Magnolia 5.7 reached extended end of life on May 31, 2022. Support for this branch is limited, see End-of-life policy. Please note that to cover the extra maintenance effort, this EEoL period is a paid extension in the life of the branch. Customers who opt for the extended maintenance will need a new license key to run future versions of Magnolia 5.7. If you have any questions or to subscribe to the extended maintenance, please get in touch with your local contact at Magnolia.
Keep UI language brief and be specific. It's OK to rely on the user's common knowledge - don't state the obvious.
App name
Name your app for its intended use. Be specific.
| Guideline |  Good |  Poor |
|---|---|---|
| Short, 2 x 12 characters max. | Pages | Web Page Editing |
| Be unique, avoid repeating Magnolia native app names | Campaigns | Pages (campaigns) |
| Use friendly language, avoid technical terms | Feeds | RSS Aggregator |
| Be specific, one task per app | Google Sitemaps | Google Tools |
The app name is displayed under the icon in the app launcher. Short names that fit on one line work best.
Field labels
A field label states the purpose of a field. Good labels are short and clear. The label is displayed to the left of the field in left-to-right languages.
- Always visible
- 17 characters max. Longer labels wrap to the next line.
- One or two words
Field descriptions
A field description explains what a field is for and may shortly explain why the data is collected. Field descriptions are a form of context-sensitive online help.
- Displayed when the user clicks the question mark.
- 80 characters max. Longer descriptions wrap to the next line.
- Use for:
- Fields that expect input in a special format, such as ZIP codes or credit card numbers.
- Unusual fields whose input is not common knowledge, such as metadata.
- Informing the user about best practice such as fields that have a significant impact on SEO.
Avoid useless descriptions that just add visual noise. When a field is common knowledge, such as "First name", you don't need a description.
Dialog descriptions
You can also add a description to the dialog itself. For example, when a dialog collects private data, link to a privacy policy so the user understands that their data remains safe.
Overview
Content Tools