Episerver (Optimizely) 8: First Release Since Ektron Merger
In February 2015, Episerver (Optimizely) released the latest CMS update, version 8. This was the first release since Episerver (Optimizely)’s merger with Ektron.
In this blog, I will discuss how to use Projects, one of the new features introduced in the version 8 CMS update.
New Feature: Projects
Content Editors and Authors typically prefer to publish sets of changes together. For example, a content page may have several components like page content, images, blocks, etc. An update process for one page maybe related to or dependent on other pages or blocks.
Episerver (Optimizely) created a new feature “Projects” in order to facilitate and control the process of publishing several components together to save time and avoid confusion during the publishing process.
How To: Using Projects
To use the Projects feature, follow the steps below. First you must acquire the necessary access information and log in, then:
1. Click the Settings icon
2. Click the Projects Gadget
3. Choose the items you want to manage in your project
- Create name of project
- Drag and drop pages, blocks, etc. to the body of the project
Note: You can sort the project items, rename or delete easily. Also, you can add or remove other components as needed without restrictions and once you have all the projects’ components ready, you can publish all of the projects with one click.
Utilizing Projects
I have created an example to illustrate how Episerver (Optimizely)’s Projects feature can be utilized.
User: A large hotel that owns several properties worldwide.
Challenges: Managing content and its translations into several languages is a bit tricky, time consuming and also very difficult for a central department to handle.
The hotel’s properties are (A), (B) and (C). Currently all the content authoring and related translations are managed by the Content Department. Each of the three hotel properties have multiple departments: Rooms, Restaurants, Entertainment, and Family Activities.
Some of the features Projects will allow the hotel to do, per project, include:
- Create new projects
- Add departments
- Assign managers
- Create necessary workflows to manage translation and authoring scenarios
Once project items are ready, the hotel can publish individual projects without affecting other projects. Furthermore, for managing maintenance and translated content in a global environment, having an organized structure where you can oversee all of your projects allows you to preserve the consistency of the content.
GPI Connector: Upgraded for Version 8
Episerver (Optimizely) has introduced some technical changes related to the “Language Selectors.” As a result, Globalization Partners International (GPI), a certified Episerver (Optimizely) Solution Partner, has upgraded their Episerver (Optimizely) Translation Service Connector to work with the newest features of version 8.
The upgrade was done in order to adhere to the latest technical changes and to provide the same enterprise solution for users of Episerver (Optimizely)-based websites to launch and manage multi-language websites, while streamlining content exports and reimports for web content translation workflows with a single click.
