---
sourceDocument: Xanadu ServiceNow AI Platform user interface
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/xanadu/platform-user-interface

 Release :

    - xanadu

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Xanadu ServiceNow AI Platform user interface

ft:clusterId :

    - platux

bundleId :

    - platux

workflow :

    - Platform


---

# Content types

# Content types {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Xanadu
* 
* Updated August 1, 2024
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 2 minutes to read

Content types provide site-specific control of how system data defined by templates is
rendered.

In the site, one page displays a list of knowledge articles, and another page displays catalog
items or incidents or a combination of the two. Different themes can be used for types of content
and each theme can provide different user interaction. Content types define the pages that
display content from a table. Each content type corresponds to a table.

Every type of document that the CMS displays has an associated content type. Changing the
content type requires knowledge of Apache Jelly scripting. However, the common content types
(such as service catalog or knowledge base) come in the base system. Content types can be
associated with particular sites. This association allows different sites to use different detail
pages for the same content type.  
Content types define three features of associated documents.

* What does a link to one of these documents look like? For example, if a list of these documents is displayed on a page, how does each entry appear?
* What does a detailed view of one of these documents look like?
* What detail page is used to display the document? This decision is important and is often an area of confusion for new CMS users.
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The document content type determines the page that a list of documents points to, the list
itself does not determine the page. The content from a link is displayed in a detail content
block on a page. The content type determines in which detail block on a page the document content
is displayed.  
For example, the list block Catalog Top 5 displays the top five items in the Service Catalog table \[sc_cat_item\]. Because the table is \[sc_cat_item\], the content type sc_cat_item controls how the Catalog Top 5 list is displayed. Clicking any item in the list displays the Service Catalog Detail page with the item displayed on it according to the detail template script. These content types are applied:

* in search results to link to the correct page.
* in the Current Document block to display the current record.
* in links on lists and other places that link to record types.
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Several content types are available by default for tables such as Catalog Item \[sc_cat_item\],
Gauge \[sys_gauge\], and Page \[content_page\].

Content type defaults that are set for CMS can be overridden for individual sites. Use the
Content Types related list on the site record to customize content
types.  
Note:  
To learn more about the properties that affect use of content types, see the following topics in Instance Security Hardening Settings:

* Performance monitoring IP restriction (instance security hardening)
* Downloadable file types (instance security hardening)
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* **[Configure a content type](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/h5yXg~WDl081vsrTNzaAMg)**   
  Users with the content_admin role can create a content type.
* **[CMS gauge support](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/g~iwTaQFOfmDVfvE1eH5mQ)**   
  Gauges are a graphical way to display information from an instance.
* **[View content types](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/kGZ41faPxdoAAIqE8o0oAQ)**   
  The following is an example of where you might use Content Types.

**Related concepts**   

* [Content sites](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/0~g1PIevFxGIOfwYOzVaRA "A content site is a group of related content pages that have the same basic theme, layout, and URL suffix.")
* [Content pages in CMS](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/Y7haHgucVKu2WIFrRmi9wg "Content pages are the core of the Content Management System. A content page is a web page that displays blocks of content.")
* [Content Management templates](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/MgmDw1oTnL0rtCeh4CW4QQ "Templates are content pages that are reused to provide a consistent look and feel.")
* [Content blocks](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/10IBm6HPSkM1sg4lE0xKOg "A block is a defined piece of content within the system that can be reused.")
* [Style in Content Management](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/wpqtQPHnQPBzHlNne~VNww "Content pages can be styled with CSS, just like any HTML website.")
* [Content Management meta tags](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/djSMOBDUTtTujiXOmTB6Pw "Meta tags are special tags in web pages that contain information about the page but are not rendered with the page. You can define custom meta tags for content pages.")