Advanced Features

Antler CMS provides sophisticated features for developers and content creators who need advanced customization, integrations, and development capabilities. This guide covers the most powerful features available in the system.

Content Schema System

Dynamic Schema Definition

Antler uses Zod-based schemas for type-safe content validation and automatic form generation:

// src/content/config.ts
import { z, defineCollection } from 'astro:content';

const blogCollection = defineCollection({
  type: 'content',
  schema: z.object({
    title: z.string(),
    description: z.string(),
    publicationDate: z.date(),
    tags: z.array(z.string()),
    featuredImage: z.string().optional(),
    author: z.string().optional(),
    readingTime: z.number().optional(),
    featured: z.boolean().default(false),
  }),
});

export const collections = {
  blog: blogCollection,
  // Add more collections...
};

Schema-Aware Form Generation

The admin interface automatically generates forms based on your schema definitions:

Type-specific inputs: Date pickers for dates, number inputs for numbers, checkboxes for booleans
Validation: Real-time validation based on Zod schema rules
Optional fields: Automatic handling of optional vs required fields
Array inputs: Dynamic array management for tags and lists
Rich text: Markdown editor integration for content fields

Custom Field Types

Extend the schema system with custom field types:

// Custom schema with advanced validation
const projectSchema = z.object({
  projectName: z.string().min(1).max(100),
  technologies: z.array(z.string()).min(1),
  githubLink: z.string().url().optional(),
  liveUrl: z.string().url().optional(),
  status: z.enum(['planning', 'development', 'completed', 'archived']),
  priority: z.number().min(1).max(5),
  metadata: z.record(z.string()).optional(),
});

Advanced Admin Interface Features

Multi-Collection Management

The admin interface provides sophisticated tools for managing multiple content types:

Unified dashboard: Overview of all content collections
Cross-collection search: Search across all content types
Bulk operations: Select and modify multiple items at once
Content relationships: Visual indicators for related content
Collection statistics: Real-time metrics for each content type

Advanced Content Editor

Rich Markdown Editor

Live preview: Side-by-side editing and preview
Syntax highlighting: Code block syntax highlighting
Image insertion: Drag-and-drop image upload and insertion
Link management: Smart link insertion with validation
Table editor: Visual table creation and editing
Shortcode support: Custom shortcodes for complex content

Content Validation

Real-time validation: Immediate feedback on schema violations
Field-level errors: Specific error messages for each field
Required field indicators: Visual cues for required fields
Format validation: URL, email, and custom format validation
Length constraints: Character and word count validation

File Management System

Advanced File Operations

Bulk upload: Multiple file upload with progress tracking
File organization: Folder-based file organization
Image optimization: Automatic image compression and format conversion
File search: Search files by name, type, or metadata
Usage tracking: See where files are used across content

Media Library Integration

Image gallery: Visual browsing of uploaded images
File metadata: Automatic extraction of file information
Alt text management: Accessibility-focused image descriptions
Responsive images: Automatic generation of multiple image sizes
CDN integration: Support for external CDN services

Theme System Advanced Features

Custom Theme Development

Create custom themes with full control over styling:

/* src/styles/themes/custom-theme.css */
:root[data-theme="custom"] {
  /* Primary colors */
  --theme-primary: #your-primary-color;
  --theme-primary-hover: #your-hover-color;
  --theme-primary-light: #your-light-color;
  
  /* Background colors */
  --theme-bg-primary: #your-bg-color;
  --theme-bg-secondary: #your-secondary-bg;
  --theme-surface: #your-surface-color;
  
  /* Text colors */
  --theme-text-primary: #your-text-color;
  --theme-text-secondary: #your-secondary-text;
  --theme-text-muted: #your-muted-text;
  
  /* Border and accent colors */
  --theme-border: #your-border-color;
  --theme-accent: #your-accent-color;
}

Theme Configuration API

Programmatically manage themes through the API:

// Get current theme
const response = await fetch('/api/theme/current');
const { theme } = await response.json();

// Set default theme
await fetch('/api/theme/set-default', {
  method: 'POST',
  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
  body: JSON.stringify({ theme: 'blue' })
});

// Get theme metadata
const metadata = await fetch('/api/theme/metadata');
const themes = await metadata.json();

Dynamic Theme Switching

Implement advanced theme switching with animations:

// Advanced theme switching with transitions
class ThemeManager {
  private transitionDuration = 300;
  
  async switchTheme(newTheme: string) {
    // Add transition class
    document.documentElement.classList.add('theme-transitioning');
    
    // Apply new theme
    document.documentElement.setAttribute('data-theme', newTheme);
    
