This article covers the configuration and management of websites and language versions in the EFS Panel. It provides detailed information on setting up websites, managing language versions, configuring global and individual settings, and performing automated checks on the CMS configuration.
Putting a Website or Language Version Online/Offline
Using the buttons Online – Set website / language version offline and Offline – Set website / language version online, you can put the various websites and language versions online or offline.
- If a website is offline, none of its language versions are accessible to visitors.
- If a language version is offline, then it is no longer accessible to visitors.
It is not possible to put the default website and its default language version offline.
Information
We recommend that you create and display a replacement page with an error or maintenance message, for example, if you deactivate a website or language version.
Defining Access Rights on Panel Sites or Language Versions
You can limit access to the different websites and language versions by assigning object rights to specific user teams.
To do so, choose the desired panel site or language version and select the Set Rights icon. The standard rights dialog opens, in which you can assign different teams read or write rights.
The read or write rights refer to all those website or language version specific ACL rights, which were assigned to the team in general. If t, the team has for example general write rights on the news functions (news_admin), then it can edit the news only for those language versions for which it has write rights.
Information
You can assign rights to News and FAQ, the menus containing community features, forms etc. in specific languages to user teams, without granting them access to the website editor. This is of special importance if you want to delegate community management to users who are not familiar with the website editor.
To realize such a constellation, you have to combine
- Write rights for “mod_panelsite”, which grants access to the Website module,
- Rights for those language versions and corresponding parent websites which the team is supposed to manage,
- ACL rights for the respective menus
and abstain from granting read or write rights on “panel_cms”.
Editing Text Elements of the CMS Externally
Key text elements of the CMS can be exported for external editing or translation. Afterwards, the changed content is imported back into EFS. External editing allows to add new text elements, too, which is particularly useful when upgrading panel installations:
- it is possible to create new text elements. This is of special importance if, after upgrading a panel to a new version of EFS, additional wildcards or messages are needed.
- It is up to you to decide if you want to add new text elements during import, or if existing texts should be updated as well.
- The export file can be imported into any language version of the installation. Thus, you can use one export file to create new text elements in several language versions.
The following text elements can be edited externally:
- Wildcards for text elements
- Notifications
- Error messages
Information
Registration messages, topics, HTML page titles and other text elements are currently not covered by the export function.
Exporting content
- Switch to the Website menu to make an export.
- Choose the desired language version. Open the export dialog by clicking on the Excel export icon.
- Choose the contents that you would like to export.
- Confirm by clicking on Export.
- The export file is created. You can download it by clicking on the file Copy the file to your local PC.
Importing contents
- Switch to the Website menu to make an import.
- Choose the desired language version. Open the import dialog by clicking on the Upload file icon.
- Choose the edited Excel file from the hard drive of your PC.
- To update existing wildcards and messages, activate the “Update existing datasets” checkbox. If you want to add new text elements, while keeping the old ones as they are, make sure the checkbox is deactivated.
- With Import the import operation will be triggered.
Editing contents externally
The exported XLS file contains the wildcards and messages of the CMS, various meta information, and the empty column “new content” in which the required new texts can be entered. The following tables 15.1 and 15.2 explain the meaning of the columns in detail.
To realize your changes, please proceed as follows:
- To change existing text elements, simply enter the appropriate new text in the “new content” column.
- To create a new wildcard, add a new row and add the required data.
- To create a new notification or error message, you have to add two new rows:
- The text type of the first row is “header”. For a message of type „error message“, you can optionally enter a header in this row.
- The text type of the first row is “body”. It contains the message itself and is obligatory.
Information
Caution: A frequently made mistake is to change the text in the “content” column. New text must be entered in the “new content” column.
Table contents:
| Column | Meaning |
|---|---|
| section | Indicates which type of content it is. |
| identifier | Number or name of each text element. |
| text type | In this column, you define if the respective row contains the header or body of a message. |
| language | Language version’s abbreviation. |
| content | The previous content of each text element. Do not change! |
| new content | Text changes or new texts are entered into this column. |
| status | Indicates the status of the editing process. |
Entry in the column “section”:
| Entry in the column “section” | Meaning |
|---|---|
| placeholders | Wildcards for text elements. |
| errors | Error messages. |
| messages | Notifications. |
Creating Websites and Language Versions
You can create new websites as well as new individual language versions. However, their configuration and page structure must be created from scratch. Alternatively, you may copy an existing website or a selected language version, adopting the respective settings and contents. This is advisable, for example, if the copied version is to differ only slightly from the original or if you need a copy for testing purposes.
