Content Management System Help

Vocabulary

The CMS interface has four distinct sections of navigation.

This diagram is also available as a PDF for printing. Download cms_vocabulary.pdf.

Open a page

1. Choose the folder you would like to work with by choosing it in the asset tree.
2. Once the folder expands, the sub-folders and page assets are displayed in the same directory structure that exists when published.
3. Choosing a page in the folder, such as an home, will bring up a preview of the web page in the main system window, just as it would appear online when published.
   

Editing a page

While you are editing an asset, such as a page, file or folder, the asset is automatically locked to prevent others users from accessing it while being edited. Saving (by Submitting) the asset automatically unlocks it so other users can access it.

To edit a page

1. Start by locating the page in the asset tree and clicking on the page you would like to edit.
2. Once the page has loaded, click on the "Edit" tab located above the page - next to the "View" tab.
3. From here you are able to edit the page's main content. Make the changes to the content just as you would when filling out a form online.
4. Once you've finished making changes, click the "Submit" button to save your changes.
5. To publish your changes to the live site, click the "Publish" action in the action bar and then use the "Submit" button to publish the page.
   

NOTES:
Any created asset within the CMS can be edited this way.
Always click "Submit" when finished editing, otherwise nothing will be saved. 

Creating a new page

• To create a new page, you will click on “New” in the top navigation menu and choose "Page" from the "evergreen.edu" folder.
  
• Choose a title. Titles are used as the page name with "at Evergreen" appended to the end and as the page heading (large red text).
• Set the system name under the System tab. This will be the name of the file in the folder hierarchy on the left. Consequently, it will be the name of the file on the web. System names should always be lowercase and alphanumeric (containing only letters and numbers) with no spaces.
• Add content to the WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor.
• Use the "Submit" button to save your changes.
• To publish your changes to the live site, click the "Publish" action in the action bar and then use the "Submit" button to publish the page.
  

Inserting internal and external links

• Highlight the word or words to turn into a hyperlink.
• Click the insert/edit web link icon  on the toolbar.
• The insert link window will now open with two tabs – one for internal links and one for external.
  
• Internal Links (links to files in the CMS):
  • Make sure the default "Internal" tab of the insert/edit link window is selected (this is the default tab).
  • Next to link there are two icons-a red cancel/delete icon and a page icon . Click on the page icon to open a new window to select the page to link to.
  • Select the page or document you want to create a link to.
  • Use the "Confirm" button to confirm your choice.
  • In the insert link window, use the "Insert" button.
  • The window will close, and the hyperlink will be placed around the selected text
• External Links:
  • Choose the "External" tab of the insert/edit link window.
  • Put a URL (web address) into the "Link" field. This address will generally start with "http://"
  • If the link is to a non-Evergreen site, choose "New Window" for the "Target" field so that the link opens in the a new window for the visitor.
  • Use the "Confirm" button to confirm your choice.
  • In the insert link window, use the "Insert" button.
  • The window will close, and the hyperlink will be placed around the selected text.

  NOTES:
  When linking to a document or file (i.e. PDF, Word, Excel), select "New Window" next to Target.

Uploading an image or document

Images (.gif, .jpg, .png) can be embedded within the page .

Documents (.pdf, .word, etc...), once uploaded,  can be linked to as an internal link. See "Inserting internal and external links" for instructions on how to create links on your pages. 

• To create a new document or image, you will click on “New” in the top navigation menu and choose "Document" or "Image" from the "evergreen.edu" folder:
   
• Use the "Browse" button under Upload to choose a file from your computer. Note: files cannot exceed 15mb in size within the CMS. As a general rule, images should be no larger than 30kb.

• Click the "System" tab
• Choose the appropriate place to put your file in the CMS by clicking the CMS path next to the "Parent Folder" field and choosing the appropriate folder in which to the place the file.
  
  
  

  Documents should always be placed in a "docs" subfolder.
  Images should always be placed in a "images" subfolder.

  • Click the "Submit" button to upload the file. Note: large files may take several minutes to upload - do not interrupt the upload process by closing the window or navigating away.

  NOTES:
  File names for documents and images should always contain only lowercase characters and should not include spaces or special characters. They should only contain lowercase letters, numbers, underscores, dashes and dots.

Inserting an image

• While editing your page, place your cursor in the area desired for the image, and click on the "insert image" icon on the toolbar.
• The insert image window offers two tabs-one for internal images and one for external. For inserting an image already uploaded, use the internal tab.
• Next to Image, you will see two icons- a red cancel/delete icon and an image icon. Click on the image icon to open a new window that will allow you to select an image to insert.
• Image Properties:
  • Image Location - This shows the directory and name of the image.
  • Alternate Text - Required. This text is used for screenreaders and will appear when a cursor rolls over an image.
  • Alignment - This will align the image within the WYSIWYG editor.
  • Border Thickness - This will adjust the thickness of the image’s border.
  • Horizontal Padding - This gives the amount of space between the left and right sides of the content area and the image.
  • Vertical Padding - This gives the amount of space between the top and bottom sides of the content area and the image
  • Note that certain image properties, such as size, may be adjusted within the WYSIWYG itself. Simply click on the image and drag the border to shrink or enlarge. Please note, however, that this method of resizing will not alter the file size or resolution and therefore should only be reserved for minor adjustments.
  • You may also use the style "left" or “right” to format your image.

Publishing content

• When a page is published, all of the elements that make up that page are rendered as HTML and sent to the live web server (also called the production server), enabling it to be accessed as part of the website.
• To publish a page, simply select the page from the left asset tree, and select the Publish tab. All available targets and destinations for that page will be listed and can be checked or unchecked as desired.
• Check whether you would like a publish report generated. This report will appear in your dashboard under messages, and will alert you to any problems.
• Folders may also be published by following the same steps. All pages and subfolders within that folder will be published.

NOTES:
Blocks (Navigation, Contact, Hours) can not be published alone. To publish changes with blocks, publish the entire folder.