Creating and Editing Page Templates in Template Builder

If you are editing a previously existing template in the Template Builder Editor, you can view the history of the template using the View History command on the top toolbar.

Templates are versioned each time they are published. However, you cannot roll back templates to a previous state. Instead you would need to edit the template to resemble its previous state and republish it.

 

1. Highlight the type of container you want and just drag it to the appropriate spot.
2. Template zones can be restricted for some controls. In that case, if you try to drag on a container that is not allowed in the particular zone, you will receive a popup warning that the control type is not allowed in that zone.
3. You can also drag to rearrange containers once you've added them.
4. If you click on the container, it may offer a Properties popup that allows you to choose a CSS class (Heading, Page Content, etc.) for the container.

 

1. If you drag on a container that you no longer want, you can delete it from the zone by dragging it to the Trash Can icon in the lower right part of the screen.
2. If you are editing a template that is currently being used by pages on the site, it is recommended that you do not remove containers if possible. This could make content disappear on existing site pages. You cannot roll back the template changes. If you remove a container on the template and publish it, and an author or editor tries to rolls back an individual page using Page History, the page will have its old content only in containers still existing on the page. If users will need to get to old content on your page, don't remove containers.

 

1. When you have made as changes as you want, click Save at the top of the screen to bring up the Add New Template window.

2. Give your new template a title and description and choose where to save it. You should try to be descriptive in your title to aid users who will be using the Page Template later.
3. You should associate an image with the template to give users a visual cue to the template's content.
4. You can also add template specific styles and scripts from the Scripts Library or the Style Library.
5. When you have finished inputting information, click Save.

Note that the information at the top of the screen, such as the template name may not change until you have updated the Edit Template screen.

The template will only be saved as a draft. This is because you need to preview the template before publishing.

 

If you editing an existing template you need to preview it to see how your changes might affect existing pages.

Preview will notify you of any pages on the site currently using the template. You can click the hyperlink(s) to preview the page in a new window.

If the template is new, you will get a message that no pages reference the template.

You cannot roll back a template. If you edit the template and publish it, and an author or editor rolls back an individual page using Page History, it will have its old content but only in containers still existing on the page at the time.

 

Templates cannot be used by authors until they are published.

When you have finished all changes to your Page Template, click Publish on the upper toolbar.

• This will publish the template to your website. It will then appear in the listing of templates available to authors creating a new page.
• If you were editing an existing template, pages using the template will be updated to reflect the new page layout.

 

You can edit the properties of a Page Template in either the Edit Template view or the Library view of Template Builder. these are same properties as seen when first saving the Page Template in the Template Editor.

The Template Properties include

• Title (This appears to users picking the template from a list as well as in the Template Library).
• Description (optional)
• Image (an icon to help users identify the template)
• Template Styles (Global styles show up here. Put a check next any you want included on the page).
• Template Scripts (Global scripts show up here. Put a check next any you want included on the page).

The properties are the same in each place with the exception of the Template File Name and code-behind options, which can only be reached when editing from the Library.

• The template file name cannot be changed, but a developer can upload a file with the same name to replace the template.
• Most administrators do not need to worry about adding a code-behind. Layout Templates are generally coded to not need them. This option is present in case a developer wants to alter the template to accept a code-behind. In that case, they will download the template, alter it, and upload both the new file and a code-behind file.