Information
Please note: Copying of websites and language versions is only possible within the same installation. An export/import function that would allow a transfer from one installation to another is not available.
Creating a New Website
- Switch to the Website menu.
- Click on the + Website button.
- Enter the name of the new website.
- Select the appropriate functional scope.
- Confirm by clicking on Create website.
A new website which already has a default language version will be displayed. In the default version “Standard Layout // From scratch”, however, neither are configured nor do they contain pages or templates, merely a few settings are preset by default.
Creating a New Language Version
- Switch to the Website menu.
- Click on the + Language version.
- Specify the website you wish to assign the new language version to.
- Enter the name of the new language version.
- Confirm by clicking on Create.
A new language version will be created. This language version is neither configured nor does it contain pages or templates.
Copying an Existing Website
- Switch to the Website menu.
- Search for the website you wish to copy. In the “Actions” column, click on the Copy website icon.
- Enter the name of the new website.
- Specify the existing content you wish to copy. You can copy messages, wildcards, page modules, templates and includes, form configuration, news items, FAQ, quick polls, bulletin boards, mail templates and bonus items.
- Specify the language version you wish to copy.
- Confirm by clicking on Create.
Information
Please note:
- At least one language version must be copied.
- Results from quick polls, contributions to forums, discussions, chats, blogs, and download files are not copied.
- The counter registering the hits for news items is reset during copying.
- Social Insight Connect: The settings on the language version-specific tab Facebook configuration are not copied, Social Insight Connect will be deactivated in the copy.
Copying an Existing Language Version
- Switch to the Website menu.
- Search for the language version you wish to copy. In the “Actions” column, click on the Copy language version icon.
- Enter the name of the new language version.
- Specify the existing content you wish to copy. You can copy messages, wildcards, news items, mail templates, bonus items, quick polls, page modules, and templates, and includes, form configuration, FAQ, forums, download sections, discussions, chats, and blogs. In language versions with Social Insight Connect, the settings on the tab Facebook configuration are not copied, Social Insight Connect will be deactivated in the copy.
- Confirm by clicking on Create.
General Settings
EFS Panel offers a wide variety of configuration options, both global options that apply to the entire panel installation and options that apply to individual websites and language versions. These features are presented in detail in the following.
Global Settings for the Entire Panel
In the Website → Global configuration menu you can define parameters that apply to the entire EFS People installation.
Global settings for all websites
| Description | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Global redirection URL for all websites | Occasionally, clients may want to use the panelist’s administration of EFS People and conduct their surveys with EFS People while using an external website as their panel’s address.In this case, the global redirection allows you to redirect all traffic from websites of the specific panel installation to your desired alternative domain.The panel websites will be de facto inaccessible.Panel surveys and master data surveys, however, will remain accessible. |
| Select whether a header with X-Frame-Options should be sent to the client | Today, almost any browser makes it possible for web applications to send an HTTP header “X-Frame-Options” which declares to the browser if a certain website is allowed to be shown in a frame or not.Possible value options are:“Do not send”: By the mentioned default value the header is not sent, which effectively leads to a permission of framing.“Deny”: The header is sent and will prevent any framing.“Sameorigin”: The header is sent and will allow framing only by the website of the same domain. |
Session settings
| Description | Explanation | Preallocation in the standard panel |
|---|---|---|
| Name of the session cookie | The cookie is set by the panel. | panel-session |
| Length of panel session validity (in seconds) | In this field, you can set the session period for panel visits. | 3600 |
| Cookie type to be used when the panel website is visited | You have the option not to place cookies when your website is visited.The following options are available:Use normal cookies: These are the conventionally used cookies. They can be read by HTTP or Javascript.Use HTTP-only cookies: These cookies were also available in earlier versions of EFS. They can be read by HTTP but not by Javascript. Therefore this setting provides a higher degree of security. Browser-based scripts cannot access the cookie data.Do not use cookies: When using this option, authentication is done via the SES parameter in the URL or via HTTP POST data.The “HTTP-only cookies” option is preset on new installations.Please note: The described settings only apply to the panel website.The cookie settings for EFS surveys are set in the respective project.The cookie settings for the EFS installation itself are configured by our support. On new installations, HTTP-only cookies are used per default. | Use HTTP-only cookies |
