Metadata

Metadata involves additional information which can be saved for an element (for example, pages or media), which however does not have to be intended for the page viewer. It can, for example, be used to describe content of a website and thus made more visible to search engines.

Entering and editing metadata

Dialog to edit metadata

Metadata can be entered for different element types:

• pages and menu items
  (see page Element type)
• sections
  (see page Creating and editing sections)
• media and media folders
  (see pages Upload new medium and Media management

They can be entered at multiple locations in the project (icon ):

• Reports
  (see page The ContentCreator report area et al.)
• Media management
  (see page Media management et al.)
• Preview
  (see page Creating and editing sections et al.)
• Menu functions
  (see pages Upload new medium, Element type et al.)
• Forms / dialogs
  (see page about input element Reference selection et al.)

Whether and for which of these types of content metadata can be stored depends on the configuration by the project developer and the administrator.

Instead of the “Edit” icon, this icon is displayed if the user only has rights to view the metadata, but not to edit them.

Metadata can be named differently from project to project. In a media project, for example, there could be information about copyright and source stored as metadata. The area in the dialog for uploading media could then for example be labeled with “copyright”. In the following, the text “[Metadata]” is used as a placeholder for metadata names in the user interface.

Setting, taking over, and removing metadata

A particularity of metadata is that it is passed on to subordinate elements. This way, the effort for updating metadata in the project is reduced, because it does not have to be given to every element individually. For example, passing on from a higher-level menu item to a subordinate menu item, from menu items to pages beneath them, and from pages and sections of this page are possible.

If, for a subordinate element, different metadata apply than for on the higher-level element, this must be explicitly defined on the subordinate element.

In the edit dialog for metadata, therefore, for every element, it can be read out whether metadata is even defined for the element at all and whether this is defined directly on the element or inherited from a higher-level element.

• “[Metadata] undefined.”
  For the current element, there are no metadata defined, and no metadata is inherited from another element. Use the button Define [Metadata] in order to be able to enter metadata for this element.
• “[Metadata] defined.”
  The metadata shown in the dialog are defined directly on this element and can be edited here. The Erase [Metadata] button can be used in order to remove the metadata.
• “[Metadata] inherited from [higher-level element].”
  The metadata shown in the dialog are inherited from another element. In order to be able to edit the metadata shown, the Apply [Metadata] button must be used.
• “[Metadata] not set.”
  For this element, neither direct metadata were defined, nor are they passed on from another element to this one. In order to be able to enter metadata for this element, the Define [Metadata] button must be used.

Whether metadata is to be defined, removed or taken over from another element can be defined by means of the following buttons:

For the current element, there are no metadata defined, and no metadata is inherited from another element.
This button has to be used in order to be able to enter metadata for this element.

The current element inherits metadata from a higher-level element.
With this button, deviating metadata can be defined, thus interrupting the inheritance. The metadata inherited from the higher-level element are also taken over as templates and can be changed. These metadata then apply for this element and are passed on to subordinate elements.

There are metadata defined directly for the current element. They can be removed via this button.
If metadata is defined on a higher-level element, they are inherited from the higher-level element to this one. The inheritance is thus restored.

Multiple languages

All metadata forms are generally single-language; in other words, there is no option for making specifications in multiple project languages.