Core Extension Overview

A comprehensive content management foundation that handles pages, routing, blocks, and the essential CMS functionality for your organization.

Last updated on December 19th, 2024 @ 10:14am by Matt Todaro

What is the Core Extension? The Core Extension is the foundational content management system that handles pages, routing, blocks, and essential CMS functionality. It provides the building blocks for all other extensions and your organization's website.

Core Functionality

The Core Extension provides the essential foundation for your content management system. It handles everything from basic page creation to complex routing and block-based content management, serving as the backbone for all other extensions in your organization.

Page Management

Create, edit, and manage pages with hierarchical structure, custom layouts, and content management capabilities.

  • • Hierarchical page structure
  • • Custom layouts and templates
  • • Content management system
  • • SEO and metadata control

Routing & Navigation

Set up URL routing, navigation menus, and site structure for optimal user experience and SEO.

  • • Custom URL routing
  • • Navigation menu management
  • • Site hierarchy control
  • • 404 error handling

Block System

Create reusable content blocks, manage configurations, and build dynamic page layouts with flexible content management.

  • • Reusable content blocks
  • • Dynamic page layouts
  • • Block configuration management
  • • Content versioning

Admin Dashboard

Comprehensive admin interface for managing all core features, system settings, and CMS configuration.

  • • System overview dashboard
  • • Global search functionality
  • • Extension management
  • • System configuration

Key Features

Content Management

The Core Extension provides a robust content management system that allows you to create, edit, and organize your website content with ease.

Page Creation

  • • Create pages with custom slugs (auto-generated from title)
  • • Set parent-child relationships for hierarchical structure
  • • Configure page layouts and templates
  • • Set publish/unpublish dates for scheduling
  • • Manage page status (active, draft, archived)

Page Builder

  • • Visual page builder with drag-and-drop blocks
  • • Real-time preview of page content
  • • Block configuration with multiple field types
  • • Support for nested arrays and complex data
  • • Save pages directly from the builder

Routing System

Advanced routing capabilities that provide clean URLs, navigation management, and flexible site structure.

URL Management

  • • Custom URL slugs
  • • Clean, SEO-friendly URLs
  • • URL redirection
  • • 404 error handling

Navigation

  • • Menu management
  • • Breadcrumb navigation
  • • Site hierarchy
  • • Navigation customization

Block Architecture

Flexible block-based content system that allows for reusable components and dynamic page layouts.

Content Blocks

  • • Reusable content components
  • • Block configuration
  • • Dynamic content rendering
  • • Block versioning

Layout Management

  • • Flexible page layouts
  • • Drag-and-drop interfaces
  • • Responsive design support
  • • Template inheritance

Additional Core Features

Global Search

Search across all extensions and content types from a single search interface. Automatically discovers extensions with search support.

  • • Multi-extension search capability
  • • Automatic extension discovery
  • • Results grouped by content type
  • • Organization-scoped results

Menu Management

Create and manage navigation menus with drag-and-drop organization. Supports nested menu items and custom ordering.

  • • Drag-and-drop menu organization
  • • Nested menu item support
  • • Menu item prioritization
  • • Serialized menu storage

Documentation System

Built-in documentation system that retrieves and displays extension documentation. Automatically organizes documentation topics and articles.

  • • Extension documentation retrieval
  • • Automatic topic organization
  • • Article rendering system
  • • Documentation navigation

Export System

Create and manage data exports with unique identifiers. Supports export templates and blueprint-based exports.

  • • Export creation and management
  • • Unique export identifiers
  • • Template-based exports
  • • Export status tracking

File Finder

Content browser and management interface for navigating and managing files, content, and resources within your organization.

  • • Content and file browsing
  • • Organization-scoped access
  • • Admin-only interface
  • • Resource management

Environment Configuration

Manage environment variables and system configuration through a structured interface. Supports grouped configuration variables.

  • • Environment variable management
  • • Grouped configuration
  • • Admin-only access
  • • Configuration formatting

Action Items

A central list of tasks and follow-ups from across your extensions. View, filter, and mark items complete from the Action Items dashboard. Extensions add items automatically (e.g., pending approvals, reminders).

  • • Action Items dashboard in admin
  • • Filter by extension, category, priority
  • • Mark items complete or refresh the list
  • • Organization admin access only

Integration with Other Extensions

The Core Extension serves as the foundation for all other extensions in your system. It provides the essential infrastructure that other extensions build upon.

Foundation Extension: The Core Extension is required for all other extensions to function properly. It provides the essential page management, routing, and block systems that other extensions depend on.

Extension Dependencies

  • Users Extension: Provides user authentication and management
  • Organizations Extension: Manages organizational structure
  • Communication Extension: Handles email and messaging
  • All Other Extensions: Build upon core functionality

Shared Infrastructure

  • Page System: All extensions can create pages
  • Block System: Extensions can create custom blocks
  • Routing: Extensions can define custom routes
  • Admin Interface: Unified admin experience

Getting Started

Ready to start using the Core Extension? Follow our getting started guide to set up your first pages, configure routing, and begin building your content management system.