Content Management System (CMS)

ShulNET includes a full-featured content management system that allows you to create, publish, and manage static HTML pages for your congregation's website. The system supports templates, reusable assets, and dynamic navigation.

Quick Access: Navigate to Admin → HTML Pages to get started with content management.

Overview

The CMS provides three main components:

HTML Pages - Individual web pages with rich content
Templates - Reusable layouts for consistent design
Assets - Images and files for use in pages

HTML Pages

Creating Pages

Navigate to /admin/html-pages to manage all pages.

Required Fields

Field	Description
Title	Page title (displayed in browser and navigation)
Content	HTML content for the page body

Optional Fields

Slug: URL-friendly identifier (auto-generated from title if not provided)
Template: Select a template to apply consistent styling
Header: Custom header HTML (overrides template header)
Footer: Custom footer HTML (overrides template footer)
Navigation: Custom navigation HTML (overrides template navigation)
Meta Description: SEO description (recommended 150-160 characters)
Meta Keywords: SEO keywords (comma-separated)
Status: draft, published, or archived
Show in Navigation: Toggle page visibility in site navigation
Sort Order: Control navigation menu order (lower numbers appear first)

Page Statuses

Status	Description
Draft	Work in progress, not visible to public
Published	Live and accessible via URL
Archived	Removed from navigation but URL still accessible

Page URLs

Pages are accessible via:

Direct path: /pages/{slug}
Published path: Custom paths can be configured

Example:
Title: "About Our Congregation"
Slug: about-us
URL: https://yoursite.com/pages/about-us
      

Templates

Overview

Templates provide consistent styling and structure across multiple pages. Create a template once and apply it to many pages.

Creating Templates

Navigate to /admin/html-templates to manage templates.

Template Fields

Name: Template identifier (e.g., "Main Website Template")
Header: HTML for page header (navigation, logo, etc.)
Footer: HTML for page footer (contact info, copyright, etc.)
Custom CSS: Stylesheet rules for this template

Template Structure

When a page uses a template, the final HTML structure is:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>{Page Title}</title>
    <meta name="description" content="{Meta Description}">
    <meta name="keywords" content="{Meta Keywords}">
    <style>
        {Template Custom CSS}
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <header>
        {Template Header or Page Custom Header}
    </header>
    
    <nav>
        {Template Navigation or Page Custom Navigation}
    </nav>
    
    <main>
        {Page Content}
    </main>
    
    <footer>
        {Template Footer or Page Custom Footer}
    </footer>
</body>
</html>
      

Assets

Overview

Assets are reusable media files (images, documents, etc.) that can be referenced in pages.

Managing Assets

Navigate to /admin/html-assets to manage all assets.

Asset Fields

Name: Asset identifier
Alt Text: Accessibility description for images
File: Upload the asset file

Using Assets in Pages

Reference assets in your page content:

<img src="/storage/assets/congregation-logo.png" alt="Our Logo">
<img src="/storage/assets/sanctuary-hero.jpg" alt="Sanctuary interior">
      

Supported File Types

Common supported types:

Images: JPG, PNG, GIF, SVG, WebP
Documents: PDF, DOC, DOCX
Other: As configured by storage settings

Publishing Workflow

Publishing Process

Create Draft - Start with status = "draft"
Add Content - Write and format content
Preview - Review the page (if preview feature enabled)
Publish - Change status to "published"
Update Navigation - Toggle "Show in Navigation" if desired

Publishing Best Practices

Always set meta description for SEO
Use descriptive, keyword-rich titles
Test on mobile devices (responsive design)
Check all links and images
Use templates for consistency

Navigation Management

Auto-Generated Navigation

Pages with show_in_nav = true automatically appear in the site navigation menu.

Navigation Order

Control menu order with the sort_order field:

Lower numbers appear first
Same numbers are sorted alphabetically by title

Example Order

Page	Sort Order
Welcome	1
About Us	2
Services	3
Contact	10

SEO Features

Meta Tags

Each page supports:

Title: Appears in browser tab and search results
Meta Description: Displayed in search result snippets
Meta Keywords: Helps with search indexing

SEO Best Practices

Title

Keep under 60 characters
Include primary keyword
Make it descriptive and compelling

Meta Description

Keep between 150-160 characters
Include call to action
Use primary and secondary keywords

Example:
Title: "Weekly Shabbat Services | Congregation Beth Shalom"
Meta Description: "Join us every Friday at 7 PM for traditional Shabbat services. All are welcome to our warm, inclusive community. Learn more about our services."
Keywords: "shabbat services, friday night, jewish services, synagogue"

Seeded Content

The system includes a seeder (HtmlContentSeeder) that creates sample content:

Templates Created

Main Website Template - Professional template with purple gradient header
Simple Template - Minimal template for newsletters

Assets Created

congregation-logo.png - Sample logo (400×200px)
sanctuary-hero.jpg - Sample hero image (1920×1080px)

Pages Created

Welcome Home - Published homepage with hero image
About Our Congregation - Draft page with mission statement
Contact Us - Published contact page with form
Newsletter - Simple newsletter page

Running the Seeder

php artisan db:seed --class=HtmlContentSeeder

Best Practices

Use Templates - Create templates for consistent branding
Optimize Images - Compress images before uploading
Mobile-First - Test on mobile devices
SEO Optimization - Always add meta descriptions
Accessibility - Use alt text for all images
Semantic HTML - Use proper heading hierarchy (h1, h2, h3)
Keep Content Fresh - Regularly update and archive old content
Backup - Regularly backup your database and assets

Troubleshooting

Page Not Displaying

Check page status is "published"
Verify template is properly configured
Check for HTML errors in content

Broken Images

Verify asset file exists in storage
Check file path is correct
Ensure storage is properly linked: php artisan storage:link

Navigation Not Showing

Verify show_in_nav is true
Check sort_order for proper ordering
Ensure page status is "published"

Need Help? Contact your administrator or check the developer documentation for more advanced features.