Multi vs Single Record for new site....which to use?

5 posts by 2 authors in: Forums > CMS Builder
Last Post: September 8, 2010   (RSS)

By weblm - September 8, 2010

I have a question for some veteran CMS Builders out there.

We are using CMS builder for the first time on a new site (we used the old Listings Admin previous for real estate listings, but are using the latest CMS builder for the actual site now).

Essentially we have a site that has 4-5 top level sections. Within each section of the site, there are multiple subsections.

Do people usually create Multi record sections for easier management within the admin?

I will note that we will NOT be using any dynamic URLS for the site. All pages will be static URLs.....so obviously, from what I've seen, if I use Multi Record sections, I'll need to use a WHERE clause to get the correct page.

My biggest concern is management within the Admin. They will end of having 30-40 pages or more to the site.....I don't want all those pages listed on the left sidebar in the admin. So I'm guessing I have to use Multi records?

Thanks.

-Kevin
LM

Re: [kblm] Multi vs Single Record for new site....which to use?

By Jason - September 8, 2010

Hi Kevin,

I think you're on the right track. Using a Multi Record section would be the best way to keep everything organized. If each of your pages are static, then you can hard code in the WHERE clause. For example, you could select records based on their title:

list($aboutRecord,$aboutMetaData) = getRecords(array(
'tableName' => 'pages',
'allowSearch' => false,
'limit' => 1,
'where' => "title = 'About Us'",
));

$about = $aboutRecord[0] //get the first record

In this example, you can replace "pages" with the name of your section. After this code has run, the variable $about will hold all the elements of the record.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions.
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Re: [Jason] Multi vs Single Record for new site....which to use?

By weblm - September 8, 2010

Jason,

Thanks for the quick reply.

If we end up using Multi Records for each section......I am hesitant to tie the WHERE clause to the title....simply because the client could accidentally change the title while editing the page and cause nothing to display.

Any thoughts on a better method? Should I use record number? If so, what's the easiest way to find the record number from within the admin?

Thanks!

-Kevin
LM

Re: [Jason] Multi vs Single Record for new site....which to use?

By weblm - September 8, 2010

Jason,

Thanks so much. Works perfectly. I think we'll use this for the majority of pages and sections on the site, since we will want nice static URLs. This also helps with organization within the Admin.

Thanks.

-Kevin
LM