This article covers the process of editing texts, messages, FAQs, and news in the EFS Panel system. It provides detailed instructions on how to manage and customize various content elements within the panel website.
Editing Texts
This chapter will teach you how to design the texts on your website.
- You can edit text directly in the preview. This practical new function is presented in this chapter.
- After that, you will learn about various options for designing your text in an appealing manner and for inserting dynamic elements. For example, you can change the typeface with HTML and CSS, insert images and links, or insert personalized data using wildcards.
Editing Texts Directly in the Preview
The texts that the panelists see originate from various sources. Page names and texts of function modules, for example, are defined in the website editor on the respective page. Error messages and wildcards, however, are managed in dedicated menus.
The more familiar you are with the EFS Panel, the fewer problems you will have finding the right place and editing the desired text directly at the source. However, you can edit most of the text directly in the preview:
- The following types of text can be edited: Wildcards, messages, texts from page modules, and page titles. Texts which are not part of the CMS, such as news or forum posts, cannot be edited directly. They are managed in dedicated menus.
- Templates can be edited as well.
- The direct editing feature is only available for users logged into the admin area.
- As usual, the changes are made in the preview, not in the publicly accessible version of the page. You have to publish them explicitly.
- This feature is protected by the ACL right “panel_online_editing”. Write rights are required.
Working Directly in the Preview
To work directly in the preview, please proceed as follows:
- In the preview drop-down list, select “Direct editing”. The preview is opened in a new window.
- Open the page you wish to edit.
- Switch to editing mode by clicking on the Edit button in the header section of the preview window.
- Move your mouse pointer over the text elements. A green frame will indicate a text element that can be edited. Click on the desired text element.
- The editing window will open.
– The title will indicate the source of the text. In this case, the source is a page module.
– Change the text as desired. - Save your changes. Check the result before publishing the changed version of the page via the website editor.
Formatting Text with HTML and CSS
The formatting of text elements – font, font size, color, etc. – is defined by the page module’s template in combination with the panel’s CSS classes. This gives you efficient, centralized control over the layout properties of the entire panel. Details such as line breaks or formatting of individual words, on the other hand, can be directly defined with HTML and CSS in the text input fields.
The following tables give an overview of the most important HTML tags.
Information: You should use this manual formatting option with care. Cross-panel formatting with the help of templates and CSS files increases uniform appearance and reduces the maintenance effort in case of changes.
The most important HTML tags:
| Tag | Meaning |
|---|---|
| <h[1-6]>Text</h[1-6]> | Header |
| <p>Text</p> | Paragraph |
| <br> or <br /> | Line break |
| <hr> | Dividing line |
| <ul> <li>List entry</li> <li>List entry</li> </ul> | List with bullet points |
| <ol> <li>List entry</li> <li>List entry</li> <ol> | Numbered list |
| <table border=”thickness”> <tr> <td>data cell</td> <td>data cell</td> </tr> </table> | Table with one row and two columns. Instead of “thickness”, you should give the desired border thickness in pixels. |
| <a href=”URL”>link name</a> | Clickable link. Instead of “link name”, you should enter the text that should appear as a clickable link. |
HTML tags for formatting text components:
| Tag | Meaning |
|---|---|
| <b>Text</b> | Bold |
| <i>Text</i> | Italics |
HTML entities for German umlauts:
| Tag | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ä / Ä | ä / Ä |
| ö / Ö | ö / Ö |
| ü / Ü | ü / Ü |
Information: A detailed introduction to HTML and CSS can be found, for example, at http://selfhtml.org.
Uploading and Managing Images
Images and other media files for the website are managed with a panel-specific version of the EFS media library:
- The library is located in the menu Website → Asset library (until EFS 10.3: Media library).
- From EFS 10.4, the files are separated as follows:
- Website assets: website-specific files.
- Panel assets: files that can be used on all websites.
- TIVIAN
- assets: read-only assets provided by TIVIAN, sorted by website themes.
- You can use not only images but SVG graphics, flash, and video formats e.g. RealVideo or Quicktime. To access a detailed list of the permitted file types, open the Upload file dialog and click on the Question mark icon.
- The maximum file size is installation-specific. If you exceed the threshold value, a note will be displayed.
Inserting Links
Panel CMS contains different types of links.
- External links: Refer to a page outside the respective panel language version, usually an external domain. They are inserted in modules or templates using normal HTML tags. See the following section “1. External links”.
