OpenCities content types – OpenCities

Websites are made up of pages, many of which have different purposes and needs. OpenCities uses modules to denote the kind of content you're creating, and each module has at least one content type associated with it. Every page in an OpenCities site has a content type, to meet the needs of that page, and many content types also have various templates. For example, to create an event, you would use the Events module and create a page with the content type OC Event to show times, dates, locations, and other important event details.

Template of a page with the content type event showing

What does the OC prefix mean?

OC stands for OpenCities. All it means is that the content types are owned by OpenCities. OC content types are locked, so you can't edit them. OC is a reserved prefix, so you can't create any content types that start with OC.

Choosing a content type

You choose the content type for a page when you create it. To do this:

Right-click on an existing page in the site tree where you want to create the new page. The page you click on will be the parent page of the new page.
Select Create Page.
A menu showing the content types available will appear. Select the content type you want from this list, or type it into the search bar.
Click on the content type you have selected to create a page with this content type.

The content types you can use depend on the modules you have installed on your site. Visit Install and manage your modules to find out how to add modules.

You can also create a page through the Dashboard. Under the My Shortcuts menu, there is a list of the content types assigned to your shortcuts. To create a page from here, hover your cursor over the content type icon you want and select Create. You can manage your shortcuts, including where the page will be created, in the Shortcuts tab of your Site Management settings.

The create page options under the My Shortcuts menu on the Dashboard

Which content type should I choose?

There are many content types to choose from, each with its own specific purpose created to meet the needs of your city or council. Many content types also have various templates to determine how the content will display. Although they are all created for a purpose, there are some content types that have been created for more navigational or thematic needs. Below are lists of all the content types that OpenCities has provided, divided into:

Purpose-driven content types
Navigation-driven content types
Theme-driven content types

Below you will find a brief explanation of all the OpenCities content types, however many content authors will only need details about some of your more popular content types. Here's a list of the most frequently used pages:

Purpose-driven content types

There are many content types that we have designed for a specific purpose. Some of the most common – OC Event, OC News Article, OC Elected Officials, etc – have been designed to mirror the needs of a government website. Each of the following content types has been created to clearly and efficiently give your community the information they require from your website.

Content type:	Description:	Use to:
OC Accommodation ATDW module - premium	Present accommodation located within your city or council, synced from your ATDW account.	Highlight accommodation, including images, costs, location information, and contact details.
OC Announcement Announcements module	Create a banner announcement that is visible across your site, either at the top or the bottom of the window.	Communicate important information to your community, such as: Emergencies Disruptions Policies
OC Bids and Tenders Bids & Tenders module	Publicize open and awarded bids and tenders in your city or council.	Display open bids and tenders Display closed bids and tender
OC Blog Community Engagement module – premium	Post detailed updates about a consultation project.	Create complete articles to show under the Latest Updates of a consultation page
OC Business Local Directory module – premium	Create entries for businesses on your Local Directory.	Present the details of local businesses for your Local Directory.
OC Consultation Community Engagement module – premium	Create a page where your community can view and comment on upcoming projects	Present upcoming projects to your community Gives your community a space to learn about and comment on consultations.
OC Consultation Timeline Community Engagement module – premium	Create timeline entries for consultations	Enters and displays timeline information, to be viewed on a consultation page
OC Department Departments module	Present all the information and details about your city or council departments.	Provide an overview of your departments, including what they do. Present the important details about your departments, including contact details, hours, and location details.
OC Development Application Development Applications module	Shows the details of proposals for developments in the area	Provide an overview of development applications, including the location and status of the application.
OC Directory Local Directory module – premium	Create entries for community groups and organizations on your Local Directory.	Present the details of local community groups and organizations for your Local Directory.
OC Discussion Community Engagement module – premium	Gives your community a place to comment on ongoing consultations.	Create discussion items, which your community can use to comment on an ongoing consultation.
OC Document Document Libraries module	Create document entries for a document library.	Create one page which lists all documents relevant to one topic
OC Elected Official Elected Officials module	Present the profiles of the elected officials in your city or council.	Present the details of your elected officials, including names, photos, bios, contact details, social media links and any important platforms or initiatives they undertake.
OC EngagementHQ Project EngagementHQ connector	Presents projects from your EngagementHQ on your OpenCities site.	Displays synced project information and links back to your EngagementHQ site.
OC Event Events module	Present the events happening in your city or council.	Show detailed event pages, including dates, times, locations and descriptions. Allow your community to add events to their calendars
OC Event Location Events module	Present multiple times, dates and locations for your existing events.	Show times and locations for events such that reading groups or workshops, which occur in multiple places.
OC General General pages module	Useful for displaying information that does not fit with any other content types.	Create pages that do not conform to a more specific content type, such as pages for: Hosting embedded content like forms or maps Creating contact pages Creating error pages Informational pages Pages for legalities such as disclaimers or policies Pages that can be linked from announcements Text-heavy pages which need to be split into sections
OC Glossary Homepage module	Provide the definition for specific terms, policies, or jargon.	Create a glossary link for specific terms, which appear when a user hovers their cursor over the word.
OC Image Gallery Image Galleries module	Create a gallery of captioned images.	Organize and show a grid of images, which can show captions and expand into a slideshow format. Embed the gallery into another page, or show it on its own.
OC Initiative Initiatives module	Show objectives and priorities of your city or council.	Provide detailed explanations of city or council initiatives, such as priorities around health, the environment, transport, innovation, the arts or hospitality.
OC Job Jobs module	Advertize any job vacancies in your city or council.	Provide the specifics on advertized job vacancies, including position title and explanation, remuneration packages, application links and closing dates.
OC Location Maps module	Create map entries for items that need to be mapped, but do not require a whole page of content.	Provide locations that can be added to maps. Some examples include: Waste collection or recycling centers Road closures Defibrillator locations, or other medical necessities.
OC Lost Animal Lost Animals module	Create entries for a lost animal listing page.	Provide details of lost animals, such as name, breed, reference number, color, where it was found and an image. Note: Present entries on the listing page, but individual entries cannot be viewed on their own page.
OC Meeting Minutes & Agendas module	Create and present meetings to your community.	Provide meeting details such as times, locations, minutes and agendas. Allow your community to add meetings to their calendars.
OC Meeting Document Minutes & Agendas module	Upload your meeting documentation, including minutes and agendas.	Add single or multiple minutes and agendas documents to your meeting entries
OC Message Message Board module – Intranets only	Post messages on your Intranet message board.	Create messages to your staff on your Intranet message board. Include details such as the title, category, message content, supporting links or documents and an image.
OC News Article News module	Create news articles about your city or council.	Publish news articles to your news listing or homepage
OC Park Parks module	Provide comprehensive information about the parks in your city or council.	Showcase the attributes and details of your parks, such as location, specific features, contact details and images.
OC Project Works & Projects module	Display upcoming and ongoing works and projects in your city or council.	Provide detailed explanations for each project your city or council is undergoing. Include details such as a project name and image, project type, closing date, value, schedule, location and contact details.
OC Public Notice Public Notices module	Present current and past city or council communications that are legally required to be made.	Publish detailed public notices to your site, including communications that, legally, have to be made.
OC Resource Initiatives module	Displays important additional information about ongoing initiatives.	Provide supplemental information for initiatives, such as reports, plans or related links and documents.
OC Rotating Banner Rotating Banners module	Create a slideshow banner to highlight visual content.	Display slideshows on pages or on your homepage. Highlight images for events, facilities or other pages on your site.
OC Service Services module	Present the various ways your community can learn about and apply for different services your city or council offers.	Make completely tasks easier for your community. Provide a step-by-step process for services. Display all the methods you can use to complete a service, such as online, in person, by mail or phone.
OC Tourist Attraction ATDW module - premium	Present attractions located within your city or council, synced from your ATDW account.	Highlight tourist attractions, including images, costs, location information, and contact details.
OC Tourist Service ATDW module - premium	Present different options for your OC Accommodation and OC Tourist Attraction pages. These pages are synced from your ATDW account.	Highlight differing options and services as accordions within your accommodation and attraction pages. This content type is often used to showcase options such as room types or different tours.
OC Venue Venues module	Provide comprehensive information about the venues in your city or council.	Showcase the attributes and details of your venues, such as location, specific features, suitabilities, contact details and images.

