Guide to create a Notion content database to generate a site with OwlMeans Channel
This is a detailed guide for those who don’t have deep experience with integration of Notion of similar systems with other solutions.
But it can be shorten to 4 simple steps:
1. Create a site database from our template https://owlmeans.notion.site/22b9bc9cf07880289342e84e48f22d53, or add similar fields to your existing database
2. Create a new integration with access to read content
3. Connect database you created for the site to the integration
4. Specify integration secret key and site database id to OwlMeans Channel
Support
If you have any questions, contact us by email: [email protected], with Facebook Messenger, or with the contact form.
Configure a notion database for the site generation
Start with the template
Create a new database with official OwlMeans Channel Template https://owlmeans.notion.site/22b9bc9cf07880289342e84e48f22d53.
It’s better to have it as an example of 100% working site.
Make a copy of it — you may clean up everything from it, or you may just reproduce the same columns \ properties into your content marketing database.
Make sure that your site has at least one entry with Type — Page. And this entry has at least one sub-item with Type — Block. And both Page and Block have Status — Published.
⚠️ Do not forget to set slug to slash “/” for your home page ⚠️
If all this minimal settings aren’t done — the generator will generate nothing.
❗️Pages without Blocks lead to bug in generator work (temporary bug that will be fixed soon).
…or make an existing database site-ready
You need to reproduce the same column structure we have in the example into your database.
If you go forward with updating your content database, it’s a good idea to make a backup before any actions is done (the OwlMeans channel doesn’t touch it, but you may spoil the things while tinkering with it in Notion).
To reproduce the same columns in your database the easy way just copy a row (entry) from our example database into your database.
❗️Be aware if you already have columns with the same name - they may change or not change types which can spoil your data or you will get not working structure.
Columns checklist for your database: ❗️It doesn’t describe or fields and options — it just stress things that may be missed. Please, always refer to the template to full required columns list.
1. Make sure you renamed existing properties with the same names (Title, subtitle, summary, and other text fields may be kept as it is)
2. Some fields like Type, Direction, Status, Details - are single selects with predefined values - make sure these fields are present and have exactly the same possible options.
3. Some fields like Icon, Logo, Image - are file uploading fields.
4. Fields like Link, Video - have link type - make sure they are.
5. Order field - number typed should be present
6. Slug - is also important text field.
7. Database setting
You may found them here:
Should have Sub-items On
…over exactly Parent / Children fields
8. There are Reference and Back reference fields for bidirectional self reference between entries:
Create Notion Integration for OwlMeans Channel (web guide)
🚧 This is a temporary solution — we know that it may be done easier. But friendlier solution is on the go 🚧
Get to Notion’s integration manger
Login into your notion workspace in a browser
Click on your workspace name in top left corner of the notion page.
Click on the settings button.
In settings go to connections section (the second one at the bottom)
Click on “Develop or manage integration”
Create new integration
❗️Creation of integration doesn’t share any content with anyone until you explicitly tell Notion, what content may be shared via which integration, and until you share its secret key with potential reader❗️
Click on “New integration”
Specify integration name (it’s better to name it “OwlMeans Channel” to not mess up the things later)
Choose workspace you are going to make the connection work in. It should be the workspace you have site database created at.
Set the Type to internal
You may also add some icon to make it more visible
Click the save button
Configure your integration
Click on created integration to manage it
Keep only “Read content” permission and click save
Copy the integration secret key
In integration configuration click on the “show” button near integration secret
Copy the secret key you see into some safe place
We will ask for it when you configure OwlMeans Channel to read your database to generate your site
Share site database to OwlMeans Channel integration
❗️After this action, the shared database will become available to those who you have shared the secret key of the integration to❗️
Sharing the site database
Open the site database you created to generate the site
Select Connections submenu
Find the OwlMeans Channel integration (name can be different if you created the integration with a different name)
Click to share access
Copy the site database id
⚠️This is the most complicated point to be done right, so be attentive ⚠️
In the database setting copy the link
Paste the link somewhere and you will get something like: https://www.notion.so/owlmeans/2229bc9cf0788080918ed739c88cd13a?v=2229bc9cf078817bb36d000c87bddf79&source=copy_link
It has the following structure:
https://www.notion.so/[company name]/[DATABASE ID WE ARE LOOKIN FOR]?v=2229bc9cf078817bb36d000c87bddf79&source=copy_link
So you need to copy the database ID - it’s located in the copied link between the slash (/) after your workspace name (4th one in the string), and the question mark (?)
You need to copy it without slash and question mark, so in my example it will only this part: 2229bc9cf0788080918ed739c88cd13a
You will need it to connect your database to OwlMeans Channel generator together with the integration secret key
Create your site in OwlMeans Channel panel
Adding the Notion table
Site slug - is any nickname for your site. It may be used in some urls and technical names. Also it’s a convenience you may refer asking something in our support. It should be unique for every site. Use lowercase letters, avoid spaces and special symbols.
Site name - will be visible in the header of the site as a part of the logo.
Notion API secret — integration secret that the site database’s access is shared with
Notion DB id — site database id.
Click save
You should get to the page like this
If you aren’t redirected — refresh the page (it’s a bug and it will be fixed soon)
Minimal working site generation
Minimal content in your Notion site database
The database should have all columns from the template https://owlmeans.notion.site/22b9bc9cf07880289342e84e48f22d53
Create Menu entry with order 0
Type should be set to Menu
Status should be set to Publish
Create page with order greater than Main menu’s one (e.g. 1,2,3, 10).
1. Type should be Page.
2. Status should be Published
3. Set Page slug to / - it will signal the system that it’s a home page
4. You can upload some image into Icon field to define the site logo shown in top menu
5. Name field is just an internal name that is useful to refer the page entry in notion. ❗️ But if you don’t specify the Title - the name may be seen to the users as the page Title.
Create a block in the page
Open the page children, clicking on the arrow of the the Home page entry name
Add new entry
Set type to Block
Set status to Publish
Open the block and add some content in the body (e.g. Hello world phrase)
Generate the site
Open your OwlMeans Channel panel and find Custom styles section of your site
Specify color codes for primary and secondary color (we will add color pickers soon, but it’s really more practical way of doing it).
Specify basic font size — all paddings sizes will be calculated based on it
Specify one of the google fonts by its human readable name from here:
It should be human readable name of the font with all spaces etc. e.g. Funnel Sans.
Click the save button
Link to your site have to appear here
If you don’t see it — please refresh the page
Some error may happen during site generation when you clicked save. Just click it one more time — in 80% of cases it will help.
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