As described in the SQL Content Repositories chapter of the ATG Repository Guide, a SQL Repository can be configured as a content repository. A content repository is composed of folder and content repository items. The product catalog defines folder and media item types that correspond to these two parts of the repository.

You can use folders to organize media elements. Folders are used only in the administrator user interface, not in the commerce site itself. Both the folder and media items define several administrative properties: version, creationDate, startDate, endDate, and description. These properties are used as an aid to catalog administrators, not intended for display on the site.

The media item is similar to an abstract Java object; it cannot be instantiated itself. The item type is marked as abstract by tagging it as expert in the repository definition file. As part of this abstract definition, two properties are defined: data and url. These properties are intended to be overridden in the sub-types.

The media item includes a property named type that is used to specify the media sub-type of the item. The product catalog includes three sub-types:

  • media-external: This item type references a piece of content that is stored outside the database. The content can be either be either a binary file or a text file.

  • media-internal-binary: This item type can be used to store binary objects (such as images) in the catalog database.

  • media-internal-text: This item type can be used to store text files (such as JSPs) in the catalog database.

For information about uploading media elements to your product catalog, see ATG Commerce Catalog Administration of the ATG Commerce Guide to Setting Up a Store.