Smart Folders

What are smart folders? 

Smart folders are a dynamic way to improve content organization in Xperience by Kentico. Instead of manually placing items into folders, each smart folder is based on filter conditions such as items modified in the last seven days, items in Draft status, or items with a specific tag. As content fields and metadata change, items automatically move in and out of the folder. A single content item can belong to multiple smart folders at the same time. 

For teams looking at how to organize content in a CMS, smart folders offer a more flexible alternative to static folder structures. In digital experience management, they help teams group content based on live criteria rather than manual sorting, making content management system organization easier, faster, and more scalable. 

What are the key benefits of smart folders? 

• Better content organization: Automatically groups content items based on changing fields and metadata.
• Less manual maintenance: Reduces the need to sort and update content manually as items change.
• Flexible CMS content filtering: Lets teams create folders around conditions like status, tags, or recent updates.
• Reusable content grouping: Allows a single content item to appear in multiple smart folders at once.
• Support for dynamic content delivery: Enables developers to retrieve content based on smart folder criteria for website channels. 

How do smart folders work, and why do they matter? 

Each smart folder is driven by a set of filter conditions. When a content item matches those conditions, it appears in the folder. When it no longer matches, it drops out automatically. This means the folder content is always up to date without manual intervention. Users can create smart folders from scratch or save existing content hub filters as new folders. They can also clone folders to reuse filter conditions and edit them later as needed. 

This matters because it gives content teams a more adaptive way to manage content. For organizations wondering how to organize content in a CMS without relying on rigid folder structures, smart folders provide a dynamic solution that reflects the current state of content at all times. 

How does Xperience by Kentico support smart folders? 

Xperience by Kentico provides smart folders in the Content hub and across content item selectors throughout the system. Users can create, edit, rename, clone, and save smart folders directly in the administration interface. 

Key capabilities include: 

• Dynamic filter-based folders for organizing content items automatically.
• Saved filters that can be turned into smart folders directly from content listings.
• Cloning options to quickly reuse existing folder conditions.
• Editable conditions that can be adjusted over time as content needs change.
• Smart folder selectors that can be used in content fields, pages, and widget properties.
• Dynamic content delivery support for website channels, allowing developers to retrieve matching items through code. 

This gives teams an efficient way to manage both internal content organization and dynamic content delivery from a single interface. 

How do companies benefit from smart folders? 

Organizations benefit from smart folders by making content organization easier to manage and easier to scale. Content teams can quickly surface relevant items, keep listings current, and reduce the effort required to maintain large content sets manually. Developers also benefit because smart folders can help control which content is delivered without requiring constant code changes. 

For teams managing many campaigns, product updates, or content categories, smart folders simplify CMS content organization and make content easier to reuse, discover, and maintain over time. 

How do smart folders fit into a digital experience strategy?

Smart folders support a stronger digital experience strategy by helping teams manage content dynamically rather than statically. They make it easier to connect content organization with delivery logic, so the same filtered groupings used in administration can also support what appears on digital channels. Within Xperience by Kentico, this creates a more agile content workflow and gives teams more control over how content is surfaced and maintained. 

This is especially valuable for organizations trying to improve how they organize content in a CMS while also supporting personalization, governance, and more efficient digital operations. 

What’s the difference between smart folders and regular folders? 

A regular folder is typically a static organizational structure where items are placed manually. A smart folder, by contrast, is based on rules and updates automatically as content changes. Regular folders depend on manual maintenance, while smart folders depend on live filter conditions. 

In Xperience by Kentico, this means smart folders are better suited for dynamic content organization, CMS filtering, and content delivery scenarios, while regular folders are more useful for fixed, manual structures.