CMA/CDA Understanding Categories, Templates, Components & Content

Michigan.gov is comprised of a database with a variety of tables including: Category Content Asset

Authors & Admins access these tables through the CMA (Content Management Application)

Everything in Michigan.gov is tied to at least one Category.

Site Category TRAINING

Left Navigation Category TRAINING-FAVORITES

Left Navigation Sub-Category TRAINING-FAVORITES- BOOKS

Left Navigation Sub-Sub-Category TRAINING-FAVORITES- BOOKS-NONFICTION

Component Categories TRAINING-FAVORITES-BOOKS- NONFICTION-BIOGRAPHIES

Content A Lotus Grows in the Mud My Bio My Life So Far My Love Affair with Jewelry

In addition to the tables that can be accessed through the CMA, there is a Template table. Left Navigation categories have a template assigned to them. Components within the templates have a category assigned to them.

Assets, while connected to a category, are only visible on the website once they are connected/associated to a piece of Content.

In order to create a web page out of the information in the tables, there is an additional program called the CDA (Content Display Application).

When someone on the internet requests a particular page, the CDA is notified. It gets the necessary information and generates the page to send back to the requestor.

Templates Component Templates Categorized Templates Full Content Specialized Templates

Component Template Specific number of boxes/components available: –No more boxes available –Do not need to use all the boxes Each box customizable: –Number and Order of content items –Background color or none –Line color or none –Description & length of description –Display images –Image or title above box

Examples of Component Templates Basic or List Corrections > Prisons & Camps

Examples of Component Templates Triple Double Wide SOS > Owning a Vehicle > Title & Registration > Your Title

Examples of Component Templates 3 Triple Wides No Right Navigation MDOT > Roads & Travel > Safety

Examples of Component Templates Quad Page Layout Emergingdiseases > Rabies > Library

Examples of Component Templates List with 4 Singles MDE > Administrators

Examples of Component Templates SOM Home Page Michigan.gov Portal MDE

Categorized Templates Number of boxes not fixed – determined by number of sub- categories. Limited customization: –Order by Alphabetic or Release Date –All boxes must look the same Can have component/intro box at the top

Examples of Categorized Templates Aggregate/Index HAL > Publications & Products > Research Guides & Reading Lists

Examples of Categorized Templates Aggregate/Index with Intro DMB > Organization & News > Administrative Guide

Examples of Categorized Templates Photo Gallery DMVA > Inside DMVA > History > Military Personalities

Full Content All information is ultimately displayed as full content. When a link is clicked from a component or a categorized content list, the result is a full content page. A full content page may also be specified as the page layout for a left navigation category.

Examples of Full Content Full Content HAL > Welcome

Examples of Full Content Triple Wide Full Content No Right Navigation MDOT > Bridges Borders & Ferries > Mackinac Bridge > Facts & Figures

Specialized Templates There are several templates/page layouts that have special uses.

Theme Component box at top. The category titles come from the sub-navigation categories. MDOT > Bridges Borders & Ferries

Press Release (Monthly Index) Automatically archives items by month. Current month is displayed. If there are no items in the current month, the most recent month with items is displayed. MINewswire

Monthly Events Automatically sorts and lists events by start date. User can move forward or backward in calendar to see other months. HAL > Exhibits & Events > HAL Calendar

FAQ FAQ categories listed in the right hand navigation. Ordered according to priority of the categories. Questions listed under the selected category. Clicking on the title will take you to the question and the answer. HAL > FAQ

Content Archive Automatically creates an archive of content in that category. Can specify by: –Month –Quarter –Season –Alpha Training > About Us > Content Archive

Cache Servers

In order to speed things for our users, we have several cache servers in place. When a request for a page comes in, it goes to the first available cache server. If the page is not on that server, the CDA creates it sends it out.

Eventually each cache server will contain the same page, as that page is requested from each server.

When the next request for the same page comes in, the cache server delivers it without contacting the CDA.

Eventually there are many pages on all of the cache servers.

As people work in the CMA, changes are made which are not reflected on the cache servers.

Cache Clear Bucket As changes are made, information about those changes is stored in a Cache-clear bucket.

Cache Clear Schedule At regularly scheduled times, the cache is cleared according to what is stored in the Cache-clear bucket.

Cache Clear When one of those times occurs, the CDA reads the Cache- clear bucket and deletes the corresponding item on the cache servers. It then also deletes the record in the Cache-clear bucket.

When a new request comes in for the same page, it is recreated and placed on the cache server again.

What is not Cleared Top & Bottom Navigation –FAQs –Contact Left Navigation –New & Removed Categories Right Navigation –Global Quicklinks –Local Quicklinks

How to Update Items not Cleared Contact Site Administrator with information –Content ID number –Category ID number (if applicable) –How to navigate to it Site Administrator will contact CMA expert for site

What CMA Expert Can Do Clear a particular piece of content or category not cleared with the schedule Clear a particular piece of content at a specific time (when cache clear schedule does not meet needs) Please contact e-Michigan ahead of time to schedule special cache clears.