Planning a site framework
Before creating a site framework, you should analyze your proposed
site and determine the best way to develop your site framework.
The items that make up a site framework
A site framework
consists of a single top-level site containing a set of site areas that contain
content items. Although a site framework contains only a single site item,
you can create multiple site frameworks for use in a single Web site.
- Sites:
-
- A site is the top-level item in a site framework. Each site framework
must contain a site, but a site framework can only contain a single site item.
- You save site areas within sites.
- You define the default mappings between authoring templates and presentation
templates for an entire site in site items. Mappings set in site areas overrule
mappings that are set in sites.
- Site specific Web content is stored in sites in the form of elements.
- Site Areas:
-
- You use site areas to build the site framework within which you group
content items. The site areas that comprise the site framework can be classified
into ancestors, descendants and siblings. The vertical hierarchy of a site
is split into ancestors and descendants. Depending on where you are within
your site, site areas can act as ancestors and descendants. Site Areas that
share the same ancestor are known as siblings.
- The relationships between authoring templates and presentation templates
are set in site areas.
- Site area specific Web content is stored in site areas in the form of
elements.
- Content items:
-
- You use content items to store Web page specific content in the form of
elements.
- You save content items within site areas.
- You can save content items within multiple site areas and multiple site
frameworks.
- You must select an authoring template when creating content items. The
authoring template determines which elements are available to enter Web content
into.
- The site area a content item is located under, and the content item's
authoring template, determines which presentation template to use to display
elements stored within a content item.
- You use categories and keywords to profile content items that the IBM® Lotus Web Content Management™ application uses to generate
further pieces of content such as menus.
When to use sites, site areas and content items
Sites
and site areas and content items are similar item-types. They all store Web
content in the form of elements, but they are used in different ways:
- A site is always used as the top-level item in a site framework.
- Site areas are used to define different sections within a site framework.
- Content items represent Web page specific content and can be used in multiple
site areas and multiple site frameworks.
The structure of a Web site will determine whether a single site
framework, or multiple site frameworks are used.
In the following examples,
a company sells three different product brands.
Example 1: A single
web site
In this example, the simplest method to use is a Web site
comprising a single site framework with multiple site areas:
- Site
- Site area for Brand A
- Content item A1
- Content item A2
- Generic content item
- Site area for Brand B
- Content item B1
- Content item B2
- Generic content item
- Site area for Brand C
- Content item C1
- Content item C2
- Generic content item
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Example 2: Intranet, extranet and Web site
In
this example, a separate site framework is created for an intranet, an extranet
and a Web site. Some content items are used in more than one site framework.
| Intranet
| Extranet
| Web site
|
- Intranet site
- Intranet site area for Brand A
- Content item A1
- Content item A2
- Content item A3 (intranet only)
- Generic intranet content item
- Generic content item
- Intranet site area for Brand B
- Content item B1
- Content item B2
- Content item B3 (intranet and extranet only)
- Generic intranet content item
- Generic content item
- Intranet site area for Brand C
- Content item C1
- Content item C2
- Content item C3 (intranet only)
- Generic intranet content item
- Generic content item
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- Extranet site
- Extranet Site area for Brand A
- Content item A1
- Content item A2
- Content item A4 (extranet only)
- Generic extranet content item
- Generic content item
- Extranet Site area for Brand B
- Content item B1
- Content item B2
- Content item B3 (intranet and extranet only)
- Generic extranet content item
- Generic content item
- Extranet Site area for Brand C
- Content item C1
- Content item C2
- Content item C4 (extranet and web only)
- Generic extranet content item
- Generic content item
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- Web site
- Web site area for Brand A
- Content item A1
- Content item A2
- Content item A5 (Web only)
- Generic Web content item
- Generic content item
- Web site area for Brand B
- Content item B1
- Content item B2
- Content item B4 (Web only)
- Generic Web content item
- Generic content item
- Web site area for Brand C
- Content item C1
- Content item C2
- Content item C4 (extranet and web only)
- Generic Web content item
- Generic content item
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Parent topic: Creating a site framework
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