| Mode to determine the language version | When a visitor navigates to the panel website, EFS will automatically try to determine and open the most appropriate language version. It is up to you to decide which procedure is to be employed:A domain name is used only if the language version was not previously determined: This is the default setting reflecting conventional behavior where the system first tries to evaluate information from previous visits (session, cookies) and request parameters. The domain name that is called up serves as a fallback.Always use domain name: When this option is selected, the system will first check whether the domain name being used is assigned to a particular language version of the CMS. If so, this language version will be used. Otherwise, the older algorithm will be used as a fallback.Example: A website visitor has visited the French version (www.example.fr) of the website. Now he enters the domain name of the English version (www.example.co.uk).When set to default, EFS will analyze his session or cookie settings to find out that he already visited the French version before, and consequently display the French version.If the second option has been selected, the explicitly requested English version will be displayed. | Domain name is only used if language version was not previously detected |
| Session parameter handling | If the session parameter is not automatically appended to URLs, the panel will only work with cookies enabled. | Append session parameter automatically to URLs |
Login
| Description | Explanation | Preallocation in the standard panel |
|---|---|---|
| Panel login is possible for panelists with the following panel statuses | With this option, you can define the statuses under which the panelists are allowed to log in.For example, you may allow a temporarily admitted candidate to already log in.If all panel statuses are deselected, the internal website areas become inaccessible while surveys remain accessible irrespective of the website.Please note: The panel statuses are not website-specific, but all panelists are described by the same panel statuses. Therefore, the selected setting will apply to all websites of the panel installation. | All panelists can log in except those with a “deleted” status and those with user-defined statuses. |
| Participation in panel surveys is possible for panelists with the following panel statuses | With this option, you can define the status under which the panelists are allowed to participate in panel surveys (given that they belong to an appropriate sample, of course). | |
| Participation in master data surveys is possible for panelists with the following panel statuses | With this option you can define the status under which the panelists are allowed to participate in master data surveys (given that they belong to an appropriate sample, of course). | |
| Direct panelists to the website/language version they´ve been assigned to after login | This setting ensures that when logging in, panelists will be directed to the website/language version they are assigned to.Please note: This option influences the behavior of the system during the login process, it does not control access to language versions in general. If you want to control access to specific pages, please go to the Page Configuration tab and restrict access to appropriate panelist groups. | No |
| Activate brute force login protection | This option activates the brute force protection for the panelists’ personal area. Brute force protection is activated, once the panelist has reached the defined number of failed login attempts. The panelist account is then deactivated for a set amount of time, and an error message is displayed to the panelist upon each new login attempt during that time. New login attempts during the deactivation phase will not extend the duration of deactivation, and they will not be counted as additional failed login attempts. | |
| Brute force account deactivation time (in seconds) | In this field, you specify for how long the panelist accounts are to be suspended upon triggering the brute force protection.Please note:The messages “brute_force” and “brute_forced”, used in case of a suspension, can be edited in the Website → Standard content → Messages menu.Manual reactivation ahead of time is not possible. | |
| Number of allowed failed login attempts | In this field, you specify how many failed attempts are allowed. If the specified number is exceeded, the respective panelist account will be suspended. |
From EFS 9.1 onwards: Password security
With EFS 9.1, password encryption for panels was adjusted according to the most recent security standards. In addition to the features described below, this includes the following mail wildcards in the standard scope:
- #password_recovery_url#: “Reset password” link.
- #u_sec_quest#: Security question.
- #u_sec_quest_answer#: Answer to the security question.
