New Module: Structure - Uses entries to create a page hierarchy for static and listing pages

I love Structure, but occasionally run into a problem such as this one.

I’m trying to make the URL in Structure to be “news” instead of “news-1”.

I have the weblogs: Pages, News I created an entry in Pages with a title and url_title of “news”. See screenshot for settings. Every time I rename from “news-1” to “news” it changes it back.

Obviously it seems like Structure thinks there is already a name of this type, but I don’t think there is and I can’t find one. Where should I be looking specifically? I’ve looked around and even done searches, but the only thing that comes up is the same News page that has news-1 in the Structure URL. Is it possible Structure shouldn’t be renaming it?

EE 1.6.8, Structure 1.3.0

@philfreo is there any possibility you created an entry named news and deleted it from within Structure? Structure only closes entries, it doesn’t delete them all together.

@Jack McDade I was playing around with different configurations. At first the “News” weblog was handled as an Asset in Structure. Then I made the current entry in Pages called News, but as a subpage of About Us. Then I changed it from a subpage to a root page.

All of that said, I don’t have very many entries on the site right now so it’s pretty easy to see that I don’t have anything else called news. There are no closed entries in any weblogs. I’d be happy to poke around in MySQL if that would help debug the problem.

(Apologies if this question has been answered somewhere upthread… if so, can you please point me there?)

If I’m creating a listing page, once I’ve selected a weblog from the drop-down menu it is no longer available. So I need to create a separate weblog for each listing page if I want to be able to add/edit entries through the Structure Module interface?

For example:

Advice – Helpful Advice (add/edit) – Unhelpful Advice (add/edit) – Destructive Advice (add/edit)

Ordinarily, I’d create a single weblog (Advice) and then three categories (Helpful, Unhelpful, Destructive). However, if I do that here, I can only add/edit entries through one of these three subpages.

I really don’t want to create three different weblogs here, but as I understand it that’s the only way to set these three pages as listing pages…

I can figure out a workaround for this (e.g., make “Advice” a listing page and just add/edit all entries there) but I want to make this as clear as possible for the site owners to work with.

Am I understanding this correctly? Any other workarounds for this?

Thanks!

Eva

@evarose - i would recommend using an Asset for the weblog, creating and advice page with your standard pages weblog (or whatever your process is) and then pointing it to it’s own unique template that pulls in the Advice weblog with a standard entries tag (don’t forget to use dynamic=”off”).

Make sense?

I’d be happy to poke around in MySQL if that would help debug the problem.

I would take a look in the weblog_entries table (i believe it is) and see if there is anything remaining in there. I haven’t seen this problem before.

is any reason why I see some entries with light blue background and some not? (see picture attached)

another thing, I can’t get to work the Listing feature. I read over and over the phrase “This can only be done if you have a weblog not being used for your static pages and can not be shared with other listing”. I don’t get it. What’s a static page?

well, I created a new weblog, a new field, a new template, but I don’t get the listing button. The only entry where I can have the listing button is the homepage, but it’s random too. Sometimes I have, other time I don’t. I’m confused :grrr:

Hi,

I think this module might be what I need but I am not sure.

Is it correct that I can only manage one weblog with Structure? And that weblog must have a field group with only one field - “content”?

I have a client that needs a simple way of managing a mix of static and dynamic pages in a 3 level deep navigation. I want to have a few ‘different’ weblogs for both static and dynamic content with different field groups.

Is that possible?

Also, since Structure does not allow manul entry ordering, can the entries in a listing page be ordered with REEOrder?

Best, Sammi

is any reason why I see some entries with light blue background and some not?

Yup, first level pages alternate with zebra striping so you can see them and their children separated from others

I can’t get to work the Listing feature. I read over and over the phrase “This can only be done if you have a weblog not being used for your static pages and can not be shared with other listing”. I don’t get it. What’s a static page? well, I created a new weblog, a new field, a new template, but I don’t get the listing button. The only entry where I can have the listing button is the homepage, but it’s random too. Sometimes I have, other time I don’t. I’m confused :grrr:

Go to your Structure Settings. You can set each weblog’s Structure type (Structure – this is static, Asset – basically a non-static weblog you want to show in your Structure tab, and Unmanaged – totally bypassing the module).

