The Content Tag

The <?content()?> tag is used to embed managed content within your APD templates. It provides a powerful way to separate page structure from page content.

Basic Syntax

<?content(content-name)?>

Where content-name is the unique identifier of the content item.

How It Works

When APD encounters a <?content()?> tag:

Looks up content by name
Checks language variants
Verifies security profile
Converts Markdown to HTML (if needed)
Inserts the resulting HTML

Examples

Simple Content Inclusion

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
    <header>
        <?content(site-header)?>
    </header>
    
    <main>
        <?content(home-welcome)?>
    </main>
    
    <footer>
        <?content(site-footer)?>
    </footer>
</body>
</html>

Article Page

<article>
    <h1><?content(article-title)?></h1>
    <div class="content">
        <?content(article-body)?>
    </div>
</article>

FAQ Page

<div class="faq">
    <h1>Frequently Asked Questions</h1>
    
    <?content(faq-general)?>
    
    <h2>Ordering</h2>
    <?content(faq-ordering)?>
    
    <h2>Shipping</h2>
    <?content(faq-shipping)?>
</div>

Language Handling

Automatic Language Selection

APD automatically selects the appropriate language:

<!-- Will display content in user's language if available -->
<?content(welcome-message)?>

Language Priority

User's session language: If user has set a preference
Default language: Falls back to language = 0

Creating Language Variants

Create base content: "welcome-message" with Language = 0
Create variant: "welcome-message" with Language = 1031 (German)
APD serves appropriate version automatically

Security

Profile-Restricted Content

Content can be restricted by security profile:

<!-- Only users with PREMIUM profile will see this -->
<?content(premium-features)?>

If user doesn't have the required profile, the content is not displayed (no error, just empty).

Combining with Template Security

<?profile(PREMIUM)?>
    <div class="premium-section">
        <?content(premium-content)?>
    </div>
<?endif?>

Dynamic Content Names

Using Expression Functions

You can pass an expression as the content name — <?content?> accepts any expression in its parameter, so Parm(), field(), and concatenation with .. all work. You just cannot nest a <??> tag inside the parameter.

<!-- From a URL parameter (the "page" query string) -->
<?content(Parm('page'))?>

<!-- Prefix + URL parameter -->
<?content('help-'..Parm('topic'))?>

<!-- From a field in an open table -->
<?content(field("APD Page Content Hgd","Content Name"))?>

Using the Reserved `content` URL Parameter

APD also supports a built-in dynamic mode: when <?content?> is called without arguments and the URL contains a content query parameter, APD uses that parameter as the content name automatically. The same applies to <?contentraw?> and <?contenttitle?>.

<!-- URL: ?action=ARTICLE&content=getting-started
     APD reads the "content" parameter and resolves it for you. -->
<?content?>

Content Not Found

Behavior

When content is not found:

No error is thrown
Empty string is inserted
Page continues to render

Defensive Pattern

<?content(optional-banner)?>
<!-- If banner content doesn't exist, nothing shows -->

With Fallback

APD has no ContentExists tag — <?content?> simply emits an empty string when no matching content is found, so for optional content you can just call the tag and let it produce nothing. If you need a visible fallback, wrap the call in surrounding HTML that always renders (e.g. a heading + the tag) so the page still looks intentional even when the content row is missing.

Markdown Processing

Automatic Conversion

When content style is Markdown:

Markdown is parsed
Converted to HTML
Inserted into page

Supported Markdown

Syntax	Output
`# Heading`	`<h1>Heading</h1>`
`bold`	`<strong>bold</strong>`
`italic`	`<em>italic</em>`
`- item`	`<ul><li>item</li></ul>`
`text`	`<a href="url">text</a>`
`code`	`<code>code</code>`

HTML Content

Raw HTML

When content style is HTML:

HTML is inserted directly
No processing applied
Full control over output

Use Cases for HTML

Complex layouts
Custom styling
Interactive elements
Third-party embeds

Styling Content

CSS for Content

Add CSS targeting content areas:

.content-area h1 {
    color: #333;
    font-size: 24px;
}

.content-area p {
    line-height: 1.6;
}

.content-area ul {
    padding-left: 20px;
}

Content Wrapper

Wrap content for styling:

<div class="content-area">
    <?content(my-content)?>
</div>

Content as Landing

Use content parameter in URL:

?content=about-us

This displays the content within its host action's template.

Internal Links

Link to other content:

See our [Privacy Policy](?content=privacy-policy) for details.

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Use lowercase with hyphens: about-us, faq-shipping
Group related content: help-getting-started, help-orders
Be descriptive but concise

Organization

General:
- site-header
- site-footer
- about-us

Products:
- product-overview
- product-features

Help:
- help-getting-started
- help-account
- help-orders

Separation of Concerns

Templates: Structure and logic
Content: Text and articles
CSS: Styling
JavaScript: Behavior

Troubleshooting

Content Not Displaying

Verify content name is correct
Check content exists in Content List
Verify security profile matches
Check language settings

Wrong Language Shown

Verify user's language preference
Check language variants exist
Ensure correct language IDs used

Markdown Not Converting

Verify content style is "Markdown"
Check for syntax errors
Try simpler Markdown