The appropriate mail template is set in the function module.
| Description | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Activate change log | In the period specified (see below), the password can be changed only once. |
| Password change timeout | see above |
| Prevent re-use | In the period specified (see below), a password cannot be used again. |
| Re-use interval | see above |
| Validity period for the “Reset password” link | After the period specified, the “Reset password” link will not be valid anymore. |
| Activate security question | Optionally, a security question can be used.If you want to use this feature, please add appropriate entry fields and check expressions to the forms Registration form, and Change account data.Dedicated participant variables “u_sec_quest” and “u_sec_quest_answer” (newly introduced with EFS 9.1) allow to store security question and answer. |
| Activate brute force protection | This option activates brute force protection dedicated to the answering of the security question. If the security question is entered wrong too many times, this feature will temporarily disable the panelist’s account. Find more information on this topic above under “Activate brute force login protection”. |
| Brute force account deactivation time (in seconds) | In this field, you specify for how long the panelist accounts are to be suspended upon triggering the brute force protection via the security question.Please note:The messages “brute_force” and “brute_forced”, used in case of a suspension, can be edited in the Website → Standard content → Messages menu.Manual reactivation ahead of time is not possible. |
| Number of allowed failed login attempts | In this field, you specify how many failed attempts are allowed to answer the security question. If the specified number is exceeded, the respective panelist account will be suspended. |
Profiles
| Description | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Master data group 1 to 5 | Optionally, the visibility of master data may be made configurable.To keep the profile settings form clearly structured despite large numbers of master data variables, these variables are grouped. The panelists can then define the visibility for each group.In this section, you can assemble the groups. Use the Ctrl or Shift keys to select multiple variables for each group. |
Performance
| Description | Explanation | Preallocation in the standard panel |
|---|---|---|
| Time period that should be taken into account when calculating “panelists online” (in seconds) | 600 | |
| Only logged-in panelists should be taken into account for calculating “panelists online” | No |
Locale settings
| Description | Explanation | Preallocation in the standard panel |
|---|---|---|
| First day of week | Sunday or Monday can be selected. From EFS 8.2, you can choose any day of the week.The setting affects the calculation of the upper limit of friends to be recruited per week and the display of the survey of the week, as long as you do not select another day for a specific language version. | Monday |
| Time zone for data display on panel pages | Europe/Paris |
Registration
| Description | Explanation |
|---|---|
| URL parameters taken into account when checking for invite keys (comma separated) |
Rating settings
| Description | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Rating scale | Various scales are available for community rating functions. |
| Panelists are allowed to change their ratings | In this field, you can specify whether the panelists are allowed to subsequently change their ratings. |
| From EFS 10.3: Panelists are allowed to revoke their ratings | In this field, you can specify whether the panelists are allowed to revoke their ratings. |
Tagging settings
| Description | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Maximum number of tags per post per panelist | See Chapter “Tagging and Categorization of Community Content”. |
| Maximum number of user tags per panelist per language version | see above |
| Maximum number of tags per minute | see above |
| Minimum length of tags | see above |
| Auto-tag hashtags in posts | see above |
Only with Content Search activated: Search settings
| Description | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Modules available in search | In the drop-down list, you can select the content types that should be covered by the search.Available content types: blogs, discussions, downloads, forums, and news. |
| Modules available in search | Maximum number of results to be displayed in the “All results” list per content type. |
| Maximum number of search results in summary | Maximum number of results to be displayed in the summary per content type. |
Settings for Individual Panel Websites
In the Websites menu, click on the name of the desired website.
