1. Create Article

Click on the entry “Create article” in the menu “Articles” to create a new article.

Please make sure that you have selected the correct rubric for this article beforehand. This is necessary because an article is assigned to one rubric only. Select a rubric from the dropdown menu in the title bar of the ConPresso backend or by clicking on the entry “List rubrics” in the menu “Rubrics”.

A click on the entry “Create article” will open the view “Create article” in the ConPresso backend. This view is divided into two main sections “Article Metadata” and “Article Content”.

1.1. Article Metadata

The fields of the section “Article Metadata” contain information describing and controlling the article. In this section you can specify the publication period for instance or define the layout of an article by choosing an article-template.

The section “Article Metadata” contains the fields “Title”, “Keywords”, “Publication date”, “Expiration date”, “Author”, “eMail”, “Initials” and the subsection “Article-template”.

Title

Enter the title of the article into the field “Title”. This entry is mandatory as this information is required for saving the article.

Keywords

You can enter words that are significant for the article into the field “Keywords”. Keywords are important for the functionality of the ConPresso search module. If the term you are searching for is not contained in the text itself but in the “Keywords” field of an article, that article will be listed in the search results.

Comment

You can enter comments about the article and notes into the field “Comment”. The content of this field is for internal use only, it serves as a means of communication between users that are editing content and will therefore not be displayed in the frontend of the project. You can also use this field to store confidential information.

[Note]Note

The comment will be displayed in the list view “Edit articles”. For that purpose just point your cursor at the Comment icon in the column “Info”.

Publication date

To specify when the article will be visible on the frontend of the project, please enter the relevant data into the fields of “Publication date”. You can do that by using the default entries of the dropdown menu or by typing the exact time and day directly into the fields. For more information please refer to “Publication” in Section 2, “Edit Articles (List View)”.

[Note]Note

If you have set the publication date in the future, you can use the entry “Preview rubric” of the menu “Rubrics” to view the rubric page as it will look on publication day. For more information please refer to Section 3, “Rubric Preview”.

Expiration date

By entering the relevant data into the fields of “ Expiration date” you can specify a time when the article will not be visible on the frontend of the project anymore. You can do that by using the default entries of the dropdown menu or by typing the exact time and day directly into the fields. For more information please refer to “Publication” in Section 2, “Edit Articles (List View)”.

Author

The field “Author” automatically contains the name of the author. If the article-template is designed accordingly, the name of the author will be displayed as an element of the article in the frontend.

You cannot edit the entry of this field by default. Users with the roles of "Administrator" or "Superuser", however, can change this default setting by editing the relevant check box of “Allow editing of fields” as described in Section 2.4, “Extended Rubric Settings”.

eMail

The field “eMail” automatically contains the author's eMail address. If the article-template is designed accordingly, this eMail address will be displayed as an element of the article in the frontend.

You cannot edit the entry of this field by default. Users with the roles of "Administrator" or "Superuser", however, can change this default setting by editing the relevant check box of “Allow editing of fields” as described in Section 2.4, “Extended Rubric Settings”.

Initials

The field “Initials” automatically contains the author's intials. If the article-template is designed accordingly, these initials will be displayed as an element of the article in the frontend.

You cannot edit the entry of this field by default. Users with the roles of "Administrator" or "Superuser", however, can change this default setting by editing the relevant check box of “Allow editing of fields” as described in Section 2.4, “Extended Rubric Settings”.

Article-template

The subsection entitled “Article-template” lists all article-templates that have been assigned to this rubric and the default article-template is set.

An article-template is a layout structure defining the look of an article in the frontend of a project. In other words: it does not only define which elements (e.g. texts, links and images) the article contains but also where and how these elements will be visible in the frontend of the project.

Other article-templates might be available in addition to the default article-template. This depends on the settings and article-templates defined during the project's customization. To select another article-template than the default article-template, just click on the radio button beside the name of that article-template and then click on “Load new article-template”.

[Note]Note

The list view “Edit articles” also displays the information on which article-template is used by an article. Point your cursor at the Template icon in the column “Info” and the tooltip will show the name of the article-template.

1.2. Article Content

The section “Article Content” provides the facility to enter the actual content of an article. This section is completely variable and its structure depends on the article-template. Which fields are available for the content elements of your article (texts, images, files, links) and how these fields are arranged and entitled is determined by the article-template you choose.

Consequently, which fields exist, how they are named and arranged is infinitely variable. Which types of content can be part of an article is fixed though. The following types of content elements are allowed:

  • Texts

    • Text

    • Short text

    • Text with WYSIWYG-Editor

  • Images

  • Files

  • Links

    • URL link

    • Next or back link

No matter what type of content the field contains, its name is always on the left hand side and the actual field is always on the right, while the field may also be a select menu. A short instruction or help text might appear above the field depending on the settings of the article-template.

Texts

ConPresso facilitates the use of three different types of text entry fields: "Text", "Short text" und "Text with WYSIWYG editor". In the course of the creation of an article-template users with the roles of "Administrator" or "Superuser" determine which of these types are available for users editing content.