- Internal links: Refer to a page that is part of the respective panel language version. Internal links are also inserted using HTML tags; however, the so-called page identifier is inserted instead of the full URL. See the section “2. Internal links” for instructions.
- Short URLs: It is possible to display URLs shortened with a Smarty modifier, which is widely used on Twitter or in smartphone communication. Instructions can be found in section 3 “Optimized short URLs for Twitter”.
Information: The menu of the website is dynamically generated in EFS Panel, depending on the page configuration (the fields “Parent page”, “Position”, “Access control”, and “Show in navigation” in particular). Manual maintenance of menu links is therefore not required.
1. External Links
Links to other domains (e.g. http://www.domain.com) can be inserted into modules or templates in a “normal” way, i.e. with the HTML tag <a href=http://www.domain.com>Linkname</a>.
Example: Inserting a link to your company homepage
The contact address entered on the “About us” page contains the company homepage URL http://www.example.com. However, it is not a clickable link. You can create a clickable link by amending the <a href=“URL“>Linkname</a> tag.
- Enter the following into the “www” line:
WWW: <a href=http://www.example.com>http://www.example.com /> - Confirm by clicking on Save.
- Click on the Preview working version. The following figure shows the results of your work. Test whether the new link functions properly. If you are satisfied, click on the Publish page to apply the change to the publicly accessible panel page.
2. Internal links
You can create internal links – i.e. links that refer from a panel page to another page of the same language version – using wildcards. Wildcards are based on the page identifier. They always follow the same pattern:
{$links.pageidentifier}
Information
Please note: If a panel page’s page identifier is changed, the internal links referring to this page must be manually updated. If an incorrect wildcard is accidentally placed or a change is not updated with the result that an internal link refers to a non-existing page, visitors will remain on the existing page.
Example
You want to insert a backlink on the “About Us” page that allows panelists to return to the “Home” page.
- First, in the website editor, determine the page identifier of the “Home” page for the desired language version. This is also named “home”.
- Assemble the wildcard: {$links.home}
- To create a clickable link, insert the <a href=“URL”>Linkname</a> HTML tag in the desired place in the content module of the “About us” page. Replace the URL with the {$links.home} wildcard:
<a href="{$links.home}">back to home</a> - Click on Save.
- Check the result in the working version. You can then publish the page.
3. Optimized short URLs for Twitter
You can create and display short URLs optimized for Twitter directly in the website editor. This is realized with the help of the Smarty modifier:
{"URL"|shorturl}
It can be entered in all fields of the website editor marked with “Smarty code” as well as in all panel templates. The entered URL will then be converted into a shorter URL.
Example:
Original URL: {"http://www.Tivian.de/"|shorturl}Shortened URL: http://i.gpefs.com/?i=3-DW5w
Instead of a static URL, you can also use Smarty wildcards to insert individual URLs for each panelist, for example.
Information: If you host your panel installation yourself, please bear in mind that this service is only available if your server can connect to the appropriate server. For further details, please get in touch with our support.
Using Wildcards to Output Predefined Text Elements
You can use wildcards to insert text elements instead of entering them into a module or the template source code. In the standard panel, this option mainly allows you to define and update message texts and labels of frequent input fields such as “Name” or “E-mail” for the entire language version. In addition, you can export these wildcards and edit them externally.
Information: The wildcard administration of the CMS is designed for up to 200 wildcards per language version. If you use wildcards a lot, take care to use meaningful names, to prevent e.g. the creation of duplicates. If necessary, develop your own nomenclature.
Example
In the main template “main_default” of the standard panel, the copyright claim is integrated by the following source code:
{* START COPYRIGHT *}<div id="gpCopyright">{$content.label_footer_copyright} {$env.now|localize_date:'Y'} //</div>{* END COPYRIGHT *}
In the Wildcard menu, look for the wildcard entitled “label_footer_copyright”. In the standard panel, this wildcard contains the text “Tivian ©”. If you call up a panel page, {$content.label_footer_copyright} is filled with this content, and “Tivian ©” is displayed. If you change the content of the wildcard, the copyright claim on the panel pages will also be changed.
Information: Smarty wildcards and other Smarty codes are not merely restricted to templates, but can also be used in several-page modules. Fields that allow Smarty code are marked accordingly with “Smarty code”.
