Creating Article Types

Administrators can create new or edit existing Article Types. Article Types allow the grouping of long-form text documents and can be configured to control information security, comments, social sharing, user access requirements, and interaction features. Creating Article Types allows administrators to customize how groups of posts are viewed and interacted with by users. You can use article types to separate posts by topics for ease of access, such as Knowledge, Blog, Press, etc.

Requirements

To create and edit Article Types, you must have:

• Administrator System Role permissions

Configuration Process

Accessing Article Type Creation

1. Navigate to the Setup Home page
2. Click Create > Articles
3. Select the Articles tab
4. Click New

Basic Article Type Configuration

Article Type Information

Name (Required)

• Enter a descriptive name for the Article Type (e.g., "Internal Knowledge")
• This name appears to users when browsing and creating content
• Choose names that clearly indicate the content purpose

Path (Required)

• Sets the URL path for your Article Type
• Enter a unique value that will become part of the article URLs
• Critical Warning: Changing a path value after posts are published will break all existing links containing the original path value
• Best Practice: Choose a permanent, descriptive path that won't need future changes

Article List

• Select which Article List this Article Type will be grouped into

Language

• Select the language for this article type from the dropdown
• Relates to multi-language support functionality
• Affects which users can see and interact with this article type based on their language preferences

Description

• Enter a brief description of the type of posts this Article Type will contain
• Helps content creators understand the intended use and maintains content consistency

Status

• Active: Other users can see and interact with this Article Type
• Inactive: Article Type remains private and hidden from users

Comments Configuration

Enable Comments

• Check this option to allow user comments on posts within this article type
• Configure comment notification recipients:
  • Search by username for internal users
  • Search by email address for both internal users and external email addresses
  • Multiple recipients can be added to receive comment alerts

Comment Moderation

• Check this option to enable administrator/publisher approval for comments
• When enabled, all comments require approval before appearing publicly
• Provides quality control and content oversight for public-facing articles

Comment Templates

Comment Acknowledgement Template

• Select optional email template sent to commenters when they submit a comment
• Used when comment moderation is enabled to acknowledge pending review
• Note: Templates must be created in Email Templates before they appear in this dropdown

Comment Confirmation Template

• Select optional email template sent to commenters after their comment is published
• Provides confirmation that the comment is now live
• Note: Templates must be created in Email Templates before they appear in this dropdown

Comment Security

Word Verification

• Check this option to require CAPTCHA completion before comment submission
• Recommended Use: When Article Type is publicly shared on the Internet
• Helps prevent automated spam comments

Version Control Configuration

Enable Version Control

• Check this option to track version history for posts within the article type
• Maintains complete revision history for content changes
• Enables administrators and authors to review and revert to previous versions

Subscription Management

Configure how users can subscribe to receive updates about new posts in this article type:

Subscription Options

Do not track Subscribers

• Select to disable subscription functionality entirely
• Users cannot subscribe to receive notifications about new posts

All users who explicitly subscribe

• Users must actively opt-in by clicking the "Subscribe" button
• Provides explicit consent for notifications
• Users maintain full control over their subscription status

All users with access are considered as subscribers

• Automatically subscribes all users who have access to the Article Type
• Users can opt-out by clicking "Unsubscribe"
• Ensures broader notification coverage but requires users to manually unsubscribe if desired

Visual Settings Configuration

Page Size

• Select the number of posts displayed in list view of the article type
• Controls pagination and page loading performance
• Consider user experience and content volume when setting

Enable Post Tags

• Allows users to view posts grouped by relevant tags
• Users will only see posts in tag searches if they have permission to view those posts
• Improves content discovery and organization

Show Author

• Check to display the author's name on posts
• Enables filtering posts by author
• Useful for content attribution and author-based content discovery

Disable Social Sharing

• Check to remove social sharing buttons from articles
• Use when content should not be shared on external social networks
• Important for confidential or internal-only content

Date Setting

• Select which date field displays on post layouts
• Posts are sorted using the selected field in article type lists
• Options include publish date, creation date, or other date fields
• Choosing 'Hidden' sorts posts by publish date but doesn't display the date

Other Settings Configuration

Enable Rating

• Check to allow users to rate posts while reading them
• Provides feedback mechanism to gauge content helpfulness
• Useful for measuring content quality and user satisfaction

Require Login

• Check to require visitor login before reading full post content
• Important: This setting only applies to article types that are configured for public sharing (covered in other sections)
• When Enabled: Public visitors see post summaries in list view but must login to access full content
• Default Behavior: Users can read all posts without logging in (when article type is publicly shared)
• Useful for controlling access to sensitive or member-only content while maintaining public visibility

Saving Configuration

After completing all desired settings:

1. Review all configurations to ensure they align with your content strategy
2. Click Save to create the Article Type
3. The new Article Type becomes available for content creation based on your Status setting

Best Practices

Planning Article Types

• Clear Purpose: Design each article type with a specific content purpose and audience
• Consistent Naming: Use descriptive names that content creators will easily understand
• Path Strategy: Choose permanent URL paths that support SEO and link stability

Security and Access

• Comment Moderation: Enable for public-facing content to maintain quality control
• Login Requirements: Use strategically to balance content accessibility with security needs
• Version Control: Enable for important content that requires change tracking

User Experience

• Subscription Management: Choose subscription models that match user expectations
• Visual Settings: Configure display options that enhance content discovery
• Template Preparation: Create necessary email templates before configuring comment notifications

Creating well-configured Article Types provides the foundation for effective content management and user engagement within your Articles module.

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