Complex Schemas

Content Manager makes the following distinction between Simple Schemas and Complex Schemas.

  • Simple Schema — a Schema that you can create in the Content Manager Explorer that allows you to select and set parameters on predefined field types. Simple Schemas have some limitations, such as the types of data fields and the structural complexity of the Schema.
  • Complex Schema — any W3C-compliant Schema. To edit these Schemas, content authors must edit the content in XML. Complex Schemas define parameters that are beyond the capabilities of the Content Manager Explorer form editor. Complex Schemas can be created in XML:
    • in the Source tab of a Schema within Content Manager Explorer
    • using an external editor and saving to Content Manager using WebDAV
    • using an external editor and copy-pasting or uploading the Schema content.

Complex Schemas and Category list fields

A list field allows users to choose one or more values from a list, for example from a list of Keyword values defined in a Category. The following procedure describes how to specify that the value of a field is a Keyword in a Category (in a Complex Schema):

  1. Open your Complex Schema in a XML editor.
  2. Declare the category namespace in <xsd:schema> element:
    xmlns="uuid:060707F2-C33E-4458-955F-432F09AA43B4" xmlns:category="tcm:0-29-1/Categories.xsd"
  3. Import the categories namespace:
    <xsd:import namespace="tcm:0-29-1/Categories.xsd"/>
  4. Define a xsd:element that uses the Category, for example:
    <xsd:element name="NewField" minOccurs="1" maxOccurs="1" type="category:Writers">

    where Writers in type="category:Writers" is the Category XML name.

  5. Save the file.