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Build a Section

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What's inside this article:


Basic information

A Section is a collection of widgets, custom built by a web editor in Pangea CMS. On each Section, website visitors can find the latest news and stories on a particular topic (for example, 'Sport', 'Economics', or 'Politics').

Two options are available for how to publish a Section:

  • (A): Publish the Section as a standalone page with a public URL. This option is suitable for larger Sections with more widgets. Your homepage is an example of a standalone Section.
  • (B): Merge the Section with a Category. The Section is displayed above the content list on the Category page. This option is suitable for simpler Sections with fewer widgets. If you choose this option, the Section does not have a public URL and is accessible only via the URL for the Category page. For detailed information about this process, see the following article:

This article explains how to build a new Section from Pangea CMS.



Get started

To start building a new Section:

  1. Go to Build > Sections.
  2. Select + Add new.

On the New Section dialog, move through the screens below:


Layout

Select your preferred starting layout:

  • Blank page: Start with no layout blocks. You will be able to build a custom layout from scratch by adding your preferred blocks.
  • 3 Column: Start with a smaller selection of 3-column layout blocks. You will be able to add and remove individual blocks as needed.
  • 3 Column (Long): Start with a larger selection of 3-column layout blocks, which includes one Media slider block. You will be able to add and remove blocks as needed.
  • 4 Column: Start with a larger selection of 4-column layout blocks, which includes one Media slider and one Feature block. You will be able to add and remove individual blocks as needed.

For more information about layout blocks, go to the following chapter in this article:


General settings

Complete the following required settings:

  • Title: The Section title in your local language. For standalone Sections, this title will be displayed on the published page. If the Section is merged with a Category, this title will be visible only in Pangea CMS.
  • English title: The Section title in English. This title will be visible only in Pangea CMS. English titles help Pangea users who do not understand your local language.

Hit Add to confirm. The edit page for the new Section opens. The remaining chapters in this article describe the most important options for building a new Section:



Save changes

The new Section is automatically saved in Pangea CMS with the Draft status. This status means that the Section is not accessible on the public site.

When a Section has the Draft status, changes to the Section are saved internally in Pangea CMS. Some changes are saved automatically, while other changes need to be saved manually. The following rules apply:

  • Changes on the Layout subpage are saved automatically.
  • Changes on the Editor subpage are saved automatically.
  • Changes on the Settings subpage must be manually saved.

If all changes have been saved (manually or automatically), the action button shows the label Saved and is inactive (not-clickable). This is because the page includes no unsaved changes. When the page includes unsaved changes, you can manually save the changes by hitting the Save button.



Manage layout blocks

Layout blocks let you build structured and visually-appealing page designs without using code. Each block runs horizontally across the page width and includes one or more areas (or containers) for inserting widgets. You can add one widget in each area. For example, the image below shows one block with four areas. This block should be used to display four widgets.

To manage layout blocks, select Layout in the left panel. You can add, move, and delete layout blocks. Before you start adding widgets, we suggest setting up the optimal layout from the Layout subpage. For details, see the following article:



Manage widgets

Widgets are interactive visual elements that showcase your content for website visitors. Pangea CMS offers various widget types that serve different purposes. For an overview of the different widget types, see the following article:

To manage widgets, select Editor in the left panel.

The following basic options are available:

  • (A): Add: To add a new widget, select an empty area.
  • (B): Edit: To edit a widget, select the area that contains the widget.
  • (C): Replace: Hit Replace (or ... > Replace) to replace an existing widget.

For detailed information about managing widgets, see the following article:

To learn about the widget settings, see the relevant article below (according to the type of widget):

Content | FactCheck | HTML | Live stream | Manual stream | Multimedia | Podcast | Poll | Subscription | Trends



Add a Custom URL

A Custom URL is a short piece of human-readable text (normally 1-3 words) that replaces the numerical ID in a page URL.

Creating a Custom URL has the following benefits:

  • Descriptive URLs tell users where they will go after clicking a link.
  • URLs that include keywords might rank more highly on search engine results pages.
  • Consistent use of descriptive, user-friendly URLs boosts the authority of your domain for search engines.

Create a Custom URL via SEO > Custom URL.

The following rules apply when you add a Custom URL for a Section:

  • If the Section is a standalone page with a public URL, add the Custom URL from the Section edit page (Settings > SEO > Custom URL).
  • If the Section is merged with a Category, only the Custom URL for the Category page is used. You can manage this Custom URL from the Custom URL list. The Custom URL field on the Section edit page is read only and is not editable.

For detailed information, including tips and best practice, see the following article:



Improve SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

From the SEO settings, you can add metadata (such as a meta title and meta description). The metadata will be included in the source code for the page and will be visible for search engines (such as Google). Unique and descriptive metadata helps to boost the ranking of your pages on search engine results pages.

The following rules apply when you manage the metadata for a Section:

  • If the Section is a standalone page with a public URL, manage the metadata from the Section edit page (Settings > SEO).
  • If the Section is merged with a Category, only the metadata for the Category page is used. You can manage this metadata from the Category edit page. The SEO settings on the Section edit page are read only and are not editable.

For information about SEO for standalone Section pages, see the following article:

For information about SEO for Category pages, see the following article:



Add a Sub navigation

A Sub navigation is a horizontal collection of links, which appears directly below the site header. These prominent links provide quick access to key pages. You can add a Sub navigation to a standalone Section page.

To add a Sub navigation to the current Section, go to General > Sub navigation. Select the Sub navigation you want to add from the list.

Before you can add a Sub navigation to a Section, the Sub navigation needs to be created from the Sub navigation list in Pangea CMS. For instructions, see the following article:

Please note that if the Section is merged with a Category, the Sub navigation will not be displayed on the Category page. We are currently working on updates to the page design that will allow Sub navigatons to be displayed on Category pages.



Merge a Section and a Category

If you want to merge the Section with a Category, go to General > Category and select a Category. You can select one Category.

When a Section is merged with a Category:

  • The Section is displayed above the content list on the Category page.
  • The Section is not a standalone page.
  • The Section URL redirects to the Category page URL.
  • Only the metadata for the Category page is used.
  • Only the Custom URL for the Category page is used.

If you do not select a Category, the Section will be published as a standalone page.

For detailed information about merging Sections and Categories, see the following article:



Publish a Section

To publish a new Section:

  1. Select Published in the status drop-down menu.
  2. Hit Publish / Publish & close.

The Section is now published.

You can visit the public page and retrieve the URL by clicking the Live site button. If the Section is merged with a Category, the Section URL will redirect to the Category page URL.



Update a published Section

While a Section has the Published status, the Section is visible on the public site.

When you update a published Section, all changes on the Editor and Layout subpages are published automatically. This includes actions such as:

  • Adding widgets
  • Deleting widgets
  • Moving widgets
  • Moving layout blocks

We suggest using versions if you need to make significant updates to the layout or widgets on a published Section. For detailed information, see the following article:


Related

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