bitrix-cms-basics

name	bitrix-cms-basics
description	Covers CMS fundamentals — sites, site templates, menus, page templates, includes, breadcrumbs, user groups, user fields, admin panel. Applied for site structure and content management tasks. Key terms — CSite, template, menu, include area, user field, UF.

CMS Basics

Baseline: main 23.0+. Features newer than baseline are marked Since.

Site management layer above the framework — sites, templates, menus, content areas. Landing sites / Sites24: skill bitrix-landing.

Sites (Multisite)

ORM tablet: \Bitrix\Main\SiteTable → table b_lang (main/lib/SiteTable.php). Legacy: CSite.

Key fields: LID (primary, e.g. s1), NAME, DIR, DOC_ROOT, SERVER_NAME, SITE_NAME, LANGUAGE_ID, CULTURE_ID, ACTIVE, DEF.

$site = \Bitrix\Main\SiteTable::getRow([
    'filter' => ['=LID' => SITE_ID],
    'select' => ['LID', 'DIR', 'SERVER_NAME', 'DOC_ROOT', 'LANGUAGE_ID'],
]);

$docRoot = \Bitrix\Main\SiteTable::getDocumentRoot(SITE_ID);

SITE_ID / SITE_DIR are available after kernel init. Resolve site by host/path: SiteTable::getByDomain($host, $directory).

Site Templates

Location: /local/templates/<template_id>/

/local/templates/mytemplate/
├── header.php
├── footer.php
├── styles.css
├── components/       # Template-level component overrides
├── page_templates/   # Page layout templates
└── lang/

#WORK_AREA# — required placeholder in the site template (often a single-file template or between header.php / footer.php flow). The kernel injects the page body at #WORK_AREA#. Missing marker → admin error “set the #WORK_AREA# separator”.

Template selected per site in Admin → Sites → Edit. Prefer /local/templates/, not /bitrix/templates/.

Section and Access Files

.section.php

Per-directory file (walked from current path up to site root). Typical contents:

<?php
$sSectionName = 'News';
$arDirProperties = [
    'TITLE' => 'News section',
    'keywords' => 'news, updates',
    'description' => 'Company news',
];

• $sSectionName — used for breadcrumbs (GetNavChain).
• $arDirProperties — directory properties; read via $APPLICATION->GetDirProperty() / merged into $APPLICATION->GetProperty().

.access.php

Per-directory file permissions (PERM[...]). Managed by $APPLICATION->SetFileAccessPermission() / admin UI. Do not hand-edit unless you know the format; kernel includes it when resolving file rights.

Page Properties

$APPLICATION->SetPageProperty('title', 'About');
$APPLICATION->SetPageProperty('description', 'About the company');
$APPLICATION->SetPageProperty('keywords', 'about');

$title = $APPLICATION->GetPageProperty('title', 'Default');
// GetProperty: page first, then directory (.section.php), then default
$desc = $APPLICATION->GetProperty('description');

• SetPageProperty / GetPageProperty — current page only.
• SetDirProperty / GetDirProperty — directory props (often from .section.php).
• GetProperty — page → dir → default.

Common keys: title, description, keywords, plus custom uppercase IDs.

Menus

• Menu types per site (top, left, …).
• Files: /.top.menu.php, /.left.menu.php in site root or section.
• Component: bitrix:menu.

Page Templates

/local/templates/<id>/page_templates/ — reusable layouts for the visual editor.

Include Areas

bitrix:main.include — editable content blocks:

$APPLICATION->IncludeComponent('bitrix:main.include', '', [
    'AREA_FILE_SHOW' => 'file',
    'PATH' => '/include/phone.php',
]);

Files typically under /include/ or /local/include/.

Breadcrumbs

• Auto from $sSectionName in .section.php along the path.
• Manual: $APPLICATION->AddChainItem('Title', '/path/').
• Component: bitrix:breadcrumb.

Users and Groups

• CUser, \Bitrix\Main\UserTable — users.
• Groups control permissions via \CMain::GetUserRight() and group IDs.
• User fields (UF) — CUserTypeEntity, \Bitrix\Main\UserFieldTable; register in module DoInstall; access via USER.UF_* in ORM or user fields API.

Admin Panel

/bitrix/admin/ — admin scripts. Custom pages via module install admin files, or modern UI (bitrix-ui). Legacy lists: CAdminList / CAdminForm.

Checklist

• Site-specific code checks SITE_ID / SITE_DIR.
• Template has #WORK_AREA#; overrides in /local/templates/.
• Section meta/breadcrumbs via .section.php; rights via .access.php / API.
• Page meta via SetPageProperty / GetProperty.
• Menus via .menu.php or Admin UI; includes for editable fragments.
• Landings / composite sites → bitrix-landing when applicable.