Website settings
| Description | Explanation | Preallocation in the standard panel |
|---|---|---|
| Name of website | Name of the website | Default |
| Description | Description for internal purposes only | |
| Default language version | In this field, you can specify the default language version.The default version is displayed if visitors cannot yet be assigned to a language version (i.e. they have not yet expressly chosen a language, there are no cookies containing information on previous visits, a language version has not been assigned to the domain accessed and the site_id cannot be accessed before login to a possible panelist account).The default version cannot be deleted. | english |
| Only for installations with several websites and/or language versions: Choose this website as the default installation website. | In this field, you can specify the default website.The default version is selected where there is no information regarding the website and language version to be assigned to a user. | yes |
Login
| Description | Explanation | Preallocation in the standard panel |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication method for panel login (this setting applies to all panel sites) | You can choose between the options:Login with e-mail address and passwordLogin with account and passwordLogin with e-mail address and password or account and password | Login with e-mail address and password |
| Maximal permissible load on login | This setting temporarily disables login to the website, if the server load exceeds the specified value.Please enter “0”, if you do not wish to disable login during high load phases. | 0 |
| Update panelist’s IP address on every login | If you activate this option, panelists’ current IP address will be entered in their data record every time they log in. If you do not activate this option, the panelists’ IP address will only be collected upon registration. | No |
| App-based Two-Factor Authentication | In addition to their password, panelists must enter an app-generated code when logging in with two-factor authentication. The setting options for app-based two-factor authentication are Disabled (default setting), Enabled and Enforced. Disabled: Two-factor authentication for the panel website is disabled.Enabled: The panelist has the option of activating two-factor authentication under “My Details”. The setup is initiated by clicking on the Show QR Code button. The displayed QR code must then be scanned using a mobile phone and the code displayed must be entered in the corresponding field. After clicking Send, the successful activation of the two-factor authentication is confirmed. If the panelist now attempts to log in to their account, they will be asked to enter the generated code from the app apart from their login credentials. They can only log in once they enter this code. After successful activation, two-factor authentication can be deactivated again in the same area under “My details”.Enforced: If you select the option Enforced, panelists will be prompted to scan the QR code and enter the code from the app immediately after entering their login credentials. So they will no longer be able to access the account without setting up two-factor authentication. When setting two-factor authentication to Enforced, it can also no longer be deactivated by the panelist once it has been set up. However, panelists have the option of scanning a new code under “My Details”, if desired.The behavior in case of incorrect code entry is similar to the behavior of incorrect password entry. The settings (such as the number of permitted failed attempts, brute force account lockout time, etc.) that you configure for your website under Global Configuration> Login or Global Configuration> Password security therefore also apply to two-factor authentication. Also, Panelists can reset their password using the “Forgot password” workflow if they have lost it or can no longer remember it. After setting a new password, the 2FA data is removed and the panelist can (or must, if Enforced is set) register a new 2FA code. |
To use app-based two-factor authentication, a compatible authentication app is required.
- The activation and deactivation of two-factor authentication is technically implemented via the “Change two-factor authentication” page module. When you create a new website, the page module is included on the “My details” page. For websites created before EFS 24.1, the module must be added manually. Further information can be found here.
- If individual customizations have been made to the template tpl_errors_and_messages.tpl of your panel website, it is recommended to adapt the page template. Further information can be found here.
- Two-factor authentication has been implemented for the current Responsive layout of the Panel website. If you would like to use it for a website with an older layout, you can find more information here.
Manually adding the “Change two-factor authentication” page module
Newly created websites that are based on a current layout (Portal (Responsive v2) and Community full scope (Responsive v2)) are already set up so that two-factor authentication can be used for them. For websites that were created before version 24.1, all required red templates and placeholders were added as part of the upgrade process to the new release, but the “Change two-factor authentication” page module must be added manually.
To do this, proceed as follows:
- In the website editor, click on the “My details” page and then on + Page module.
- Under Type, select the Change two-factor authentication option.
- Under Reference name for template, enter the desired reference name.
- Under Module template, select the option func-change_2fa.
- Under Position, select the desired position for the new module.
- Click on Save.
Adapting the template
If individual customizations have been made to the template tpl_errors_and_messages.tpl of your Panel website, it is recommended to adjust the page template. This improves the display of the success messages that are displayed at the top of the page when activating, deactivating, or updating two-factor authentication. To do this, proceed as follows:
- Under Website > Website Editor, click on the Templates tab.
- Select tpl_errors_and_messages.tpl.
- Change line 3 from
<ul class="error-list list-unstyled">
to
<ul id="error-list" class="error-list list-unstyled">
- Change line 17 from
<ul id="message-list">
to
<ul id="message-list" class="message-list list-unstyled">
- Click on Save.
Activate Two-Factor Authentication for Websites with an Older Layout
Two-factor authentication has been implemented for the current Responsive layout of the Panel website. If you want to use it for websites with an older layout, you must manually add both the required templates and placeholders as well as the “Change two-factor authentication” page module to your website.
Adding templates
You must add the following templates to your website:
templates/main_tfa_login.tpl
templates/main_tfa_register.tpl
templates/func_change_2fa.tpl
Proceed as follows:
- To retrieve the current code for the templates, create a new website with the current layout.
- Copy the code for templates/main_tfa_login.tpl.
- Create a new template for your website, enter templates/main_tfa_login.tpl as the name and paste the code you have just copied.
