Your most common Rich text formatting options?

Question

Semantics

In client projects, I would sometimes recommend the following semantic options for most rich text format areas:

• Bold (strong)
• Italics (emphasis)
• Insert Character
• Sometimes heading levels like H2, H3, etc. (sometimes skipping H1 based on SEO requirements) for article-like content types

No Colors, Fonts, or Inline Styles

We'd also try to control most presentation-related attributes in templates or with CSS. For example editors shouldn't choose colors or fonts.A common requirement was to strip word attributes and inline styles (via templates or the XSLT rich text format area).

What do you do?

What do you recommend or implement in your projects and set ups?

1. All on, all off, or some RTF options? Which ones?

2. How often do you have a "Code" component for any HTML?

3. How often do you allow CSS classes in RTF or as fields in Schemas?

4. Do your editors use heading levels (H1-H6) in RTF?

5. Do you use the style options in the Content Manager? This allows editors to apply a style to certain elements in a field (based on the CSS selector definition).

6. Finally, I've seen your workarounds to allow HTML5 data attributes in rich text format areas (which are XML in the XHTML namespace). Is this common?

Answer 1

1. We almost always shut off colors, fonts, inline styles. As well as the ability to insert images (we'd rather have a component link field).

2. Code components are reserved for scripts. e.g. Someone needs to insert a special javascript file of some sort, and it can't be externally linked.

3. CSS classes are fairly common

4. Our editors often use h1 - h6

5. Our editors use the option to add custom styles.

6. wasn't familiar with those workarounds, but you can rest assured we'll make it common

Answer 2

What do you recommend or implement in your projects and set ups?

Usually similar to you, there is always one requirement which will require customisation.

1. All on, all off, or some RTF options? Which ones?

Similar to you, bold, italic, lists h2,h3,paragraph and images obviously.

2. How often do you have a "Code" component for any HTML?

Fairly often in "baked" sites. Almost never in DD4T style sites. Depends how comfortable/free the customer is with their site.

3. How often do you allow CSS classes in RTF or as fields in Schemas?

More often a field on a schema than in the RTF. I can only think of 2 implementations I've worked on which use FormatAreaStyles.

4. Do your editors use heading levels (H1-H6) in RTF?

Yes, usually. We often disable H1 though.

5. Do you use the style options in the Content Manager? This allows editors to apply a style to certain elements in a field (based on the CSS selector definition).

As above.

6. Finally, I've seen your workarounds to allow HTML5 data attributes in rich text format areas (which are XML in the XHTML namespace). Is this common?

Not done it personally.