1. Managing wildcards
The menu Website → Standard content → Wildcards contains an overview of all wildcards available. The table has the usual search function, the individual wildcards can be edited or deleted.
Information
Read rights for “panel_website_wildcards” are needed for accessing the Wildcards menu.
2. Creating a new wildcard
- Click on the Create Wildcard button in the menu Website → Standard content → Wildcards.
- Enter a name for the wildcard. Permissible characters are a-z, A-Z, 0-9, _ and -. Special characters and blank spaces are not permitted.
- Enter the desired content in the “Content” field.
- You can add a description to facilitate orientation.
- Confirm by clicking on Create.
3. Editing wildcards
- In the menu Website → Standard content → Wildcards, click on the Edit button or the title of the wildcard you wish to change.
- You can change the name, content, and description. If the wildcard is already being used in a module or a template, make sure you also correct the name of the wildcard there.
- Confirm by clicking on Save.
- Inserting wildcards in modules or templates
If you wish to insert a wildcard created in the Wildcards menu in a module or a template, use the following syntax:
{$content.wildcard}
This allows you to insert these wildcards in any module or template.
5. Deleting wildcards
There are two options to choose from when deleting wildcards:
- If you want to delete only one wildcard, click on the Delete icon. The wildcard will be removed after a confirmation prompt.
- If you want to remove several wildcards at once, tick the respective checkboxes of these wildcards in the “Delete” column. Depending on the situation, you may also use the checkboxes “Mark all entries on this page” and “Mark all entries found” below the table. After that, confirm by clicking on Delete. This batch delete function is particularly helpful while building or making major changes to a website when a large number of wildcards may have to be replaced and removed.
Using Wildcards to Output Data Dynamically
The wildcards introduced in the previous chapter are used to output predefined text elements. However, the EFS Panel also has wildcards that can be used to dynamically output the personal data of panelists, for example. These wildcards are primarily used in Smarty templates. You can, however, also use them in page modules, to further personalize and localize your panel pages:
- Information that can be output includes
- Localization information (e.g. date and time)
- Panel information (e.g. panel name)
- Participant data (only for logged-in panelists)
- Master data (only for logged-in panelists)
- Which wildcards are available on a certain page depends on various criteria, such as the page modules used on the respective page or the login status of visitors. The following three tables contain wildcards that are available across the entire panel.
- Page module input fields that allow the use of Smarty wildcards are marked accordingly with “Smarty code”.
- If you have the necessary programming skills you can program conditions for wildcard output.
Information: Please note: This chapter merely explains how to complete simple tasks, such as inserting panelists’ names on panel pages, for example. For more complex programming tasks, please refer to Chapter “Working with Smarty Templates” and the Smarty documentation at http://www.smarty.net.
Example
In the standard, panelists are welcomed by their first name on the personal homepage entitled “My home”.
In the content module, which defines the upper part of the page, enter the following text:
Hello {$respondent.u_firstname|escape:'html'}
The {$respondent.u_firstname} wildcard is dynamically filled with the first name of the respective panelist.
The escape:’html’ command is a security measure: It ensures that any code in the u_firstname field of the user data table is not executed. It is recommended to use this escape command on output for all data, or at least for all data entered by visitors and panelists. This way you can prevent unauthorized persons from manipulating page output by entering JavaScript code, for example, or from obtaining data of other panelists.
Syntax
The following syntax is mainly used when entering dynamic wildcards in a module or a template:
{$prefix.wildcard}
The prefix indicates the context from which the variable is taken. The “respondent” prefix in the example above is used for the data of currently logged-in panelists, for example, whereas “content” is used for the wildcards defined in the Wildcards menu.
