Content item
A content item, in Jahia, is any object stored in the Content Repository. A news item, an image, a page, a folder, a category or even a site are all content items, each based on a definition that sets its properties. Developers also say node (or JCR node), a term that refers to the same thing.
Definition and how it works
In Jahia, the same mechanisms apply to every object (a place in the tree, a path, a unique identifier and properties). A page is not a separate kind of object. It is a content item of a particular type that contains other items. This consistency makes reuse simpler and API access uniform, from the text of a banner to the full structure of a site.
Technically, each item is a node in a JCR repository (the Java content storage standard Jahia is built on). It has a unique identifier (UUID), a path from the root and properties (a title, a date, a price), the equivalent of columns in a table. Nodes are organized in a tree and can have children. The content type determines the available properties and the form shown in Content Editor.
Academy documentation: understanding content structures
Related terms: Content Type · Property (content) · View · Content Repository · Content Editor · Child
Resources that cover this term
- EU AI Act labelling requirements: when to label AI-generated content and how to do it in Jahia
- How Integrators Can Design the Ultimate Content Author Experience in a CMS? (Integrators Tips Pt.1)
- How to Elevate Your CX with Personas, Customer Journey Maps, and Content Auditing
- How to Ensure Content Integrity
- What Is a Content Management System?
- What is cloud content management?
Content item vs content type: the differences
A content item is the actual object, saved with its values. It differs from the model it comes from and from the attributes it is made of.
| Term | How it differs from a content item |
|---|---|
| Content type | The content type is the model: it defines the properties shared by a family of content. A content item is one instance of it, with its own values. |
| Property (content) | A property is an attribute of the content, such as a price or a date. A content item brings together the values of all its properties. |
| View | A view is the code that turns a content item into HTML. The same item can have several views without its values changing. |
Content item in practice
A recruiter creates a job offer in Content Editor. The offer becomes a content item of the "Job offer" type, with its values (title, location, contract) and a unique identifier. The careers site shows it in a list and then as a full page, while a third-party application reads it through the GraphQL API. It is the same object, maintained in one place.
During scoping, the question to ask is which values this object must carry to serve both the site and the application.
Frequently asked questions
Does a Jahia content item have to belong to a page?
A page is only one possible home. A content item can be created in a page area but also in a content folder, outside any page. It can then be referenced on several pages, displayed by a list or read by an application through the API. This flexibility supports a content-first approach, without duplicating text from one page to another.
Why do developers talk about nodes rather than content?
The word comes from storage. Jahia is built on a JCR repository, where every object is stored as a node in a tree. "Node" and "content item" mean the same object. The first term is common in code, APIs and technical documentation, the second in interfaces meant for contributors. Specifications benefit from settling the vocabulary at the start of a project.
Are a category or a whole site really content items like any other?
For Jahia, yes. A page, a folder, a category or even a site are all content items. They all get the same mechanisms (a place in the tree, a path, a unique identifier and properties). For a team, that means a single logic to learn, along with API access that works the same way from the text of a banner to the full structure of a site.