Nested templates

A nested template is a template whose design and editable regions are based on another template. To create a nested template, you must first save the original or base template, then create a new document based on the template, and then save that document as a template. In the new template, you can further define editable regions in areas originally defined as editable from the base template.

Nested templates are useful for controlling content in pages of a site that share many design elements, but have a few variations between pages. For example, a base template might contain broader design areas and be usable by many content contributors for a site, while a nested template might further define the editable regions in pages for a specific section in a site.

Editable regions in a base template are passed through to the nested template, and remain editable in pages created from a nested template unless new template regions are inserted in these regions.

Changes to a base template are automatically updated in templates based on the base template, and in all template-based documents that are based on the main and nested templates.

In the following example, the template contains three editable regions, named Body, Nav Bar, and Footer:

To create a nested template, we created a new document based on the template, then saved the document as a template and named it TrioNested. In the nested template, we added two editable regions, with content, in the editable region named Body.

When you add a new editable region in an editable region passed through to the nested template, the highlighting color of the editable region changes to orange. Content you add in an editable region, such as the graphic in the editableColumn, is no longer editable in documents based on the nested template. The blue highlighted editable areas, whether added in the nested template or passed through from the base template, remain editable in documents based on the nested template. Template regions you do not insert an editable region in, pass through to template-based documents as editable regions.

Related topics

• Creating a nested template