    // Remove transition class after animation
    setTimeout(() => {
      document.documentElement.classList.remove('theme-transitioning');
    }, this.transitionDuration);
    
    // Save preference
    localStorage.setItem('theme', newTheme);
  }
}

Site Configuration Advanced Features

Environment-Specific Configuration

Configure different settings for development and production:

{
  "site": {
    "title": "My Site",
    "url": {
      "development": "http://localhost:4321",
      "production": "https://mysite.com"
    }
  },
  "features": {
    "adminInterface": {
      "development": true,
      "production": false
    },
    "analytics": {
      "development": false,
      "production": true
    }
  }
}

Configuration Inheritance

Create hierarchical configuration with inheritance:

{
  "extends": "base-config.json",
  "overrides": {
    "theme": {
      "default": "blue"
    },
    "navigation": {
      "main": [
        { "label": "Home", "href": "/" },
        { "label": "Blog", "href": "/blog" }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Dynamic Configuration Updates

Update configuration through the admin interface with real-time preview:

Live preview: See changes immediately without page refresh
Validation: Real-time validation of configuration changes
Rollback: Easy rollback to previous configurations
Export/Import: Backup and restore configuration settings
Version control: Track configuration changes over time

API Integration Advanced Features

Custom API Endpoints

Create custom API endpoints for specialized functionality:

// src/pages/api/custom/analytics.ts
import type { APIRoute } from 'astro';

export const GET: APIRoute = async ({ request }) => {
  // Custom analytics endpoint
  const analytics = await getAnalyticsData();
  
  return new Response(JSON.stringify(analytics), {
    status: 200,
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    }
  });
};

export const POST: APIRoute = async ({ request }) => {
  const data = await request.json();
  // Process analytics data
  await processAnalytics(data);
  
  return new Response(JSON.stringify({ success: true }), {
    status: 200,
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    }
  });
};

Webhook Integration

Set up webhooks for external service integration:

// src/pages/api/webhooks/content-update.ts
export const POST: APIRoute = async ({ request }) => {
  const payload = await request.json();
  
  // Verify webhook signature
  const isValid = verifyWebhookSignature(payload, request.headers);
  if (!isValid) {
    return new Response('Unauthorized', { status: 401 });
  }
  
  // Process content update
  await handleContentUpdate(payload);
  
  return new Response('OK', { status: 200 });
};

External Service Integration

Email Service Integration

// Email service integration
import { Resend } from 'resend';

const resend = new Resend(process.env.RESEND_API_KEY);

export async function sendNotification(data: NotificationData) {
  await resend.emails.send({
    from: 'noreply@yoursite.com',
    to: data.recipient,
    subject: data.subject,
    html: data.content
  });
}

Analytics Integration

// Google Analytics integration
export function trackEvent(eventName: string, parameters: any) {
  if (typeof gtag !== 'undefined') {
    gtag('event', eventName, parameters);
  }
}

Performance Optimization Features

Advanced Caching

Implement sophisticated caching strategies:

// Cache management
class CacheManager {
  private cache = new Map();
  private ttl = 5 * 60 * 1000; // 5 minutes
  
  set(key: string, value: any) {
    this.cache.set(key, {
      value,
      timestamp: Date.now()
    });
  }
  
  get(key: string) {
    const item = this.cache.get(key);
    if (!item) return null;
    
    if (Date.now() - item.timestamp > this.ttl) {
      this.cache.delete(key);
      return null;
    }
    
    return item.value;
  }
}

Image Optimization Pipeline

Advanced image processing and optimization:

// Advanced image optimization
import { getImage } from 'astro:assets';

export async function optimizeImage(src: string, options: ImageOptions) {
  const optimized = await getImage({
    src,
    width: options.width,
    height: options.height,
    format: 'webp',
    quality: 80,
    ...options
  });
  
  return optimized;
}

Code Splitting and Lazy Loading

Implement advanced code splitting:

// Dynamic component loading
const LazyComponent = lazy(() => import('./HeavyComponent'));

function App() {
  return (
    <Suspense fallback={<LoadingSpinner />}>
      <LazyComponent />
    </Suspense>
  );
}

Security Features

Content Security Policy

Implement advanced CSP configuration:

// CSP configuration
const cspDirectives = {
  'default-src': ["'self'"],
  'script-src': ["'self'", "'unsafe-inline'", 'https://analytics.google.com'],
  'style-src': ["'self'", "'unsafe-inline'"],
  'img-src': ["'self'", 'data:', 'https:'],
  'font-src': ["'self'", 'https://fonts.gstatic.com'],
  'connect-src': ["'self'", 'https://api.yourservice.com']
};

