# Phase 9: Content Management - Context

**Gathered:** 2026-02-04
**Status:** Ready for planning

<domain>
## Phase Boundary

Manage CMS pages, layouts, media, and navigation. Admin can create pages with URL routing, use layouts with placeholders, upload and organize media, track content states and revisions, and manage navigation menus. This is the core content editing experience.

</domain>

<decisions>
## Implementation Decisions

### Page editing experience
- Code editor with Twig-like template syntax (familiar to WinterCMS users)
- Visual block builder deferred to plugin territory
- Component embedding via Twig tag syntax: `{% component 'blogPosts' posts=5 %}`
- Runtime template parsing (not compile-time)

### Media management
- Folder hierarchy for organization (admin-created folders)
- Image editing: crop and resize only (no filters, rotation, etc.)
- File attachment via drag from side panel library into content area
- Storage backend configurable at setup (local filesystem, S3, GCS as options)

### Layout/placeholder system
- Placeholders with defaults: `{% placeholder 'sidebar' %}default content{% endplaceholder %}`
- Flat layouts only (no layout inheritance) — use partials for shared pieces
- Page declares layout via header metadata: `layout: default`
- Partials from both theme and plugins with namespacing: `plugin::partial` or plain partial name for theme

### Content workflow
- Two states only: Draft and Published
- No dedicated preview — save as draft, view on frontend with draft mode
- Scheduled publishing is plugin territory (keep core simple)

### Claude's Discretion
- Code editor features (syntax highlighting, autocomplete depth)
- Revision system behavior (auto-save vs manual snapshots, retention policy)
- Hot reload implementation details
- Menu item type extensibility mechanism

</decisions>

<specifics>
## Specific Ideas

- Template syntax should feel familiar to WinterCMS/Twig users
- Media library drag-and-drop should feel natural, like dragging files in a desktop app
- Keep core simple — advanced workflow features (scheduling, approval chains) are plugin territory

</specifics>

<deferred>
## Deferred Ideas

- Visual block builder for pages — potential future plugin
- Scheduled publishing — plugin territory
- Multi-step approval workflows — plugin territory

</deferred>

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*Phase: 09-content-management*
*Context gathered: 2026-02-04*
