- This feature was sponsored by the Academic Senate.
- This feature is optional and available on request. If you would like to use it on your site, email web-platform@berkeley.edu.
About the Book Feature
The Book feature helps you create organized documentation, regulations, manuals, or other content that has a sequential or hierarchical structure. You can create multiple books, each with its own pages and structure. Each book has its own hierarchy ("table of contents"), separate from the main site menu.
Book pages are very similar to regular Content Pages, with some additional fields and configurations described below in the "Create a new book" section. The permissions setup is similar to other content types: contributors, editors, and builders can create, edit, delete, and add widgets to Book pages according to their standard permissions. See Add new users and modify roles for information about roles.
Book pages may also be tagged with sitewide Topics.
Basic book permissions
- Contributors can add new individual book pages (but not new books), edit their own book pages, and move individual pages around and between books.
- Editors can do all of the above, plus edit all book pages and create new books.
- Site Builders can do all of the above, plus customize book pages with widgets, add landing pages to a book, and use an outline to manage a book's hierarchy.
Create a new Book
Site builders and editors can create new books. To create a new book, start by creating a new Book Page. Using your admin menu, select Dashboard -> Content -> Add Book Page. Or go to your main dashboard page and select Book Page in the Create Content section. Or, use a Landing Page as the top-level page of your new Book - see the Landing Page option below.
Book Page fields
- Title: Required. The title of the Book or subpage. This will be used to set the book URL. The path to a book subpage uses the title of the top book page, not the full menu path, to generate its own path.
- Subtitle: This will appear in the title region of the book page, below the main title.
- Body: Required. The main content of the book page.
- Notes: Footnotes, endnotes, or other supplementary content related to the book page. This is a freeform text field with an editing toolbar.
To create footnote links from the body of the book page, use anchor links. If the footnotes are numeric, use a numbered list (and set the starting number, if needed, with the list properties button). Create the anchors for each item in the Notes field using the anchor button in the editing toolbar. Then add some appropriate text/number to be a footnote reference in the main body field, select it, and use the "Link to Content" button. In the Link URL field, enter the # sign followed by the text you set as the anchor.
Book Outline settings
The Book Outline section on the edit page contains configuration fields that determine where the page lives in the book hierarchy and how its links are displayed.
Override book title
If your book page has a long title, you may want to use the “Override book title” checkbox to specify a shorter title that will appear in Book navigation.
Check the checkbox and enter your desired title in the “Override title” field. This title will be used instead of the page title in Book navigation.
If you override the title of a top-level Book page, the overridden title will be used to create the first part of the menu path for subpages.
Book
Select "<create a new book>" to make this page the top page of a new book. Or, choose the title of an existing book. Contributors do not have the option to create new books, but they can add pages to existing books.
Parent item
If you chose an existing book, the "Parent item" select list will appear. Choose one of the existing book pages to be the parent of this new page in the book structure. Site builders can also use a book outline to rearrange these relationships. See Organize and customize Book Pages.
There is a limit of 9 levels of depth (including the topmost level) for any book. If choosing a particular parent item would cause you to exceed this limit, that option will not be available.
Weight
If you chose an existing book, the “Weight” select list will appear. Choose a setting in the Weight field to place the book higher or lower relative to other pages at the same level as the new page. Site builders can also use a book outline to drag and drop pages to set their weight. See Organize and customize Book Pages.
Remove a page from a Book
If you would like to remove a page from a book, choose the "Remove from Book Outline" option at the bottom when editing the book page. Removing a page from a book will not unpublish a page, it will simply remove it from the book outline. Important Note: Any book pages that have child pages cannot be removed from the book outline. If you would like to remove a parent book page from the book, you will need to re-assign the child items first.
URL path settings section
By default, the paths (URLs) for book pages follow the pattern “book-title/page-title.” The path does not include the full depth of the book structure. If you have overridden the title of a top-level Book page, the overridden title will be used to create the first part of the menu path for sub-pages.
To change the path of a book page, follow the instructions at URL Aliases.
Revisions section and Authoring information section
These sections work the same way as for Content Pages. See Revisions and Manage Content for more information.
Publish the page
Click Publish to save and publish the book page. Important note: Top-level pages must be published immediately and cannot be unpublished without disrupting the hierarchy of the book. Unpublished pages cannot serve as top-level pages, and will not appear in the dropdown menus for book and parent item.
Unpublished pages can be added to books, but they cannot have any child pages (sub-pages) until they are published. If you unpublish a book page that has child pages, it will disrupt the hierarchy of the book.
Landing Page option for top-level Book Pages
Site builders can create a Landing Page instead of a Book Page, and then in the Book Outline section of the Landing Page you can create a new book. Follow the instructions in the Book Outline settings section. Initially, a new Landing Page will not have any widgets on it. We recommend using the Book Table of Contents widget on Landing Pages that are top-level book pages. You may also customize the page as usual, such as with Hero and other widgets.
You can also use a Book Page as the top level of your new book. If you do so, we recommend removing the default book menu tree from the sidebar, and adding a Book Table of Contents widget to the main content region. If there’s nothing else that you want to put in the sidebar, change the layout to Boxton or another layout that has a full-width region.