Refreshing the sitemap

Sometimes after you delete a page, the link still appears in dynamic menus that read the sitemap.  If you click on these ghost links, you get a 404 page or an error message "An error has occurred while processing your request"

These links should go away on their own as site maintenance runs (every 15 minutes or so), but there's a trick to force this to occur faster.

In your browser's address bar, add   /page/refreshsitemap   after the .com or .org of your site. For example, if my domain is 'domain.org' I would visit these two links:

http://www.domain.org/page/refreshsitemap

and

http://domain.org/page/refreshsitemap

If you visit each of these links once after deleting a page it should clear up those automatic menus. You’ll see a blank white browser screen when the page loads.  Then go back to your site and the ghost links should be gone.

This can also apply to other changes to the sitemap, such as relocating a page to a different node in the sitemap, or moving the page up and down in the sitemap.  As long as site maintenance is running, these changes will be reflected in dynamic (automatic) menus within a few minutes, but you can do this sitemap refresh trick if you need it to change immediately.

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.

How to Delete a Section

There are two different ways to remove a section from the page.  The section can be completely deleted from the system or just removed from the page so that it remains available in the database for assignment to another geode.  Neither of these methods deletes the content within the section, kind of like how you can throw away a picture frame but still keep the pictures inside.

To remove the section from the page but leave it available in the database:
1.  Click on the section geode for the section to be deleted.
2.  Choose "Delete Section - "remove from page".

3.  In the popup, click on "Yes, remove the section" to approve the change.

Note that the page status in the top toolbar now shows a pencil.  The section will be immediately removed from the geode in edit mode, but will still appear on the live site until the page is published. This makes it possible to remove a section and replace it with a new section in the same publishing step.

4.  Publish the page.  Your removed section is still available in the database to be assigned to pages in the future.


To completely delete the section from the system 
1.  Click on the section geode for the section to be deleted.
2.  Choose "Delete - Delete from system"

3.  In the popup, select "Yes, delete the section"

Deletion steps in GeoDocs must be published or approved in workflow, so the section geode will now show a red circle icon indicating that it is marked for deletion.  (This picture shows the yellow label that appears when the geode is moused over without clicking)

4.  Publish the page to complete deletion of the section.  The section is deleted from the page and from the database and will no longer appear as an option when assigning an existing section to a geode.

How to Reorder Sections on a Page

If you want to move a section up or down, higher or lower on a page, you must delete sections from the page to make the geodes available, and then add them  back in the order you want them.  

1. Take note of the section names and types so you can find them (mouse over their geodes)
2. Delete the sections from the PAGE  (not from the system)  that you need to get out of the way
3. Publish the page
4. Assign those sections back in the order you want them.

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.

How to Delete Content from a Static Section - GeoDocs 8

You must be a site author to delete content from a section.

How to delete content from a section:

1. Log in
2. Turn on Edit Mode (top toolbar)
3. Left-click on the geode for the content you want to delete.  Choose 'Check Out', then click Okay in the popup window that appears.  The page will refresh, showing a lock next to the content geode.  
4. Choose 'Delete Content' - 'Remove from Section'.  
5. In the popup, click 'Yes, remove the content'
6. Publish the page or submit to workflow (Page menu)

How to delete content from the system:

1. Log in
2. Turn on Edit Mode (top toolbar)
3. Left-click on the geode for the content you want to delete.  Choose 'Check Out', then click Okay in the popup window that appears.  The page will refresh, showing a lock next to the content geode.  
4. Choose 'Delete Content' - 'Delete from System'.  
5. In the popup, click 'Yes, delete the content' (The page will refresh with a red icon next to the content showing it's marked for deletion)
6. Publish the page or submit to workflow (Page menu)

How to undo delete:

1. Make sure content is checked out
2. Select 'Delete Content' - 'Undo Delete Content'.  The page will refresh with the content in a checked-out state.

How to Delete a Page

You must be a site author in the group that owns the page.