- Repeat the process for the other two templates.
Adding placeholders
In the next step, you need to add the following wildcards:
| Name | Content | Description |
|---|---|---|
| two_factor_authentication_login_code | Enter the six-digit code from the application | Explanation for two factor authentication login code |
| two_factor_authentication_login_failed | Authentication failed. Please try again. | Two factor authentication login failed message |
| two_factor_authentication_register_code | After scanning the QR code with the app, please enter the six-digit code shown in the app | Explanation for two factor authentication registration code |
| two_factor_authentication_register_description | Scan the QR code below with your authentication app on your phone. <a href=”%s” target=”_blank”>List of compatible apps.</a><br>%s<br> Alternatively, enter the code in your authentication app: %s | Description text shown at two factor authentication registration |
To do this, proceed as follows:
- Call up the menu Website > Standard content > Wildcards.
- Click on Create wildcard.
- Copy the name, content and description for the first placeholder from the table above into the corresponding fields and click Save.
- Repeat the process for all other wildcards in the table.
Adding the “Change two factor authentication” page module
In the last step, you now need to add the “Change two factor authentication” page module.
To do this, proceed as follows:
- In the website editor, click on the “My details” page and then on the + Page module.
- Under Type, select the Change two-factor authentication option.
- Under Reference name for template, enter the desired reference name.
- Under Module template, select the option func-change_2fa.
- Under Position, select the After Change Account Details option.
- Click on Save.
Individual Language Version Settings
1. Access
Starting in the Website editor, click on Website settings, then go to the tab General Settings.
| Description | Explanation | Preallocation in the standard panel |
|---|---|---|
| Current ID | ID of the language version. | |
| Language name | Name of the language version | English |
| Output mode | HTMLXHTML-MPWML | HTML |
| Target page logged out section | Page you are usually automatically taken to when you click on the panel URL. | Pages → Home |
| Target page logged in section | Page logged-in panelists are usually automatically taken to when they log in. | Pages → My home |
| Target page first login | Page panelists are taken to when they log in for the first time after registration. | Pages → My home |
| Language selection page | Page on which visitors can choose a language version.This page is used,if visitors cannot yet be assigned to a language version (i.e. they have not yet expressly chosen a language, there are no cookies containing information on previous visits and the site_id cannot be accessed before login to a possible panelist account).if, at the same time, no other details are available as to which language visitors are to see. For a panel with several domains you could, for example, specify that visitors who access the domain “.de” are automatically taken to the German version, whereas visitors who access the domain “.com” are shown the language selection page. | |
| Assigned languages | Used to determine a user’s language when no cookie is set and no other language information is available:Many browsers transmit a language code in the value „HTTP_Accept_Language“, e.g. „en“ for English speaking users or „de_DE“ for German speaking users from Germany.In this input field, you can specify the language codes for which (in the absence of other data) the current language version shall be displayed. |
Output
| Description | Explanation | Preallocation in the standard panel |
|---|---|---|
| Output encoding of the panel site | This field is used to set the required character set for the language version. | UTF-8 |
| Repeat main menu items in second level navigation | Optionally, you can display the main menu items a second time in second level navigation. | No |
Profiles
| Description | Explanation | Preallocation in the standard panel |
|---|---|---|
| Profile visibility for new panelists | Via this field, you can define whether personal data of new panelists should be visible for other panelists and visitors before these candidates log in and set up their profiles. | “Show profile to others” deactivated |
| Thumbnail size for profile pictures (in pixels) | Use this field to define the size of thumbmails for profile pictures. | 60 |
Surveys
| Description | Explanation | Preallocation in the standard panel |
|---|---|---|
| Survey of the week (previously: Survey that shall be linked…) | This survey is displayed from the first day of the week onwards, until either the panelists have participated or the week is over.Wildcard {$env.weekly_survey}To define the starting point of the weekly intervals, select the first day of the week in the global website configuration or in the settings of a specific language version | |
| User-defined labels 1 to 3 | You can highlight selected surveys additionally with specific notes or icons. This makes sense, for example, in the case of new surveys, surveys with special incentives, or regular weekly surveys. |
Bonus points
| Description | Explanation | Preallocation in the standard panel |
|---|---|---|
| Name of bonus points (short form) | Can be inserted and output via the {$env.credit_name}) wildcard. | PP |
