2: More About the Object Model
As previously mentioned, Iosphere 2 uses a new object model as the foundation of site management. This requires a slightly different way of thinking to conventional site design and maintenance.
Objects are used to create the final HTML - each one exposes body text and properties. These are merged into a template file, just like mail merge on a word processor. Properties are things such as the author's name, document title etc. The body text is the text that appears between the header and footer of the page. On this page, the body text starts at 'As previously mentioned' and ends at 'user intervention'. The rest of the formatting information is stored in the template file. Things such as the author's name ('Ashley Brown') are properties of the object used to create the HTML.
The diagram above shows how the templates and objects are merged. One of the most useful features of Iosphere 2 is the ability to generate index lists. Each section of the site is stored in a container object. These hold other objects, and generate a customizable list of the files within them. This was the reason for the original creation of Iosphere - its ability to maintain lists and sitemaps without requiring user intervention.
