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CMS Lite topic template

Last updated on January 9, 2024

Overview of the topic template in CMS Lite

Page components

Click image to view in full screen

components used to create a government topic page with image map links

Topic templates in the site structure

Topic pages reside within a Sub-theme. The topic landing page (Level 3) name is determined by the Information Architecture Advisory Group (IAAG) in conjunction with the client.

Each sub-theme (level 2) in CMS Lite can include up to eight topics (level 3).

The page owner creates and maintains all content for the Topic landing page (Level 3) and all child pages. Content may be grouped into sub-topics (page groupings) by the content editors, and a level 3 topic page can have five lower-level pages underneath it (level 4 to 8).

Key features

The topic template includes:

  • Tabs and components used to create all the elements of a web page
  • Action buttons used to:

The 'floating' Action buttons will move up and down the Content Pane so they are always accessible when you are creating or editing content.

Content Pane tabs and action buttonsClick image to view in full screen

Accessibility and navigation in the content pane

Floating action buttons

The 'floating' Action buttons will move up and down the Content Pane so they are always accessible when you are creating or editing content.

Hyperlink breadcrumb

The 'hyperlink' breadcrumb at the top to the Content Pane allows you to move quickly to a parent page within your security group.

Please ensure that your posted content meets OCIO content regulations (PDF. 39 KB)

Understanding page status icons

The icons on either side to the Page Title indicate if the page is locked and if it has met validation requirements.

key icon Page is locked by you

lock icon  Page is locked by another user

valid page icon Page has met validation requirements

invalid page icon Page has not met validation requirements

Understanding and using action buttons

Action buttons on content template

What each action button does

Whenever you use any action button, it affects the entire Topic Template, not just the specific tab you are currently viewing.

Action buttons
Button Details
Save

Saves the content from all tabs to the database.

When you use the [Save] action button, you have the option to add a Modification Reason in the dialog box that appears. This reason will be shown above the tabs until the page is published.

If you have used the [Revert Body to Prod] action button or modified the page through bulk tagging, an icon will appear next to the Modification field. If you hover your mouse over this icon, it will show you a message indicating the specific action taken. The message will either say:

  • "The body of content has been reverted back to Prod," indicating the content has been reverted to its published state, or
  • "Metadata has been applied via Bulk Tagging," showing that bulk tagging has been applied to the metadata of the page
Lock

Locks the page from being edited by another user.

The page remains locked until it is published or someone that has security access to the page unlocks the page
Unlock

Unlocks the page for editing.

When you unlock a page that someone else has locked, an email notification is sent to them. It's important to be mindful of a few things when unlocking another person's page:

  • If the page is currently locked, the original editor might actively be working on it. It's a good practice to reach out to them before unlocking the page.
  • Once you modify a page that you've unlocked, it will disappear from the original editor's Content Status Grid. This change indicates that someone else (you, in this case) has taken over the editing of the page.
Publish

Publishes the template displayed in the right-pane.

  • The [Publish] action will save of the content to the database, making it available to view outside of the QA environment
  • A progress message will be displayed next to the Page Title above the template tabs
  • Page is no longer locked when the job has completed

Publish progress bar
Unpublish

Unpublishes the template displayed in the right-pane.

  • Removes the page from the Production web server
  • Still accessible within the CMS Lite application
  • Remains on the QA database
View PROD

Opens a browser window to the view the last published content to the Production web server.

  • If the page is currently being modified, then QA and Prod will be different
  • If you select [View PROD] and do not see the content changes:
    • Do not select the Publish action again
    • Check the Workflow Status Grid on the Home page to see if the job failed. If yes, use the [Retry] action
Cancel

Cancels any modifications made to the template since the last time the [Save] action was used.

  • Example: If you delete a supplementary content box in error, select the [Cancel] action and it will be replaced
Delete

Removes the content from the QA and Prod web servers, as well as the CMS Lite application.

  • The content remains in the database
  • To restore a deleted template, submit a request to the GDX Service Desk at GDX.servicedesk@gov.bc.ca
Link Checker Report

Checks the accuracy of links on the QA version of a page.

Action button availability is based on page status

The action buttons you see on the Content Pane depend on the current status of the page (or node).

  • If the page was previously published, but is now locked by another user
    • You'll only have access to: View QA, Unlock, Publish, Unpublish and View Pro
       
  • If a page has never been published
    • Unpublish and View Prod will not display
       
  • During the publishing process, when a page's status is IN_PROGRESS
    • Save, Delete and Cancel are temporarily disabled until the job has completed and the content pane is refreshed.

Content tabs in the topic template

The following components (tabs) are used to develop a web page:

1 Body and Metadata must be completed before a page can be published