Author Archives: John West

This blog post explains how you can use .NET attributes to indicate entry model class(es) to represent entries based on different content types in the Contentstack SaaS headless CMS, although this technique should work with any headless CMS. Update 15.Dec.2025: After years of frustration with WordPress, I am finally abandoning this blog. The content willContinue reading “-Use .NET Attributes to Specify Entry Model Classes for CMS Content Types”

This blog post explains how you can use block models with a generic base class to model Contentstack modular fields and to simplify JsonConverters serialization configuration without using the Contentstack SDK. This blog post depends on a refactored version of the base class for block models described in the following blog post. Basically, for eachContinue reading “-Block Models and JsonConverters without the Contentstack .NET SDK”

This blog post describes a solution that lets the CMS user select a layout to override the default layout and a partial view to render an entry from Contentstack. This solution extends an existing solution for using ASP.NET Razor Pages with the Contentstack SaaS headless CMS. Update 15.Dec.2025: After years of frustration with WordPress, IContinue reading “-Specify ASP.NET Razor Core Pages Layouts and Partial Views with Headless CMS”

This blog post is basically a reminder that you may want to store the raw JSON of entries even if you use entry models. The JSON can have advantages in during development by allowing programmers to access data in new content types and fields before creating corresponding entry model classes and properties but can alsoContinue reading “-Expose Headless CMS Entry JSON in Entry Models, ASP.NET Core Razor Pages Edition”

This blog post attempts to present information about using ASP.NET Core Razor Pages with SaaS headless content management systems using Contentstack as an example. The information in this post is intentionally limited and oversimplified. Update 15.Dec.2025: After years of frustration with WordPress, I am finally abandoning this blog. The content will likely stay here forContinue reading “-ASP.NET Core Razor Pages and SaaS Headless Content Management Systems”

I intend to use this blog post to track technical concerns to consider before implementing a .NET solution that leverages a headless content management system. Some of these considerations apply to content delivery solutions on any platform and some may apply to service-oriented solutions beyond content management. Linked posts tend to focus on .NET andContinue reading “-.NET Headless Content Management Considerations”

The approach described in this blog post writes information about JavaScript objects (including their properties, methods, and values) to the console, recursing through objects exposed as properties, making it easier to see what is available without referring to the documentation, and writing identifiers to the console that a developer can easily copy and paste intoContinue reading “-Write Information about JavaScript Objects to the Browser Console”

I renamed the custom Contentstack widget that I had previously developed to render the JSON of an entry to include links to Developer and added links to edit the content type and preview the page. I did not have to change any HTML or JavaScript to get this to work in the new (2021) ContentstackContinue reading “-Contentstack Developer Custom Widget”

This blog post presents perspectives on whether to use vendor SDKs or access their HTTP/JSON service endpoints directly, specifically in the context of the Contentstack SaaS headless content management system but with considerations relevant to any headless CMS or service-oriented application. If you have perspectives on whether and when to use the vendor’s SDK toContinue reading “-Whether to Use Vendor SDKs to Access Vendor Services”

This blog post provides some information about the three major phases for data access in content delivery solution lifecycles for headless content management solutions. If you have additional perspective on this topic, please comment on this blog post. Update 15.Dec.2025: After years of frustration with WordPress, I am finally abandoning this blog. The content willContinue reading “-Three Major Phases for Data Access in Headless Content Management Solutions”