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Creating Web Content Templates

Web Content Templates use the FreeMarker Template Language (FTL) to determine how content fields are rendered on a Page. Each Template can be associated with a Web Content Structure, or even embedded in other Templates.

important

Grant permission to Create or Edit templates in FreeMarker to trusted users only. See Assigning Permissions to Web Content Structures and Templates for information about Web Content Templates security.

How to Create a Web Content Template

  1. Open the Site Menu (Site Menu), and go to Content & DataWeb Content.

  2. Select the Templates tab, and click on the Add button (Add Template) to create a new Web Content Template.

  3. Enter a title for your new Template.

  4. Optionally, you can determine these configurable Template Properties:

    Optionally, determine Template settings in the Properties panel.

  5. Add FreeMarker code to your Template via the script window, or by clicking on Choose File to select an existing .ftl script file to import.

    When manually entering code in the script window, you can quickly access standard variables in the left Template panel. If you’ve selected a Structure for your Template, you can also access variables for its specific fields, as well as the Friendly URL variable.

    You can then add HTML or additional FreeMarker code to your Template’s script.

    Access standard variables in the left Template panel, as well as variables specific to your selected Structure.

  6. Click on Save when finished or Save and Continue to save your progress and continue editing.

    important

    Once your Template is linked with a Structure and saved, you can no longer change this Template property.

    When saved, DXP automatically generates a DDM Template Key, URL, and WebDAV URL for your Template, which you can view in its Properties panel.

    DXP automatically generates a DDM Template Key, URL, and WebDAV URL for your Template.

Once you’ve created a Template, you can use it for Web Content created with its linked Structure or embed it in other Templates, depending on its configuration. You can also edit your Template at any time.

note

Changes in a Structure may require changes in associated Templates. For example, if a Structure field name referenced in a Template is renamed or removed, the Template’s reference must be updated manually.

Configurable Template Properties

While Creating a template, you can optionally determine the following Template settings in the Properties panel:

  • Structure: Use the Structure field to link your Template with an existing Web Content Structure, or leave this field blank to create a generic Template that can be embedded in other Web Content Templates.

  • Description: Use the Description field to provide localized descriptions of your Template.

  • Cacheable: By default, new Templates are cacheable. Uncheck this property if dynamic behavior is needed (e.g., taglibs, request handling, CMS query API).

  • Featured Image: Select a featured image for your Template via URL or from your device.