Publishing Content and Pages

GeoDocs requires certain changes to be published or approved at the page level:

• Add a section using 'Create Section' or 'Assign Section'
• Delete a section (unless the page was never published after the section was added)
• Add content to a static section using 'Create Content' or 'Assign Content'

Other changes can be done at either the page or content level.  If a piece of content has been changed in a static section, and the content is checked in, you may be able to publish/approve both the content and the page at the same time.  This depends on the group ownership of the content and the page, as well as your user permissions in those groups and the workflow or publishing settings.  (The easiest way to find out is to try publishing the page and see if the content goes with it.)

• Edits to a piece of content that already existed in the section.
• NOT to edits to content within dynamic sections.

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Publishing or Approving Content

Left click the geode for the piece of content to be published.  In the dropdown menu, follow the appropriate steps based on whether your site uses workflow.

• With workflow: Check in, Submit to workflow, Approve
• Without workflow: Check in, Publish

When the content is checked out, a lock icon and a pencil icon will appear next to the content geode.  Upon check-in, the lock will disappear and the pencil will remain.  When the content is in workflow, a grey gear icon will appear.  Once the content is published, only the geode should be left.

Publishing or Approving Pages

Page publishing is done from the PAGE button in the top toolbar.  When anything on a page has been edited, the status icon in the toolbar will change from a yellow star, to a small pencil. When the page is in workflow, the grey gear icon will appear there.  (Pages do not get 'checked out' like content.)

Follow the publishing steps for your environment:

• With workflow: Submit to workflow, Approve
• Without workflow: Publish

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Note- if you are not a workflow approver in the group that owns the page or content, then the option to 'Approve' will not be available.  Likewise, you must have the correct user permissions to have the option to 'Publish' in a page or content menu.

Change Text Into a Link

The WYSIWYG editor makes it easy to transform text into a link to a web page or to a document with a web address.  For example, here is an introduction to the features of the WYSIWYG editor.

You can create a l ink for an internal page, an internal document, or an external document or web address.

To create a link:

1. Highlight the text where you want to embed the link.
2. Click the icon that looks like a geode, and a popup will appear.

3.  Select your link 

To link to an internal page on your GeoDocs website, from the tab labeled "Internal Page" click through your navigation until the page you want is highlighted.  

To link to an internal document, click the tab marked "Internal Document" and then navigate to highlight the file you want.

To link to an external page or document, click the tab marked "External Item" and paste the address (with http:// or https://) into the field.

4.  Select your target

       None = doesn't assign a property, so goes to the default behavior for your site or browser

       Blank = open link in new window (leaves your site open in the original window)

       Parent = only used in sites that use frames.  You probably won't use this.

       Self = open link in same window (navigate away from your website in the same window)

       Top= like 'parent' this is only used in sites with frames, so you probably won't use it.

5.  Click 'Select Link' at the bottom of the window, and voila, your text is now a link.

How to unlink text:

1. Highlight the text to be unlinked
2. Click on the icon that looks like a globe with a chain link in front.  

Formatting Text with the WYSIWYG Editor

The WYSIWYG editor allows you to format text just like you were working with a word processing program, such as Microsoft Word.

1. Highlight the text you want to change, or position the cursor on the line where you want to begin typing with the formatting.  
2. Click the appropriate buttons for the desired format change.  (Or use keyboard shortcuts in some cases)  

Formatting that can be done with the click of a button: (or with keyboard shortcuts)

• Bold (Ctrl+b)
• Underline (Ctrl + u)
• Italics (Ctrl + i)
• Strikethrough
• Numbers
• Bullets
• Indent
• Quotes
• Align text right, left, center, or justify (align right and left)
• Subscript
• Superscript

To remove formatting, simply highlight the text, and then click the eraser next to the BOLD symbol.  When you mouse over the eraser a text window reads 'remove format'.

