Standard Templating Kit

The Standard Templating Kit (STK) is a best-practice framework for creating websites. It builds upon the generic templating mechanism. STK ships with configurable, production-ready templates for common use cases such as articles, news, events, sitemaps and image galleries, while letting developers and creative designers build completely custom sites. Templates can be written in JSP and Freemarker or another templating language.

Download

Download the installation bundle ZIP file. It includes the STK module and related necessary modules such as Data, Form and Public User Registration which are used by the example templates.

Installation

The ZIP file contains a number of JAR files. Extract the ZIP onto your computer and follow the standard module installation instructions which apply to any module.

After installation you will see new menu items Data, Forums and Templating Kit in AdminCentral.

Info

If you installed Magnolia CMS using the webapp WAR file, the Document Management System (DMS) module is not part of your installation. STK requires the DMS and you will need to add it manually to make the STK work. If you installed a bundled version of Magnolia CMS, DMS is already installed. You can easily check: you should see Documents in the AdminCentral menu.

Static HTML prototype

The STK bundle ships with a static HTML prototype. You can find it in the prototype folder inside the ZIP file. It is a collection of STK page templates delivered as stand-alone HTML files. Referenced CSS and images are also included. The static prototype is aimed at creative teams who don't know how Magnolia CMS works or have no particular desire to learn it. It allows designers to work on positioning, typography and color outside of Magnolia CMS, using their own tools, in their own environment.

You can (and should) use the HTML prototype to develop your CSS. The advantages of this approach include:

  • See all possible variations of an element instantly
  • Perform CSS programming independent of Magnolia CMS
  • Better testability
  • Faster turnaround
Whenever we enhance the STK, we add new HTML to the static prototype first. The static HTML is then tested on all supported browsers. Once the HTML has been perfected, templates are created.

Documentation

  • Introduction to templating describes how the Magnolia template mechanism works. The STK extends this mechanism. The document walks you through creating your first template. Examples are provided for JSP and FreeMarker templating languages.
  • Standard Templating Kit (STK) focuses on the STK.
  • Reference lists the properties you can use to configure your templates and paragraphs, and objects available to template scripts.