Tiers, Categories, and Detail Pages
This design is nearly identical to the three-tier design. The four-tier design utilizes the following:
- A Main Category Page for visitors to start "drilling down" into categories and products (Tier 1).
- A set of Category Index Pages for category navigation (Tier 2).
- Detail Pages for individual products (Tier 3).
Please see fig.1 below to get a better understanding of the hierarchy to be built.
Fig. 1 - Three-Tier Hierarchy
How does this work again?
Because WebMerge builds a maximum of two-tiers at a time, it is necessary to work on tier-one first. Once tier-one is completed, the last two tiers get built (see figure 2 below).
TIP: Please see the required file matrix for files and categories required for the Three-Tier design...
Two Steps - Two Settings Files
Two settings files are required to complete a three-tier design. Each settings file is used to build one or two tiers, building more than two-tiers requires more settings files. We start out by having WebMerge work on the Main Category Page, with our first settings file. After that is complete, we have WebMerge build all of the Category Index Pages, and the Detail Pages with our second settings file.
At least two category field names needs to exist in the data feed file in order to build a site with more than two-tiers.
Fig. 2 - Components for the Two-Step Process
First step, build Tier One
Getting WebMerge to build the Main Category Page
In the first step in the process, the links populating the Main Category Page are links to Category Index Pages, not Detail Pages. We'll build the Category Index Pages, and the Detail Pages in the second part of the process (See figure 2 above). Please note, detail pages do not get built in step one of the process (referred to as "NOT BUILT" in fig. 2 above).
The Main Category Page can be thought of as the main page for the merchant whose data feed you are building. In our example, we're calling it "Betty Mills." Once WebMerge is done running the first settings file, you will have a Main Category Page populated with links to Category Index Pages like "Cleaners," "Brushes," and "Storage." The Main Category page is built based on information in the index template specified on the Index Pages Tab in WebMerge, and saved with the first settings file.
TIP: WebMerge can be set it to build either the index pages, or the detail pages, or both. This comes in handy when building multi-tier web sites, and in cases where index pages don't need to be updated. Simply go to the appropriate tab (detail or index), and un-check the box "Create index/detail pages."Those pages will not be built.
The Detail Pages Tab in WebMerge will not be used in step-one, although you are welcome to set this up and have WM build these pages if you like. We have called this "NOT BUILT" in Figure 2 above, as they will not be used later, and only serve as a possible reference. Remember, in step-one only the Main Category page actually needs to be built.
WebMerge Settings:
It is presumed that you have set up the data feed file information on the "Sources" tab.
Switch to the "Index Pages" tab , and identify where WebMerge can find your Index Template file, and the directory (folder) where you want WebMerge to put the completed Main Category Index file, a few other settings must be made.
Under the "Generated File Names" section, click on the "Make only one Index page," then indicate the name of the file you wish to use for this page. You can use "index.html" if it will be the main landing page for your site, or something else creative like "betty-mills.html" if it is a link off of one of the other pages on your site. There are many schools of thought concerning the naming of pages for Search Engine purposes, this is a topic for a future tutorial.
Fig. 3 - "Make only one Index page" selected
Templates:
We only require one template (an Index Template) for the first step in the process. This is because we are going to build the Main Category Page only. We need WebMerge to populate the Main Category Page with links to the Category Index Pages, like "Cleaners" and "Brushes." The Index Template needed will have the proper WM-Tags to tell WM to populate the page with these links.
It is presumed that you are using a template that already has your standard site navigation embedded in it, along with images you choose, like logos and any text or banner links. Your task is to include and format the WM-Tags needed to get WM to populate the page with links. Save the file with a logical name that will differentiate it from other template files, for example: "index_template_01.html"
WM-Tags:
The most straight-forward WM-Tags you can use for step-one would be the "WM-IndexLabel" tag, and the "WM-Record" tag. These two tags are nested, and would appear this way in your code:
[WM-Record]
[WM-IndexLabel: Main_Category]
(Your
HTML linking code - see below)
[/WM-IndexLabel]
[/WM-Record]
Let's take a closer look at what's happening here:
HTML between the "WM-Record" tags will be replicated once for each record in the data feed file. Conversely, the "WM-IndexLabel" tag tells WM to write a link only when the value of the field listed in that tag changes. For example, it will create a link for "Cleaners" only once, and won't create another link until the value in the "Main_Category" changes. In this case, when the value changes to "Brushes" WebMerge will go ahead and write a new link onto the page. When WM has gone through the data feed file records, and finds the next Main_Category - field name (for example "Storage"), it will write the third link onto the page and so on. This will continue until it has gone through the entire data feed file, and written links onto the page for every different Main_Category it comes across. These tags only need to be inserted once into the code.
Your HTML linking code:
The code you might want to use, can be any form of link code, effectively containing an <href= type tag. Here is a code format that works well, containing the actual link, the text to display, and a title. In this case, the category's field name is "Main_Category" Here is the code:
<p><ahref="http://www.yoursite.net/betty_mills/[WM-Field: Main_Category nolink].htm" title="[WM-Field: Main_Category nolink]">[WM-Field: Main_Category nolink]</a></p>
If the template were viewed in a browser, the link would look like this:
[WM-Field: Main_Category nolink]
After the page is built including all of the "Main_Category"links, the link (from the first record) would look like this displayed in a web browser. Hover your mouse over the link to see the title:
Let's say you were really curious (and you should be), so you decide to see what the code looks like after WM is done. You open the page source code in your favorite HTML editor, and look at the link:
<p><a href="http://www.yoursite.net/betty_mills/Cleaners.htm" title="Cleaners">Cleaners</a></p>
WebMerge has inserted all of the information to complete the links, so that when a visitor clicks on a link on the Main Category Page, they will go to the right place (next step in the hierarchy). Of course, there will likely be many links generated on that page, based on the number of different "Main_Category" field names there are. Again, all completed for you by WebMerge.
Settings File for step-two:
Once you are sure the Main Category Index page has been built properly, make your final file save for the first settings file. Use a logical name like "betty_mills_first," or "bm001" This is so you can easily identify it as the first settings file. Once this is completed, you can add it to the "Favorites" list so that it can easily be retrieved later. Remember WebMerge will automatically add the proper file name extension.
Now it is time to have Webmerge create the Category Index Pages, and detail pages (STEP TWO). Please name and save the second settings file now. Logical names (that match the first settings file name) might be "betty_mills_second", or "bm002"
TIP: Please see the required file matrix for files and categories required for the Three-Tier design...
NEXT PAGE - "Step Two"
NEXT SECTION - "Building a Four-Tier Web Site"