Input Sanitization

Advanced input sanitization and validation:

import DOMPurify from 'dompurify';

export function sanitizeContent(content: string): string {
  return DOMPurify.sanitize(content, {
    ALLOWED_TAGS: ['p', 'br', 'strong', 'em', 'ul', 'ol', 'li', 'a'],
    ALLOWED_ATTR: ['href', 'title']
  });
}

Development Tools

Custom CLI Commands

Create custom development commands:

// scripts/custom-build.js
import { execSync } from 'child_process';

function customBuild() {
  console.log('Running custom build process...');
  
  // Pre-build tasks
  execSync('npm run lint');
  execSync('npm run test');
  
  // Build
  execSync('npm run build');
  
  // Post-build tasks
  execSync('npm run optimize-images');
  
  console.log('Custom build completed!');
}

customBuild();

Development Middleware

Add custom development middleware:

// Custom development middleware
export function devMiddleware() {
  return (req: Request, res: Response, next: NextFunction) => {
    // Add development-specific headers
    res.setHeader('X-Dev-Mode', 'true');
    
    // Log requests in development
    console.log(`${req.method} ${req.url}`);
    
    next();
  };
}

Deployment Advanced Features

Multi-Environment Deployment

Configure deployment for multiple environments:

# .github/workflows/deploy.yml
name: Deploy
on:
  push:
    branches: [main, staging, development]

jobs:
  deploy:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v2
        with:
          node-version: '18'
      
      - name: Install dependencies
        run: npm ci
      
      - name: Build for production
        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
        run: npm run build
        env:
          NODE_ENV: production
      
      - name: Build for staging
        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/staging'
        run: npm run build
        env:
          NODE_ENV: staging
      
      - name: Deploy to Vercel
        uses: vercel/action@v1
        with:
          vercel-token: ${{ secrets.VERCEL_TOKEN }}

Custom Build Pipeline

Implement advanced build optimizations:

// astro.config.mjs
export default defineConfig({
  integrations: [
    // Custom build optimization
    {
      name: 'custom-optimizer',
      hooks: {
        'astro:build:done': async ({ dir }) => {
          // Custom post-build optimizations
          await optimizeAssets(dir);
          await generateSitemap(dir);
          await compressFiles(dir);
        }
      }
    }
  ]
});

Monitoring and Analytics

Performance Monitoring

Implement advanced performance monitoring:

// Performance monitoring
class PerformanceMonitor {
  private metrics: Map<string, number> = new Map();
  
  startTimer(name: string) {
    this.metrics.set(name, performance.now());
  }
  
  endTimer(name: string) {
    const start = this.metrics.get(name);
    if (start) {
      const duration = performance.now() - start;
      console.log(`${name}: ${duration.toFixed(2)}ms`);
      this.metrics.delete(name);
    }
  }
}

Error Tracking

Advanced error tracking and reporting:

// Error tracking
class ErrorTracker {
  static track(error: Error, context?: any) {
    const errorData = {
      message: error.message,
      stack: error.stack,
      timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
      context,
      userAgent: navigator.userAgent,
      url: window.location.href
    };
    
    // Send to error tracking service
    this.sendToService(errorData);
  }
  
  private static async sendToService(data: any) {
    try {
      await fetch('/api/errors', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
        body: JSON.stringify(data)
      });
    } catch (e) {
      console.error('Failed to send error data:', e);
    }
  }
}

Best Practices for Advanced Features

Code Organization

Modular architecture: Organize code into reusable modules
Type safety: Use TypeScript throughout the application
Documentation: Document all custom features and APIs
Testing: Implement comprehensive testing for advanced features

Performance Considerations

Lazy loading: Load advanced features only when needed
Caching: Implement appropriate caching strategies
Bundle optimization: Minimize bundle size for advanced features
Resource management: Properly manage memory and resources

Security Guidelines

Input validation: Validate all inputs at multiple levels
Authentication: Implement proper authentication for admin features
Authorization: Control access to advanced features
Data protection: Encrypt sensitive data and communications

Maintenance and Updates

Version control: Track changes to advanced configurations
Backup strategies: Regular backups of custom configurations
Update procedures: Safe update procedures for advanced features
Monitoring: Continuous monitoring of advanced feature performance

Next Steps

To implement advanced features in your Antler CMS installation:

Review Requirements: Identify which advanced features you need
Plan Implementation: Create a roadmap for implementing advanced features
Test Thoroughly: Test all advanced features in development environment
Document Changes: Document any custom implementations
Monitor Performance: Set up monitoring for advanced features
Regular Updates: Keep advanced features updated and maintained

For more specific implementation details, refer to the individual documentation sections for each feature area.