Elements are the building blocks of a content type. They define what type of content is created, such as blocks of text, files such as images or PDFs, dates, links to external content, videos, and more. And, in other words, restrict the type of content that can be created. For example, a composer can't add a video to a content type that doesn't include a video element.

Add elements to your content type

Adding the elements to your content type and defining them is easy in Acoustic content. When you create a content type, you will be able to add your desired content Blocks from the design tab. Acoustic Content provides you with a few basic element blocks such as text, images, etc.

Basic elements

Text elements

The text element stores plain text and is used for short pieces of text such as metadata or bylines or headings. Text elements with multiple entries are also useful to allow composers to store lists of things such as the ingredients for a recipe. Your web developer adds formatting to this text by using CSS when the content is published.

The formatted text element allows composers to apply simple formatting to their text, such as bold, italics, and lists. The text is formatted by using HTML tags. It’s used for longer sections of text, such as the body text for a blog. However, if you don't want your composers to be able to apply any formatting to their text, then use a text element.

Data entry elements

The number element is used to store numeric values.

Use a date element to allow content composers to specify a date, time, or both for promotions, events, and more.

Use a link element to allow content composers to add links to external sites and pages.

Use a location element to allow composers to define latitude and longitude for a location by using decimal degrees. Your developer can add a custom user interface to a location element to allow users to select locations from a map.

Physical elements: Image, Video, and File

Use a file element to allow content composers to upload files to enhance their content. By default, any file type can be added to a file field, but your hub manager can restrict a file field to specific file types.

Add image elements as a place for content composers to add, edit, and upload images. By default, any valid image type can be added to an image field including jpg, jpeg, png, gif, and svg. Your hub manager can restrict an image element to specific image file types.

Use a video element to allow composers to add a video to their content. By default, any valid video type can be added to a video field including mp4 and mov files. Your hub manager can restrict a video element to specific video file types.

Category element

Use this element to allow composers to classify content to help users find content when using searches and filters. You determine the categories that are available to composers.

Option selection and toggle elements

User an option selection element. You can define as many options as you need.

For example, you create an element that would allow composers to select the text color for some content. Each option label represents what is displayed to composers on the content form, and the value is what is stored in the content item. An option might have a label of blue and a hexadecimal value of #0000ff.

For simpler options, use a toggle element to allow composers to choose between two options, such as yes or no.

Reference element

Use a reference element to allow content composers to link to other content items. You can limit what content a composer can select by restricting a reference element to specific content types.

Custom elements

When you have a group of elements that you always use with the same set of properties and functions, then doesn't it seem logical to you to have these elements as a single block you can reuse. For example, say it is a standard practice in your company to use the Author details in the articles you publish. And in the Article content types you create you always have the following elements that provide the Author's details A text element for the Author's name, Another text element for the author's last name and an image element for the author's profile image.

Now you can create a separate content type with these 3 elements and make it into a custom element. All you have to do is after you create the content type, turn the Add to custom element palette toggles to yes from the Advanced tab in your content types details page. Your new custom element is available for you to drag and drop in any content type you create from the custom elements tab.. So you don't have to recreate these elements and configure them every time. Custom elements are also used to save default configuration settings for single or multiple elements that can be reused in other content types.

When you drag and drop an element to the content form, you can further customize how your element displays to your content composers. You can add your own labels and help text for elements, define custom settings, and more. For example, you can choose which image profile to apply when a composer selects or uploads an image.

Configure element settings

Remember, when you're creating a content type, what you're doing is creating a form that content composers use to compose their content. You set up the content form so it is intuitive for the composers to work with them. Here are some of the settings to think about:

Label

The label names you choose should be meaningful in some way. For example, if you’re adding a text field to store a description for a product, type "Product Description" in the label field of the element properties.

Placeholder

The placeholder text is displayed in the field on a content form, and in the content editor and in-place editor when editing pages. Plus, if your developer has enabled inline editing, the placeholder text is also displayed in the preview of a website page or landing page. Your placeholder text is used as a prompt for your composers and disappears as soon as your composer starts typing.

Placeholder text can also be added to the text, formatted text, and link elements in the Placeholder information tab of their configuration settings. For example, you might add a placeholder of Give your post an exciting headline to the heading of a blog post or add your website's home URL as a placeholder for a link element.

Help text

Help text should be used to provide additional information for your content composers. If you type text into this field, a help button is added next to the element on the content form. When a composer clicks the help button, your help text is displayed to the composer. For example, if you add a toggle element that composers use to select whether their content is a featured product or not, you can add help text explaining what would qualify as a featured product.

In addition to placeholder prompts, you can also specify default content for your elements in the Set up defaults tab of their configuration settings. Default content is different from placeholder text because your default content can be published as-is. Default content is mostly used with configuration elements to allow you to specify a configuration option by default.

For example, you might specify the default slide transition time on a slideshow of 5 seconds. Or specify a default button color of blue from a list of colors.

Custom user interface extensions

Custom user interface extensions define how an element functions in the content item form. You can configure elements to display content from external systems. For example, you can present content from Commerce as a drop-down option in a content form.

Add the custom user interface .../index.html file path after you enable the Provide a custom user interface extension in the Advanced tab. Contact your developer to get the index.html path.

You can add customized elements to the content form, such as a drop-down or chart element, by including a custom user interface setting. Custom user interfaces can be used to define the display and function of an element in the content authoring form.

Your developer creates the custom user interface and adds it to the Acoustic Content element palette as a custom element. Your admin or manager then adds the custom element to the content type. For more information about custom user interfaces, see Custom user interfaces.

Configuration elements

Not all the elements you add to a content type need to store information that will be displayed in an app or on a website. Some elements can be used purely as a way of storing configuration options for a content item.

For example, you might add a number element as a configuration element that could be used to specify the maximum number of items in a list.

To add a configuration element, add an element to your content type using the element palette. Then, select Element is used for configuration from the element's configuration properties. The element will then appear in the configuration tab of the content form, and in the configuration pop-up on the editable page preview for landing pages and websites. The configuration elements are easily editable from the preview.