The editor does not allow you to change text font, color or size or the background color so that content authors keep the site as consistent looking as possible.  However, there are several pre-loaded formats in your website that will allow you to make formatting changes that are consistent with the rest of the site.

These are found in the dropdown in the editor toolbar.  Your options are 'normal', 'Heading 1' through 'Heading 6', 'formatted', 'address', and 'Normal (DIV)'.  Depending on how your site is styled, these may do something and they may do nothing.  Note: When you view your text inside the WYSIWYG, you'll see it styled the way it is in the dropdown, but it will look different on the page if your page template has these headings configured differently.

Why does GeoDocs work this way?  One great thing about a content management system is that you can take the same piece of content and use it over and over again, and it can change styles to match the page where you're viewing it.  So we use a collection of styles called 'heading 2' or 'h2' instead of "green, bold, and 14 pt font" so that h2 can be a different set of styles on different pages.  This is also useful if you ever want to restyle your site you can just change the settings for all these headings and you don't have to edit every piece of content to match the new look.

Intro to the GeoDocs Text Editor

Most content types in GeoDocs 8 allow you to create rich text with links, images, and more using a 'what you see is what you get' text editor, or 'WYSIWYG' for short.  This article will give you an overall intro to the editor.  Links are provided when more detail is needed on particular features.

You must be a content author or site author within a group in order to open content for editing.  The easiest way to know is to look at your GeoDocs toolbar when you're logged in.  If you see buttons for EDIT, PREVIEW, and LIVE modes, then you are a content or site author in at least one group.

Edit-Preview-Live Buttons in GeoDocs 8

Here is the editor, with buttons labeled.  (Click to enlarge picture)

GeoDocs 8 Content Editor with buttons labeled

Most functions within the editor allow a person with little or no experience with websites to edit content.  It's not too different from working with a word processing program like Microsoft Word.  There are just a few extra functions you might not use in Word because now you're dealing with web content.

Here are some of the things you can do with the WYSIWYG editor (click to go to instructions):

Most common or easy to use functions

• Format text - bold, italics, underline, strikethrough, numbers, bullets, indent, quotes, justify right/left/center, subscript, superscript, and title formatting.  (and remove formatting) 
• Insert picture
• Create links - embed a link within a word or phrase
• Copy, paste, or cut text
• Copy text from a file, or specifically Microsoft Word (strips out formatting)
• Check spelling or find and replace words

Advanced users (may require some knowledge of HTML)

• Edit the HTML directly
• Use HTML templates
• Insert tables, lines, symbols, and page breaks
• Create anchor

How to Remove Content from a Dynamic Section

Dynamic sections display content based on the properties the section is searching for.  For example, a calendar list section might display all events with the topic "Training".  This article shows how to make content stop showing in a particular section, but still keep the content in the database.  If you want to delete the content altogether, that's something different.

To remove content from a dynamic section you must change the content's properties.  First, we need to understand what properties the section is looking for.
Log in
Turn on Edit Mode (top toolbar)
Left-click the section geode, and choose 'View Section Properties'.

Look at all three tabs.  Find which properties are driving the section.  The most common is Topics, but it could also be start/end date or another parameter.  Close the popup.

Now, on the geode of the content you want to remove, click and choose 'Check Out'.  Click 'Okay' in the popup.
Click the geode again and choose 'View Content Properties'.  Change the property or properties that are causing the content to display in the section.  Click Save.

Page Structure in GeoDocs

GeoDocs uses three levels of structure on a page:

1. PAGE - the page properties include which template to apply, the name of the page, and where it should be located in the site.  Only site authors can change page properties, or delete or create pages.
2. SECTIONS and MENUS - these are like frames for content and links.  Only site authors can add or remove sections/menus or make changes to their properties.
3. CONTENT - text, links, calendar entries, etc. And sometimes documents.  Document authors can create, delete, or change properties of file-based content.  Content authors can create, delete, and change content of any kind.  

Related posts:
Create a page
Add sections to a page
Add menus to a page