Create and modify page variants in Spire CMS

You can create variations of a website page with a set of rules for displaying on the website. Page variants can be used in conjunction with personas and contextual content to deliver a tailored user experience to website visitors.

All Content Management System (CMS) pages, including the header and footer, can have page variants.

Add a page variant

To add a page variant, follow the standard procedure for adding a CMS page.

1. Click Content Editor (CMS) in the Admin Console.

   If this option is not available, check administration rights.

2. Select the site for the page variant.
3. Click the Edit icon.
4. Select the page to create a variant from the Pages menu.
5. Click the More Options icon.
6. Select Create Variant.

   

7. Enter the name of the variant page you want to create.
8. Select Copy content from current default to replicate the content and layout from the current default page, or leave it blank to create a blank page.
9. Click Save.
10. Assign Variant Rules (see Edit Rules), or select Skip for Now to skip this step.

The page appears below its parent on the left toolbar. When the first variant is added to a page, the original page is assigned as the default. Default pages have a blue icon, while variants have orange.

Edit a page variant at the parent level

1. Select More Options next to the parent page.
2. Select one of the following options:
   1. Edit Shared Fields – Edit page information. Change the SEO Title or URL Segment, or select whether the pages should Hide from Search Engines or Hide from Site Search. Once finished, select Save.

      The above options cannot be controlled at the variant level.

   2. Add Page – Add a new page. This page stands on its own and does not exist as a parent or variant of any existing pages.
   3. Create Variant – Add a variant page.
   4. Reorder Variants – Change the sort order of variant pages. Select a page title and then drag and drop the page to a new position in the list. The page at the top of the list has its rules evaluated first. The page at the bottom of the list has its rules evaluated last. Default variant page rules are not evaluated.
   5. Delete Variants – Delete all of the parent's variant pages. Once deleted, these pages are removed from the system and cannot be restored with the CMS Restore this Page option.

      Select Delete Variant at the variant level to delete only one variant page.

Publish a Variant Parent

Click Publish while in Edit mode. Publishing a variant parent pushes any changes made to Shared Fields to the live site but does not publish page content. To publish variant page content, access and publish each variant page individually.

Edit a Page Variant at the variant level

1. Select the arrow next to the variant page.
2. Select one of the following options:
   1. Edit Page – Edit the page's information. Add, remove, or change page tags in the Tags field. If you want to suppress the display of breadcrumbs for the variant page, select the Hide Breadcrumbs checkbox. Select Save when finished.
   2. Edit Rules – Modify the rules that determine when the variant appears on the website. The resulting pop-up displays the Rules Engine, similar to the rules engine that exists in the Admin Console. To add a rule, follow these steps.
   3. Make Default – Mark the page as the Default page. When a page is designated the Default page, the live site updates immediately. Because of this, an unpublished page cannot be designated the Default if another variant page is published. Variant page sets can have only one default variant page. Default pages may still contain rules; however, those rules are not evaluated. If the Default page is changed to a different variant, the original Default variant's rules are evaluated again.
   4. Delete – Delete the page. Once deleted, page variants are removed from the system and cannot be restored. A variant page cannot be deleted while it is designated the Default page.

Add Rules

1. Select whether to match Any or All of the following rules using the Any/All drop-down in the upper left corner.
2. Select a Rule Type. Additional fields appear based on the selected Rule Type.
3. Fill in the additional fields as necessary.
4. Determine whether additional Rules or Rule Groups should be added. See this article for an in-depth look at Rule Groups.
5. Select Save.

Publish a variant page

Select Publish while in Edit mode. Publishing a variant page pushes any page content and rules changes to the live site. To publish Shared Fields that apply to all variant pages under a parent, access and publish the variant parent separately.