Getting Started with Penn State WikiSpaces

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1 Getting Started with Penn State WikiSpaces About Penn State WikiSpaces Penn State WikiSpaces is a platform intended to support Penn State-associated collaboration. Wikis are websites that allow for the creation and editing of interlinked web pages using a web browser and a rich text editor. Wikis are often used to create collaborative works. Spaces must be created and sponsored by Penn State faculty or staff. You must be a member of the faculty/staff group at Penn State to be able to create a wiki. If you are not in the faculty/staff group, you can only access a wiki if granted permission by the wiki administrator. Connecting to Penn State WikiSpaces You can create numerous spaces with the Penn State WikiSpaces tool as long as each space has a different name. Regardless of the purpose of your space, the process for creating a new space is the same. To create a new space: 1. Navigate to 2. Click Login with Penn State WebAccess at the top left of the screen. 3. Select Penn State from the Organization drop-down list. 4. Select Remember for a year from the drop-down list to the right of the Select button. 5. Click the Select button. NOTE: If you have not already authenticated through WebAccess for another application, the WebAccess log in page will appear. 6. Enter your Penn State Access Account user ID and password. 7. Click the Log In button. Creating a New Space 1. Click the Create Space link at the top right of the screen of the WikiSpaces dashboard. 2. Select the Documentation space theme. Note: If another theme is selected, the options presented in this Quick Start Guide may be different than what appears on your screen. 3. Enter a Space Name in the space name box. A space key is a short or abbreviated version of your space name. As you enter a space name, the space key will auto populate. The space key must be unique. This key is used when linking content between spaces and for web URLs. The creator will have space administrator permissions for the new space. Space administrators can change the permissions, as well as edit and configure pages, at any time after creating the space. 4. Click the Create button. Security By default, WikiSpaces is open to all faculty and staff in the LDAP group psu.facstaff unless the space administrator chooses to modify this. This means that anyone can view and contribute to a wikispace unless specified otherwise. This makes it easier to share the space with colleagues and allows them to contribute to the space. Access to a wikispace can be modified and can be restricted by individual Penn State Access Account user IDs, Friends of Penn State (FPS) user IDs, and/or User Managed Groups (UMGs). Information on how to create and maintain UMGs can be found at Restrictions may also be applied to pages within a wikispace, so although space-level permissions can be established, more granular permissions may also be used to further control access within a wikispace. The security option allows permissions to be set for users and groups, as well as allowing permissions to be set for individual pages. Permissions can be found by clicking on Browse on the top menubar, selecting Space Admin from the drop-down list, and selecting Permissions under Security. When the Permissions link is selected, the View Space Permissions page opens. Permissions that are currently set as open will be designated by a green check mark. Permissions that are currently closed are designated by a red X. By default, the psu.facstaff group has the following permissions viewing, adding and exporting pages, adding blogs, comments and attachments, and exporting the space. This publication is available in alternative media upon request. Penn State is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce. Updated 4/25/2014

2 Permissions that are assigned at a broad group level (such as to the psu.facstaff group) are inherited by the UMG if one is added. Additional permission can be granted to the UMG that are not given to the broad group. Individuals inherit permission from the broad group and from the UMG if they are a member of the UMG. In addition, individuals can be granted extra permissions that neither the broad group nor the UMG have. Permissions can be edited or modified when the space is created. To edit permissions: 1. Select Space Admin under the Browse drop-down menu at the top menubar. 2. Select Permissions under Security on the left side of the screen. 3. Select the Edit Permissions button form any of the sections (Groups, Individual Users, or Anonymous Access). 4. Click the check boxes to select or de-select the permissions. 5. Click the Save All button. NOTE: To select or de-select all of the check boxes, click the Actions drop-down menu and choose your option. Removing Groups or Individuals To revoke permissions: 1. Click the Edit Permissions button. 2. Select Deselect All from the Actions drop-down menu. 3. Click the Save All button. Adding Friends of Penn State and Student Accounts Students and FPS account holders can be added to a space. To do so, they must be added as individual users and assigned individual user rights. They are not part of groups (either psu.facstaff or a created UMG) and cannot be added to groups and set to group level permissions unless you create a UMG from a class list. If a FPS user had not previously logged in to WikiSpaces, a pop-up message will appear indicating that no matches have been found when adding that user to permissions. There will be a warning message stating that the user was not found or has never logged in. Click the Add button in order to add them to the permissions. When the FPS user logs in to WikiSpaces, they will have access to the pages to which they have been granted permission. Anonymous Access The Anonymous option allows users who are not logged in, as well as those who are, to view and comment. Anonymous users cannot read or write to a space unless the permissions for viewing are enabled. An anonymous user cannot edit or possess administrative control of a space. If you choose to allow an authenticated user to have view access to your wiki, but not edit access, you will need to set the permissions for the anonymous user to View. This is currently the only option for an anonymous user. Space Operations Editing Space Details After the space has been created, you have the ability to edit the space details. To edit the details of a space you need to be a space administrator for the space. Adding Space Categories Space categories are a special type of label that are used to group spaces in the space directory and in the recent activity area of the dashboard. To add a space category: 1. Select Browse from the top menubar. 3. Select Space Categories. 4. Type your category name in the Categories label box. 5. Click the Add button. Editing the Color Scheme WikiSpaces allows you to customize the color scheme of your wiki. You can accept the default color scheme that comes with it, or you can adjust the colors using the Custom Color Scheme. Only one custom color scheme can be added at any one time. If you want to save the scheme and create a new customized scheme, you will need to make note of the settings that you used. To create a custom color scheme: 1. Select Browse on the top menubar 3. Select Color Scheme. 4. Click the Custom Color Scheme Select button. 5. Select Edit below the Custom Color Scheme. 6. Select the color picker icon to the right of top bar. You can either enter the appropriate hexadecimal code for the color you want, or you can click on the color palette button to open the color picker palette in a new 2

