Introduction to Sites

You can edit content on CloudCannon through Sites. Each Site is connected to a Branch in your Git Repository and you can connect multiple Sites to a single Branch. You can customize the appearance and function of each Site to create the editing experience best suited to your team.

Articles in this section provide information about the CloudCannon Configuration File and are useful for developers responsible for customizing CloudCannon.

In the Sites section of our Developer documentation, we cover:

• CloudCannon Configuration Files — Learn about the configuration file at the heart of your CloudCannon experience.
• Configuration Mode — Learn how to edit your Site configuration from any page and see it update in real time.
• Collections — Learn how to group related files and configure your Collection Browser
• Cards — Learn how to configure card previews in your Collection Browser
• Commit Messages — Learn how to configure how commit messages are generated when your team saves
• Backups — Learn how to create archives of your source files
• Flags — Learn how to fine-tune Site behavior with configuration options
• Template Strings — Learn how to use placeholders to create dynamic strings for paths, card previews, and commit messages

Let's briefly introduce a few of these topics.

CloudCannon Configuration Files#

The CloudCannon Configuration File allows you to define preferences and settings for your Site to customize its functionality and appearance. CloudCannon supports .yml (recommended), .yaml, and .json Configuration Files, and you can have one or several files depending on your desired workflow and permissions.

For a more in-depth explanation of the CloudCannon Configuration File, please read our documentation:

• What is the CloudCannon Configuration File?
• Create your CloudCannon configuration file
• Define a custom Configuration File path
• Why split your Configuration File?
• Defining the same key in multiple Configuration Files
• Best practice for splitting your Configuration File
• Split your Configuration File

Configuration Mode#

The Configuration Mode switch in the top right of your Site Header or Editing Interface Header toggles the visibility of Configuration Buttons in the app. You can use these to modify the configuration of specific elements and see your changes update the UI in real time.

For a more in-depth explanation of Configuration Mode, please read our documentation:

• What is Configuration Mode?
• Using the configuration cascade

Collections#

Your Collections are groups of related files with a similar format, such as product pages, blog posts, staff profiles, and more. You can access your Collections via the Site Navigation and configure your Collection Browser to help your team members find their files easily.

For a more in-depth explanation of Collections, please read our documentation:

• Configure your collections
• Set a default editing interface

Cards#

In your Collection Browser, each file is represented by a customizable File Card. You can configure how these Cards display information, including gallery images, titles, subtitles, and metadata, to help your team members visually differentiate between files.

For a more in-depth explanation of Cards, please read our documentation:

• Configure your card previews

Commit Messages#

When you or a team member saves changes in CloudCannon, those changes are committed to your Git Repository. Commit messages allow you to describe each change and provide a record for you and your team. You can configure commit message templates to maintain a consistent format across your team's edits.

For a more in-depth explanation of Commit Messages, please read our documentation:

• Configure your commit messages
• Configure an upstream commit message template

Backups#

CloudCannon can create archives of your Site source files at any point in time. Backups protect against unintentional deletions and give you a snapshot of your files as they were at a specific date and time.

For a more in-depth explanation of Backups, please read our documentation:

• Creating backups of your source files

Flags#

Flags are configuration options that control specific behaviors in CloudCannon. They allow you to fine-tune how your Site works, from input behavior to editing interface options.

For a more in-depth explanation of Flags, please read our documentation:

• What are Flags?

Template Strings#

Template strings are a mixture of literal text and dynamic placeholders that are replaced with data. You can use template strings when configuring create paths for new files, upload paths for assets, card previews in the Collection Browser, and commit messages. Placeholders reference front matter or fixed CloudCannon data to populate the string.

For a more in-depth explanation of template strings, please read our documentation:

• Configure your template strings