Content Block

The Content Block content item enables empowering authorized users to create and edit content directly on a page. You can allow users to insert HTML content, add attachments, create child pages, and submit replies. At its simplest, a Content Block can be HTML that is read-only unless the user has permissions to see the edit command. At its most complex, a Content Block can act as a message board with multiple posts, child posts, and replies. You can limit the number of posts to a set number, or you can leave it at the default (zero), which lets it grow indefinitely.

Both the Content Block and Content Tagged List content items are able to share content through social media websites when the Include social sharing icons option is enabled.

Content Block configuration options

  • Name - Enter a name for the content item. This text appears during design mode (configuration).
  • Title - Enter the text to display above this content item on the rendered page. If blank, no title is displayed.
  • Maximum items to display - Enter the maximum number of posts to display. When the maximum is reached, the content items Add link is no longer displayed. No error is displayed that the maximum has been exceeded. The maximum value is 100. Enter 0 to allow all posts to display.
  • Display mode:
    • In Summary mode, the content item displays posts with no child pages. The user can click on the title of the post to see the post and all associated child pages and replies. The user can add a new child page or reply on the expanded page.
    • In Expanded mode, the content item displays each post followed by any child pages and replies to the post. The user can add a child page or reply on this page.
  • Sort by:
    • None
    • Title - Displays the posts by title in alphabetic order.
    • Oldest first - Displays the posts by creation date, from oldest to newest.
    • Most recent first - Displays the posts by creation date, from newest to oldest. This is the default setting for new content item instances.
  • Do not render in design mode - Select this option to prevent content record data from being loaded in the content editor. This improves performance during design time (configuration).
  • Display a border around this content - Select this option to display a border around this content item on the rendered page.
  • Display post date and author - Select this option to display the author and date of each post.
  • Allow child posts - Select this option to allow users to add child pages.
  • Allow replies to posts - Select this option to allow users to add replies. If selected, the following options are displayed:
    • Allow HTML in replies - Select this option to allow users to use the HTML editor for replies.
    • Allow attachments in replies - Select this option to allow users to attach files to their replies.
  • Include social sharing icons - Select this option to share content through social media websites.
  • Default HTML for new posts - Enter default text to be displayed when the user selects Add.
  • Selected Tags - Click Modify to select tags to be associated with the posts displayed by this content item. These tags can be used as a search filter. If one or more tags are selected, each post will be associated with each tag. If no tags are selected, all posts belonging to the parent display in search results.

Tagging to filter content

To control what content appears in a Content Block, create tags specific to Content Block items and apply those tags to specific instances of the content item. For example, if you want to create a new blog for Tim Jones, you could create a Content Block tag such as blog-JonesT, place a new Content Block content item on a content record, and configure the content item to display the tag blog-JonesT. Now the content that Tim authors in this blog will be unique to his blog, if you do not apply this tag anywhere else:

Viewing Selected tags

Content created with anything other than a Content Block content item is not displayed, even if it has the same tag. For example, a content record containing HTML tagged with News will not be displayed in a Content Block that is also using the News tag.

Note: Plan for and create the tags you want to use before configuring your Content Block content items. Content can seem to disappear if you change the tags assigned to a Content Block already in use, because it no longer matches the tag set currently configured.

Creating a message board

Only users with the Content Editor permission can create posts and children, but any authenticated users can reply to a post and edit or delete their own replies.

To use the Content Block as a message board with multiple posts, child posts, and replies, configure the following options:

  • Maximum items to display – Choose the maximum number of posts that will be displayed. 0 indicates an unlimited number of posts.
  • Display mode – Expanded display mode displays replies and child posts in-line, while Summary mode only shows replies and child posts when the post is opened.
  • Allow child posts – Allows content editors to add a child post to existing content.
  • Allow replies to posts – Allows authenticated users to reply to posts. You can indicate whether to allow HTML or attachments, or both, in the replies.

    • Viewing Topics for discussion example

    Content Block set up as a discussion board.