoringTemplate
• versioningStrategy.Component
• versioningStrategy.Content
• versioningStrategy.PresentationTemplate
• versioningStrategy.Taxonomy
• versioningStrategy.Workflow
• versioningStrategy.Default

We can use the following values to specify version control settings:

always

A version is saved every time a non-workflow item is saved, or every time a workflow item is published.

manual

Versions are saved when a user with at least editor access chooses to save a version. Causes the following changes in the interface:

• The Save Version option is available in the read mode of non-workflow items and in workflow items in the published state.

• The Save and Version option is available in the edit mode of non-workflow items and in workflow items in the published state.

never

Disable version control for an item type.

If a version control strategy is not defined for an item type, then the version control strategy specified in by the versioningStrategy.Default property is used.

Inheritance options

By default, inheritance is automatically propagated down to each item. We can disable automatic inheritance by specifying the following property:

• Property name: default.inherit.permissions.enabled
• Value: false

When this setting is specified, it is applied only to new items. The inheritance on existing items remains unchanged.

Hierarchical item locking options

When a content item is being edited, it is locked. Other users are prevented from editing the content item until it is unlocked. Locking of site areas, taxonomies, and categories are configurable and is not enabled by default. To enable locking for hierarchical item types, specify the following properties: change the following parameters to "true":

Property name	Value
wcm.authoringui.lock.taxonomies	true
wcm.authoringui.lock.categories	true
wcm.authoringui.lock.siteareas	true
wcm.authoringui.lock.projects	true

When locking is enabled for site areas, we cannot create any children within the locked site area. For example, if a site area is locked, we cannot create any new site areas or content items within that site area until it is unlocked. This applies only to direct children of the locked parent. Items that are descendants of the children of a locked parent are not affected.

Define valid mime types for the image element

You define the mime types of files that are allowed to be uploaded into the image element using the imageresourcecmpnt.allowedmimetypes property and a list of mime types for the value. For example:

• Property name: imageresourcecmpnt.allowedmimetypes
• Value: image/gif,image/jpeg

This feature prevents users from uploading non-image files into the image element.

Active content filtering

Active content filtering provides the ability to strip specified HTML fragments from HTML entered in elements. This includes rich text and HTML elements. Active content filtering is configured using the active.content.filtering.enable property. By default, active content filtering is enabled. If enabled, this prevents a user from introducing malicious code into a website such as cross site scripting.For example, if a user entered this code into an HTML element:

Welcome
<a href="javascript:window.alert("boo!")">my link</a>
<script language="javascript">window.alert("boo 2!")</script>
Click the link for a surprise.

It would be changed to the following when saved:

Welcome
<a href="<"- active content removed -->">my link</a>
<"- active content removed -->
Click the link for a surprise.

Set the default child placement position

You can set the parameter wcm.authoringui.childPlacementDefault to specify the default placement of new content items.

Property value	Description
start	This setting will, by default, place a new content item as the first content item within a site area.
end	This setting will, by default, place a new content item as the last content item within a site area.

• If this parameter is not set, the default child position is "end".

• The default placement position specified in an authoring template overrides this setting for content items that are created with that authoring template.

Set the size of the breadcrumb library dropdown

You can set the parameter wcm.authoringui.breadcrumbLibrariesMaximum to specify the number of libraries that are shown in the authoring interface breadcrumb. For example, wcm.authoringui.breadcrumbLibrariesMaximum=16

• If this parameter is not set, only the first 10 libraries are displayed.

• The value of this parameter must be an integer 5 - 50.
• Its value should be 10 - 20.

• If more than this number of libraries exist, the remaining libraries are accessible using the Select from all libraries option.

Expired items

By default, expired items are displayed alongside published and draft items.To determine whether expired items are listed in views, we can specify the wcm.authoringui.showexpireditems property in the WCM WCMConfigService service using the WebSphere Integrated Solutions Console:

• If true, expired items are displayed alongside published and draft items.
• If false, only published and draft items are displayed.

• If not specified, defaults to true.

Default inplace editing mode

These WCM WCMConfigService parameters define the inplace editing mode for text fields and rich text fields:

• inplaceEdit.defaultModeForRichText
• inplaceEdit.defaultModeForText

If not specified, embed mode is used by both text and rich text fields. Prior to v8.5.0 CF3 inplace editing mode was used by text fields, and dialog editing mode was used by rich text fields by default.

Editing values mode for text and rich text fields:

inplace	Not all fields support inplace mode. If an element does not support inplace mode, dialog mode is used instead.
embed	Not all fields support embed mode. If an element does not support embed mode, dialog mode is used instead.
dialog	Useful for larger elements such as rich text elements that may not be suitable for inplace editing. All fields support dialog mode.

The default rich text editor is always used when the inplace modes or embed modes are used. When the 'dialog' mode is used, the rich text editor selected in the authoring portlet settings, or in the content template for content items, is used.

The default inplace editing mode can be overridden in EditableElement tags using the mode parameter.

Define the editor used for inplace editing

From CF12 onwards, the Textbox.io editor is used as the embedded editor, and the CK editor is used as the inplace editor. To use Textbox.io as the inplace editor, add this setting:

• inplaceEdit.defaultRichTextEditor=Textbox.io

Default css styles for inplace editable fields

The default css class used for inplace editable fields is wcm-default-inplace-editable.

This class can be overridden by adding the following setting: inplaceEdit.defaultClasses=class1 class2

As many classes as required are added to this setting, which is separated by spaces.

You should base your custom classes on the default stylesheet at AppServer_root\installedApps\nodename\wcm.ear\wcm-inplaceEdit.war\css\default-style.css.

Note: Any classes specified on the EditableElement or EditableProperty tag takes precedence over this value.

To use the default css class as well, add it to the list of classes. For example: inplaceEdit.defaultClasses=wcm-default-inplace-editable class1 class2

Restrict users ability to apply authoring templates

By default, only managers have access to the Apply Template option. To allow all users to apply a new authoring template to content items they have edit access to, change this setting to false:

• wcm.authoringui.onlyShowApplyTemplateButtonForManagers=false

Enabling content creation without a content template

To enable the creation of content items without using a content template when we use the web content authoring page from the applications menu, add the following setting:

• wcm.authoringui.noContentTemplateOptionEnabled=true

Content items that are created using this option have no content template accessible by the user. This option is useful when there is a need for content to store data, such as configuration parameters, but not be rendered in a website.