Headless mode: edit multi-channel content in Optimizely

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Headless-only mode

Developers can enable pure headless mode, letting you create only headless content in Optimizely Content Management System (CMS). The Multi-Channel Content gadget is the only gadget shown in the left-hand navigation pane (no Page tree navigation). Preview is available, depending on the content type and its rendering. Page-specific editing functionality is not available.

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Hybrid multi-channel content mode

You can still create headless content, even when headless mode is not turned on by a developer. You can add the Multi-Channel Content gadget to the left-hand navigation pane, along with the Page navigation tree. 

To add the Multi-Channel Content gadget to your CMS:

  1. Open the gear icon and select Add Gadgets.
    Add-gadget-menu.png
  2. Select Multi-Channel Content from the list.

    Add-gadget-multi-channel.png

    The Multi-Channel Content view appears in the left navigational pane.

    Headless-hybrid-mode.png

When you add the Multi-Channel Content gadget, you can remove and re-add the Navigation and Assets gadgets through the Add Gadget menu item. To remove a gadget, open the gadget's gear icon and select Remove Gadget.
Remove-gadget.png

Differences between the Multi-Channel Content view and the Navigation view

The Multi-Channel Content view is similar in appearance and functionality (with a search box and content tree) to the Navigation view (Pages, Sites, Tasks, Project Items) and the Assets view (Blocks, Media) with a few multi-channel content-specific differences:

  • Multi-Channel Content folders and blocks are decoupled from the CMS and do not appear in the Navigation or Assets views, which are part of the coupled CMS. However, headless folders and blocks will appear in the Access Rights settings view. See Set access rights for multi-channel content.
  • Multi-channel content has the same root as For All Sites.
  • You can create a block under a block as an organizational structure, unlike in the Assets view. However, you can only store images in a folder (and not in a block).
  • You can see multi-channel blocks and media in the Assets folder, but when Multi-Channel Content mode is disabled, you cannot access those blocks and media (except programmatically through the properties of those contents). 
  • You can apply approval sequences to folders but not blocks.

Create multi-channel content

You can create folders and blocks in the same way you create them for coupled CMS content. See an example headless content recipe block.
Headless-new-block.png

Set access rights for multi-channel content

Multi-channel content folders and blocks do not appear in the Navigation or Assets gadgets, but multi-channel content appears in Access Rights with the rest of the CMS content, and access rights are set in the same way.

  1. Go to Admin > Access Rights > Set Access Rights. The Set Access Rights view displays, including folders in the multi-channel content. 
    Set-access-rights-headless.png
  2. Click the folder and set the access rights you want.