Shared layout and page templates
A theme contains a shared layout and template files for page types. The layout provides the common presentation structure; page templates handle the presentation associated with a particular type of page.
Distinguish the theme's presentation files from editorial content managed in the CMS. A change to a page's text is not the same task as changing the shared layout.
Choose the right place to make a change
Start by identifying what the change affects.
- Shared presentation
- Review the shared layout and the templates that use it. Check more than one page type after a shared change.
- One page type
- Review the template associated with that page type, while keeping its relationship with the shared layout in view.
- Page or article text
- Review the editorial record in the CMS and the relevant language version.
Check the result in Arabic and English, on a wide screen and a phone. A layout change can affect line wrapping and reading order differently in each language.
Saving a file and releasing a theme
Saving an editable template file records its content as a file version. Reading a saved version is a file-level operation; it should not be described as restoring an entire website.
A theme release is a separate operation that records file versions for the release. Keep this distinct from publishing an article or changing its editorial state in the CMS.
Review shared pages and language layouts before a release. A successful file save alone does not verify the resulting website.