Files

In CMS Fiona, content is maintained by means of files. Just like files in the file system of a computer, files in Fiona have names and are organized hierarchically in a tree structure. Each file resides in a folder. After all, folders are files too. However, as a special feature, they can contain other files.

The base folder is the origin of the file tree and is the only file not contained in a folder (it has no parent).


When a folder is published, i. e. its contents are placed on the live server, all the files contained in it are published as well.

File Types

Next to folders, four other file types exist, document, image, ressource, and layout. The type of a file largely determines its purpose on your website; for example all images have the type image. The file type determines how a file is published, as a binary file (image, resource) or a text file (document, folder), for example.

In contrast to directories in a file system, folders can not only contain other files but also have content themselves. After they have been published, they often function as initial or index pages, allowing you to navigate to the subpages. Thus, their task is to structure content, not only in the editorial system but also on the live server. Files of the document type, on the other hand, do not have this function. They normally contain the actual textual content.

Files of the image type can contain imported images of any kind. The images can be stored in the CMS in the formats JPG, GIF, and PNG. Resources, on the other hand, can have any type of content. A file imported as a generic document is usually offered to the visitor of your website for downloading (such as PDF or ZIP files).

Layouts, finally, serve to give your website or parts of it a unified layout. They are not published but control the way in which the contents of documents and folders appear on the web pages. Look at the following illustration:

Layouts are the means by which a homogenous layout is given to your website.

File Creation Rules

Particular rules apply to the creation of files in the folder hierarchy. For example, to be able to create a file in a folder, you require the file creation permission for this particular folder. Furthermore, the file formats permitted in a folder might be restricted, meaning, for example, that it is not possible to create a Newsletter file in a Press Releases folder.

Mirror Files

From version 6.5, files of all types can be inserted as mirror files at different locations into the folder hierarchy to re-use their contents. When creating mirror files, the same rules as for original files apply.