I have an existing 9-page Elements site (v2.1.1) with an adapted theme that I’m happy with, and I’d like to add a blog/CMS to it without having to start a new project.
I’ve downloaded and installed the Microblog template from the Store, and I can see how it’s structured. However, I can’t find a way to copy those pages across into my existing project — drag and drop and copy/paste between projects don’t seem to work.
I also tried adding a CMS folder directly to my existing project. Right-clicking in the sidebar gives me ‘New Folder’ and ‘Add/Remove Resources’, but I’m not sure if a folder created this way will function as a proper CMS folder.
My questions are:
Is there a way to add CMS/blog functionality to an existing project without rebuilding from scratch?
If I need to use the Microblog project as my base and move my existing pages into it, will my publishing settings transfer?
Is there a step-by-step guide anywhere for adding a CMS Collection to an existing project?
I want to use the blog for longer reflective writing pieces, so the full CMS approach seems right for me. Any help gratefully received!
Using Node Browser, select all components on the page you want from Microblog. Paste into the new page you created in your project. Wash, rinse, repeat for each page you want to copy over.
Drag and drop between projects doesn’t work yet. Copying and pasting pages doesn’t work yet either. Copying and pasting components does.
I’m not sure I’d do it by copying from one Project to another, as that starts to get fiddly with containers/flex/grids that might mismatch. Realistically, Microblog really just shows you the structure with which to use a CMS: you have a page where you’ll have a list of posts, you have a page designed solely for how the posts appear when clicked, and you have a CMS area in the page structure that contains your source materials.
Look at the Blog page in Microblog. It contains two Components you want in your Project (“Posts” [which is really a “Collection” that’s been renamed] and “Collection Pagination”). Those need to live somewhere in your page layout and point to (via the Inspector) to the correct part of the CMS folder structure).
Likewise, the Post page in Microblog has a “Single Post” item (which is really a renamed “Item”) that points to the correct part of the CMS folder structure.
The Archive page in Microblog shows you once again how to display a list (“Posts” which is really a renamed “Collection”) and “Load More” (which for some reason wasn’t renamed ;~). Again, those things just point to the proper place in the CMS folder structure via the Inspector.
So, design your site and your pages, then just mimic the Microblog in how to use the CMS Components. You will need a separate page that just shows a full individual post, though, but design it as you’d wish, and then just stick the “Item” into it and use Inspector to hook it up properly.
