--- title: Content Metadata properties slug: cms-11/dev-docs/content-metadata-properties docTags: createdAt: 2026-07-22T19:45:20.632Z --- `EPiServer.Core.IContentData` is the base interface that content models implement. All content types, except `BlockData`, also implement the `EPiServer.Core.IContent` interface; the interface is required for a content instance to have a unique ID and its own lifecycle (that is, it can be loaded or saved individually). Through the `EPiServer.IContentRepository`, you can perform CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations on content instances implementing `EPiServer.Core.IContent`, for example, listing and move. There are also many additional metadata interfaces a content type can implement that define its characteristics. Here is a list of the existing metadata interfaces, with a description of each interface's purpose and which properties it contains. ## Usage Because some of the interfaces are optional, a recommended pattern when working with a "general" `IContent` instance is to use the **is** or **as** operators to check if the instance implements an interface, as in this example: ```csharp public static CultureInfo Language(this IContent content) { if (content == null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(content)); return (content is ILocale locale) ? locale.Language : CultureInfo.InvariantCulture; } public static bool IsModified(this IContent content) { if (content == null) throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(content)); var modifiedTrackable = content as IModifiedTrackable; return modifiedTrackable == null || modifiedTrackable.IsModified; } ``` ### Shared blocks `BlockData` does not implement `IContent`, while shared block instances still have their own identity defined on `IContent`. This is accomplished so that during runtime, when a shared block instance is created (for example, through a call to `IContentRepository.GetDefault` where T is a type inheriting from `BlockData`), the CMS creates a new .NET type inheriting T using a technique called **mixin** where the newly generated subclass will implement some extra interfaces (including `IContent`). That means that a shared block instance of T will implement `IContent` while an instance of T that is a property on a Page will not. ## IContentData Base interface for content models. It contains a backing `PropertyDataCollection` that is used when loading or saving data from the database. | Member | Type | Description | | ---------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | | `Property` | `PropertyDataCollection` | Contains backing data for properties used by the content instance. | ## IContent You can individually load or save base interfaces for content models with an identity. `IContent` inherits `IContentData`. Note that `ContentLink.ID` and `ContentGuid` is the same for language branches for a content item. So the combination of `ContentLink` or `ContentGuid` and `ILocale.Language` uniquely specifies the content instance (given that the content implements `ILocalizable`). Built-in base content types, (except `BlockData`), implement `IContent`. Shared block instances implement `IContent` (and most other metadata interfaces) at runtime. | Member | Type | Description | | --------------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `Name` | `string` | The name of the content instance. | | `ContentLink` | `ContentReference` | The identifier of the content instance. If the instance represents a specific version, WorkID specifies an optional version ID. | | `ContentGuid` | `Guid` | A GUID-based identifier for the content instance. | | `ParentLink` | `ContentReference` | The parent identifier (in a tree structure) for the content instance. | | `ContentTypeID` | `int` | An identifier that specifies which content type the content is an instance of. | | `IsDeleted` | `bool` | Indicates if the content instance is in the wastebasket. | | `Property` | `PropertyDataCollection` | Inherited from `IContentData`. | ## IVersionable An optional interface for content that supports different versions for each language branch. There can only be at most one version published at each time. All built-in types, except `ContentFolder`, implement `IVersionable`. See [Content versions](docId\:j8EP3IlASieAMVfQu5NT1) for information regarding versions. | Member | Type | Description | | ------------------ | --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `Status` | `VersionStatus` | Specifies the status of the content version. | | `IsPendingPublish` | `bool` | Specifies if there is any published version for the current language branch. | | `StartPublish` | `DateTime?` | Optional value that specifies when the content is/was published. | | `StopPublish` | `DateTime?` | Optional value that specifies when the content is/was depublished. | ## ILocale An optional interface for content that specifies which language a specific content instance has. All built-in types except `ContentFolder` implements `ILocale`. | Member | Type | Description | | ---------- | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `Language` | `CultureInfo` | Specifies the language of a content instance. `CultureInfo.InvariantCulture` means that the content instance is not culture-specific. | ## ILocalizable An optional interface for content that support multiple language branches. Inherits `ILocale`. Built-in types, (except `ContentFolder` and `MediaData`), implement `ILocalizable`. | Member | Type | Description | | ------------------- | -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `Language` | `CultureInfo` | Inherits from `ILocale`. | | `MasterLanguage` | `CultureInfo` | Specifies which language version that contains the none language-specific properties. | | `ExistingLanguages` | `IEnumerable` | Specifies existing language branches for this content. | ## IReadOnly and IReadOnly`` An optional interface for content that support read-only instances. It is highly recommended that content types implement `IReadOnly`, which ensures the integrity of the content instances when instances are served from the cache and hence reused across different requests. Built-in base content classes implement `IReadOnly`. | Member | Type | Description | | -------------------------------- | -------- | --------------------------------------------------- | | `IsReadOnly` | `bool` | Specifies if the current instance is read-only. | | `void MakeReadOnly()` | `Method` | Makes an instance read-only. | | `object/T CreateWritableClone()` | `Method` | Creates a writable clone from a read-only instance. | ## IModifiedTrackable An optional interface for content instances that support modified tracking. There is a high-performance gain during save operations if you use `IModifiedTrackable` because only data that has actually changed needs to be persisted. Built-in base content classes implement `IModifiedTrackable`. | Member | Type | Description | | ---------------------- | -------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | `IsModified` | `bool` | Specifies it the current instance is modified. | | `void ResetModified()` | `Method` | Sets the content instance in a non-modified state. | ## IChangeTrackable An optional interface for content instances that support tracking of changes. Built-in base content classes implement `IChangeTrackable`. | Member | Type | Description | | ---------------------- | -------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | `IsModified` | `bool` | Specifies if the current instance is modified. | | `void ResetModified()` | `Method` | Sets the content instance in a non-modified state. | ## IContentSecurable An optional interface for content instances that support access checks. Built-in base content classes implement `IContentSecurable`. | Member | Type | Description | | ----------------------------------------------------------- | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `IContentSecurityDescriptor GetContentSecurityDescriptor()` | `Method` | Gets the security descriptor for the content instance where access rights can be checked. | ## IRoutable An interface that content items that should be routable through a content URL should implement. Built-in base content classes, except shared blocks, implement `IRoutable`. | Member | Type | Description | | -------------- | -------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `RouteSegment` | `string` | Specifies the route segment that is used for the content instance in the hierarchical content url. | ## ICategorizable An interface that content items that should be possible to categorize should implement. Built-in base content classes, except content folders, implement `ICategorizable`. | Member | Type | Description | | ---------- | -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `Category` | `CategoryList` | A list of all categories that this content instance is categorized as. | ## IInitializableContent If you should add default values when you create an instance of the content type, you can optionally implement the `IInitializableContent` interface for content items. | Member | Type | Description | | ------------------------------------------------ | -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | | `void SetDefaultValues(ContentType contentType)` | `Method` | Called when a new instance of the content type is created. | ## IExportable An optional interface that specifies how a content instance should be handled during export. | Member | Type | Description | | ---------------------------- | ------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `ShouldBeImplicitlyExported` | `bool` | Specifies whether this instance should be implicitly added to the export package when referenced by some exported entity. |