MySource Matrix Evaluations

Multiple Websites

With appropriate hardware, MySource Matrix allows you to create an effectively unlimited number of sites within a single CMS installation.  Sites are created and configured via a point-and-click interface, and you can move sites or site sub-sections by dragging and dropping within the asset tree.

You can specify the domain name and URL for each site, and apply a separate metadata schema and design template to define the page layout, if appropriate.  In addition to re-using content across different websites, you can also re-use design templates and metadata schemas across sites, if required.

Content Re-use

A single page or piece of content will often be used in different contexts, or delivered to different user groups. This is a prerequisite to managing different websites, i.e. intranet and multiple internet sites including content from the same content source. Single sourcing capabilities are integrated into the core design of MySource Matrix, since all content is stored as assets - these may be sites, pages and content of tables within pages, files, users etc.  Each asset is a separate entity that may be easily re-used in many different places, by creating a link to the original data source rather than duplicating it.  This is done via a simple drag and drop exercise on the asset map. In this way a whole site, a page, or even a single paragraph may be used many times on many sites.

When content is presented on different pages or sites, it inherits the design and style sheet applicable to the destination page or site - so the same content can be displayed with a different look and feel, depending on the site the user is visiting.

To help in the management of this re-use, MySource Matrix allows you to see where a particular piece of content is linked, in addition to the different URLs and effective designs for each location.

Maintaining Link Integrity

Maintaining link integrity is native functionality of MySource Matrix - as assets are moved around in the asset map through the point and click interface,  the navigation structures are instantly and automatically re-built and all link integrity is maintained.

Attempts to remove an asset or group of assets will alert the user to potential link problems (e.g. broken links), and allow the user to take remedial action.  Please note that links on other pages are not automatically removed, since this could result in residual nonsensical content.  MySource Matrix also includes a Links Report, which shows the status of internal and external links in content authored in MySource Matrix.

Working With Groups of Pages

MySource Matrix offers many tools to support the management of groups of pages. These include:

User Navigation aids

MySource Matrix provides users with consistent and logical navigation aids, that are automatically created and updated:

• Dynamic menuing – provides support for multiple intuitive menuing systems. Website architecture may be redefined using a simple drag and drop interface. Menus automatically hide links where users do not have permission to access those pages.
• Dynamic site map – MySource Matrix provides the Site Map page template in the CMS Module that allows you to create a self generating site map that updates itself as your site structure changes.
• Breadcrumbs – creates dynamic bread crumbs which show a user where they are in relation to other web content.

Metadata

Metadata is considered an intrinsic part of successfully managing assets within MySource Matrix. It is easy to add standard schemas such AGLS and Dublin Core, or define your own standards if more appropriate, via an intuitive point and click interface.  MySource Matrix provides a range of field types including text, drop down lists, checkboxes, date and thesaurus.

MySource Matrix allows metadata to be:

• manually entered
• automatically created by the CMS, for example the date and time a page was last modified
• enforceable, that is, pages without complete metadata will not be allowed to go live
• indexed by the search engine

Different metadata schema may be applied to different assets as appropriate - for example, images may require different information from press releases. In addition, an asset inherits the metadata schema from the site in which it is located, which means that you can re-use a page in different sites which have different metadata requirements.

Versioning and Rollback

MySource Matrix delivers full versioning of all assets, and the system automatically stores all changes to each asset, when the change was made and by whom. 

MySource Matrix maintains version numbers for every asset in the system, with the format:

    MajorNo.MinorNo.MicroNo

For example, an asset is created with the original version of 0.0.1 and with every change the micro number is incremented (e.g. 0.0.2, 0.0.3 etc).  Each time an asset is made live, the minor version number is automatically incremented. For example, when an asset is first made live, its version number is automatically updated to 0.1.0.  To associate the pages of a site with a release or checkpoint, an administrator has the ability to manually change the major version number of the site.  For example, set the version to 1.0.0.  This change can be cascaded down to all the pages in a site.

Appropriately authorised users may view the history of the system, or asset, or group of assets (sites) and roll-back to view information from a specific point-in-time in the past.   For example, it is possible to view the system exactly as it appeared on the 3rd April 2003 at 2:22pm.  Individual pieces of old content may be copied and used to replace current content versions. 

Search and Replace

MySource Matrix allows you to search and replace content within a single page, a site sub-section or the entire repository. The Search and Replace tool lists each instance of the located search term, and allows the user select which occurrences to replace. You can also select which asset types and the status of assets to be included in the search.

MySource Matrix may be extended to support other types of find and replace based on specific business rules defined by the client. This would require additionally programming and configuration work depending on the requirements of the client.

Reports

MySource Matrix provides the following types of reports to help you manage the content within your system:

Asset Counter Report provides a count of each type of asset under a particular root node. For example, if you wanted to know how many Standard Pages and PDF Files that are in your Site, you can set up and run this report to view this information.

Asset Statuses Report lists each asset and its Status. You can filter this report to only show assets that are of a particular Status or assets that have not had their Status changed for a specific period of time. For example, if you wanted to know which assets are Under Construction and have not had their Status changed in the last 30 days, you can set up and run this report to view this information

Incomplete Metadata Report provides details of the assets that have metadata fields that have not been filled in.

Links Report provides details of the links within your Site and whether or not they are broken. This includes all internal, external and email links.

Safe Trash Report lists the assets that have been marked for Trash.

Search Log Report provides details of the searches that users have performed.

Structure Asset Report provides an easy way to look at information about certain asset types. For example, if you want to know which Design has been applied to each page in your system, instead of going to the Settings screen of each asset, you can view this information via this report.

You can add as many reports as you want to the system. For example, you can add an Asset Counter Report that counts the number of Standard Pages in your Site and another Asset Counter Report that counts the number of PDF Files in your Site.

Once you have added a report, you can configure its settings on its associated asset screens. These screens are often the same or similar to those for a Standard Page and are described in the Asset Screens manual. In this manual, we will only describe the Details and Report screens, which are different for reports.