Custom Pages

Custom Pages allow administrators to build rich, modular web content within the Freedam platform. Using a flexible block-based editor, you can assemble layouts for landing pages, documentation, or internal dashboards without writing code.

This feature is designed for content managers and administrators who need to maintain a dynamic web presence. You can manage the entire lifecycle of a page—from initial draft and block configuration to version restoration and final publication.

Page Overview

• Purpose: To provide a visual interface for constructing and managing web pages.
• When to use it: Use this when you need to create new content areas, marketing pages, or structured information layouts.
• What you can do here:
  • Drag and drop content blocks to build page layouts.
  • Configure detailed properties for individual blocks (text, images, links).
  • Manage page metadata like slugs, descriptions, and cover images.
  • Track changes through a version history and restore previous states.
  • Move pages through a publishing workflow (Draft, Review, Published).

Page Layout

• Top bar: Displays the page title, live status indicator, and primary action buttons including Workflow transitions, History (clock icon), Page Settings (file icon), and Preview (eye icon).
• Left sidebar: Contains the Block Palette, a library of available content components you can add to your page.
• Main area: The Canvas, where you visually arrange blocks. It shows a live-updating preview of your content and allows for direct reordering.
• Right panel: The Block Inspector, which opens when a block is selected to allow editing of specific text, images, and behavior settings.

Main Features

Block Palette

• What it's for: Browsing and selecting components to add to the page.
• Typical use: Dragging a "Banner" or "Text" block from the sidebar onto the central canvas.
• Result: A new content section is added to the page at the specific location where you dropped it.

Drag-and-Drop Canvas

• What it's for: Arranging the vertical order of page content.
• Typical use: Clicking the Grip handle on a block and moving it above or below other blocks.
• Result: The page layout updates instantly, and the new order is saved.

Block Inspector

• What it's for: Fine-tuning the content within a specific block.
• Typical use: Changing the "Title" text, selecting a "Collection" for a gallery block, or adding "Buttons".
• Result: Changes are auto-saved as you type, indicated by a "Saved" badge in the inspector header.

Version History

• What it's for: Reviewing past changes and recovering from mistakes.
• Typical use: Opening the History sheet to see who changed the page and when, then clicking Restore on an older version.
• Result: The page content reverts to the exact state of that selected version.

Detailed Feature Documentation

Page Settings & Metadata

• Purpose: To define the identity and SEO properties of the page.
• Where to find it: In the Top bar, click the Page Settings (file icon) button.
• What you'll see: A dialog titled "Update Page Settings" with fields for Title, Slug, and Description.

How to use it:

1. Enter a Title (required).
2. Modify the Slug to change the URL path (e.g., my-new-page).
3. Add a Description for internal reference or SEO.
4. Click Save Changes.

Content Block Configuration

• Purpose: To edit the specific data inside a block.
• Where to find it: Click any block on the Main Canvas to open the Block Inspector on the right.
• What you'll see: A list of fields tailored to that block type (e.g., "Primary Button", "Image", "Description").

How to use it:

1. Click a block on the canvas (it will be highlighted with a primary border).
2. In the right panel, type into text fields or use the Select from Gallery button for images.
3. For lists, click Add Item to create new entries within the block.
4. Use the Duplicate button at the bottom of the inspector to clone the entire block.

Publishing Workflow

• Purpose: To manage the visibility of the page to end-users.
• Where to find it: In the Top bar, look for the status badge (e.g., "Draft") and the Change Status button.
• What you'll see: A dropdown menu with available transitions like "Submit for Review" or "Publish".

How to use it:

1. Click Change Status.
2. Select the target status (e.g., Publish).
3. Confirm the action in the dialog that appears.
4. The status badge will update (e.g., to a green "Live" indicator).

Complete Workflows

Workflow: Creating a New Page from Scratch

• Goal: Build a new functional page with a banner and text.
• Prerequisites: Administrative permissions to manage pages.

Steps:

1. Navigate to the Pages administration area and click Create Page.
2. In the Title field, type "Welcome Page".
3. Ensure the Slug is automatically generated or type a custom one.
4. Click Create.
5. From the Left sidebar, drag a "Banner" block onto the Canvas.
6. Click the new Banner block and use the Block Inspector to type a heading.
7. Drag a "Text" block below the banner.
8. Click Preview (eye icon) to see the result.

