Advanced Portal Designer Documentation
Index

Content Types

Content Types help you organize and categorize your content in APD. They provide a way to group related content and apply consistent handling.

What Are Content Types?

Content Types are:

  • Category labels for content
  • User-defined codes
  • Used for filtering and organization
  • Optional but recommended

Benefits of Using Content Types

Organization

  • Group related content together
  • Easier content management
  • Clear structure for large sites

Filtering

  • Filter content list by type
  • Quick access to specific categories
  • Simplified maintenance

Consistency

  • Apply patterns by type
  • Consistent naming conventions
  • Clear ownership/responsibility

Managing Content Types

Accessing Content Types

  1. Open the Advanced Portal Designer menu page and click Content to open the Content List
  2. From the Content List action bar, click Content Types
  3. View/edit content types

Creating a Content Type

  1. In the Content Types page, click New
  2. Enter a Type code (e.g., "FAQ") — Code[20]
  3. Add a Description (optional, up to 100 characters)
  4. Save

Example Content Types

Type Code Description Use Case
PAGE Static pages About, Contact, Terms
FAQ FAQ entries Help questions
NEWS News articles Announcements
PRODUCT Product content Descriptions
HELP Help articles User guides
LEGAL Legal documents Privacy, Terms
PROMO Promotional Banners, offers

Assigning Types to Content

When Creating Content

  1. Create new content item
  2. In the Type field, select the type
  3. Complete other fields
  4. Save

For Existing Content

  1. Open content item
  2. Change the Type field
  3. Save

Using Types for Organization

Naming Conventions by Type

Create consistent naming patterns:

Type Pattern Examples
FAQ faq-{topic} faq-shipping, faq-returns
HELP help-{subject} help-orders, help-account
PAGE {page-name} about-us, contact
NEWS news-{date}-{title} news-2026-01-update

Content Ownership

Assign responsibility by type:

Type Owner
PRODUCT Product Team
LEGAL Legal Team
FAQ Support Team
NEWS Marketing

Filtering Content

In Content List

  1. Open Content List
  2. Add filter on Type field
  3. Select desired type
  4. View filtered results

For Maintenance

  • Filter by type for bulk updates
  • Review content by category
  • Audit specific content areas

Content Type Patterns

Hierarchical Content

Use types to create hierarchies:

Type: DOCS
- docs-introduction
- docs-getting-started
- docs-chapter-1
- docs-chapter-2

Versioned Content

Track versions by type:

Type: TERMS-V1
Type: TERMS-V2

Localized Content

Combine with language:

Type: WELCOME
- welcome (English)
- welcome (German, Language: 1031)

Integration with Actions

Host Action

Content can be associated with a Host Action:

  1. Set Host Action on content
  2. When accessing content via URL, that action's template wraps it
  3. Provides consistent navigation

Type-Specific Actions

Create actions for content types:

Action Displays
FAQ-PAGE FAQ type content
NEWS-PAGE NEWS type content
HELP-PAGE HELP type content

Best Practices

Planning Types

Before creating types:

  1. Inventory your content needs
  2. Identify natural groupings
  3. Consider who manages each type
  4. Keep types broad but meaningful

Keep Types Simple

  • Don't over-categorize
  • 5-10 types usually sufficient
  • Can always add more later

Document Your Types

Create a reference document:

Type Purpose Owner Naming Pattern
PAGE Static pages Web Team page-{name}
FAQ Support FAQs Support faq-{topic}-{question}

Consistent Usage

  • Always assign types
  • Follow naming conventions
  • Review periodically

Reporting by Type

Content Inventory

Filter and export by type:

  1. Filter Content List by type
  2. Review count and status
  3. Identify gaps or outdated content

Maintenance Schedule

By type:

Type Review Frequency
LEGAL Annually
NEWS Monthly
FAQ Quarterly
PRODUCT As needed

Type Workflow

Content Lifecycle

1. Create content with type
2. Develop/write content
3. Review content
4. Publish (content is live)
5. Maintain (updates)
6. Archive (remove/replace)

Type-Specific Workflows

Different types may have different processes:

  • LEGAL: Requires legal review
  • NEWS: Time-sensitive publishing
  • PRODUCT: Coordinated releases

Advanced Usage

Type Metadata

While APD doesn't have built-in metadata:

  • Use content naming for metadata
  • Include date in name: news-2026-01-15-title
  • Include version: terms-v2

Type Inheritance

Create related types:

HELP (parent concept)
├── HELP-BASIC
├── HELP-ADVANCED
└── HELP-ADMIN

Troubleshooting

Type Not Found

  • Verify type exists in Content Types
  • Check spelling and case
  • Create type if missing

Wrong Type Assigned

  • Edit content item
  • Change type field
  • Save changes

Orphaned Content

Content without types:

  1. Filter for empty Type field
  2. Assign appropriate types
  3. Document exceptions