Area
An area is a placeholder in a page where contributors add and edit content items. It lets a web team give contributors freedom to compose their pages without the risk of breaking the design. The page structure is set by the template, the page layout model. Areas are where that structure opens up to contribution.
Definition and how it works
Areas are defined by developers in the template code or in the template itself. A page can have several, each identified by a name (main content, sidebar, footer). When a contributor drops content into one of them, Jahia stores it under the page, in a list named after that placeholder. The template therefore knows where to find each content item when it renders the page.
Templates inherit from one another. A child template takes on the structure and placeholders of its parent. Developers can also set restrictions on each placeholder, for instance on the accepted content type, so that each one keeps to its purpose.
Academy documentation: Jahia concepts and definitions
Related terms: Template · Absolute Area · Component · Content item · Content Type
Resources that cover this term
Area vs template: the differences
An area is easiest to understand when placed between the template (which sets the frame) and the component (what the contributor drops into it). The absolute area is a variant of it.
| Term | Relationship to the placeholder |
|---|---|
| Template | The template defines the full layout, its non-editable elements and where the parts open to contribution sit. |
| Absolute area | A variant, also placed in the template. Instead of reading its content from the page being displayed, it reads it from an ancestor page, to share it across a branch of the site. |
| Component | A component is what the contributor drops in: a content item paired with a view, the code that displays it on the page. The area is the container and the component is what gets displayed. |
Area in practice
A product page template provides three contribution slots (a banner at the top, a main section for the description and key arguments plus a sidebar for downloadable documents). Product marketing composes each page freely in these three spaces, while the header, navigation and footer stay identical across the site.
When scoping a project, the list of areas per template is a shared decision. Too few placeholders constrain teams. Too many unrestricted ones let visual consistency drift.
Frequently asked questions
What should a team do when no area fits its needs?
The answer is to have the template evolve. Contributors do not create placeholders. Developers provide them in templates. Contributors work within the existing ones and the restrictions set on them. A placeholder that keeps being requested is therefore a topic for the integrator, the team that builds the site.
Can we limit what a contributor drops into an area?
Developers set restrictions on the placeholder for this, especially on the accepted content types. A sidebar can, for example, accept only callouts and document lists. These restrictions protect the layout without removing freedom where it is useful. They also avoid fixing inconsistent pages after the fact.
Where does Jahia store content dropped into an area?
Jahia stores it under the page itself, in a list named after the placeholder. The content thus becomes a child of the page in the repository and follows the page if the page is moved. When the page is rendered, the template finds each content item through that name. Hence the value of naming placeholders after their role (main content, sidebar) rather than at random.