Document Profiles
New 7.11
Enforce the same section layout across every Article that needs it. A Document Profile is a reusable document structure — an ordered list of Parts — that Articles adopt, so every technical article, runbook, or design document in a category shares the same skeleton instead of drifting apart one edit at a time.
- ✅ Define an ordered structure once, reuse it across unlimited Articles
- ✅ Mix fixed, shared sections with sections each Article fills in itself
- ✅ Guarantee every Article using the profile has exactly one Main Body
- ✅ Start from seeded, ready-to-copy examples instead of a blank designer
Understanding Document Profiles
A Document Profile is an ordered list of Parts. Each Part is one of two kinds:
A Document Profile with three ordered Parts: a Snippet Part showing a standard header, a Content Part marked as the Main Body, and a Snippet Part showing a standard footer.
| Concept | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Part | One section slot in a Document Profile, placed in order |
| Snippet Part | A fixed, read-only section filled from a chosen Snippet |
| Content Part | An editable section that each Article fills with its own text |
| Main Body | Exactly one Content Part, marked with a radio button, as the Article's own main text |
Designer Rules
The Document Profile cannot be saved while any of these is broken:
| Designer Rule | What it prevents |
|---|---|
| Two Content Parts may not sit next to each other | Two open-ended editable sections running together with nothing separating them |
| Every Snippet Part must reference a Snippet | An empty, unresolvable section shipping to every Article that adopts the profile |
| A profile with any Content Part must have exactly one Main Body | An Article with editable sections but no designated main text |
Building a Document Profile
- Open the Document Profile designer — create a new Document Profile, or edit an existing one
- Add Parts in the order they should appear: a Snippet Part (choose the Snippet it shows, with a preview) or a Content Part (an editable section with a name)
- Reorder Parts by drag and drop, or remove a Part you no longer need
- Mark exactly one Content Part as the Main Body with its radio button — the first Content Part added takes the mark by default; if that Part is later removed, the mark moves automatically to another Content Part
- Save — the designer refuses the save until every rule above is satisfied
Example of the Document Profile designer with Snippet Parts, a Content Part marked as Main Body, and drag handles for reordering.
Example of choosing a Snippet for a Snippet Part, with a preview of its content.
Profile Changes Are Live
When a Document Profile is edited, every Article using it shows the new structure immediately — the Articles themselves are never edited, only how they're composed for display changes.
Seeded Examples
Nodinite installs a complete worked example with the database, ready to copy or study:
- Five seeded Snippets: Standard Header, Standard Footer, Standard Copyright, Standard Next Step Section, and Standard Related Topics Section
- A Standard Technical Article Document Profile, built from Snippet Parts referencing those Snippets around a Main Body Content Part
- A Standard Technical Base Template that creates new Articles already using that Document Profile
Example of the seeded Standard Technical Article Document Profile.
Delete and Restore
Deleting a Document Profile hides its sections; restoring the Document Profile brings them back. A section an Article had already removed or discarded before the delete stays removed after a restore.