Content

Content is a visual CMS for your sails-content powered applications. Edit markdown files, manage frontmatter, and deploy changes—all from the Slipway dashboard.

What is Content?

Content provides a web-based interface for managing your sails-content files:

• Browse collections - Navigate your content directory structure
• Edit markdown - Visual editor with live preview
• Manage frontmatter - Edit metadata fields directly
• One-click deploy - Save changes and trigger a deploy

No need to push to git for simple content updates.

Requirements

Content is available when your app uses sails-content:

npm install sails-content

Slipway automatically detects sails-content during deployment and enables the Content feature.

Accessing Content

Via Dashboard

1. Go to your project in Slipway
2. Select an environment
3. Click the Content icon (document icon with violet color)
4. Browse your collections

Via Direct URL

https://your-slipway-instance.com/projects/myapp/content

Or with a specific environment:

https://your-slipway-instance.com/projects/myapp/environments/staging/content

Content Structure

Content follows the standard sails-content directory structure:

content/
├── blog/
│   ├── hello-world.md
│   ├── getting-started.md
│   └── advanced-features.md
├── docs/
│   ├── introduction.md
│   ├── installation.md
│   └── api-reference.md
└── pages/
    ├── about.md
    └── contact.md

Each subdirectory becomes a collection in the Content Manager.

Collections

Viewing Collections

The Content Manager lists all collections with:

• Collection name
• Number of files
• Individual file listings

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Content Manager                               sails-content     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                 │
│ 📁 blog                                    3 files        [+]   │
│ ├── hello-world                                                 │
│ ├── getting-started                                             │
│ └── advanced-features                                           │
│                                                                 │
│ 📁 docs                                    3 files        [+]   │
│ ├── introduction                                                │
│ ├── installation                                                │
│ └── api-reference                                               │
│                                                                 │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Creating New Content

1. Click the + button next to a collection
2. Enter a slug (becomes the filename)
3. Optionally add a title
4. Click Create

The new file is created with basic frontmatter:

---
title: My New Post
createdAt: 2024-01-20T10:30:00.000Z
---

# My New Post

Start writing your content here.

Editor

Split View

The default editor shows a split view:

• Left: Edit panel with frontmatter and markdown body
• Right: Live preview of rendered content

Editor Modes

Toggle between modes using the toolbar:

Mode	Description
Edit	Full-width editor, no preview
Split	Side-by-side editor and preview
Preview	Full-width preview only

Raw Mode

Click the code icon to toggle raw mode:

• Edit the complete file including YAML frontmatter
• Useful for complex frontmatter or troubleshooting

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Cmd/Ctrl + S	Save without deploying

Frontmatter

Editing Frontmatter

The editor displays frontmatter fields as form inputs:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ FRONTMATTER                                                     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ title      │ Getting Started with Sails                       │ │
│ author     │ John Doe                                          │ │
│ date       │ 2024-01-20                                        │ │
│ tags       │ ["sails", "nodejs", "tutorial"]                   │ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Supported Types

Frontmatter values are preserved as their original types:

• Strings: Regular text input
• Numbers: Preserved as numbers
• Booleans: true/false values
• Arrays: JSON arrays
• Objects: JSON objects

Saving and Deploying

Save Only

Click Save to write changes to the file without deploying:

• Changes are saved to disk immediately
• The running app won't see changes (SSG mode)
• Use this when making multiple edits

Save & Deploy

Click Save & Deploy to:

1. Save the file
2. Trigger a new deployment
3. Redirect to the deployment page

SSG Mode

sails-content uses Static Site Generation (SSG). Content is compiled at build time, so changes require a redeploy to take effect.

Deleting Content

1. Open the content file in the editor
2. Click the trash icon in the toolbar
3. Confirm the deletion

WARNING

Deleting content removes the file permanently. Consider saving a backup before deleting important content.

File Types

Content supports both Markdown and JSON files:

Markdown Files (.md)

Standard markdown with YAML frontmatter:

---
title: Hello World
author: Jane Doe
publishedAt: 2024-01-20
---

# Hello World

This is the body content in **markdown**.

JSON Files (.json)

Structured data without a markdown body:

{
  "title": "Site Configuration",
  "navigation": [
    { "label": "Home", "url": "/" },
    { "label": "About", "url": "/about" }
  ]
}

API Endpoints

Content provides REST API endpoints for programmatic access:

List Collections

GET /api/v1/projects/:projectSlug/content/collections

Get Content

GET /api/v1/projects/:projectSlug/content/:collection/:file

Create Content

POST /api/v1/projects/:projectSlug/content/:collection

{
  "slug": "my-new-post",
  "title": "My New Post",
  "body": "Initial content..."
}

Update Content

PUT /api/v1/projects/:projectSlug/content/:collection/:file

{
  "frontmatter": { "title": "Updated Title" },
  "body": "Updated content...",
  "deploy": true
}

Delete Content

DELETE /api/v1/projects/:projectSlug/content/:collection/:file

Best Practices

1. Use Meaningful Slugs

Slugs become URLs, so use descriptive, URL-friendly names:

# Good
getting-started-with-sails
api-authentication-guide

# Avoid
post-1
untitled-2024-01-20

2. Consistent Frontmatter

Use consistent frontmatter fields across collections:

---
title: Post Title
description: Brief description for SEO
author: Author Name
publishedAt: 2024-01-20
tags: ['tag1', 'tag2']
---

3. Preview Before Deploying

Use the preview mode to check rendering before deploying.

4. Batch Edits Together

When making multiple edits, save without deploying, then deploy once at the end.

Troubleshooting

Content Not Appearing

If the Content feature isn't showing:

1. Verify sails-content is in your package.json
2. Deploy your app (detection happens during deployment)
3. Check the environment page for the content icon

Changes Not Visible

Remember that sails-content uses SSG:

1. Save your changes
2. Click "Save & Deploy"
3. Wait for the deployment to complete
4. Your changes are now live

Frontmatter Parse Errors

If frontmatter isn't parsing correctly:

1. Switch to raw mode
2. Check YAML syntax (proper indentation, colons, quotes)
3. Validate complex values are proper JSON/YAML

What's Next?

• Learn about sails-content for setting up content in your app
• Use Helm for database queries
• Set up Auto-Deploy for git-based deployments