Text

Please enter your text into this entry field.

Short text

Please enter a single line of text into this entry field.

Text with WYSIWYG editor

You can edit the content of this field by using the WYSIWYG editor (WYSIWYG is an acronym for "What You See Is What You Get"). The WYSIWYG editor provides a user interface similar to the one you might know from office applications. This also means that strictly speaking this entry field is not really a "text entry field", as you can also use it to include links, images and files into the article. Start the ConPresso WYSIWYG editor by clicking on the link “Edit” below the field.

For more information please refer to Section 1.4, “The ConPresso WYSIWYG Editor”.

Images

As a rule ConPresso articles can contain any number of images.

If you create or edit an article and want to include an image, you have to make sure that two conditions are fulfilled first:

  1. The image has to be "uploaded", that is, it has to be transferred onto the server already, and the image has to be assigned to the rubric the article is created in. For more information please refer to Section 1, “Upload Files”.

  2. The article-template you have selected has to allow images as a content element of the article.

If these conditions are fulfilled, the section entitled “Article Content” will contain one or several entry fields with dropdown menus listing the images assigned to this rubric.

[Note]Note

As a Content Management System ConPresso manages the contents of a project. It is not an image-editing programme.

You will therefore have to check and edit the quality, dimensions, file format and file size of an image before uploading it to ConPresso. The quality of the images you use is decisive for the first impression your project makes. The file size of an image has an impact on the loading time of a page and thus is relevant in terms of user comfort. To prevent that content-editing users employ images that are too large users with the role of "Administrator" can set a limit on the file size of images as described in Section 1, “”. Ideally images should have good quality and a small file size. As these two objectives are contradictory you will have to find a compromise.

Please note that you can only upload image formats that can be used on the internet. Usable files have the file extensions *.jpg, *.gif or *.png. Images in other formats will not be identified as images by ConPresso.

Files

Files can be content elements of an article as well. It is possible, for example, to provide the whole article as a PDF file for downloading or to provide additional information like data sheets or forms etc.

To provide a file in an article while you are editing or creating it, you have to make sure that two conditions are fulfilled first:

  1. The file has to be "uploaded", that is, it has to be transferred onto the server already, and the file has to be assigned to the rubric the article is created in. For more information please refer to Section 1, “Upload Files”.

  2. The article-template you have selected has to allow files as a content element of the article.

[Note]Note

If you publish an article containing a file, please bear in mind that the visitor of you project needs to have the appropriate software to open the file.

Therefore you should preferably use the most common file formats like *.pdf, *.doc, *.xls, *.exe, *.pps, *.zip , etc.

Users with the role of "Administrator" can set a limit on the file size as described in Section 1, “”. Usually the configuration of the webserver allows for a file size of about 2 MByte by default. This value can be changed, however, by the webserver's administrator.

Links

If the article-template you have selected includes links as content elements, you can add links to your article. There are two types of links: URL links and next or back links. URL links require the entry of the “URL”, the “Link text” and the “Target”. Next or back links, however, only require the entry of the “Link text” and the “Target”. Next or back links are exclusively used for navigating from one part of the article to the other, while URL links will lead users to other rubrics or to websites outside the ConPresso project.

URL

Enter the internet address (including http://) you want the link to lead to into the field “URL”.

Link text

Enter the text that will be linking to the other location in the frontend of the project in to this field. If you would like to link to the ConPresso website, for instance, this text could be Visit the ConPresso website.

Target

Please choose the target window you want the link to use. Which targets are available is defined in the course of the project's customization.

1.3. Save Article

After having entered the contents of the article you have to save the article. You can use the button “Save article” to do so. If you have the right to approve an articles and if the content approval mechanism is activated, there is another button labelled “Save and approve article”. This button allows you to save and approve the article in one go so that it will be published in the frontend of the project at once if its publication period has already started.

When you have saved the article ConPresso will automatically change back to the list view “Edit article”.

[Note]Note

If you would like to see what your article will look like in the frontend of your project without having to quit ConPresso. you can do so by clicking on the entry “Rubric preview” of the menu “Rubric”. For more information please refer to Section 3, “Rubric Preview”.

1.4. The ConPresso WYSIWYG Editor

If the article-template you have selected is built accordingly, the views “Create article”, “Edit article” and “Copy article” contain entry fields whose content you can edit by using the ConPresso WYSIWYG editor. The views named above display a preview field with the link “Edit” below it. Click on that link to open the ConPresso WYSIWYG editor in a new window.

[Note]Note

The WYSIWYG function is only available if you are using one of the more recent browser versions. If you are using an older browser version that does not support this function, an entry field into which you can type your text (in that case also as HTML code if you like) replaces the preview field with the link below it.

In many ways working with the WYSIWYG editor resembles working with the usual office applications, therefore its buttons look like the ones you find there. When you have finished editing your text press the button Save in the title bar of the editor window. Thus you will quit the editor and return to the initial view where the preview of the content you have just edited will be displayed. If you do not want to apply the changes you have made, just close the editor window (click on the box with the "x" in the editor window's right top corner).

