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Getting Started Guide
Welcome to Alliance SBS Intranet
This "Getting Started" guide is intended for site integrators, administrators and Webmasters. Using the ACP (Administration Control Panel), you can configure the design, structure, content and layout of the site.
To login and access the ACP, use the "sa" (Super Admin) account and password that has been provided. Once you login to the ACP, select the icon for the feature you wish to manage.
Table of Contents
1) Components of Alliance SBS Intranet
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Forums, E-commerce, Calendar, Newsletter, Surveys, Auctions, Ad Management, Affiliates, Etc..
2) Structure of Alliance SBS Intranet
3) Design of Alliance SBS Intranet
4) Basic Administration Tasks
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User Management
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Content Management
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The Components of Alliance SBS Intranet
Understanding the site's navigation and user interface is critical to managing the content and functionality of the site. Here is an overview of each UI component.
The Homepage
The Home page (default.asp) is the entry way to the site and the first page that most visitors will encounter. Homepage content is frequently updated and the desired layout will vary dependant on site reqirements. For this reason, several layouts have been made available to easily modify the layout and content of this page.
To modify the homepage layout: ACP > Homepage
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The Application Menu
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The Application Menu (a.k.a. App Menu) is used for navigation to the major site areas that are not specific content section or categories. Features like user sign-up, login, forums, calendar and product catalog are accessible from this menu. The "sitemap" link provides a top-level view of site content and categories.
To enable/disable or change labels in the App Menu: ACP > Options |
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The Content Menu
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The links that appear in the content menu are a result of the Content Types and Categories defined in the ACP. The Content Menu itself is contained in the Application Header (ACP Wrapper) so that it is consistently displayed on all pages. The layout and orientation on of the Content Menu can also be changed via the ACP.
To change the layout and orientation of the Content Menu: ACP > Wrapper
To change the items displayed in the Content Menu: ACP > Content > Content Types
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Content Sections & Categories
When accessed from the Content Menu or Sitemap, each content section displays a list of results. Depending on how the Categories and Content Types have been defined, sub-Categories may also be displayed above the results.
From the content results list, the user can click on an item to amplify for a detailed view. The fields that are displayed on the content detail view is based on the Content Type definitions from the ACP.
To change or add categories: ACP > Categories
To change the items displayed in a content section: ACP > Content > Content Types
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Other Features
For information on usage of the features below, please see the detailed section of the Documentation.
- Forums
- Chat
- E-commerce
- Calendar
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Event types
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Event Registration
- Surveys
- Newsletters
- Ad Banners
- Affiliates
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Categorical Structure of a PortalApp Site
Define Categories
"Categories" are the classifications that will be used to organize the hierarchy of content in the site. Categories might by topics, subjects, regions, groups or any other multi-level classification system that will fit the content that will later be added. To define new, or to change the existing categories go to the ACP > Categories menu.
When defining Categories, start by determing what topical labels apply to your site's content. Think of the categories as a primary means to organize the content. Create an outline and create a multi-level heirarchy if needed.
The Category Group field is used to create different groups of categories. For example, you may want to have one group of categories for Links and Articles, and another group of categories for items in a product catalog. Some default category types have been created out of the box. Remember that category types are not the same as Content Types, eventhough they overlap and may share similiar labels (ie: Content type: FAQ, Category type: FAQ Topics).
| TIP: Category groups are used to classify categories, while content types are used to create various formats and sections of content. |
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Define Content "Types"
Next determine all of the "types" or forms of content that will be on the site. A Content Type may consist of text, images, hyperlinks and other information. The information (data) may have identifiable fields such as title, related website or description.
"Article", "Press Release", "Link", "Business Listing" and "FAQ" are all examples of content "types". Several content types have been pre-defined for this site. To modify these types or create new ones, use the ACP > Content > Content Types menu.
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Content Type and Category Relationships
To optimize display of content within the heirarchy of categories, any or all Content Types can be set to use all or a dedicated group of categories (Category Group). To "filter" the available categories for any given Content Type, there are several options. Please see the Categories section of the Documentation for more information
More Information,
Basic Content Mangement
CMS Usage Scenarios
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The Design of a PortalApp Site
Styles
The fonts, colors and styles used throughout the site are defined on the "default.css" *(see footnote) style sheet. This style sheet can be viewed and edited via the ACP > Styles menu.
Additional style sheets are provided and can be enabled via the ACP > Styles menu. To use another style sheet, select it from the "Pre-defined styles" drop-down list and click the "Set as Current Style" button. Use caution as this action will overwrite the existing "default.css" so any previous style customizations would be lost.
Each component of a PortalApp page has a related style property. Each property can be accessed from the "Style Properties" drop-down list, or scroll down to view each property and attribute. The source code for the default.css page can also be directly edited by clicking the "" link.
For a detailed look at all style properties, or to create custom PortalApp skins, refer to the PortalApp Design Guide.
Header/Footer "Wrapper"
All site pages share a common "Wrapper" that surrounds the functional and content portion of the page. The "Wrapper" is made up of 2 pages -- Everything before the functional and content portion is in the Header (i_header.asp) and everything that follows is in the Footer (i-footer.asp).
To view or modify the Header & Footer, use the ACP > Wrapper menu. When viewing the Header and Footer you will see that other include pages are referred to in the HTML code. These other include pages construct the navigation (App and Content Menus) that are used throughout the site.
If you wished to create an entirely custom navigation that used Flash, DHTML or any other HTML interpreted code it could be added here by editing the HTML content of the Header & Footer. In this scenario you would also want to remove include references to the other navigation include in the code (ie: <!--#include file="i_app_menu_v.asp"-->).
