Modules
Modules are the core parts that allow content to be managed in Exponent CMS. Each module has a specific action. Each module displays a specific type of content on your Exponent CMS website (i.e. text, news, calendar, etc.).
With Exponent CMS there is the capability to have additional modules loaded via the web (this is normally managed by the Super Administrator or the Administrator) or having the module customized to meet a unique look or functionality as required by you the site owner.
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Actions
Most Exponent CMS modules have the option of configuring the Action of the content being displayed in a specific module. In most instances there will be only one action -- the "Show All" action. This action means the module will "Show All" of the content configured for a particular module. In some cases, there may be multiple Action options for a module. For example, Exponent CMS' Text Module usually has two Content Display Actions to choose from:
- Show All - where all of the text saved in the module will be shown forever and always until it is edited or deleted by the site administrator.
- Show Random Text - where a piece of text saved in a particular module will change each time the page is refreshed by the user.
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Views
Each content module typically has the option of setting a display View. The view controls how the content will be displayed on the page. In most cases, a module may only have one Default View, but there are several modules with multiple View options. For example, Exponent CMS' NewsModule has several view display options:
- Default View - which displays the entire news article
- Summary View - which provides a Headline and brief a summary of the news stories
- Headlines View - which provides only the headline of the story
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Sections
Sections are nothing more than a single web page on your site. You will see the term Sections and Subsections used when in the Administrative Mode, this parallels in definition with a Page and a Subpage of that page.
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Aggregation
Entering the same content more than once is a strict no-no! One of Exponent CMS' more useful features is content Aggregation, which allows a piece of content on your website to be available to any other module of the same type on more than one page or place and in a multitude of Views. For example, an Administrator can display "Latest News" articles in a "Headlines" View on the homepage of their site, pulling the latest three headlines from the main "News" page. Making this happen is extremely easy in Exponent CMS through content Aggregation. Simply configure the module to "Aggregate" content from another like module and Exponent CMS will automatically place the duplicate content for you.
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Revisions
The Revision feature is a history of each change made to a particular piece of content. A good example would be text on the home page of your website. You may have original content that stated your store hours, but after posting and saving you make changes and modify the store hours and save, only to be told that the original store hours are still in effect. Instead of editing the text in the text module again, you could instead select the last revision before the current revision and select this as the actual content.
Revisions are also effective when you have more than one Editor managing your web site. Each Revision is tagged with the author who made the Revision, and allows quick and easy modifications based on this information as well as date and are listed in newest to oldest.
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Preview Mode
Many content management systems utilize a separate “back end” administration interface from the actual web site. With Exponent CMS you are editing content on the page itself. Though you have a similar view of the actual web page, there are editing icons, and items that may hinder the true look of the web site. By clicking the preview link on the Administrative Slingbar you will be placed in the same view (site mode) as a regular visitor (or as if you were logged out) so you can review the changes you have just made.
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Edit Mode
The Edit Mode is the Editor's view of Exponent CMS once the Administrator has logged in with the proper admin credentials. Administrators can toggle back and forth between Edit Mode and Preview mode by using the Administrative Slingbar drop down menu. The benefit of this is that you as the Editor, don't have to login or logout when making changes to the web site.
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