After the article type is set in stone, if you want to add a field, you can only change the code, and the custom content model solves what?

After the article type is fixed, if you want to add a field, you can only change the code. What does the customizable content model solve? It solves the problem of binding the content structure with the program release. When the type is fixed, any new field needs to go through three changes: modify the table, modify the model definition, and modify the template. Once a business-side parameter supplement is scheduled for the release plan; after changing to a configurable customizable content model, the field definition in the background will enter the editing page, the template calls by field name, historical data is compatible with empty values, and it is not necessary to release a version specially for structural changes.

At what step does the fixed type get stuck?

The three types of requirements are most likely to encounter difficulties. The first type is content with parameters, such as specifications of equipment models, outlines and class hours of courses; the second type is for separate filtering tags, such as scope of application, whether it can be commercially used; the third type is attachments and external link addresses. When the type is fixed, this content can only be put into rich text of the main text or expressed with a prefix of the title, and it is impossible to filter, sort, or batch replace them later because the data is not an independent field.

What does the configurable model change?

The change is the ownership of the field definition. AnQiCMS supports custom content models and custom fields, fields are maintained in the background, and the edit page and list call take effect accordingly. New fields proposed on the business side no longer require changing the table structure, and they will not affect the normal display of historical articles due to changes in the model. The content collection and batch import配套 also follow the same set of fields, and the field values can be imported with the import.

Will historical articles be affected?

New fields are compatible with existing data that is empty, and old articles will not fail due to the addition of fields, but there are two places to check. One is template calls: when old articles cannot get the value, the page should be able to hold up, and not let the blank space push the layout apart; the other is list filtering: once the new field is used as a filter condition, old articles with empty values will be excluded from the results, making it look like the articles have disappeared. The safe approach is to display the new field first and then enable filtering after the filling is completed.

Launch the order of a content model.

First, define the field names and types, clarify which are required and which are optional; then call the fields in the template and check for null values as a fallback; next, determine the backfill plan for historical data, which can be done in small batches with site-wide replacement and article-by-article editing, and for large quantities, go through the batch import channel; finally, incorporate the field into the filtering and sorting conditions. The typical consequence of reversing the order is that if filtering is done first, old articles will be missing in large areas of the list.

In what situations is it still necessary to modify the code

When the field type exceeds the configurable range, the program still needs support, such as the calculation relationship between fields, the need to synchronize bidirectionally with external systems, or the field value needs to participate in the weight calculation of in-site search. The judgment criteria are: if it is only about storing an additional value and an additional filtering condition, the configuration layer is sufficient; if new behavior logic needs to be introduced, it falls to the development layer.

Common questions

Can the field be deleted or renamed?Changing the name will make the positions calling the old name in the template invalid, and deleting it will cause the filled data to lose its exit. In practice, a more stable approach is to deactivate the old field, add the target field and complete the migration, and retain it for a period of time for review.

Ask: Can different columns use different content models?Answer: Yes, that is exactly the purpose of custom content models. Products, help documents, and interface instructions define their own fields, and list pages and detail pages are rendered according to the associated model. There is no need to compress all content into the same article structure.

Ask: Suitable for which sites?Answer: Corporate websites with parameters, marketing websites that require scope marking, foreign trade sites with specifications, and government portal sites where fields are continuously supplemented, all benefit from avoiding repeated versions.