Enable the option to associate default page content with a template.

[Ned Nowotny]

In 1.0.3, "Default Page Content" may be specified for all content pages via a new "Global Setting".  However, that does not seem to be generally useful, though it is a helpful feature.  Instead, I would like to specify default content per template so that content editors have a starting point when creating a new page while still having the ability to change content that I do not want to lock down in the template itself.

For this to be useful, the editor would need to be refreshed with the default content whenever a new template is selected.  It would probably be a good idea to prompt the user for approval before loading the default content when a new template is selected if the content has been edited during the current session.  The default content should be ignored if the template change is selected when editing an existing page.

Note: This has already been submitted as an enhancement request.  However, I am repeating it here for discussion in the forums.

[Ned Nowotny]

I realize it is probably bad form to reply to my own post, but I am considering the withdrawal of this enhancement request.

At the time I requested it, the default content global setting had just been introduced and I was not aware of the "content" Smarty tag.  Once I learned of the latter, it became much easier to define templates that enable my content editors to enter the required content while enabling the template developer to specify the necessary elements as well as control the presentation.  While there are some enhancements I would like for the "content" tag (see Add the ability to specify a default value for a content block and more...), I believe it satisfies nearly all that I was hoping to get from associating default page content with a template.

Therefore, the point of this thread is to see if there is any interest in the original request.  If not, I will cancel the request from the bug and enhancement tracking system.

[calguy1000]

if in the template you specified something like this:  {content block='mycustomblock' dfltcontent='blah blah blah'} that would be a great idea if you ask me.

[Ned Nowotny]

Having had more time to think about this, I am convinced that adding a "default" parameter to the "content" Smarty tag is the right approach and satisfies all the requirements I had in mind when I proposed associating default content with a template.  In fact, multiple content blocks within a page template pretty much recommends the addition of a "default" parameter to the "content" Smarty tag rather than any notion of default content per template.

Now, what is the use case for the global default content block?  That is what first got me started down this path and what I used until I learned to use multiple content blocks.  Why was the global default content block introduced?  Should it be retained?

[martinstoller]

An older topic, but one that interests me too...

I'd like to use CMSMS to document indie game design (useful for networked team efforts), where the page template would already have some of the text (headings, for example) preset, so all I would have to do is add the rest of the text and not worry about getting each page to look the same. See http://cms.martinstoller.com/index.php?page=universe for what I mean - I need "Gameplay/Technical/CG Info/Testing" and more on each page of the design doc - I'd like to concentrate on inserting the content, not on the formatting...

Or is there already a way to do that? (I have searched quite a bit before asking, but finding this post kind of hinted at the fact that default template content is still a todo).

Cheers,
Martin