Navigation-driven content types

Some content types were designed to allow you to create pathways or landing places throughout your site, to make finding content easier for your community. Some others have been designed to assist with organization within your site tree.

Content type:	Description:	Use for:
OC A-Z Item A-Z Directory module	List popular pages in an alphabetical order	Create entries for multiple search terms in an A-Z list Create an alphabetical index for your most popular pages
OC Folder	Group types of pages together, to keep your site tree organized	Organize content in your site tree by placing pages into labeled folders. Some examples are: Announcements Slides Tabs Image galleries
OC Landing Page Landing Pages module	Separate sections of your website and provide links to child pages in that section.	Show a list of its child pages, so your site visitors can quickly find what they’re looking for. Organize and separate your site into sections.
OC Meeting Folder Minutes & Agendas module	Groups and presents multiple meeting documents together	Present multiple meeting documents when your minutes or agendas are spread over several documents
OC Module Interface	A listing page for a content type. There are many templates which you can apply to it.	List a content type with its respective template. There are many to choose from, examples include: Events listings Parks listings Service listings Elected Officials listings See the full list of templates.
OC Redirect Page Redirect pages module	Create links in your navigation and menus to other pages on your site or an external site	Link to internal or external web pages. Create links in your landing pages, navigation menus and search results.
OC Top Tasks Homepage module	Create links to the most popular pages or most frequently used services.	Insert links to the most used services into your homepage and navigation. Allow your community to find services and pages easily.
OC Top Tasks Folder Homepage module	Add Top Tasks to your mega menus for top-level pages.	Create folders for your top tasks to add them to your navigation menus. Allow your community to navigate to the most frequently used pages from anywhere on the site.

Theme-driven content types

Lastly, there are content types designed to assist with the thematic changes that can be made within your site tree.

Content type:	Description:	Use for:
OC Featured Background Homepage and section background	Add a specific image to your site's background.	Specify the background image of your homepage. Specify the background image of a section of your site. Rotate your background between several different images
OC Featured Content Homepage module	Highlight important pages on your homepage. Featured content can be linked internally or externally.	Showcase and link to important content on your homepage, such as: Elected officials Local Directories Subsites Consultations
OC Footer Link Site footer	Create links to important pages that appear in your site's footer on every page.	Create links to appear in your footer widgets, such as: Social media links Site translation links Newsletter subscription Link to information that legally needs to be on your site and which needs to appear on every page in your Sub Footer, such as: Terms and conditions A privacy policy A site map
OC Footer Widget Site footer	Display information and links in your site footer.	Show information in your site footer, which will appear on every page. Examples include: Contact information Social media links Other city or council sites
OC Profile Staff Directory module – Intranets only	The content type used for the homepage	Create the homepage of your site.
OC Slide Rotating Banners module	Add images to your rotating banners.	Add slides to your homepage rotating banner Add slides to your page-level rotating banner
OC Tab Widget Homepage module	Create an extra tab for your homepage.	Highlight content in tabs on your homepage, such as: Consultations Works and projects Events News

What else?

Resources