It is very easy in AxCMS.net to create reusable layout elements. So called Structure Elements can be created by a Developer / Designer and included into the project. Such element can be so simple as button with hardcoded link or so complex as a whole page structure with a lot of placeholders and nested sub-elements. An Editor can then pick the elements she needs from the ribbon toolbar:
And it is there ready-to-be filled out with content.
But how about reusing the content?
If our editor spent some time on filling-out the element and has something like this:
Is it possible to insert the same element – with the same content – on other pages? The answer is YES.
To accomplish this first you need to give this element a name. Go to the properties of the element, open the panel Additional Properties, your name in the text box “Define name for element box” and click Check-In:
Nothing changes, but now if you open another page and try to add a structure element there, you will find your named element on the toolbar:
It appears right after the structure element which was originally used, it has a star-icon over the element-icon and the given name of the element as a tool tip.
One click and a copy of the content block is added.
Notes
· A copy does not have the name under “Additional Properties” – it is saved only in the original element only.
· If you want to remove the element from the toolbar, you go to the original element and remove the name from the textbox.
· To find named elements, go to Edit / Objects and tick the checkbox “Only named elements”. You can additionally filter by element type.
· You can name not only a structure element, but any content object, like a text block or image.
· NB. If you added multiple copies of the same named element, don’t expect that you can change one instance and all the others will be updated accordingly. It might work, but it does not as a general case. Why and what are alternatives I will explain in further posts from Tips & Tricks series.