Learn how variants work for pages, rows, and menus.*
This article covers variants and segmentation, in addition to scheduling for pages, rows, and menus.
What are variants?
Page, row, and menu variants allow operators to dynamically target and serve each user with the most appropriate content based on various criteria.
You may wish to create variations of existing pages or rows, where content can be targeted or shown in different orders. Set up parameters for device(s), user group(s), languages (set at row level only), segmentation tag(s), date(s), and time of day. Parameters applied to each variant category determines the version of the page, row, or menu your users see. Each variant is a completely independent version with a direct impact on your users.
What is scheduling?
Scheduling (specifying a date period) allows you to configure the release of content for a specific date and time. With the scheduling set, the variants still read right to left, although as we reach the date and time range, the scheduled content takes effect and is accessible by your end-users. Follow the link to learn more about variant scheduling.
Page variants
When creating page variants, your users see a version of the page based on applied variant parameters. An everyday use case for page variants is to supply multiple languages for the same page.
Below are some variant examples in both Presentation Manager and a Responsive Web app.
Language variant examples
Presentation Manager: Variant 1 "English" set to English US (en-US) for the Home page.
Responsive Web app: This is the Home page your users will see in the front end when using a device set to English (US).
Presentation Manager: Variant 2 "Chinese" set to Chinese (Simplified) for the Home page.
Responsive Web app: This is the Home page your users will see in the front end when using a device set to Chinese (Simplified).
How do page variants work?
Where you have multiple page variants set up, your apps display the first "match" it finds from right to left for the device(s), user group(s), languages, segmentation tag(s), date(s), and time of day. In the example below, AXIS reads variant 5 first, then 4, 3, 2, and 1.
With scheduling (date period) set, the page variants still read right to left, although as we reach the date and time range, the scheduled content takes effect and is accessible by your end-users. Follow the link for more information on scheduling.
How do I rename variants?
We recommend naming your variants something useful to identify them quickly. To change your variant's name, select the variant name, and the mouse will transform into a cursor. Type a new variant name and hit enter on the keyboard or click elsewhere on the screen to save changes.
How do I duplicate variants?
There's no need to re-enter information. You can easily duplicate your variants by selecting the arrow button on the required variant, followed by duplicate. A cloned variant now exists, which you can modify to differ from the original.
Note
Creating an exact duplicate page variant, e.g., variant 5 and variant 4, results in the system reading variant 5 and ignoring variant 4.
Deleting variants
If more than one page variant exists, you have the option to delete variants. Select the arrow button on the required variant tab, followed by delete.
Warning: The delete action cannot be undone.
How do I re-order variants?
Easily drag and drop your variants to re-order them.
How do row variants work?
Much like pages, individual rows can also have variants. Tailor different variations of the same row for specific use cases, e.g., targeting different device(s), user(s), language(s), segmentation tag(s), and or date(s).
Note: Set your language preferences at page variant level only, specify all other parameters are available at row level.
Alternatively, if only a small detail needs to be changed, select the arrow on the details block to duplicate the row variant. This action creates a cloned row variant where alterations can be made quickly and easily, without the need to re-enter information.
To understand how variants work within Presentation Manager alongside Reference apps, select an example below:
The PB4 - Branded Image (2:3) row has two variants. First, display the list "Collection Fast and The Furious" on Browsers, whereas the second displays the "Collection - James Bond" on TVs.
Below is the PB4 Branded Image row using the Browser (Responsive Web) application, alongside the same row on a TV application.
The ED1 - Editorial Image row has two variants. The first displays a promotional image to basic and standard users who have logged in. In contrast, the second presents a promotional image to visitors (non-members) who do not have an account.
Below is the ED1 - Editorial Image row when using a browser (Responsive Web) application.
The P1 - Standard (2:3) row has two variants. The first displays a list of "Kids Movies" to the segmentation tag "Kids" and a list of "All Movies" to the Segmentation tag "25-34", depending on the age range of the user.
Below is the P1 - Standard (2:3) row when using a browser (Responsive Web) application.
Menu variants
How do menu variants work?
Menu variants exist when creating the header, account, and footer menus. Your users see a version of the menu based on the criteria applied to each variant. An everyday use case for menu variants might be targeting different menu options at specific user age groups. The configuration of menu variants is similar to page variants.
The example below shows the Presentation Manager set up of variant 1 with the segmentation tag "25-34" and variant 2 with the segmentation tag "Kids."
Configure menu variants in the same way for header, footer, and account navigation options.
Menu metadata
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When specifying menu metadata, the variant tabs exist only for language variations. |