Overview of wildcards available across the panel site
1. Wildcards available across the panel site
| Variable name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| {$env.panel_name} | Name of the panel. This is defined in the Panel → Edit settings menu. |
| {$env.locale.date_format}{$env.locale.date_format2} | The current date. The formats for both wildcards are defined in the “Locale settings” section of the Configuration tab in the Website → Panel websites → {Selected language version} menu; the default setting is d.m.Y |
| {$env.locale.time_format}{$env.locale.time_format2} | The current time. The formats for both wildcards are defined in the “Locale settings” section of the Configuration tab in the Website → Panel websites → {Selected language version} menu; the default settings are hi a(T) and H:i:s |
| {$env.locale.datetime_format}{$env.locale.datetime_format2} | Additional data formats. |
2. Wildcards available in the internal area of logged-in panelists
| Variable name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| {$respondent.pseudonym} | The pseudonym is an internal identification number within the panel which allows you to uniquely identify each panelist. It is included in both the master data export and the participant data export and thus allows you to merge (match) the data. |
| {$respondent.u_firstname} | First name |
| {$respondent.u_name} | Last name |
| {$respondent.u_account} | Account name: Accounts can optionally be used for authentication. |
| {$respondent.u_street} | Street |
| {$respondent.u_zip} | Zip code |
| {$respondent.u_city} | City |
| {$respondent.u_phone} | Phone number |
| {$respondent.u_mobile} | Cell phone number |
| {$respondent.u_mobile2} | Additional field for cell phone number |
| {$respondent.u_email} | E-mail address |
| {$respondent.u_www} | Panelist’s homepage |
| {$respondent.u_address} | Address |
| {$respondent.u_address2} | Additional address field 2 |
| {$respondent.u_address3} | Additional address field 3 |
| {$respondent.u_country} | Country |
| {$respondent.u_gender} | Gender |
| {$respondent.u_other_id} | A database field to which you can assign a freely chosen identification code for a participant when importing. |
| {$respondent.u_passwd} | Password |
| Variable name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| {$respondent.m_000x}, {$respondent.md_000x} | Master data.For master data with characteristics, the code and label are output as follows:Code: {$respondent.m_000x}Label: {$master_data.m_000x.codes[$respondent.m_000x]} |
Information: The wildcards listed above are either available on all pages or all pages of the internal area. If you want to know which additional wildcards can be used on a certain page, simply access the Smarty debugging console.
Editing Messages
EFS panel has its error message system. In the standard panel, the messages are shown on the right side of the content area above the login.
The messages are configured by our support when the panel is set up. You can make subsequent changes to the content of the messages. However, you currently have no access to the rules that determine whether and in which situation a message will be invoked. Accordingly, it is usually not advisable to create new messages. Only when configuring the RegEx checks for the registration form do you have the option of defining new messages with related rules on invoking them?
Information: The message administration of the CMS is designed for up to 200 messages per language version. If you use messages a lot, take care to use meaningful names, to prevent e.g. the creation of duplicates. If necessary, develop your nomenclature.
Message Types
In EFS Panel, there are different message types:
- Error messages: Messages of the “error” type consist of a header and the actual message text.
- Notifications: Messages of the “notification” type consist only of the message text.
- Notifications which relate to keying errors during registration are a special case.
Managing Messages
The Website → Panel websites → {Selected language version} → Messages menu allows you to view existing messages, create new messages, and delete messages that are no longer used.
Information
Read rights for “panel_website_messages” are needed for accessing the Messages menu.
The Messages overview comprises all the messages created for the predefined language version and contains the following information:
- Identifier: Internal Wildcard, used to invoke the message from the “Error messages” template.
- Header: Message header as displayed to visitors. Is only used with the “Error” message type.
- Message text: The actual content of the message.
- Message type:
- Error
- Notification
If you want to view messages of another language version that you’re authorized to access in a given installation with several websites and/or language versions, simply change the settings in the upper section of the dialog. You can use the View function to change the number of table columns displayed as well as the number of rows per page.
The table can be browsed according to the content of messages.
You can use the “Actions“ icons to edit the messages:
- Change: Opens a form in which you can change the type, header, and text of a message.
- Delete:
- If you want to delete only one message, click on the Delete icon. The message will be deleted after a confirmation prompt.
- If you want to remove several messages at once, tick the respective checkboxes of these messages in the “Delete” column. Depending on the situation, you may also use the checkboxes “Mark all entries on this page” and “Mark all entries found” below the table. After that, confirm by clicking on Delete. This batch delete function is particularly helpful while building or making major changes to a website when a large number of messages may have to be replaced and removed.
Creating a New Message
A new message will only be displayed if you also define a rule for invoking it. Currently, this is only possible for the registration form. Rules on invoking the other messages must be configured by our support. Therefore, creating messages is currently not advisable unless the messages concern registration or have been erroneously deleted.
To create a new message, please proceed as follows:
- Clicking on the Create message button will open the entry form for creating a new message assigned to the current language version.
