Managing Template Rules

28.1 About Template Rules

A rule is a set of instructions that drive the conversion process in Dynamic Converter. These instructions identify source documents in the Content Server and then determine whether or not these documents should be converted based on their metadata (content ID, type, author, and so on) and file type. The rule then requests that the document be converted using the template associated with the rule (for more on templates, see Managing Conversion Templates). You can have more than one rule in Dynamic Converter. If this is the case, the first rule to match the source document's metadata is used for dynamic conversion. Depending on the system configuration, other matching rules may also be applied.

The Template Selection Rules page allows you to add, remove, and reorganize rules; specify the criteria (metadata) to base a rule on; and assign a template (or templates) to the rule.

A number of features have come together to form the Template Selection Rules page. You can add multiple rules and then change the order in which those rules will apply to source documents. You can select a number of metadata fields to base a rule on (and add even more fields using the configuration page). Lastly, you can assign a template (or templates) to the rule and then edit those templates using the Edit Template button.

28.2 Managing Your Template Rules

The top section of the Template Selection Rules page enables you to manage the template rules.

28.2.1 Adding a Rule

To add a new template rule:

Open the Dynamic Converter Admin page.
Click Template Selection Rules.
On the Template Selection Rules page, type a name for your rule in the New rule name text box (under the Template Selection Rules heading).
Click Add New Rule.

When your rule is highlighted, you will notice that the criteria and template fields for the rule are blank. You can start entering the metadata criteria and template for this rule right away.
Click Update at the bottom of the Template Selection Rules page.

28.2.2 Deleting a Rule

To delete a template rule from the Template Selection Rules list:

Open the Dynamic Converter Admin page.
Click Template Selection Rules.
On the Template Selection Rules page, highlight the rule to be deleted and click Delete Rule.
Click Update at the bottom of the Template Selection Rules page.

Note:

Deleting a rule will remove all of the settings (metadata criteria and template) for that rule. You cannot undo this operation.

28.2.3 Reordering the Rules

To change the order in which your template rules are processed:

Open the Dynamic Converter Admin page.
Click Template Selection Rules.
On the Template Selection Rules page, do either of the following:
- To move a rule up the list, where it is prioritized over other rules, highlight the rule and click Move Up. Then click Update.
- To move a rule down the list, where it will receive a lower priority, highlight the rule and click Move Down. Then click Update.

28.3 Assigning Metadata Criteria to a Rule

When assigning conversion templates to content items, you need to make sure that the metadata specified here matches the metadata assigned to your source documents. You can verify this by opening the content information page for your source documents in the Content Server.

To assign metadata to a template selection rule:

Open the Dynamic Converter Admin page.
Click Template Selection Rules.
On the Template Selection Rules page, choose a metadata field from the first Field list (under the "Criteria for selected rule" heading). You may choose Type, Author, Title, Content ID, Title, or a number of other fields.
In the Value text box, enter the metadata that you would like your rule to target.

You can select the metadata value from the menu to the right of the Value text box. You can also use wildcards to specify a metadata value.
You have the option to choose a second and third metadata field for your rule.

There will always be an "AND" relationship between the metadata fields, which means that only those content items that meet all criteria are converted by this rule.

The maximum number of criteria that you can specify for each rule is controlled by a setting on the Dynamic Converter Configuration Page.
Click Update on the bottom of the Template Selection Rules page to update your rule.

28.4 Choosing a Template for a Rule

Your template selection rule is not complete until you choose a template for the rule. The template will ultimately drive the appearance of your converted documents.

To assign a template to a rule:

Open the Dynamic Converter Admin page.
Click Template Selection Rules.
On the Template Selection Rules page, enter the content ID for the template in the Template text box (under the "Template and layout for selected rule" heading).

You can select a type of template (HTML Conversion, Classic HTML Conversion, or Script) from the Template Types menu, and then you can select your template from the Available Templates menu.
If you chose a Classic HTML Conversion template in the previous step, you may want to complement it with a layout template. If so, enter the content ID for the layout template in the Layout text box (again, you may select the layout template from the Available Layouts menu).
Click Update to add the template to your rule.

Once you have created a template selection rule, assigned the appropriate metadata criteria to it, and selected a template (or templates) for the rule, you should verify your configuration settings on the Dynamic Converter Configuration page. In particular, make sure that you have added the necessary file types to the Conversion Formats list.

For more information, see Managing Conversion Templates.