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Custom Element Types

CommonSpot supports both Global and Local Custom Elements, to give you flexible control over data use, reuse, security, and indexing at your site. Both Element types enable:

Each type has specific advantages and disadvantages. There are no clear-cut rules for all scenarios, but here are some general features and usage guidelines for creating and editing Custom Elements.

Global Custom Elements

Local Custom Elements

Use Global Custom Elements

  • To manage and maintain Element data in a single source, for centralizing control and optimizing content reuse
  • To enable authors to select from existing "records" or instances of data for an Element

Use Local Custom Elements

  • To track changes to Elements (as for standard Elements and other version-controlled CommonSpot components)
  • To capture specific structured data (field-value pairs) and render them out using your own Element Display Templates, without concern for multiple instances of the data

Authors either add a new data record or select from an existing data record to display Global Element on a page. Global Custom Elements:

  • Are not logically bound to the pages containing them and are edited independently.
  • Data is not version- or approval-controlled
  • Data is entered using the Simple Form interface.
  • Are not automatically included in full-text indexes. You must explicitly enable indexing for Global Elements in the Viewing Page Search Properties dialog, and assign them to a search collection. CommonSpot indexes Global Custom Elements independently of pages.

Local Custom Elements behave much like standard CommonSpot Elements:

  • Bound to the page, Local Custom Elements inherit security and approval rules defined for that page.
  • Changes are versioned.
  • Can only be edited from the page of origin. Content can be reused on other pages.
  • Are automatically indexed as part of the page in which they are published.

Once you create Custom Elements for your site, use the Type drop down in the Manage Elements dialog to filter for Standard, Local, and Global Custom Elements.

 

Related Links

You can download PDF versions of the Content Contributor's, Administrator's, and Elements Reference documents from the support section of paperthin.com (requires login).

The following guides are available from the support site and are in the /docs/directory of your CommonSpot Server:
You can also download these other guides from the support section of paperthin.com (with login):

For technical support:

http://www.paperthin.com/support/