External sources: SQL, CSV, and Code Sources
Calling Code Sources from templates
Following are explanations of Silva’s default (out of the box) content
types. Other content types might be available, depending on what
extensions are installed and activated.
A Document is the basic unit of information in Silva. A document can –
much like word processor documents – contain text, lists, tables,
headers, subheads, images, etc. Documents can have two versions, one
online for the public, another in process (editable or
approved/published). Older versions can be rolled forward and made
editable.
The presentation of the information within a publication is structured
with folders. They determine the visual hierarchy that a Visitor sees.
Folders on the top level define sections of a publication, subfolders
define chapters, etc. Note that unlike publications, folders are
transparent, meaning you can see through them in the sidebar tree
navigation and the Publish screen.
Publications are special folders. They function as the major organizing
blocks of a Silva site. They are comparable to binders, and can contain
folders, documents, and assets. Publications are opaque. They instill a
threshold of view, showing only the contents of the current
publication. This keeps the overview screens manageable. Publications
have configuration settings that determine which core and pluggable
objects are available. For complex sites, sub-publications can be
nested.
Web graphics (gif, jpg, png) can be uploaded and inserted in documents, or used as viewable assets.
Any digital file can be uploaded as Silva content. For instance large
files such as pdf docs or mpegs can be placed in a site. File objects
have metadata as well.
Silva Find is a powerful search feature that allows easy creation of
search forms and result pages. Users can add a Find anywhere and define
which fields to make searchable by site visitors and/or which fields to
limit to a preset value. Users also can determine which fields should
be displayed in the search results. All metadata sets/fields are
supported.
Ghosts are special documents that function as a placeholder for an item
in another location (like an alias, symbolic link, shortcut). Unlike a
hyperlink, which takes the Visitor to another location, a ghost object
keeps the Visitor in the current publication, and presents the content
of the ghosted item. The ghost inherits properties from its location
(e.g. layout and stylesheets).
Ghost Folders are similar to Ghosts, but instead of being a placeholder
for a document, they create placeholders and/or copies of all the
contents of the ‘original’ folder. The advantage of Ghost Folders is
the contents stay in sync with the original, by manual or automatic
resyncing. Note that when a folder is ghosted, assets – such as Images
and Files – are copied (physically duplicated) while documents are
ghosted.
Indexes can be created that function like an index in the back of a
book. References must first be marked by placing index codes in text
(these codes will also export to print formats). Indexers cascade
downwards, indexing all index items in the current and underlying
folders and publications (note that it only indexes documents that are
published).
A Silva Link makes it possible to include links to external sites –
outside of Silva – in a Table of Contents. The content of a Link is
simply a hyperlink, beginning with “http://....”, or https, ftp, news,
and mailto.
This is a special document type that automatically generates a Table of
Contents. Usually it’s used as the ‘index’ document of a folder. Then
the parent folder displays a TOC when accessed (e.g.
http://www.x.yz/silva/myFolder/). The AutoTOC can display any selection
of Silva content types including assets.
CSV Source is an asset that displays tabular data from a spreadsheet or
database. The format of the uploaded text file should be ‘comma
separated values’. The asset can be linked directly, or inserted in a
document with the External Source element. If necessary, all aspects of
the display can be customized in the rendering templates of the CSV
Source.
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