Static pages vs posts (and feed)#
Posts are ideal for regular, fresh content, while Pages are better suited for unchanging, essential information.
Static Pages on any Network Site:
- are meant for "static" content (generally remain unchanged over time) posted by the Network Operators which are relevant to the entire Network Site.
- used for more permanent and foundational content, such as pages like "About Us", "Contact", "Services", "Vision / Mission", "Community guidelines", "Payment terms", etc
- not ordered chronologically and can be accessed directly through their unique URLs.
- often contain more detailed and comprehensive information compared to posts.
Note that Static pages:
- don't automatically show up on the network site unless they have been explicitly linked from menus, or other pages or posts, etc.
- don't appear in the feed
- content from General and Help pages show up in search.
The following types of static pages are supported:
General pages#
General pages reside at the link structure /pages/<slug>. Learn more about destinations.
General pages can be used for any purpose and are usually meant to present text-heavy information - like terms of service, privacy policy, etc. Eg the MainCross privacy policy
Help pages#
Help pages reside at the link structure /help/<slug>.
Help pages are used to provide help, guidance and tips to members about using your network. In fact these very help pages that you are reading are an example of "help pages".
A large number of help pages are preconfigured for your network, and you can seamlessly extend the help system as well.
Featured pages#
By default, featured pages reside at the link structure /featured/<slug>.
Featured pages allow one to build out semi-custom graphical "website" type of pages. These are marquee or special pages on your network that can serve as landing pages, section pages or pretty much anything you want. They can be as complex as you want, with dynamic and/or interactive elements.
Custom URLs
Two options are supported to have featured page URLs that match standard websites:
- Single-segment pathname - simple to use.
- Multi-segment pathname - For more advanced use cases and users.
- Single-segment pathname* - The default link structure of /featured/<slug> can be reduced to /<slug>, ie without the /featured in the pathname Read important caveat below. As an example https://demo1.maincross.org/featured/yoga-studio-demo-5 also works as https://demo1.maincross.org/yoga-studio-demo-5.
- Multi-segment pathname - Featured page URLs can be multi segment to create hierarchy or sections as is common again in websites, eg example.com/section-1/some-url, example.com/section-1/some-other-url, example.com/section-2/my-favorite-page and so on. A bit of smart jugglery converts (max 3) pathname segments into the actual page slug. As an example:
- the same above URL https://demo1.maincross.org/yoga-studio-demo-5 (1 segment) will also work as
- https://demo1.maincross.org/yoga/studio-demo-5 (2 segments) and
- https://demo1.maincross.org/yoga/studio/demo-5 (3 segments)
In other words, if your desired page hierarchy is /section-1/subsection-1/page-url, set the Slug text field in the Featured page editor as the same “/section-1/subsection-1/page-url” and it will automatically be converted into “section-1-subsection-1-page-url” as the screenshot shows:
And then the page can be accessed at the URL: /section-1/subsection-1/page-url
* It is important to be aware that all system destinations have single-segment pathname, eg /network, /contact etc and are usually a single word. If your Featured page pathname conflicts with a system pathname, it will NOT load since the system pathname always has priority. System destinations can be created at any time and may conflict and override your single segment custom pathname.
Eg - if your single-segment pathname is /network, it will not work since that is already a system destination. Therefore it is safer to create your custom pathname with unique words, or a phrase.
Page Editors#
General and Help pages use the Long Form+ Editor.
Pages created using the Long Form Editor resemble articles, and allow extremely performant pages to be created, with various rich media and controls embedded in it. They are meant to load quickly even on slow network connections.
Note that the same editor is used to create member article (story) posts, which then would show up automatically in the feed. While pages and article posts look the same, they have completely different purposes.
Featured pages use the Page Builder.
Our Page Builder creates gorgeous full screen pages, that allows you to control the entire layout and the design - and drop in various MainCross widgets!
Editing existing pages#
Existing pages can be viewed and edited by clicking on the Open button on any row.
Deleting pages#
Currently General pages & Help pages can be deleted. Featured pages cannot be deleted at this time.
Like posts, any page when opened for viewing, allows editing and deleting using the buttons at the top.
If you have inadvertently deleted a page, please contact us and we may be able to recover it for you.
Adding new pages#
New pages can be added as required. Pages can only be added by Heroes, not by regular members.
