Working With Page Types

EPiServer CMS works with both page templates and page types. Page templates are .aspx pages that are displayed to visitors and contain the functionality required to perform a specific function. Page types, on the other hand, are forms, based on a certain page template, in which the editor can enter information in EPiServer CMS. Work in the Edit and Admin modes primarily involves page types.

Create / Edit Page Types

Administrators do not often create new page types as this job is often the task of developers and is done during development of the website. Each page type is linked to an .aspx page (page template), where all the functionality of the page is programmed. The fields in the form that are filled in by the editors are created in Admin mode.

To edit the settings for an existing page type, open the page type in question on the Page Type tab, click Settings , change the settings according to your requirements and click Save.

Create a new page type

1. Select Create New Page Type on the Page Type tab.
2. Enter a name for the page types in the Name field. This text is often determined by the language files.
3. Specify text that describes the page type. The description is the information displayed to editors when they select to create a new page.
4. Specify the path and file name of the page template that is to create the visitor's web page.
5. Specify if the page type can be selected in Edit mode by selecting Available in Edit mode.
6. Specify the index amount for the page in the Sort index field.
7. If you would like access to the page type to be restricted for certain users and/or groups, specify this by changing the users and groups under Access level. The access level is a filter, which defines which users will have access to create pages based on that page type.
8. Click Save.

Information Tab

Name

The page type’s name is entered here.

Description

The text describing the page type is entered here. The name and description are the information displayed to editors when they decide to create a new page. This text is often managed by the language files in EPiServer CMS.

File name

This field is for entering the path and file name for the page which will create the actual web page shown to the visitors. This name should not be changed, as each template is linked to a particular page to ensure that it always has the right layout and comes with the all the relevant information.

Sort index

The sort index determines how the various page types will be sorted in the list when the editor decides to create a new page. The page type with the lowest sort index comes first. All new page types have 100 as default.

If you want to sort the list of page types in the Page Type tab in Admin mode according to the sort index, click the "123" icon under the Page Types heading.

Available in Edit mode

When you select the option Available in Edit mode you are providing the editors with the possibility to create pages based on this page type.

In some modes it may be appropriate to hide some of the page types from the editors. This might apply, for instance, to the discussion forum template. It is quite usual to want to have just one discussion forum on the website, as opposed to several in different places. In this case, you create a single forum and then hide the page type. Editors will therefore not be able to access the template, thereby preventing more than one forum being created.

Access level

Access level on a page types is a filter in the interface, which is used to determine which editors can create pages based on certain page types. When a new page type is added, it automatically receives the access level so that Everyone can work with the it.

1. Delete the access level for a group or user that currently has access level to create pages based on a certain page type by clearing the Change check box and then clicking Save.
2. To grant a user or group access to create pages based on a certain page type by clicking Add users/Groups and selecting the relevant users or groups. Make sure that the Create check box is selected and click Save.

Default Values Tab

A lot of fields (properties) in EPiServer CMS page types cannot be removed. It is, however, possible to set default values for these properties to help editors with their work.

An example of when this may be used is in the "News Item" page type. If there is a policy for news on the website that states that news is "old news" 30 days after publication. After that it must be moved to the News Archive. These two properties could then be set as default on that particular page type.

Change the default values of EPiServer CMS properties

1. Select the page type for which you want to specify default values on the Page Type tab.
2. Click Settings and then the Default Values tab.
3. Specify the default values for the fields you wish to have values for.
4. Click Save.

Available Page Types Tab

It is possible to select the page types that should be available for editors when they create a subpage of a page based on a certain page type. An example of when this could be used is in the news listings. Subpages to the "News List" page type should be of the page type "News Item". By only providing the editor with access to this page type, there need never be any mistakes as they have no other page types to choose from.

It is also useful to hide page types that editors don't need; the fewer page types the editor needs to choose from, the easier it will be. Once you have created the page you require, e.g. for the registration page based on the "Registration" page type, you no longer need to have it available, until you want to create a new registration page.

EPiServer CMS also checks if an editor attempts to transfer an unauthorized page type to a location in which you have specified that it cannot be created.

Define available page types

1. Select the page type for which you want to define underlying page types on the Page Type tab.
2. Click Settings and then the Available Page Types tab.
3. The All page types are available check box is selected by default. Clear this check box and specify which page type(s) you wish to be available under the page type you are editing.
4. Click Save.