While much of a RidgeStar Interactive Site is about dynamic database driven information (e.g. Assignments, etc.), there are a variety of relatively static bits of information that need posting on the site. To satisfy this requirement, there are three basic strategies:
The Topics mechanism is intended to permit Administrators to publish information in an HTML based format within the look and feel of the Site without requiring a direct knowledge of HTML itself (HTML familiarity is helpful, but not required). Upon Display, the Topics mechanism "converts" the specified content into the appropriate HTML language (for Version 4 and up sites, this is XHTML 1.1) Create a new TopicTo create a new Topic, you can follow these steps:
Entering Text ContentYou can enter Topic Text (Content) in one of two ways. You can allocate individual Text entries (if the Text database table is available) using a "Text Entry" mechanism or a WYSIWYG Editor (the RidgeStar recommendation) identified as "TinyMCE", as (described below): Text EntryTinyMCEIf Feature=TinyMCE is active in your site, you'll be presented with a WYSIWYG Editor area in the Topics display (a representation is in the following example): Simply move your mouse into the Content... area and overtype the text, as desired. You can make use of the TinyMCE sub-menu of elements to assist your editing process. Remember to click Update once you've completed editing to commit your changes to the Topics table in the database. Test the Formatting of the TopicWhen you believe you have arranged the Topic and Content you want to convey to the User, you can review what it will generally appear like by clicking on the Preview symbol you'll see at the top of the individual input Forms. Of course, you can also open another Browser Tab or Window and flip from one to the other (one for editing, one for review), but that's completely up to you. Things to considerWhile there are many possible variations, the key thing to consider is how you will reference the Topic within the Site. Topics can be listed as a group, available in the Table of Contents, directly referenced in other hyperlinks, or any combination of these things.
However, the key to all this is to simply keep HTML based information organized well (meaning, set the Topic and SubTopic values carefully in the individual Topics). The actual effectiveness of the Topics mechanism is very much controlled by your organization of the Topics and corresponding Content as a whole. Good luck with your efforts, but don't hesitate to experiment and find what works best for your requirements and situation. | ||||||
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