Simply put: system sections are created and managed just like normal sections, but they are associated with a specific system module, and as an effect of this, they receive their own button in the control panel, and have some variations in their access schemes.
For example, a section configured as the blog system section will allow members to control an access list for their blogs, while the gallery system section will add another field to the item management form that allows you to choose if the image should appear in the public gallery or remain only on your profile.
Currently, there are only 3 system sections, and two are optional:
- home: this is the section that is configured to run on your home page; it can be a section of any type, although a blog type seems most practical
- gallery: this is a section intended to be used by all your members to post images to; it must be a thumbnail section
- blog: this is a section intended to be used by all your members to write their own personal blog entries
You might be asking yourself, "well, what's the point of setting sections up as system sections, when the sections work fine without any of this system section stuff". That's true, you can forgot about the system sections settings altogether, but there are downsides of not configuring sections as system sections. First of all, as mentioned earlier, they will not receive a button in the control panel unless they are system sections; thus if you want the gallery or blog buttons to show in the control panel they must be configured as system sections. Additionally, your members will not be able to manage an access list for their blog unless you have configured the section as a system section.