So, for example, you could great a “Standard Pages” weblog with a few normal fields (e.g. header image, headline, body copy, sidebar items) and create a bunch of “static” pages. Now if you create another weblog called (for example) News, add a few fields to that – you now can create a “News” page with your standard pages weblog and set it to be a listing page that shows News.

Does that make sense?

Is it correct that I can only manage one weblog with Structure?

Nope, you manage an unlimited amount of weblogs in 3 different styles: Structure (“Static” hierarchical pages), Asset (Non-URL specific entries that you want to show in the Structure tab) and Unmanaged (bypassing the module all together). Oh, and listings, which are like assets tied to a static page.

And that weblog must have a field group with only one field - “content”?

Not sure where you got that, but definitely not. Get as crazy as you want.

I have a client that needs a simple way of managing a mix of static and dynamic pages in a 3 level deep navigation. I want to have a few ‘different’ weblogs for both static and dynamic content with different field groups. Is that possible?

Very, very easy in Structure. Start with a static pages weblog and build out your leveled navigation (i’ve got 5+ levels deep before, it still works), and toss in some listings where needed.

Also, since Structure does not allow manul entry ordering, can the entries in a listing page be ordered with REEOrder?

The entire navigation is resortable in the CP via drag and drop. Couldn’t be easier. The nav tags will output the pages in the exact order you set. If you have dynamic entries in an asset or listing page, you can spit them out using any normal non-Structure method, just make sure to use dynamic=”off”.

Hope that helps!

So, for example, you could great a “Standard Pages” weblog with a few normal fields (e.g. header image, headline, body copy, sidebar items) and create a bunch of “static” pages. Now if you create another weblog called (for example) News, add a few fields to that – you now can create a “News” page with your standard pages weblog and set it to be a listing page that shows News. Does that make sense?

ok I get it! I was confusing in the process to create another weblog to contain the primary weblog with the static pages.

But now, I’ve another problem. I use this in a event listing with a mini-calendar in the sidebar. When I click on the calendar the next month button, in every page I get all the events. (I guess because I’ve dynamic=’off’ now)

Without this modification I use to have only the events for the month I’m in. Maybe it can work like that too, but just in case, there’s a way to fix it?

Thanks very much! Mirko

I’ve another problem. I use this in a event listing with a mini-calendar in the sidebar. When I click on the calendar the next month button, in every page I get all the events. (I guess because I’ve dynamic=’off’ now) Without this modification I use to have only the events for the month I’m in. Maybe it can work like that too, but just in case, there’s a way to fix it?

You’ve got options. The first is to bypass Structure completely for your events – set that weblog to unmanaged, create the proper template group for the url you want and use it that way. Or create the template group exactly the same as the event page url and use that template (as long as it’s a first or second level page) and it will MOST LIKELY work. Other options would be to try using embed variables. Take a look at this example (it’s for categories, but a similar situation): http://eeinsider.com/tips/view/structure-module-category-pages/.

Let me know how you make out.

Excellent.

I have found out how to manage different weblogs with different field groups. Super. However I still have questions.

Question 1:

The “Add page” button always adds an entry to the same weblog as the parent. That is not good for me. It would be fine if that weblog would be default - but the user could change it.

Is it true that to be able to add a child page with a different weblog the user must do that from the “Publish” tab? So he would select the correct weblog from there and then go into the Structure tab and select a parent.

Question 2:

If a weblog is “Unmanaged” does that mean that I can not use it in the Structure Module or has it some other meaning?

Best, Sammi

Question 1: The “Add page” button always adds an entry to the same weblog as the parent. That is not good for me. It would be fine if that weblog would be default - but the user could change it. Is it true that to be able to add a child page with a different weblog the user must do that from the “Publish” tab? So he would select the correct weblog from there and then go into the Structure tab and select a parent.

At this point, yes that’s the only way it works.

Question 2: If a weblog is “Unmanaged” does that mean that I can not use it in the Structure Module or has it some other meaning?

Correct, “Unmanaged” bypasses Structure all together. There are cases you may want that.