Navigating SDL Web

Owned by Zachary Restifo
Last updated: Mar 19, 2021
4 min read

Understanding SDL Tridion's main navigation areas will help clarify how using SDL Tridion is different than browsing other sites you typically view on the internet.

What You Will Learn

  • How to work within SDL Web's top navigation and ribbon.

  • What each of the tabs allow you to do.

 

Table of Contents

 

Home Tab

This is how the Home tab appears when you have not opened and entered a folder, component, or page.

 

The following are some important options in the Home tab (highlighted in yellow above):

  • Open: The Open button opens the currently selected folder, structure group, page or content item.

    • You can also double-click items in the development pane to open them.

  • Where Used: Displays which components and/or pages use the selected item.

    • You can also use Where Used to see which server(s) a page is published to.

  • Properties: This button is used to edit component folders and structure groups, which normally would display their contents when double-clicked.

  • Delete: Deletes a selected item.

    • Pages cannot be deleted if they are published.

    • Components cannot be deleted if they are used on any page.

    • Deleting items is generally discouraged since they cannot be recovered..

  • History: Displays the version history for a component or page.

    • A new version is created whenever a component or page is edited and saved.

  • Check-in, Check-out: Checking out an item restricts others from using it.

    • Items are automatically checked-out when opened and checked-in when saved.

  • Publish/Unpublish: Publishing a page will add or update it on a website. Unpublishing will remove a page from the web completely.

    • You can publish to a preview/staging server or a live server.

  • Publishing Queue: Allows you to check the status of published/unpublished items.

 

Once you have entered a page or component, your home tab is where you go to Save & Close your changes (highlighted in green).

 

Create Tab

The Create tab will list different items depending on whether the currently selected area in the Development Page is within the Building Blocks or Structure Group/Root Folders.

In the Building Blocks Folder

This is how the Create tab looks inside of your Building Blocks folder (highlighted in yellow). You have the options of creating a new component or new folder to save components.

 

The options under the Create tab when you are in your Building Blocks folder (highlighted in yellow above) are as follows:

  • New Component: Opens a window to create a new component.

    • After opening the submenu (bottom half of the button), click New Component again for a standard component or New Multimedia Component for images, videos, documents, etc.

  • New Bundle: Opens a window to create a new component bundle.

  • New Folder: Opens a window to create a new component folder.

  • New Virtual Folder: Virtual folders are generally not used.

For more information about Components in Tridion, see these instructions:

Components

 

In the Structure Group/Root Folder

Inside of your Root Folder, you have the option of creating a new structure group or page. (highlighted in green above).

 

The options under the Create tab when you are in your Root folder (highlighted in green above) are as follows:

  • New Page: Opens a window to create a new page.

  • New Structure Group: Opens a window to create a new structure group (pink folder).

For more information about Pages or Structure Groups, see these instructions:

Pages

Structure Groups

 

Other Tabs

There are other tabs in the SDL Web tool ribbon, but they contain administrator functions which are not necessary for normal website edits.

 

"Browsing" through SDL Web

To go from one item in your development pane to another, Save & Close your item and then look in the publications pane on the left side to locate what you need next (highlighted in green). DO NOT use the forward, backward, or reload buttons in SDL Web (highlighted in red).

 

As SDL Web is like not a typical "website," you cannot scroll or browse through SDL Web the way you would with another website.

  • To get from one item to another, whether this be a component, page, or structure group, you must do so through the left column on the Publications Pane (highlighted above in green) or when in the Development Pane after selecting a publication.

  • You can expand and collapse folders in the Publication Pane to find specific folders, but individual components and pages will only display in the Development Pane.

Do not click any of your browser's buttons (forward, backward, refresh/reload) while you are viewing a tab/window with SDL Web open (highlighted above in red), as this can cause you to lose your place in Tridion and possibly lose unsaved work.