Configurando el Preview Mode en Contenful

How to configure preview mode in Contentful?

Configuring preview mode in Contentful is an essential process to ensure that developers can visualize changes before deploying them to production. This modern CMS facilitates this process by integrating secure tokens and the ability to communicate with multiple URLs. This educational tutorial will guide users through the configuration of the preview mode with clear examples and practical tips.

What is Content Preview in Contentful?

Content Preview is a Contentful feature that allows users to view and test changes to their content before publishing them. This mode communicates with the content generator, providing a preview based on the environment the CMS connects to.

How to configure the Content Preview?

1. Contentful login: Log in to your Contentful account and locate the configuration option for the preview mode.

2. Setup Content Preview: When you enter the preview section, you will be prompted for a name for the environment to be connected. This is usually a name representative of the development environment, such as dev, for use with localhost.

3. Entity and URL configuration:

   • Choose the entities you want to enable in preview mode, such as in this example, the "plant" entity.
   • Contentful offers useful suggestions, such as using entry.fields.slack to designate specific fields in entries.

How to connect Contentful to a URL?

In order to connect Contentful to your local development environment, follow these steps:

1. Define the connection URL: Use a local URL, such as http://localhost:3000, where your server is running.

2. Build an API: Create a new API in Next.js under the slash API path and name it preview. This API will take care of enabling the preview mode.

3. Using query params:

   • Defines a secret shared exclusively between Contentful and Next.js. This element provides security to the preview.
   • It uses additional parameters, such as the plant slack, by querying input fields in Contentful.

// Example of using secrets and slack in URLs:const secret = "never stop learning";const slack = entry.fields.slack;

Why is secure use of tokens and APIs important?

Tokens and API keys are critical components to ensure secure communications between Contentful and any external application. Make sure to:

• Review and save the API keys in the Settings section of Contentful.
• Have access to the Access Token that Contentful provides, essential for connecting to the preview API in Next.js.

What's next after configuration?

With the Contentful and Next.js environment set up, the next step is to make this connection concrete in your Next.js application. In the next part of the development, you will implement the defined values to successfully enable the preview mode and ensure a smooth integration between Contentful and Next.js.

Keep exploring and learning to take your skills to the next level!