What is WCM?

• Web Content Management, or WCM, is a way to control the collection, managing, and publishing of information in the online space.
• A WCM System separates a web site into 3 separate layers:
  • Content
  • Tools/Functionality
  • Presentation

Content – The text/images displayed on the page. By separating content from presentation and function, content such as product descriptions or customer messages can be modified without affecting the look/feel of a page.

Tools/Functionality – separating a tool/functionality from any specific page enables better reuse of that tool. Example of a video player, once that player is in the WCM system it can be reused on any page to display video content. This reduces the expense of adding existing functions/tools to new pages

Presentation Layer – enables LOBs or marketing to modify the design of a page without affecting the content.

How a Web Site is defined in Content Management System?

Schemas define the structure of content and determine the type of content that authors can create. For example, a Schema called “Press Release” could define the following fields:

• Headline
• Date
• Summary
• Body

Components based on this Schema share the structure defined by the Schema.

Components are text or multimedia content based on Schemas. In the Content Manager Explorer, Components are often displayed as forms that content authors can fill in.

Component Templates display the contents of a Component using scripting and HTML formatting.

Component Presentations combine a Component (content) with a Component Template (design). These Component Presentations are defined on a Page.

Page Templates determine which Component Presentations a Page displays and determines the overall layout of the Page. Also, a Page Template often determines the branding (the look-and-feel) of the Page.

Pages combine a Page Template and one or more Component Presentations.

Content and design elements are created separately and then combined to create Pages in a Web site.