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.
Start an Article From a Document Profile
Once a profile is saved, start new Articles with it already selected: use Add Article using this Profile from the profile's row Action menu, its editor header, or its reader page, or With Document Profile… in the Add Article dropdown. The Article editor opens with the composite workspace ready to fill in. See Ways to Create an Article for every entry point and the profileId deep link.
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.