Article components

Create This Page Sample PageArticle components are dynamic components, which operate differently than most other Tridion components. Dynamic components, instead of being inserted into a page, are created and published separately. Since article components are not inserted into a page, you set which page(s) the article will appear on by associating each article component with specific article list components (for a more thorough explanation, see the Introduction on the "Create an Article List page"). Below is more information on Article components, how they render on Article List pages, and how to publish them.

The Component
Component Template
Publishing

The Basics of an Article Component

For each article you need to publish, you will have to create a separate article component. Below are the fields to complete, along with tips for completing them. To see where each of these fields render on the published page, please click the Component Template tab above.
1. Name: enter a name for your component. For articles, we recommend naming your content in the following format: YYYY-MM-DD Title of Article. This will make it easier for you to locate, edit, and publish content by the date it was created.
2. Schema: select Article
3. Title (Headline): enter the title, or headline, of your article here.
4. Subtitle: this field is optional, enter a subtitle here as needed.
5. Short Description (Summary): enter a short 1-3 sentence summary, or teaser, of the article here. This is meant to entice users to click through to read the full article.
6. Date: enter a date in this field by clicking the little calendar icon to the right of the field. A pop-up will appear, which allows you to navigate through a calendar and select a date (forward and back dating articles is allowed). The Time field is in 24 hour time, so for a time like 2:00 pm, you will need to enter 14:00:00.
7. Body text: this is where the full text of your article goes. This is a rich-text field that accepts images, tables, links, and other formatting.
8. Image: this field is optional. Enter an image here, preferably one that is 725 pixels wide (or wider) and formatted for the web. (If it is smaller or larger, Tridion will auto-resize it to fit differing page layouts.)
9. Thumbnail: this field is optional. Enter a thumbnail version of the image here, preferably one that is square and 140 pixels x 140 pixels and formatted for the web. (If it is smaller or larger, Tridion will auto-resize it for display.)
10. Author: this field is optional. Enter the article's author here. The system will link matching names - so if you have an author who has written numerous articles, make sure you spell their name exactly the same in each article component so the system can link them together.
11. Category: this field is optional and users will be able to filter by any categories used. Categories should be thought of as large "buckets" for organizing articles. For example, if you work for DEED, you may use categories like "For Job Seekers" or "For Business" or "For Government." You can assign more than one category to an article by clicking the green plus icon . You can select, or create new, categories by clicking the browse folder icon .
12. Tag: this field is optional and users will be able to filter by any tags used. Tags should be thought of as detailed ways of organizing articles. Using the example from the category field above, say you had assigned the category "For Job Seekers" to an article. Now you should want to tag it with more details related to that category. For example, some tags you might use could include "resumes," "job hunting," "interviews," "careers," etc. You can assign more than one tag to an article by clicking the green plus icon . You can select, or create new, tags by clicking the browse folder icon .
13. For Migration Only metadata-type: please leave this field blank.
14. Article List: to locate this field, click the Metadata tab at the top of the component. Article List keywords are how the system determines which pages to display the article on, once the article is published. To associate this article with a specific page, select the same Article List keyword that was used in the Article List component that was inserted in the page where this article should appear. (For a more thorough explanation, see the Introduction on the "Create an Article List page.") In this field, you can select, or create new, Article List keywords by clicking the browse folder icon . You can also select more than one Article List keyword to an article by clicking the green plus icon .
15. Dublin Core metadata fields: underneath the Article List field are a number of Dublin Core metadata fields. You do not need to complete these fields - they are not used anywhere on the website.
Component Templates

Since article components are not inserted into pages, they don't have component templates. However, below are examples of how article component content is rendered on both the page that contains a list of articles (aka Article List pages) and the detailed view for a single article (aka Article pages).

Article List page displays

Below is a rendering of where each field from an Article component displays on the Article List page. Some fields will repeat for each article, but for the sake of simplicity we have not highlighted each recurrence below. The article component fields used on an Article List page include the Title (#3), Subtitle (#4), Short Description (#5), Date (#6), Thumbnail (#9), Author (#10), Category (#11), and Tag (#12).

Article page displays

Each article component also generates a separate view, which we'll call the Article page, where a web user can read the full text of the article. Below is a rendering of where each field displays on the Article page. The article component fields used on an Article page include the Title (#3), Subtitle (#4), Date (#6), Body Text (#7), Image (#8), Author (#10), Category (#11), and Tag (#12).
Publishing Articles

Unlike most other Tridion components, Article components are not inserted directly into a page. They are published individually instead, rather than as part of a page.

To publish an article component, navigate to 050 [Your Publication] Website > Building Blocks > Website Content > [Your Website] > [the sub-folder where your article components reside]

Then, right-click on one or all of the article components you wish to publish and select Publishing > Publish.

Follow the normal process for publishing content to the Staging and Live websites. Once the articles have successfully published, refresh the Article List pages where they should appear and verify that they are there.

Troubleshooting

If they do not appear on the page as expected, here are a few suggestions for troubleshooting:
- In the articles that were published: has the correct Article List keyword been selected, as instructed under "The Component" tab, step 14?
- Check that you are viewing the version of your website (Staging or Live) where the article was published.
- Check that the correct Article List component has been inserted in the page.
- Check that the correct keyword has been selected in the Article List component.
- Check the Article List page to make sure that the Article List page template has been applied.