• Expected result: A new page is created and saved in "Draft" status with two content sections.
• If it doesn't work: Check if the Slug is unique; duplicate slugs will cause a validation error.

Workflow: Adding a Cover Image

• Goal: Add a high-impact visual to the top of the page.
• Prerequisites: An existing page and access to the Asset Gallery.

Steps:

1. Click the Page Settings (file icon) in the Top bar.
2. In the right column of the dialog, click Select from Gallery.
3. Browse the gallery and click on the desired image asset.
4. Click Select.
5. Click Save Changes.

• Expected result: The image appears at the top of the editor canvas and the live page.

Who can use it

Page management is controlled by a small family of permissions. View lets a user see and browse pages, Create enables making a new one, Edit covers changes to title, blocks, and metadata, Delete allows removal, and Publish controls workflow transitions that take a page live. A page's original creator can always edit their own page, even without the general edit permission. Administrators with the "Page Spaces" permission can edit and delete any page — including ones that are already published or archived. Building multi-space portals and managing their themes also requires that same "Page Spaces" administrator permission.

Publishing workflow

A page moves through five lifecycle stages: Draft, In Review, Approved, Published, and Archived. Not every jump is allowed — the system enforces a predictable flow:

• From Draft you can send a page to In Review or publish it directly.
• From In Review you can return to Draft or move it to Approved.
• From Approved you can Publish or send it back to Draft.
• A Published page can be returned to Draft or Archived.
• An Archived page can only be brought back to Draft.

Only users with the publish permission can complete the step that makes a page live.

Limits and guardrails

• Protected system pages: The built-in dashboard page inside the "dashboard" space cannot be deleted. Likewise, the "collections" and "dashboard" spaces themselves are system-protected — they cannot be removed and their internal key cannot be changed, only their display name and theme.
• Unique slugs: Page slugs are auto-generated from the title and cleaned to lowercase with hyphens. Duplicate slugs within the same parent will be rejected at save time.
• Circular page nesting is prevented: When reorganizing the page tree, Freedam refuses moves that would make a page its own ancestor.
• Only approved renderings as covers: If you choose a cover image from an asset's rendering library, only renderings marked as approved can be selected. Unapproved ones are rejected with a message.

What happens behind the scenes

• Auto-versioning with a 50-version history: Every block change creates an automatic snapshot, but edits made in quick succession are batched together over a roughly 30-second window so a burst of typing does not flood the history. Freedam keeps the 50 most recent automatic snapshots per page; older ones are pruned. Versions you create manually with a custom label are always preserved and never counted against this limit.
• Guest visibility: Unauthenticated visitors can only see pages in the Published state. Signed-in users can browse drafts and approved pages as well, which is why the "Preview" view works without publishing.
• Cover images become real assets: When you upload a cover image directly, Freedam silently creates a matching entry in your asset library so the image can be cropped, versioned, and reused elsewhere.
• Duplicating a page: Duplicates start in Draft, copy every block, and can optionally also copy translation locales. The new slug defaults to the original with "-copy" appended.

Tips and Best Practices

• Auto-save: The Block Inspector saves changes automatically as you edit. Look for the "Saved" checkmark before closing the panel.
• Slug Sanitization: Slugs are automatically cleaned to use only lowercase letters and hyphens. Avoid using symbols or spaces.
• Hidden Blocks: You can toggle the "Visible by default" checkbox in the Block Inspector to keep a block in your editor but hide it from the live site.
• Quick Reordering: Use the Grip handle on the left of any block for the smoothest drag-and-drop experience.

Troubleshooting

Issue: Changes are not appearing on the live site

• Symptoms: You edited a block, but the public URL shows old content.
• Cause: The page is likely in "Draft" or "Review" status, or you haven't performed a "Publish" transition since the last major change.
• Fix: Check the status badge in the top bar. If it doesn't say "Live", use the Change Status button to Publish.
• Prevention: Always use the Preview button to verify changes before publishing.

Issue: Cannot delete a block

• Symptoms: Clicking the trash icon doesn't remove the block.
• Cause: A network interruption or a confirmation dialog is hidden behind another window.
• Fix: Refresh the page and try clicking the Trash icon again, ensuring you click Delete in the confirmation dialog.

Issue: "Failed to reorder blocks" error

• Symptoms: A red toast notification appears after dragging a block.
• Cause: This usually happens if two users are editing the same page simultaneously.
• Fix: Refresh the page to sync with the server's current version of the layout, then try moving the block again.