- You can enter the following:
– Message type: You can choose between “Error” and “Notification”
– Identifier: A wildcard that will be inserted into the source code and filled with the message’s content.
– Header: Should only be entered for the “Error” message type.
– Message text: This field is used to enter the actual content. - Confirm by clicking on Save.
Information: For installations with several websites and/or language versions, please note that the language version of a new message is automatically predefined by the message overview settings. The language version cannot be subsequently changed.
Maintaining FAQ and News
Maintaining FAQ
A well maintained FAQ list provides visitors and panelists with answers to frequentlyasked questions. This reduces the amount of support required by you, the panel operator, for answering simple questions.
The EFS Panel’s FAQ management function simplifies creation and maintenance of FAQs. At the same time, CMS gives you considerable room to design the FAQ area:
- FAQ items are created and maintained with the help of a specially developed optimized GUI. This means that a user who is not familiar with the CMS can take over their maintenance without requiring a great deal of training.
- You can create an FAQ area for each language version of the website(s).
- You can create FAQ items that are restricted to certain panel groups.
- A rich text editor is available for designing FAQ items.
- You can sort the items into different lists and place these on the panel pages at your discretion. The standard panel comprises an FAQ list the content of which is displayed in the “FAQ” menu. Further lists can be created as required.
- You can position the FAQ lists on the panel pages and modify how they are displayed with the help of the “FAQ list” module. Further changes to display and layout can be made using the “func_faq” template.
This Chapter will show you how to maintain the content of the FAQ. The “FAQ list” function module is presented in Chapter ” “.
Managing FAQs
The starting point for FAQ management is the Website → Standard content -> FAQ management menu. In this menu, you can view and maintain the current FAQ items, create new ones, and assign them to the various lists.
The FAQ overview comprises all the FAQ items created for the predefined language version and contains the following information:
- Title (internal): Internal title of the FAQ item.
- Sort order: Position of the FAQ item in the list on output.
- Question
- Answer
- Author
- Active:
- Green traffic-light icon: Yes. The FAQ item is displayed.
- Red traffic-light icon: No. The FAQ item is not displayed.
- List: Shows which FAQ list the FAQ item belongs to.
If you want to view FAQ items of another language version in a given installation with several websites and/or language versions, simply change the settings in the upper section of the dialog. You can use the View function to change the number of table columns displayed as well as the number of rows per page.
You can search the content of FAQ items in the overview table. The advanced search allows you to selectively search by panel group, author or activity status.
Click on the icons in the “Actions” colum to Edit, Copy or Delete individual FAQ items.
Creating a new FAQ item
- Click on the Create FAQ item button in the FAQ management menu.
- Fill in the form. The most important fields are listed below; please refer to the table below for more details. Optionally, you can activate the rich text editor and use it to format the texts.
– Title (internal): This title is for orientation purposes only, it will not be seen by panelists.
– Sort order: Position of the FAQ item in the list on output.
– List name: By assigning an item to a list you determine which panel page the FAQ item will be displayed on. As the items of the “main” list are displayed on the FAQ page of the standard panel, choose this list.
– Active: Only active FAQ items will be displayed. Therefore select “Yes” so you can immediately see your new item on the FAQ page.
– Access control: You do not wish to restrict access, all visitors and panelists are to have access. Therefore select “Public”.
– Question and answer - After you have filled in the form, confirm by clicking on the Save button.
Information: For installations with several websites and/or language versions, please note: From EFS 5.2 and later, the website and language versions which the new FAQ item is created for are automatically predefined by the FAQ overview settings. The language version cannot be subsequently changed.
Using Rich Text Editor for Item Design
FAQ items, news items and quick polls may be edited using the TinyMCE rich text editor. This allows you to create appealing items without great effort.
- TinyMCE is a Javascript-based WYSIWYG editor. Detailed information is available at http://tinymce.moxiecode.com/.
- The admin area features a comprehensive toolbar. In addition to standard formatting options such as bold, italic, underline, alignment, and ordering, it also includes text and background color, “Paste from Word” and full-screen mode.
- If you prefer working with HTML, use the Edit HTML source button to open an alternative entry field.
If you wish to use the rich text editor, open the Options → Personal preferences menu and activate the “Use rich text editor for news etc.” option.
Properties of FAQ Items
The table lists all properties FAQ items can have.
