Create scalable content with Content Templates

The Content Templates feature provides you with a template-based solution to create branded content for your Portal visitors and also enables you to add Templates to your Portals as widgets allowing your visitors to quickly and effectively create content.

How to create a new Template

1. Click the "Content Template" tab in CELUM Experience to access the Content Template dashboard.

2. Click the button.

3. Click "Create Content Template" in the drop-down menu to enter the Content Template wizard:
   

4. Give a name to your Content Template. (This step is mandatory)

5. Add a Library to your Content Template. This step is optional, you can create your Template without a Library and add it later.

1. Click the "Libraries" tab on the left side of the wizard.

   Before you can add Libraries, you must have at least one Library prepared. For more information, see Connection between Portals and Libraries.

2. Click the "Add Library" icon .

3. Choose one or multiple Libraries from the drop-down.

   You can add multiple Libraries to your Template and you can click "x" to remove an added Library.

6. Click "Create". Your new Content Template will be added to the dashboard and the Template designer opens immediately.

How to import a Content Template

You can import PSD files (Adobe Photoshop files) to use them as Content Templates. The resulting scene includes all the necessary assets, ready for immediate use.

1. Click the "Content Template" tab in CELUM Experience to access the Content Template dashboard.

2. Click the button.

3. Click "Import Content Template" in the drop-down menu. Your operating system's file chooser dialog opens.

4. Choose the PSD file you want to import.

5. Click "Open". Your imported Content Template will be available on the dashboard.

How to edit or delete a Template

Right-clicking on a Template on the dashboard will show you the context menu where you can edit or delete your Template. Alternatively, you can access the "Delete"-action in the magic menu via the magic button.

Content Template Designer Overview

When you click on a Content Template on the dashboard, you enter the Content Template designer where you can create your own content. All Templates consist of pages that have blocks of content in them. These Templates can be used in Portals as widgets or can be exported as content for distribution.

To understand how to work with the designer you need to familiarise yourself with its sections, menus and panels:

1. Canvas: The canvas is the main area of the designer where you can interact with pages and blocks of the Template you are designing.

• Pages: Your Template consists of pages that serve as the base for the design elements.

• Blocks: Are the individual design elements on a page that you can add and configure.

2. Block type tabs: Here you can choose between different block types to browse through the available blocks in the settings panel.

• "Text" tab: See available text blocks and add them to a page.

• "Shapes" tab: See available shape blocks and add them to a page.

• "Assets" tab: Browse through assets in all Libraries that were added to the Template and add them to a page as blocks. The here assets are not grouped.

• "All Libraries" tab: Browse the assets of all Libraries added to your Template and add them to a page as blocks. The assets here are grouped by Library. If you have imported a PSD file, the assets related to the PSD file are grouped separately under "Content Template assets".

3. Settings panel: This panel contains the document-related settings by default. The type- and block-related settings open on top of this panel when you click the tabs on the left side or click on individual blocks on the canvas.
   

4. Toolbar: Contains the view options, save button, export button, update and publish buttons the undo and redo buttons.

How to work with pages

Pages are the frame and background for your Templates. You can add new pages with the "Add page" button on the bottom of the canvas:

You have several formatting options available for your pages:

• Page menu: This contains page-related actions and shows up above the page when you click on one of the pages of your Template in the canvas. Use it to change page position, add a placeholder, duplicate or delete the page.
  

• Document settings: Here you can set the page layout on the canvas and page formatting options for the whole Template. The settings here are applied to all pages in your Template.
  

How to work with blocks in general

Blocks are the design elements you can use on the pages of your Templates. You can add blocks by clicking on one of the available blocks (for a chosen block type) in the settings panel.

When you click on the block, you will be presented with the following:

• Block menu: This appears above a block that is selected and contains actions related to the selected block.

  The actions available in this menu are related to the kind of block you have selected, so the menu options will differ when selecting text, shape, or asset type blocks.

• Rotation icon : This appears below the block and you can use it to rotate the selected block.

• Block-related settings in the settings panel on the left.

General block-related settings

Before we go into the details of settings for different block types it is important to note that for blocks of all types, the following common settings are available in the settings panel when you click on a block in the canvas.

Settings panel: Name- and placeholder settings for Portal visitors

By default, every block is named "Element". If you want to change the name, click the Edit icon next to it. Giving individual names can help you better identify your blocks.

Most importantly, you have access to the placeholder settings where you can define and limit what Portal visitors can do with the block after you add your Template as a Portal widget. To do this:

1. Click on the "Placeholder" button to bring up the placeholder settings.

2. Select the block-related actions you want to allow for Portal visitors to have in Portals where you use a Template as a Portal widget.

   Different block types will have different placeholder settings besides the ones below.

   

With the preview toggle , you can explore how the given placeholder settings affect your template. In the preview, you see the Template exactly as your Portal visitors would see it.

Settings panel: Block positioning, content customisation and export settings

All block types share the same positioning and customisation settings on the settings panel:

• Layer settings: In this section, you can change the positioning and alignment of the selected block.

  

• Appearance-related settings: In this section, you can change the appearance to highlight the selected block. Settings include (but are not limited to) fill, stroke, and appearance.

  

• Export settings: In this section, you decide whether the selected block should be shown or hidden when the Template is exported.

  

How to work with text blocks

1. Click on the "Text" tab to see the available text blocks.

2. Click on one of the available text blocks to add it to the selected page.

3. Click on the added block on the page to bring up the settings for it on the settings panel.

Settings panel: Character settings

These settings available for text blocks are useful for fine-tuning the presented text.

How to work with shape blocks

1. Click on the "Shapes" tab to bring up the panel where you can select your shape blocks.

2. Click on one of the available shapes to add it to the selected page.

3. Click the added block on the page to bring up the settings for it on the settings panel.

How to work with asset blocks

1. Click on the "Assets" tab or "All Libraries" tab to bring up the panel where you can select your asset that you want to add as a block.

2. Click on one of the assets to add it to the selected page as a block.

3. Click the added block on the page to bring up the settings for it on the settings panel.

How to use the toolbar

The toolbar is the place where you can manage the following:

Undo/Redo buttons: You can undo single changes you made with these buttons, or using the key combinations:

• Mac: Undo with command+z and redo with command+shift+z.

• Windows: Undo with ctrl+z and redo with ctrl+shift+z.

View menu: Provides zoom and fit view options to better perceive your Template pages.

• Save button: Use it to save the changes you made to your Template.

• Preview toggle: You can use this to see how the vistors can interact with your Template and test out how placeholder settings work.

• Export button: Allows you to export your template.

  • You can choose the following export formats: JPEG, PNG, WEBP and PDF.

  • You can determine the size of the template frame up to 325 × 325 mm or 7680 × 7680 pixels.

  • You can choose the quality of the export.

  • You can choose the range of pages you want to export.

• Publish/Unpublish button: To be able to use your Template as a widget in Portals you will need to publish it.

• Update button: If you make changes to an already published Template you need to use this button for your changes to take effect on the Template widget in all Portals where it is used.