| Name of bonus points (long form) | Can be inserted and output via the {$env.credit_name_long} wildcard. | Panel points |
| Label for “no bonus points available” | Will be output when a respondent has not earned any bonus points yet. | No panel points are available |
| Allow multiple invitation of the same member in promotions | No | |
| Text to be entered in the bonus points history when redeeming points. | Is used to document the history of redeemed points. Use the wildcard %s to insert the name of the requested bonus item. | %s |
| Name of panel | The name of the wildcard for a link to the panel, which is inserted into the e-mail form for “Tell-a-friend” campaigns. When the email is dispatched, the wildcard will be replaced with a clickable link. | <link to the panel> |
Registration
| Description | Explanation | Preallocation in the standard panel |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum password length checked on sign up | A minimum number of characters can be set for the password. | 5 |
| Maximum password length checked on sign up | A maximum number of characters can be set for the password. | 8 |
| Password security guidelines | You can impose restrictions on the panelists regarding their choice of passwords. The following check algorithm combinations are available:No restrictions: The password only has to comply with the length restrictions defined on the same tab.Letters and numbers: The password must contain at least one letter and one number.Letters and either numbers or special characters: The password must contain at least one letter and either one number or one special character.Case sensitivity and numbers: The password must contain at least one capital letter, one lowercase letter, and one number.Case sensitivity and either numbers or special characters: The password must contain at least one capital letter, one lowercase letter, and either one number or one special character. | |
| Number of bonus points granted on registration | If you wish to award initial bonus points for registration, you can specify the number in this field. | |
| Text to be entered in the bonus points history when registering | Registration | |
| Way of entry that is set on registration |
Contact form
| Description | Explanation | Preallocation in the standard panel |
|---|---|---|
| Text in feedback emails: “sender” | This and the following text elements are used in the e-mails sent to the panel operator via the contact form. | Sender |
| Text in feedback emails: “content” | see above | Inquiry |
| Text in feedback emails: “headline” | see above | Headline |
| Text in feedback emails: “topics” | see above | Subject |
| Text in feedback emails: “selection” | see above | Selection |
Locale settings
| Description | Wildcard | Explanation | Preallocation in the standard panel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name of panel | {$env.panel_name} | Name of the panel, which can be output via wildcards. This is also used in the emails sent by panel visitors or panelists to the panel operator via the contact form. | Your Panel |
| First day of week | Sunday or monday can be selected. From EFS 8.2, you can choose any day of the week.The setting affects the calculation of the upper limit of friends to be recruited per week and the display of the survey of the week for the current language version. If nothing is selected, the global setting will be used. | ||
| Date format | {$env.locale.date_format} | d.m.Y | |
| Date format | {$env.locale.date_format2} | d-m-Y | |
| Time format | {$env.locale.time_format} | h:i a (T) | |
| Time format | {$env.locale.time_format2} | H:i:s | |
| Time zone for date display on panel pages | Europe / Paris |
3. Debugging
Starting in Website editor, click on Website settings, then go to the tab Debugging.
| Description | Explanation | Preallocation in the standard panel |
|---|---|---|
| Show debug information on the website | Various debug information, such as language version and character set, are output. | |
| IP address range | Optionally, you can restrict display of the debug information to a specific address range.Please note: the determination of hostnames and IP addresses is possible only to a certain extent. | |
| HTTP authentication (user name) | You can restrict access to the language version to specific persons, for example during the setup phase.To do so, enter a username in this field and a password in the following field. Pass these data on to the desired persons. When the domain is accessed, users are prompted for their password; visitors who do not have the login data are denied access. | |
| HTTP authentication (password) | see above |
4. Facebook configuration
In panels with Social Insight Connect, the Facebook tab contains the settings for the app of the language version. For details, please see the „Social Insight Connect“ manual.
Domain Mapping
Most panel websites can be accessed via several domains. In the case of a panel with several language versions, the .com domain usually refers both to the website and the language version, whereas .de refers to the German and .fr to the French language version. EFS Panel’s GUI helps you map the domain(s) to the panel site(s).
1. Clarifying domain and server configuration
There are some basic prerequisites that must first be met:
- You must be the owner of the domain, i.e. the domain must be registered in your name or in the name of someone acting on your behalf.
