Introduction
Before you can start configuring your Narratives, you need first to declare all your Layout Blocks.
The Layout Blocks are the building blocks of your Narrative (the narrative defines what should be the layout of a page based on these building blocks and what should be the parameter values for each of the selected Layout blocks).
For example, if you want to create a Narrative with this layout, you will need to define 4 Layout Blocks:
Title
Banner
Product Slider
Product
Each Layout Block will need to have a definition of what parameters it needs to receive so it can be rendered.
This definition is very open and is defined by a JSON SCHEMA which needs to be compatible with the JDORN-EDITOR, you can see a demo here: http://jeremydorn.com/json-editor/
We recommend you to use this demo link to define your JSON SCHEMA for each Layout Block so that you can be sure your JSON is correct and will work.
Add a new Layout Block
First, Log in Boxalino Intelligence Admin (link)
Then open the Marketing Menu (the target icon) and click on Layout Block.
You will then see a list (probably empty) of already defined Layout Blocks.
Click on the “+ Add” green button on the top-left.
Then enter a name for your widget (all in small letter, without any space or special character except _ which is allowed) and press SAVE.
Please make sure to name your Layout Block well. This is the name that the Marketing Department will see when they want to create or change a Narrative, so it needs to make sense for them. Please refrain from indicating any type of naming based on a project use-case, as the Layout Blocks should make sense for other projects.
For example, do not use a name like : “brand_logo”, for the Layout Block to be used inside a slider or a grid of brand logos. instead, use a name like “image_square” or “image_cell” or “image_with_link” which describes what the template does functionally, so it will make sense in many different use-cases.
Edit a Layout Block
Now your Layout Block should appear in the list. You can edit it by clicking on the little pencil icon on the right.
You can now edit the content of your Layout Block, which mainly consists in 2 parts:
1. Define the fixed parameters
As defined in Narrative API - Technical Reference , the following fixed parameters should be defined:
Name | Example Value | Description |
|---|---|---|
template | product_list | the name of the template which should be used to display the block and its parameters |
model | product_list | (optional) the model that should be use in your MVC to manage the logic for this template rendering. In the majority of the cases you should not require any business logic and render the template directly, but in special situation (e.g.: to do a real-time look-up of a price before display) some controller method might be required in your template |
position | main | (optional) if you use a multiple column layout (e.g.: with search facets on the left column and results on the main column) this parameter will indicate for which column of your layout this block is destined. important: this parameter will change the structure of the response, see Fixed base structure above for details |
As Best Practice, we recommend you to set template and model with the same value and to name them exactly as you named your Layout Block, this will make things easier and consistent.
Also, you might see some parameters appear by default like “content-resource” and can ignore them.
In addition to the template, model (and optionally position), you can add other parameters if you want. They will be returned by the Narrative API, but will be fixed (so they will always be returned in the same way for the same Layout Block).
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