2.10. Setting Basic Properties

The tab panels available on each content item has fields for basic information. Providing such data is important, providing fuel for the engines that run Plone.

Any content item, when clicked by a user with edit rights for the item, will show a set of tabs at the top for setting basic properties:

These basic properties tabs are:

• Default - shows the main data entry panel for the content item
• Categorization - shows a panel for creating and setting categories (keywords) for the item
• Dates - shows the publishing date and expiration date for the item
• Ownership - shows a panel for setting creators, contributors, and any copyright information for the item
• Settings - shows a small panel for setting whether or not the item will appear in navigation menus and if comments are allowed on the item
  

The input fields under these tabs cover basic descriptive information called metadata.  Metadata is sometimes called "data about data." Plone can use this metadata in a multitude of ways.

Here is the Categorization panel, shown for a page content item (would be the same for other content types):

Note: Categories were formerly called keywords in Plone, prior to version 3.0.

The main input field for the panel is for specifying categories. Create them anew, just by typing in words or phrases, one per line, in the New categories box. When you save, the new categories will be created within the system of categories for the web site, and this content item will be filed under them. If you re-edit this item, or edit any other, the new categories will show up as Existing categories.

The Related Items field lets you set links between content items, which will show as links at the bottom, when a content item is viewed. This is useful when you don't want to use explicit categories to connect content.

The Location field is a geographic location, suitable for use with mapping systems, but appropriate to enter, for general record keeping.

The Language choice normally would be allowed to fall to the site default, but on multilingual web sites, different languages could be used in a mix of content.

The Dates panel has fields for the publishing date and the expiration date, effectively start and stop dates for the content if you wish to set them:

The Ownership panel has three free-form fields for listing creators, contributors, and information about copyright or ownership rights to the content:

The Settings panel has fields that may vary a bit from content type to content type, but generally there are input fields controlling whether or not the item appears in navigation, or if there are comments allowed, and other similar controls:

Recommendations

There is no requirement to enter the information specified through these panels, but it is a good idea to do so. For the Ownership panel, providing the data is important for situations where there are several people involved in content creation, especially if there are multiple creators and contributors working in groups.  You don't always need fields such as publishing and expiration dates, language, and copyrights, but these data should be specified when appropriate. A content management system can only be as good as the data completeness allows.

Specifying categories requires attention, but if you are able to get in the habit, and are zealously committed to creating a meaningful set of categories, there is a big return on the investment. The return happens through the use of searching and other facilities in Plone that work off the categorization.  The same holds for setting related items. You'll be able to put your finger on what you need, and you may be able to discover and use relationships within the content.