Template Designer

Description

The Template Designer is a visual, no-code tool in dotCMS that lets teams create and manage page templates using approved themes—without writing or maintaining template code. It provides a structured, drag-and-drop interface where users define page layouts by assembling rows, columns, and content containers, along with configurable headers and footers.

Templates created with the Template Designer become the structural foundation for pages across a site. By building on top of themes, the designer ensures layouts stay aligned with design systems and brand standards while giving content teams the flexibility to create new page structures quickly and safely.

Benefits

For Content & Marketing Teams

• Create and update page templates visually with no coding or templating knowledge required.

• Build new layouts quickly by arranging rows, columns, and containers through drag-and-drop.

• Experiment with page structures and layouts without waiting on developer availability.

For Developers & Design Systems

• Reduce ad hoc template requests by empowering content teams within predefined themes.

• Maintain control over branding, styling, and reusable components through theme constraints.

• Minimize custom template code while still supporting flexible page layouts.

Use Cases

Campaign & Landing Pages
A marketing team creates new landing page templates for campaigns by assembling containers into different layouts—without developer involvement.

Site Redesign & Iteration
During a redesign, content teams rapidly prototype and refine page structures by iterating on templates instead of rebuilding pages from scratch.

Multi-Site Brand Consistency
Organizations define approved themes and allow teams to create standardized templates that maintain consistent layout and branding across multiple sites.

Resources

• Template Designer Documentation

• Themes Documentation

• Advanced Templates Documentation