multiglossar-content-management

MultiGlossar Content Management

MultiGlossar stores glossary terms in rex_multiglossar and lets editors maintain central definitions that are injected into frontend content.

Core data model

Typical fields in glossary records:

• pid - shared logical term ID across languages
• clang_id - language assignment
• term - main glossary term
• term_alt - additional terms/aliases (newline-separated)
• definition - short definition text used in replacement output
• active - whether the term is currently used for replacement
• casesensitive - case-sensitive matching toggle

A term is conceptually language-grouped by pid, while language-specific content is held per clang_id row.

Backend workflow

In multiglossar/main, editors usually:

• add a new term (initially disabled by default)
• enter definition and optional aliases in term_alt
• activate/deactivate terms depending on release state
• sort/search rows for maintenance

Because replacements run in frontend output, even small text changes should be treated as content release changes.

Multi-language behavior

MultiGlossar is designed for multi-language REDAXO setups:

• New terms are created for all languages.
• Deleting a term removes all language variants of that term.
• If a language is added later, terms from the start language are copied and set inactive.
• If a language is deleted, related glossary rows are removed.

This means editors should coordinate glossary activation per language, especially on partially translated projects.

Permissions and editorial governance

By convention in MultiGlossar:

• Add/delete actions are restricted to admins or users with broad language permissions.
• Translators without global language permissions should focus on content updates, not structure changes.

When implementing custom backend tooling, keep these permission boundaries aligned with rex::getUser() and clang permissions.

Integration with glossary article/detail page

Many projects use one dedicated glossary article as detail target, while in-text replacements remain inline tooltip/help markers. Ensure all terms link consistently to the chosen glossary article structure.

Common pitfalls

• Treating one language row as fully independent: rows are linked by pid, so structural actions affect all languages.
• Storing multiple aliases comma-separated instead of newline-separated in term_alt, which can break expected matching behavior.
• Activating copied fallback entries for new languages too early before translations are ready.
• Allowing unrestricted delete access for editors, causing cross-language data loss.