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Title (internal) | Internal title of the FAQ item. For orientation purposes only, it will not be seen by panelists. |
| Order | This field controls the order of FAQ items in the list. |
| List name | By assigning an item to a list you determine which panel page the FAQ item will be displayed on. |
| Active | Only active FAQ items will be displayed. |
| Access control | Select one of the following options:Public: All panel visitors can see the FAQ item.All logged-in panelists: All logged-in panelists can see the FAQ item.For logged-in panelists of a panel group only: If you choose this option, a drop-down list is displayed, from which you can select a certain panel group. Only members of the selected group can see the FAQ item. |
| Question | The actual question. Optionally, you may design your items using the rich text editor. |
| Answer | The actual answer. Optionally, you may design your items using the rich text editor. |
| Tags | Optionally, you can enter one or more tags (each consisting of the characters a-z, 0-9, and _) to add special markings. The tags are available in the output templates for output and/or filtering. Several tags can be entered, separated by commas. |
| Link | Can be output via wildcard. |
| Author | Can be output via wildcard. |
Managing FAQ Lists
Many panels offer various FAQ pages with different contents within one language version, e.g. a FAQ for normal panel visitors and another FAQ for logged-in panelists. This is realized with the help of so-called FAQ lists:
- For each purpose you create an individual FAQ list.
- Then you allocate the individual articles to the appropriate FAQ lists.
- The FAQ pages are created with the “FAQ” function module. From this module the appropriate FAQ list is referenced.
When delivered, there is only one FAQ list in the standard panel, containing all the articles of the FAQ menu. Usually, it is labelled “main”.
If you want to view the FAQ lists of your panel, click on the Manage lists button in the FAQ management.
- The overview list shows all existing lists with their respective titles and descriptions.
- In order to create another list, click on the Create List button and enter the desired title and a description. After clicking on Save the list is created and you can start allocating articles to it.
- You can rename or delete the lists.
Maintaining News
The design of your panel would not be complete without a policy of good and especially regular information in a designated news area. You can publish, for example, the results of surveys you have already conducted, announcements of new surveys and news related to the subject of the panel.
EFS Panel’s news management function makes it easier to create and maintain news; at the same time CMS gives you considerable room to design the external view of the news area:
- News items (articles) are created and maintained with the help of a specially developed optimized GUI. This means that a user who is not familiar with the CMS can take over their maintenance without requiring a great deal of training.
- You can create a new area for each language version of the website(s).
- You can create news items that are restricted to certain panel groups.
- You can predefine the publication period of articles; subsequent manual release is not required.
- The rich text editor is available for designing news items.
- You can sort the news items into different lists and place these on the panel pages at your discretion. The standard panel comprises a list of current news the content of which is displayed in the “News” menu. Further lists can be created as required.
- You can position the news lists on the panel pages and modify how they are displayed with the help of the “News” function module. Further changes to display and layout can be made using the “func_news” template.
- You can optionally offer RSS news feeds.
- EFS allows you to subscribe to feeds from high-quality blogs, for example, and to import those items directly into the news section.
This Chapter will show you how to maintain the content of the news area. The “News list” function module is presented in Chapter ” “.
Managing News
The starting point for news management is the Website → Standard content → News management menu. In this menu you can view and maintain the current news items, create new ones and assign them to the various lists.
The news overview comprises all the news items created for the predefined language version and contains the following information:
- Title (internal): The internal news title.
- Headline: The headline that will be output for the panelists.
- Subtitle: The subheading.
- Teaser: A short introduction to the news that will be displayed in the news list together with the link to the news item.
- Author
- Publication start date/time / Publication end date/time (GMT): The period in which the news item is published.
- Displayed date of publication: Date displayed in the list of news both in the admin area and on the panel page.
- Active:
- Green traffic-light icon = Yes: The news item is displayed.
- Red traffic-light icon = No: The news item is not displayed.
- List: Shows which news list the news item belongs to.
- Viewed: Indicates how often the panelists have opened a news item. If a panelist opens a message twice, this is also counted as two hits.
If you want to view news items of another language version in a given installation with several websites and/or language versions, simply change the settings in the upper section of the dialog. You can use the View function to change the number of table columns displayed as well as the number of rows per page.
You can search the content of news items in the overview table. The advanced search allows you to selectively search by publication period, target group, activity status, list name or author.
Click on the icons in the “Actions” column to Edit, Copy, or Delete individual news items.