- The owner of the domain must ensure that the domain refers to the panel installation.
- In the configuration of the server on which the panel installation is hosted the domain must be linked to the installation.
- It is necessary to decide if access to panel websites and / or surveys should only be permitted with SSL encryption or if you want to allow both http and https access.
Our support will assist you in performing these steps.
If only one domain is to be linked to your panel installation, no further steps are required.
2. Mapping the domains if several domains are used
If you want several domains to refer to your panel, you must subsequently map the domains to the website(s)/language version(s) using the GUI.
- To do so, switch to the Website → Global configuration → Domain mapping menu.
- Click on Add domain.
- Enter the first domain in the following format: www.your-domain.com.
- Select the website or language version you wish to map to the domain.
- Confirm by clicking on Save mapping.
Repeat these steps for all required domains.
Facebook Configuration
In panels with Social Insight Connect, the Facebook configuration menu contains settings which affect all apps on the installation. For language version-specific options, open the Edit dialog and go to the tab Settings → Facebook. For details, please see the „Social Insight Connect“ manual.
Automatic Checking of the CMS Configuration
The CMS offers a variety of functions and settings. However, users with little or no experience in setting up a panel may find it difficult to understand the relevant relationships and dependencies. These difficulties are overcome by using automated tests.
They help you identify and correct avoidable errors at an early stage.
- You can either check a complete website or a particular language version.
- Checking of a complete website always includes automatic tests of all those language versions for which you have access rights.
- Checking is performed with particular regard to frequent configuration problems that occur when setting up a new panel or a new website. Sometimes, for example, the registration page is not available as it has been activated for logged-in panelists only. Or the active panelists are unable to log in due to incorrectly configured panel statuses.
- In addition to configuration problems, security aspects are also tested, in particular the susceptibility to XSS (cross site scripting). Many users are not aware of this kind of problem and will consequently ignore them when setting up a panel.
- Messages referring to critical errors are displayed regardless of whether they pertain to the topic being tested.
Information
Please note: Many testing algorithms refer to particular page modules and other components of the new CMS. Therefore, testing of migrated and older websites is only possible to a certain extent.
Testing Websites or Language Versions
- Choose the desired website or language version. In the “Actions” column, click on the Test website / Test language version icon.
- Select the areas to be tested.
- Execute the check by clicking on Perform tests.
Topics to Be Tested
The table contains further information on the various topics.
| Topic | Content of test |
|---|---|
| Susceptibility to cross site scripting | Searches for, e. g., the following potential problems:Are all templates, wildcards and messages to be filled with user input HTML escaped? |
| Page Configuration | Searches for, e. g., the following potential problems:Have all pages been assigned a template?Does every page have an HTML title? |
| Configuration of page/content modules | Searches for, e. g., the following potential problems:Have the page modules been assigned an appropriate template?Have mail templates been selected where this is required for a module to function?Is a bonus or news list being generated although there are neither bonuses nor news?Are any nonexistent messages being used?Is there a registration page that is only available for logged-in (i.e. already registered) panelists? |
| Global settings | Searches for, e. g., the following potential problems:Is the website offline?Does the website have at least one language version that is online?Have important target pages been defined?Is there at least one panel status that allows logging in? |
| Wildcards | Searches for, e. g., the following potential problems:Are any undefined wildcards being used? |
| Bonuses | |
| Rights | Searches for, e. g., the following potential problems:Are there any contents or functions for which none of the existing teams has access rights? |
Rights for CMS Check
The CMS check is protected against unauthorized access by the “panel_cms_tests” right: You need read rights in order to see the icons, trigger a check, or view the results.
FAQ
What is the difference between putting a website offline and a language version offline?
When a website is put offline, none of its language versions are accessible to visitors. When a language version is put offline, only that specific language version becomes inaccessible while other language versions of the website remain online.
Can I edit CMS text elements without accessing the EFS Panel interface?
Yes, you can export key text elements of the CMS for external editing or translation. After making changes, you can import the updated content back into the EFS Panel.
How can I ensure my panel website is secure against cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks?
EFS Panel provides automated tests that check for potential XSS vulnerabilities. Run these tests regularly and address any issues identified to improve your website’s security.