Building page templates and branches
Page branches and page designs serve complementary but distinct purposes in Sitecore.
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Page designs are best for consistent, centrally managed layouts with predictable, uniform layouts, for example, article pages. They are built from partial designs (e.g., headers, footers) and define the structural framework for pages. With page designs, you ensure that all pages of a given type share the same header, footer, and key sections automatically. They let your components remain fixed and centrally managed: changes on a page design propagate everywhere the design is used.
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Page branches are best for flexible, modifiable layouts where local customization is needed, for example, landing pages. You can create several page branches based on the same data template, each with different preconfigured components. Pages created from a branch get a copy of all the branch's components and their local data sources, making them independently editable.
The recommended approach is to use both together, as you can define shared structure (headers, footers) in partial designs/page designs, and use page branches where local customization is needed.
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Page designs |
Page branches | |
|---|---|---|
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Best for |
Consistent, uniform pages |
Flexible, customizable pages |
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Layout control |
Fixed and centrally managed |
Editable per page |
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Data sources |
Shared |
Local copies per page |