Creating a new news item
- Click on the Create News button in the News Management menu.
- In the header and the “News options” section, the properties of the article are defined. Please refer to Table 22.2 for details. Optionally, you can activate the rich text editor and use it to format the texts.
– Title (internal): This title is for orientation purposes only, it will not be seen by panelists.
– Publication start and end date/time (GMT): These drop-down lists allow you to define the period in which the news item is to be displayed.
– List name: By assigning an item to a list you determine which panel page the news item will be displayed on. In the standard panel, for example, you can find a list of “main” whose items are displayed on the news page. Select this list.
– Active: Only active news items will be displayed. Therefore select “Yes” so you can immediately see your new item on the news page.
– Access control: You do not wish to restrict access, all visitors and panelists are to have access. Therefore select “Public”. - Next, enter the content. The most important fields are listed below.
– Displayed date of publication (GMT) (shown on the website): The date displayed in the news.
– Heading and optional subtitles.
– Teaser: The teaser displayed on the news page together with the link to the full news text.
– Content: The actual news.
– Author: Displayed in the news. - After you have filled in the form, confirm by clicking on the Save button.
Information: For installations with several websites and/or language versions, please note: From EFS 5.2 and later, the language version of a new article is automatically predefined by the news overview settings. The language version cannot be subsequently changed.
Incorporating Images
The Insert image icon is located to the right of the “Teaser” and “Content” input fields. Clicking on it will open a pop-up window displaying the Asset library. If you wish to incorporate an image, click on the Insert image icon. The <img> tag of the image will be inserted into the input field.
Properties of News Items
The table lists all properties news items can have.
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Title (internal) | Internal title of the news item. For orientation purposes only, it will not be seen by panelists. |
| Publication start date/time / Publication end date/time (GMT) | The period in which the news is to appear. |
| List name | By assigning an item to a list you determine which panel page the news item will be displayed on. |
| Active | Only active news items will be displayed. |
| Access control | at one of the following options:Public: All panel visitors can see the news item.All logged-in panelists: All logged-in panelists can see the news item.For logged-in panelists of a panel group onlyp: If you choose this option, a drop-down list is displayed, from which you can select a certain panel group. Only members of the selected group can see the news item. |
| Panel groups that have access | If you have selected “Only for logged-in panelists” in the previous field, you may optionally further restrict access to a certain panel group. By default, “Default Panel Group”, which contains all active panelists, is preset. |
| Displayed date of publication (GMT) (shown on website) | The date is displayed in the news. |
| Headline | Headline. |
| Subtitle | Subheading. |
| Tags | Optionally, you can enter one or more tags (each consisting of the characters a-z, 0-9 and _) to add special markings. The tags are available in the output templates for output and/or filtering. Several tags can be entered, separated by commas. |
| Teaser | The teaser displayed on the news page together with the link to the full text of the news item. Optionally, you may design your items using the rich text editor. |
| Content | The actual news. Optionally, you may design your items using the rich text editor. |
| Link | Provided as an RSS feed if the RSS feed function was activated. |
| Author | Can be output via wildcard. The information is also provided as an RSS feed if the RSS feed function was activated. |
Managing News Lists
Many panels offer various news pages with different contents within one language version, e.g. a page with current news and a news archive. This is realized with the help of so-called news lists:
- For each purpose, you create an individual news list.
- Then you allocate the individual articles to the appropriate news lists.
- The news pages are created with the “News” function module. From this module, the appropriate news list is referenced.
When delivered, there is only one news list in the standard panel, containing all the articles of the news menu. Usually, it is labelled “main”.
To access the news lists of your panel, click on the Manage lists button in the News management.
- The overview list shows all existing lists with their respective titles and descriptions.
- To create another list, click on the Create List button and enter the desired title and description. After clicking on Save the list is created and you can start allocating articles to it.
- You can rename or delete the lists.
FAQ
How do I edit text directly in the preview?
Select “Direct editing” from the preview drop-down list, open the desired page, click the Edit button, and hover over text elements to edit them.
Can I restrict access to certain FAQs or news items?
Yes, you can set access control for FAQ and news items to make them visible to all visitors, only logged-in panelists, or specific panel groups.
How do I create multiple FAQs or news lists?
Use the “Manage lists” button in the respective management menus to create and manage multiple FAQs or news lists for different purposes or target audiences.