Scalable Schema Fields

Content Management Systems often let you define authored fields as well as how they present to content authors.

For example, SDL Tridion allows number, date, and text fields as schema (content definition) field options. Text fields can present as:

• drop down list
• select box
• radio button
• check boxes
• tree (may not be as familiar as the others--use it to offer keyword selection organized into subcategories)

After four SDL Tridion functional projects in as many quarters, I wanted to make a tl;dr multi-post on schema and template design. In the meantime, here's three practical schema design tips "from the field."

Consider Keywords instead of Separate Schema Fields

Though you can definitely use "True/False" or "Yes/No" keyword options via a "Boolean Category," consider check boxes driven by a Category for future flexibility.

Instead of:

External Search:
[ ] True
[ ] False

Internal Search:
[ ] True
[ ] False

See if a single field of options make sense:

Search options:
[ ] External
[ ] Internal

This allows you to:

• simplify entry and consolidate template code with fewer fields
• add new functionality with a keyword change rather than a new schema field

Some catches:

• you can't have more than one default option (without an extension), though you could change the wording to make the unchecked option the default update: content types let you create whatever default selections you need
• you still need template logic to handle the various options