Home > Tools > Manuals > Getting Started

Manuals
Getting Started
Basic Concepts
Basic Requirements
Edit Content
Page Editor
Calendar
Sorted Tables
Slide Shows
Site Layout
Spell Checker
Local Links
Off-Site Links
Graphics & Images
Version Control
Publish
Markup
Administration

Printer Version

Getting Started

Contents:

Introduction
Reading the Documentation

Introduction

The Content Management System is a suite of browser-based tools that let you maintain your website from a special Administrative area right on your website. You don't have to install any software on your computer to use the system. Everything is accessible via your browser.

The Editor

You'll create most of your site's content using the Page Editor. The Page Editor is a "what-you-see-is-what-you-get" editor that lets you enter and format pages much as you might using WordPad. For example, here's what the first part of an early version of this page looked like in the editor (possibly with different colors and fonts than those on your site):

The Page Editor

Most of the controls in the editor's top bar probably look familiar to you and do what you expect:

Paragraph Style

Set paragraph style from a pull down menu.

Bold Italic

Change selected text to bold or italic or both together.

Left Justify Center Right Justify

Left justify, centers, or right justify paragraphs and images.

Bullet List Numbered List

Make a bullet list or a numbered list.

Link

Turn selected text into a hyperlink and edit hyperlink properties.

Anchor Images Table Horizontal Bar

Add anchors, images, tables, or horizontal rules and edit their properties.

Table Cell Background Horizontal Bar Color

Set the background color of table cells or the color of horizontal bars.

View Anchors View Table Grid Lines

Display anchors (which are invisible on normal pages) and display grid lines on tables.

Side Menu

Set the contents of the menu (including optional images) and the banner.

Preview Save

Preview and save your changes.

For a detailed explanation, see the Page Editor documentation.

Edit Content Page

The Page Editor is accessed from the Edit Content Page, which is the main access point for controlling your site's content. The Edit Content page displays a hierarchical view of all of the pages on your site, much like the Site Map:

Edit Content Page

Tools on the tool bar let you add, edit, move, delete, and view pages. Other tools upload graphics, PDFs, and other special files. Checkboxes let you control what is published. For a detailed explanation, see the Edit Content documentation.

Reading the Documentation

Here's how to get started with the documentation:

Start with the Basic Concepts page. It introduces the basic concepts behind any website and the overall organization of the Content Management System.
Then read about the Edit Content page. It is the main access point for changing site contents.
Next, read about the Page Editor.
Go on to the Basic Requirements page. It defines more terminology and usage requirements.
Then review the Spell Checker, the Local and Off-Site Link Checkers. These checkers help you maintain the quality of your site's content. All errors that they report must be fixed before the site can be published.
Learn about Publishing the site.
Finally, see what is available on the Version Control page.
If you are interested in the Markup language the underlies the system, or plan to use the optional Order Form or Survey Form features, then read about the Markup language.