Building Sites with Concrete

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Themes

A theme in Concrete CMS is a collection of design elements that define the visual appearance of a website. It includes layouts, templates, stylesheets, and JavaScript files.

Page Types vs. Themes

Page types define the purpose and functionality of a page, acting as a blueprint that dictates which attributes and blocks can be used. They are more about the content's structure and less about visual presentation. For instance, a "Blog Entry" page type would have attributes and blocks suitable for a blog post. On the other hand, templates are concerned with the visual layout and styling of a page. They determine how a page looks and are used to apply different designs to the same page type. A single page type, like "Blog Entry", can have multiple templates, allowing for varied appearances while maintaining the same structural backbone. This separation of content structure from design in Concrete CMS enables a high degree of flexibility and customization in website development.

Blocks

Blocks are the primary elements used to add content to pages in Concrete CMS. They are akin to building blocks of a webpage, and can be anything from basic HTML to complex functionality.

  • Types of Blocks: Includes text, image, video, form, and custom blocks for unique needs.
  • Usage: Drag and drop blocks into Block Areas on a page to add content.
  • Customization: Each block type has its own set of customizable options you can manage by clicking the block and then choosing Edit Block.

Page Defaults

Page Defaults in Concrete CMS are like blueprints for pages. They define the default Blocks for new pages of a specific Page Type. You can get to Page Defaults from the Themes area of the dashboard. For each template allowed for the Page Type can you choose where to place Page Defaults. You can also apply new blocks to existing pages here.

Global Areas

Global Areas are Block Areas in your templates that always display the same Blocks across different pages. This is a great way to manage a logo or footer links. Editing blocks or adding blocks to a Global Area on any page will update all pages immediately.

Regular Block Areas

These are sections where you can add unique content that differs from one page to another.

Stacks

Stacks are a collection of blocks you can manage from the Dashboard, which can then be placed as a unit on other pages. Updating a Block in the Stack will update it everywhere.