Variables in the Global Store

A special store is the “Global Store”. Central, user-specific settings can be defined here, for example, which browser is used to display a preview page.

The Global Content area, however, is also interesting for template development. Template fragments which are frequently required within the templates, for example copyright notices, can be entered and maintained here. Such recurring information is usually displayed in the same way on all pages or in all sections (see also Defining global content section).

In the Project settings on the other hand, global rules can be set for the project, e.g. with regard to the output of content and the layouts (see also Defining project settings section). While the Global Content Area referencing can always only be used to access the entire content of pages and if applicable the dependent sections, in the case of project settings it is possible to access individual input components or their values.

Definition of global content

A “Global Page” is generated to define global content for the template development (see also Global Content Area (→Documentation FirstSpirit SiteArchitect)). The creation of a page is analogous to the creation of a page in the Page Store, i.e. the Global Page is based on a page template of the project. If the page template has a defined content area, sections can also be added to a global page.

Defining project settings

Selecting a project settings template

An appropriate page template is required for the definition of project settings.

To this end a page template is first created in the project's Template Store. The new template must then be selected as a metadata template in the server and project configuration application in the project properties (“Options” menu, “Settings page” field, see Figure and Options (→Documentation for Administrators)). After defining the project settings template for a project, the editors can enter content in the “Global Store”, “Project Settings” node with the help of the input components defined in the project settings template.

Analogous to a page template, the project settings template can use all FirstSpirit input components (forms).

Variables defined in generation schedules (see also Execute generation (→Documentation for Administrators)) are not available in the project settings by default. For information on how to make them available in the Project Settings page output, see “Special variable properties”, section Making variables from schedules available in project settings.

Using global content

Unlike a Site Store page, the Global Content Area and project settings not referenced via the Site Store, but instead directly via templates.

Project settings can be used or output in any template via the instruction

$CMS_VALUE(VARIABLENAME_OF_INPUTCOMPONENT)$

Global Content Area can only be used or output via the instruction

$CMS_VALUE(#global.gca("REFERENCENAME_OF_GLOBAL_PAGE"))$

For details of special properties of variables in Global Content Areas, see also Special Variable Properties page.