[Note]Note

Please note that you may be logged out of ConPresso if you pause for a long time while working with the WYSIWYG editor or if you do not perform any actions like saving the article, for instance. If you are working on a text for a longer period of time (the ConPresso default setting is one hour) we therefore recommend that you save the text in between.

The WYSIWYG editor provides the following buttons in the upper part of the window:

Deletes all content in the editor. You will be prompted to confirm the deletion.

Saves the content in the entry field, closes the editor and returns to the initial view.

Undoes previous actions.

Redoes undone actions.

Cuts the selected elements to the clipboard. You can paste them to another location by clicking on the button Paste.

Copies the selected elements to the clipboard. You can paste them to another location by clicking on the button Paste.

Pastes previously cut or copied elements from the clipboard to the entry field.

Selects the whole content of the entry field.

Aligns a paragraph to the left.

Centres a paragraph.

Aligns a paragraph to the right.

Aligns a paragraph in a block.

Indents a paragraph to the right with each click.

Indents a paragraph to the left with each click.

Inserts an enumerated list. To finish the list, simply add one point more than you need and click on this button again.

Inserts a bulleted list. To finish the list, simply add one point more than you need and click on this button again.

Changes the font colour of the selected text to the font colour you have selected last.

Opens the colour chooser which allows you to choose a font colour by clicking on it. You can also enter hexadecimal colour values.

Changes the background colour of the selected text to the background colour you have selected last.

Opens the colour chooser which allows you to choose a background colour by clicking on it. You can also enter hexadecimal colour values.

Inserts a link into the document or links the text you have marked.

Inserts a table.

Opens a window from which you can choose an image. The images available are those that have been uploaded to the server and assigned to this rubric previously. For more information please read Section 1, “Upload Files”.

Inserts a horizontal line.

Applies a bold format to the selected text or the text you are going to type. To undo this format just click on this button again.

Applies an italic format to the selected text or the text you are going to type. To undo this format just click on this button again.

Underlines the selected text or the text you are going to type. To undo this format just click on this button again.

Strikes through the selected text or the text you are going to type. To undo this format just click on this button again.

Transforms the selected text or the text you are going to type into a bottom index. To undo this format just click on this button again.

Transforms the selected text or the text you are going to type into a top index. To undo this format just click on this button again.

Removes all text formatting from the selected area.

Toggles between default (WYSIWYG) and HTML mode. If you have programming skills, you can switch from the WYSIWYG editor mode to the HTML mode and edit the source code.

In addition to the buttons named previously the WYSIWYG editor provides various dropdown menus that you can use to define headings, to change fonts and to insert snippets or files. These are the following: Diese werden im Folgenden beschrieben:

FormatBlock

Use the dropdown menu “FormatBlock” to define HTML code for blocks or paragraphs. The dropdown menu provides HTML code for the most frequently used block elements for paragraphs (“p”), headings (from “h1” to “h6”), preformatted blocks, (“pre”), addresses (“address”) and general blocks (“div”).

FontSize

The dropdown menu “FontSize” provides the facility to change the font size of a selected text area. Predefined sizes from “1” to “7” are available.

FontName

Use the dropdown menu “FontName” to change the font of a selected text area. The fonts available are listed according to their classes:

  • Serif fonts: “Times New Roman, Georgia, Times, serif

  • Sans serif fonts: “Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif

  • Monospaced fonts: “Courier New, Courier, Monaco, monospace

  • Sans serif fonts based on Verdana: “Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss

Snippets

By using the dropdown menu “Snippets” you can insert predefined text or code elements created by users with the roles of "Administrator" or "Superuser" into your text. For more information on how to create and manage snippets please read Chapter 10, Snippets.

Files

By using the dropdown menu “Files” you can insert a link to a files that has been uploaded into the system and made available in this rubric into your text. For more information on files and how to upload them please refer to Chapter 9, Files.

Tag Hierarchy

The “Tag Hierarchy” area displays the HTML structure of the body element and the selected element. This is useful if you want to select the row of a table that is difficult to select otherwise, for instance. Here you can also delete the active element.

Attributes and Universal Attributes

The area entitled “Attributes” and “Universal Attributes” provides the facility to edit the HTML attributes of an element.

[Tip]Tip

You can insert a text from an office document into the WYSIWYG editor. You cannot do it simply by copying and pasting, though, because then you would also transfer all the invisible formatting and control commands of the office document and these would appear as unwanted elements in ConPresso's WYSIWYG editor as well as in the frontend.

To work around this problem, do the following:

  1. Open you office document.

  2. Select “File” / “Save as

  3. As “File Type” select “Text Only” and save the document.

  4. Quit the office application and open the text-only version you have just created. Depending on the configuration of your computer, this will launch the Microsoft Editor or Word Pad.

  5. Select and copy the content you want to transfer and paste it to the ConPresso WYSIWYG editor. Thus neither formatting nor control commands will be transferred.