Also see, The Homepage section for information on changing the layout and content of the Homepage.
* - The "default.css" style sheet is referenced via a LINK HTML tag in the site's Header (ACP > Wrapper). Since it is possible to edit the Header (i_header.asp) HTML code the LINK tag can be changed to use an alternate style sheet or completely removed.
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Basic Administration Tasks
Content Management (CMS)
Content Authoring (Adding New Content)
There are 2 ways that new content can be added to the site:
1) Content (and all related fields) can be added/edited via the ACP > Content menu.
2) Content for a specific Content Type can be added via "Add +" link in any content section (content.asp). When the "Add +" link is clicked, the Content Submission page (submit_content.asp) is displayed for the user to compose content. A specific "ContentTypeId=" must be passed in the URL (or via Form POST) so that the submission form functions specific to the type of content that is being added. The input fields that display on the submission form depend on those defined for the Content Type in ACP > Content > Content Types. The "Add +" link will only display when "enable user posts" has been checked and the user has the required access level.
NOTE: Can't find the "Add +" link? The "Add +" link label can be changed (ie; "Post", "Add New", "New", "Submit", etc..) in the ACP > Options > Languages & Labels section. The display of the "Add+" link is also dependent on settings defined in the ACP > Content > ContentTypes menu.
Displaying & "Featuring" Content
Any content related setting can be modified via the ACP > Content menu. To update a content item, click on the item's Title in the ACP Content Manager list. Once in edit mode, a populated form will display with all of the fields for the content item. The "Display" and "Featured" checkboxes can be marked as needed, and then use the UPDATE button to commit the change(s).
Content items marked "Featured" are flagged for display on the Homepage. However, there are other settings that will affect the display of items on the Homepage.
"Featured" content items will display when:
- The "Feature" checkbox is set via the ACP > Content Manager
- The item's Content Type is enabled and ready for display on the Homepage
- The Homepage layout includes a featured content section
There are often cases where content will be created, but will be displayed at a later time or pending review. At any time a content item can be removed or set using the "Display" checkbox via the ACP Content Manager. If the item is not marked for "Display", but is marked "Featured" it will remain on the Homepage, but not display elsewhere in the site.
When content is added via the Content Submission page (submit_content.asp), the display of the item depends on it's Content Type. In the ACP > Content > Content Types > User Submission Settings the "Required access level" for submitting content and approving content are indicated. When the submitting user's Access Level is greater than or equaly to the indicated "to approve content" level, the content item will automatically be set to display when it is submitted.
A higher approval level should be used for Content Types that first require review before going live on the site.
More Information..
Content Types
CMS Usage Scenarios
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User Management
Adding Users
There are 2 ways that new users can be added to the site's database. Once added with a username, email address and password the user can login and access restricted areas (for more information see "Access Levels & Security") of the site.
1) Users can "sign-up" on the registration page (register.asp)
2) Users can be added via the ACP > Users menu
By default, when a user registers via register.asp they will be assigned an access level of 1. The user will also receive a "Welcome New User" email notification. The text of this new user message is defined via the ACP > Newsletters menu. The "default" Newsletter message can be changed by marking the "send to new users?" checkbox. Only 1 Newsletter should be set as the new users "default". Information on other email notification functions can be found in the "Administration & Options" section.
When a user is added via the ACP User Management page, the access level can be set accordingly by the administrator. For more information on the access levels required for specfic areas review the "Default Security Settings" in the Documentation.
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Administration & Options
General Settings
Site-wide settings such as date/time formats, site title and URL paths can be set in the Options menu of the ACP at: ACP > Options > General Settings
- Server date time settings
- Server email component
- Site label, title
- Site root path and secure (SSL) root path
Email Confirmation/Notification Messages
Various "notification" emails are sent in different site areas. These messages are sent for features like password lookup, new forum topics, order confirmation and new user registration.
All of these messages can be viewed and edited via the ACP > Newsletters menu. This is the same Newsletter facility that can be used to compose and send any e-Newsletters.
Each email "notification" function is assigned a corresponding Newsletter message via the Global Options menu at ACP > Options. To assign a message for email "notification", select from the drop-down lists in the Email & Messages section. By default, several messages are defined and set for each notification function.
For more information on Newsletter message compostion, see the Newsletter Management section of the Documentation.
Enabling & Disabling Features
Certain features such as ad banner, forums, surveys, etc.. can be toggled via the Options menu of the ACP at: ACP > Options > Enable / Disable Settings
Labels & Language
Most of the labels used throughout the site including content and other features, and on the Content Submission page (submit_content.asp) can be modified in under the ACP > Options > Language & Labels section.
In this way, the "Forums" could be re-labeled "Bulletin Boards" or "Discussion Area". The Form Labels section defines labels for each of the standard content fields. In this way, form labels like "Title", "Category", or "Author" can be re-labeled. Translated versions of the site (see License Agreement) could also be created by modifying these global labels.
Basic Set-up Checklist
- Determine "types" of content
- Article, FAQ, Business Listing, Download, Press Release, External Website, etc..
- Determine categories
- Create a list of topical/subject categories that applies to the site content
- Consider content/category relationships
- This will create the content sections
- Login to the ACP
- Modify administration user accounts
- Modify Global options and labels
- Email notification
- Server date/time
- Disable/Enable features
- Define Categories
- Define Content Types & Options
- Modify Styles, Wrapper and Homepage layout
- Author Content
- Hide this "Getting Started" article via ACP > Content
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