Creating a New Method Configuration

A method configuration allows you to select and deselect from the content packages, processes, and categories available in the method library's set of plug-ins. The selections you make restrict the scope of content you use as a basis for defining your process. These selections also determine the content of the published web site which communicates your process to others in your organization.

Configurations are assigned names and saved so they can be reused at a later date. In addition to creating configurations as described below you can also simply copy-pasting a configuration by right-clicking the configuration that you want to copy and right-clicking the top-level Configurations folder and selecting Paste. You will get a complete copy of the configuration under a new name that you can modify for your needs.

Make sure you are working in the authoring perspective.
In the Library view, right-click on the Configurations folder and then select New, then Method Configuration. Your new configuration is created and the configuration editor is opened.
In the configuration editor panel, enter a name for your configuration in the Name field. If you click anywhere in the Library view or Configuration view, you will be able to see your new configuration name in the Configurations folder in the Library view tree.
Type a description for your configuration in the Description field, and then use the File menu and select Save All to save your new method configuration.
At the bottom of the editor window, click the Plug-in and Package Selection tab.
The method configuration selection section displays on the left a list of all method plug-ins their content packages and processes. Use the check boxes to add or remove plug-ins, packages, and processes to or from your configuration. Expand each plug-in to select and deselect individual packages and processes.
Select logical categories to be added to the configuration definition. In addition to the physical selection of method plug-ins and packages you can refine your configuration definition with the two list boxes on the right. These boxes allow adding or subtracting elements that have been categorized with standard and/or custom categories. You will see on the right all the method plug-ins that were selected on the left. When you drill into these method plug-ins you see that the sub-trees lists all the categories defined in these plug-ins. When you now select a category in the top box then all the elements that were categorized by this category will be added to the configuration as well; regardless if the content package in which these elements are stored was selected in the list on the left or not. This allows adding elements to your configuration based on “logical” criteria. For example, you want to add all the Template guidance that was categorized by a category called “High Ceremony” to your configuration regardless in which content packages these templates were stored.
Select logical categories to be subtracted from the configuration definition. When you select a category in the bottom box then all the elements that were categorized by this category will be removed (or subtracted) from the configuration; regardless if the content package in which these elements are stored was selected in the list on the left or not. This allows you to systematically remove content that was categorized in a certain way from your configuration. For example, you could remove all the Template guidance that was categorized by a category called “High Ceremony” from your configuration regardless in which content packages these templates were stored.
As you make your selections, warning signs may appear against some of the plug-in and package names. Details are provided in the Problems view. These warnings might help you to ensure you create well-formed configurations. However, a configuration will always publish despite any warnings or errors in the Problems view - you can always choose to ignore these. The messages indicate that certain elements will be published with inconsistent or incomplete content.
If you reference an element in a package that is from another package, you can only see the full details for that element in a published site if the package containing the element is in the configuration. If the package containing the element is not in the configuration, the "offending" package is marked with a warning sign. You may always choose not to include the full details of a referenced element and ignore the Warning or Information message. As a result Composer will not publish any links to the excluded elements. If you want to fix the problem then click the Add Missing References button to automatically and recursively add packages containing any elements that are referenced in already selected packages. Since this is recursive, a large number of packages may be added, perhaps making your configuration larger than you want it to be.

If you have elements in a package that contribute to, extend, or replace elements in another package, it is an error if the base package is not included in the configuration. Errors are marked with a red cross. If you drill down into a plug-in or package marked with a cross you will discover the "offending" package and then you can find the packages you need to include to resolve the error. Alternatively you can click the Make closure by fixing errors button to automatically fix the errors by adding the missing base packages.

The Problems view lists and explains all errors and warnings in the configuration. You can right-click every individual message and select Quick Fix to get more detailed information and a proposal for automatically fixing the issue. You can also define Filters on the Problems view using the Configure Filters dialog that can be open with the button on the right-hand corner of the Problems view.
Use the File menu and select Save All.
Define the views for the method configuration. A view is a navigation tree browser in a published configuration. Every published configuration can have several views that are displayed as stacked tree browser tabs. The structure of the view is defined as a Custom Category
1. In the Configuration Editor, click the Views tab.
2. Click the Add View button. The Select Categories dialog appears.
3. If needed, click the (+) sign to expand the Custom Categories folder and then select the category you want to use as your view. Click the (+) sign to expand your chosen category and view it's contents. Press and hold the CTRL key to select multiple views.
4. Click OK. The dialog window disappears and the views you selected are added to the configuration.
Select the view you want to display as your configuration's startup view and then click the Make Default button. The startup view is the first view shown when a published configuration is displayed for the first time.
Use the Order button to open a dialog that allows you changing the order in which the views will be presented in the published site.
Use the File menu and select Save All.