1. Log in and navigate to the page to be deleted.  (Page < Open is a fast way to do this)
2. Turn on EDIT mode in the top toolbar.
3. In the toolbar, select Page < Delete
4. Are you sure?  Click Yes.  The page will reload and the status icon in the toolbar will now include a red circle.  The page is not yet deleted, it is just marked for deletion.  
5. Publish the page (Page < Publish) or send it to workflow (Page < Workflow < Submit)
• If you have workflow, the page still must be 'Approved' and then it will delete and no longer appear on your site.  

Upon publishing or approving the page, the page will refresh and you will see either a page error or a 404, or be redirected somewhere, depending on how your site is configured.

Changing Page Properties - GeoDocs 8

There are many reasons you may want to change a page's properties.   You want to move a page, or change the title, or switch to a different template.  That's all in the Page Properties.  You must have the role of 'site author' in the group that owns the page in order to change page properties or publish the page.  If your site uses workflow you may also need to be a workflow approver to complete this process.

1. Log in 
2. Click the PAGE button in the toolbar, then select 'View Page Properties' in the dropdown menu.  A popup will appear, with information organized on three tabs.  
3. Make the property change (more detail below)
4. Click SAVE.  The popup will close.
5. Go back to the PAGE button in the toolbar and in the dropdown menu, either click 'Publish' if you don't have workflow, or 'Workflow < Submit' if you do have workflow.  (an approver will then need to go to the page menu and select "Workflow < Approve")

Page Menu in GeoDocs without Workflow

Where to change the properties?

First tab: Describe this page

• Change the page title - on the first tab, type in the new name.  
• Change the page name that appears in menus - change the page 'caption' on the first tab.
• Make a page private or public - check or uncheck the 'Public' box.  If the box is unchecked (non-public) then only users in the owning group can see it and only when they're logged in.
• Turn off or inactivate a page - uncheck or check the 'Active' box.  Inactive pages can only be seen by site authors while logged in and if they're a member of the group that owns the page.  
• Change page description - the 'Meta Data' field may feed the page's HTML description.  This depends on how the page template is designed.
• Change metadata for search engine optimization (SEO) - Again, the 'Meta Data' field on the first tab. 

Second tab: Where does the page belong on this site?

• Move a page to a new location in the sitemap - select the middle tab and simply highlight the page that you want this page to go UNDER.  

Third tab: Images

• Change the banner image on a page.  (Not all templates are designed to do this.)  - use the link selector tool to choose a new document (image) for the banner.  Note that only files cropped at exactly the right dimensions will work, not just any image in the system.

Page Properties Pop-up Window - click to enlarge

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

Adding a section to a page - GeoDocs 8

To add sections to a page, you must be assigned the role of "Site Author" in the group that owns the page.

1. Click on EDIT mode (top toolbar)
2. Mouse over the geodes to identify the right kind: Menu or Section.  Geodes will only work for one or the other and can't be switched.  This maintains consistency in page layout.
3. Click on a geode and choose 'Section > New Section'
4. Choose a caption (depending on the template, this may or may not appear on the page, but you will use this name to find the section if you reuse it on another page)
5. Choose a template

For static templates, you will only use the first tab, so you're ready to save.

For dynamic templates, two more tabs will become active.

•  Dynamic Filter: choose groups and topics to filter content
•  Display Window:  choose priority, date range and other options (Calendar sections will also allow filtering by event date)

6.  Save the section
7.  Publish the page

Related posts:
Page structure in GeoDocs

Create a new page or copy an existing page - GeoDocs 8

To create a page or to add sections or menus to a page, you must be assigned the role of "Site Author" in at least one group.

To create a new blank page (no menus or sections):

1. Click the EDIT mode button
2. Go to PAGE <  New Page
3. Give the page a title, caption, and unique name
• Title:  most websites follow the convention of "page name - site name" (eg - "US Politics - The New York Times")
• Caption: this is what will show in menus
• Unique name:  this will become the end of the page URL and can only be used once in the system
4. Choose other options, such as page template, public or private, etc.
5. On the next tab, navigate to choose a location for the page.  It will appear as a sub page (or child) of the highlighted page
6. Save the page - you will see a page with just the background images and geodes at all locations available to add menus or sections.

To make a page with the same menus as another page, you can start this process by navigating to a page with the same menus you want, then choose PAGE < COPY and complete the other steps.   You will create a copy of the page, but with no sections.  If you have several menus on the page this can save a lot of time.