Core Principle

Design the website around things that exist in the subject matter, not around pages, menus, or articles.

Ask:

"What are the things I want to know about?"

not

"What pages do I want on my website?"

Step 1: Identify Core Entities

An entity is something important enough to deserve its own page.

For Contraptions, examples include:

• Contraption
• Sound
• Voice
• MIDI Map
• MIDI Map Entry
• Function
• Registration
• Effect
• Article
• Tech

The test is:

Would I ever want to browse, search, categorize, or link to this thing directly?

If yes, consider making it an entity.

Step 2: Separate Things from Stories

Distinguish between persistent objects and temporary narratives.

Objects

Things that exist over time:

• Topsy
• Glockenbox
• MIDI Interface
• Reuter 1674

Stories

Things that document activity:

• Build logs
• Progress reports
• Announcements
• Historical articles

Objects accumulate stories over time.

Step 3: Normalize Concepts

Separate different dimensions of classification.

For example:

What it IS

Instrument
Interface
Controller
Rank
Tool

This belongs in:

Contraption Type

What disciplines are involved

Electronics
Mechanical
Woodworking
Software
Physics
Music

This belongs in:

Genre

A single taxonomy should answer a single question.

Step 4: Prefer Relationships Over Hierarchies

Many systems naturally form networks rather than trees.

Avoid forcing this:

Parent
 └─ Child

when reality looks more like:

A relates to B
A uses C
A inspired D
B controls E

Use flexible relationships whenever possible.

Step 5: Model Reality, Not Implementation

Example:

Don't ask:

"Should MIDI Controller be a content type?"

Ask:

"What is a MIDI Controller in the real world?"

The answer determines the model.

A database should describe reality rather than software structure.

Step 6: Create New Entities Only When Necessary

Avoid creating content types for every idea.

Ask:

Is this fundamentally different?

If not, use an existing entity.

For example, we discovered many "components" are actually specialized contraptions:

• Pipe chest
• MIDI interface
• Bellows
• Test bench

Rather than creating a new Component entity, they can remain Contraptions.

Step 7: Use Taxonomies for Classification

Use content types for things.

Use taxonomies for categories.

Good entity

Contraption

Good taxonomy

Contraption Type

Good taxonomy

Genre

Step 8: Make Relationships Discoverable

Store the relationship once.

Examples:

Topsy
→ related contraption
→ MIDI Interface

Then use Views to discover:

What references this item?

instead of storing reciprocal links manually.

Step 9: Let Real Content Drive the Model

Avoid endless redesign.

Enter real content.

Examples:

• Topsy
• Reuter 1674
• Glockenbox
• MIDI Interface

Then observe:

• Which fields feel useful?
• Which relationships keep appearing?
• Which categories emerge naturally?

The content will reveal the proper architecture.

Step 10: Think Like a Museum Curator

The website is not a collection of pages.

The website is a collection of interconnected knowledge.

For Contraptions:

Each item can be viewed from multiple perspectives without duplicating information.

Guiding Question

Whenever you are unsure how to model something, ask:

"Is this a thing, a category, a relationship, or a story?"

Most content-modeling decisions fall naturally out of that question.