AEM Template & Page Structure

Purpose

Design and implement editable templates, page components, and structural policies that define the authoring experience and content hierarchy in AEM.

When to Use (Triggers)

• User mentions "create a template," "page template," or "page structure"
• References to editable templates, template policies, or page properties
• File paths containing /conf/*/settings/wcm/templates/ or /conf/*/settings/wcm/policies/
• Questions about page component hierarchy, structural components, or layout containers
• Requests involving initial content, template types, or template thumbnails

Core Capabilities

• Create editable templates with structure, initial content, and policies
• Define page component hierarchy with proper sling:resourceSuperType chains
• Configure layout container policies and allowed components
• Implement responsive grid configurations and breakpoints
• Set up page properties dialogs with custom tabs

Domain Knowledge Required

Technical Foundation

• AEM editable template editor and its three layers (structure, initial content, policies)
• Page component inheritance chain (project page → core page → foundation page)
• Responsive grid system and layout mode configuration
• JCR node types: cq:Template, cq:Page, cq:PageContent

AEM-Specific Context

• Template types vs. template instances in /conf
• Content policies and their assignment to layout containers
• Allowed component filtering at template, policy, and container levels
• Page property inheritance and cq:hierarchyNode behavior
• Locked vs. unlocked components in template structure

Implementation Approach

Step 1: Template Type Definition

Define the blueprint that templates are created from.

• Create template type under /conf/<project>/settings/wcm/template-types/
• Define structure node with required structural components
• Set thumbnail and description for template picker

Step 2: Page Component Setup

Create the page-level component with proper inheritance.

• Define page component extending Core Page Component
• Configure customheaderlibs.html and customfooterlibs.html
• Set up page properties dialog with project-specific tabs
• Define body.html with responsive grid containers

Step 3: Template Creation

Build the actual template with structure and policies.

• Create template under /conf/<project>/settings/wcm/templates/
• Define structural components (header, footer, navigation)
• Configure locked components vs. author-editable areas
• Set initial content for new page instances

Step 4: Policy Configuration

Assign component policies to define allowed behaviors.

• Create policies under /conf/<project>/settings/wcm/policies/
• Map policies to template containers
• Configure allowed components lists per container
• Define style system options per component policy

Step 5: Responsive Configuration

Set up breakpoints and responsive grid behavior.

• Configure responsive grid columns (default 12)
• Define breakpoints (phone, tablet, desktop)
• Set responsive policy for layout container
• Configure responsive behavior for structural components

Quality Checklist

• [ ] Template appears in page creation wizard with correct thumbnail
• [ ] All structural components are locked and non-deletable by authors
• [ ] Allowed components properly filtered per content area
• [ ] Page properties dialog includes all required custom tabs
• [ ] Responsive grid functions correctly across breakpoints
• [ ] Template supports all required page types (content, landing, article)
• [ ] Initial content provides sensible defaults for new pages
• [ ] Page component inherits correctly from Core Components page

Related Skills

• aem-component-development (components used in templates)
• aem-content-strategy-architecture (content model drives templates)
• aem-msm-multi-site-manager (templates across sites)

Example Use Cases

1. Multi-Brand Template System: Create a template hierarchy supporting 5 brands with shared structural components (global header/footer) but brand-specific policy configurations for allowed components and style options.
2. Article Page Template: Design a long-form article template with fixed hero area, flexible body content zone with restricted component palette, and structured sidebar for related content.
3. Landing Page Template: Build a marketing-focused template with full-width sections, no navigation constraints, and pre-configured initial content blocks for rapid page creation.

Notes

• Editable templates are stored under /conf/, not /apps/ — they are content, not code
• Always test template changes on a content page before deploying to production
• Template policies are inherited — child pages get parent template policies unless overridden
• AEM Cloud Service does not support static (legacy) templates; always use editable templates