Get Started with Templates

This tutorial will teach you all you need to know about EasyContent's templates.

Access the template page, through your project's dashboard, and in the project menu, go to Configuration > Templates.

The Template page contains all the templates you have in that project. A template defines how a content item should be written and structured. You can think of them as the blueprint for your content. For example, you can have a template called "blog post" for your blog articles and another called "product review" for your review articles.

Default Template

When you create a new project, it'll have a default template. You can use it as is, it's an all-purpose template compatible with WordPress and covers all the basics of an article. This way, you can start working without having to create a template from scratch.

Below is the template page showing the default template.

You can customize the default template by adding new tabs. But before we talk about adding new tabs, let's first discuss the default tabs: Main Content and CMS Fields. These two default tabs will always be present in any new template you create. The Example Tab (You Can Delete It) exists as a way to showcase various general fields that you can use to build your own template structure or to customize the default tabs.

The Main Content Tab

The main content tab is a system tab.

A system tab can't be deleted, but you can hide them using the "eye" icon. When hidden, a system tab is deactivated and will not appear in the content editor.

You can rename tabs if you want. All you need to do is to click on their names in the template editor and you'll be able to rename them.

The default fields in the main content tab can't be deleted since they are system fields. System fields are important to EasyContent's API and CMS integrations. If you don't need them, you can disable them by unchecking the visible option. With this disabled, they will not appear in the content editor.

Title Field

The title field is the content item's title. This is what will appear on your post's title or <h1> tag. Note the "system field" tag, indicating that this belongs to the system fields group, which we discussed earlier.

If you toggle the required option, this becomes a required field, preventing anyone from submitting or approving unless they fill it up.

The visible option lets you hide this field. When hidden, the field will be disabled and it will not appear in the content editor.

At the bottom of the field is the field guidelines option. You can use this to provide instructions about how this field should be written or filled out.

Main Content Field

The main content field is where your content's main text will live. It has the same set of configuration options as the title field, except for the ability to add "default content". 

The "Add/edit default content" link opens a text editor where you can add a placeholder text. The placeholder text will only appear when a brief is claimed or assigned for the first time. You can use it for adding guidelines, reminders, tips, tricks, etc.

Files Field

The Files field lets you upload files to your content item. You can use this to select existing files from the files library or upload new files from your computer.

Note: if you need to add files to the "featured image" widget, you can only select the files that are attached to the files field.

CMS Fields Tab

The CMS Fields tab, by default, is disabled. To enable it, click the "eye" icon next to its name.

It consists of fields for adding metadata and SEO elements to your content item. Like the main content tab, all default fields in the CMS fields tab belong to the system fields group.

If you connect your project to a WordPress site and you have either Yoast SEO or All-in-One SEO Pack installed and activated, the meta title and meta description fields can be automatically synced.

Setting Recommended Length

Some fields have a recommended length option that lets you define a recommended character or word length limit. For example, you may want to set the meta title field to have a recommended maximum of 70 characters to optimize it for SEO.

One thing to note: this option is only a recommendation. It will not prevent the writer from writing more, and it not will prevent the submission to the next workflow status. It does give them a visual cue, however, to let them know they're over the recommended limit.

Setting Required Fields

If you want a field to be filled out before an item can be submitted to the next workflow status, activate the required checkbox.

This will prevent submission to the next workflow status via the "submit" or "approve" buttons. However, a user with sufficient permissions can still manually change the status, bypassing the required fields.

Hiding Tabs

If you don't need either the Main content or CMS field tabs, you can hide them. Hidden tabs will not show up in the content editor. The "eye" icon will let you toggle between hidden and visible.

Custom Tabs

You can create custom tabs by clicking the add new tab button. At the moment, you can't add system fields to a custom tab, but you can add as many general fields as you wish.

The following general fields are available for you to use; they can also be added to system tabs:

1. Single line text
2. Paragraph text
3. File/Image upload
4. Checkboxes
5. Radio buttons
6. Date
7. Dropdown select
8. Heading
9. Guidelines

We have more detailed help for creating custom tabs here, which also explains what each of the general fields does.

Custom Template

You can create a custom template through the template selection dropdown menu. Click it and then select Create new template. Name it, then press Enter or click the green checkmark button and your new template will be ready.

When you create a new template, it will automatically have the Main Content and CMS Fields tabs. All templates you create will always have these two by default.

Template Settings

Each template comes with its own settings, which you can access through the menu beside the template selection dropdown. Using this, you can rename or delete a template or make it the default if it isn't already. The Make default and Delete template options are only present on non-default templates.

Great! You now have a good understanding of how templates work in EasyContent! Next, why don't you learn more about custom tabs and general fields?