3 window. If you use the color picker, simply click on the desired color. The color picker window will close and you will return to the main window. 7. Select a color from the color palette. 8. Click the OK button. 9. Click the Save button. Changing the Space Logo You can upload a logo, such as a program, department, or campus logo, to your space in order to customize it. You can also toggle the logo on and off. 1. Select Browse on the menubar. 3. Select Change Space Logo. You can toggle the logo on and off by clicking the Logo: OFF button. The default image size for a logo is 159x83 pixels. If you upload another logo, it will replace the file you previously uploaded. The previous file is not retained. To reset back to the default logo (the Penn State 1855 Shield), select the Reset logo to default link. Exporting the Space There may be occasions when you want to export the content of a space in order to take it to another wiki or publish it in another format. From the options under Export, select the format in which you want to export: PDF, HTML or XML Export. 1. Select Browse on the menubar. 2. Select Space Operations from the drop-down list. 3. Select PDF Export, HTML Export, or XML Export. Working with Pages Creating Pages Pages can be added from anywhere within the wikispace by clicking the Create link located at the top of every page. Pages are used for creating static content for the wiki. To create a new Page: 1. Click the Create button on the menubar. 2. Select Blank Page. 3. Click the Create button. Embedding Content In addition to typing or copying and pasting content into pages, pages can be populated by embedding content into them. If necessary use the breadcrumb trail at the top of the screen to return to your wikispace and select your My Content page. To insert URLs into a page: 1. Select Edit at the top of the screen. 2. Select the text you want to make into a URL. 3. Select the Link icon. 4. Select Web Link from the left navigation bar. 5. Type the complete URL address in the Address box. 6. Click the Insert button. To insert images into a page: 1. Place your cursor where you want the image to be placed in the main text window. 2. Click the Insert icon. 3. Select Image from the drop-down list. 4. Locate your image to be inserted. 5. Click the Insert button. NOTE: When an image is inserted, a toolbar with additional image formatting options will appear. To insert emoticons into a page: 1. Place your cursor where you want the emoticon to be placed. 2. Select the Insert icon from the Editor toolbar. 3. Select Emoticon from the drop-down list. 4. Select an Emoticon from the Insert Emoticon box. To insert a table into a page: 1. Place your cursor where you want the table to be placed. 2. Click the Table icon from the Editor toolbar. 3. Click in a cell to set the number of columns and rows for your table. 4. Click the Save button. NOTE: When a table is inserted additional editing options appear on the Editor toolbar. Attaching Files 1. Open a page, if necessary. 2. Select Tools from the top right-hand side of the screen. 3. Select Attachments from the drop-down list. 4. Click the Browse button. 5. Select the File. 6. Click the Open button. 7. Click the Attach button. Importing Word Documents Word documents can be inserted as pages using the Import Word Document option under the Tools menu. 3

4 1. Open a page, if necessary. 2. Select Tools from the top right-hand side of the screen. 3. Select Import Word Document from the dropdown list. 4. Click the Browse button. 5. Select the file. 6. Click the Open button. 8. Click the Next button. 9. Select the Import as a new page in current space radio button. 10. Click the Import button. Labels The labels list shows all of the labels used in a wiki. The label list is accessed from Browse tab on the top menubar. To see all content that has that label assigned to it, select the label. You can arrange the list either by the popularity of the label or in alphabetical order. Viewing Attachments The attachment list shows all of the documents used in this wiki. The attachment list is accessed from the Tools button on the top menubar. The attachment list indicates the file s name, size, creator, and creation date, as well as its last modification date. It also indicates the page to which the attachment is currently linked. To view the attachment, click on its name. To view the page where this file appears, click on the page name. Viewing Page Information To review information about a particular page, select Page Information from the Tools drop-down list. Information includes the author, who changed the page last, the revision history, and a tiny link for purposes. The page can be exported to Word or a PDF file. Viewing Page History A version of the page is saved each time it is modified. To view the page histories, select Page History from the Tools drop-down list. Viewing Pages Pages can be viewed in three different ways. The view options can be accessed from any page under the Tools drop-down list by selecting View in Hierarchy. Recently Updated Alphabetical Tree NOTE: Tree structure is a view that shows how each page relates to the other pages or the main or root folder of the wiki. Removing Pages Individual pages can be deleted from a space. Pages that are deleted from a space are initially placed in the trash. As such, they are not deleted from the space per se, but they are deleted from their location in the space. All links to or from the page will also be deleted. To remove a single page: 1. Select Tools from the right-hand side of the screen. 2. Select Delete from the drop-down list. 3. Click the OK button. NOTE: The Delete option will only appear if you have permission to remove this page. Restoring Pages Pages can be restored from the trash. The page will be placed back into the wiki at its original location, and all links to and from it will be restored. If a new page has been created with the same name as the original since it was placed in the trash, a warning box will be displayed. This option allows you to either overwrite the existing page with the older content or to restore the page under a new name. If you choose to restore it as a new page, it will be an orphan page and no previous linking to or from it will be restored. 1. Click the Browse button on the top menubar. 2. Select Space Admin from the drop-down menu. 3. Select Trash from the left panel. 4. Click the Restore button next to the page you want to restore. Adding a Blog Post You can publish blog posts in to your wikispace provided you have permission. Blog posts may be announcements, journal entries, status reports, or any other timely information. 1. Click the Create button on the menubar. 2. Select Show more. 3. Select Blog Post. 4. Click the Create button. 5. Type a title in the title for the blog post. 6. Type the blog post text. 7. Click the Publish button. 4

5 Copying Spaces Spaces can be copied. This can be useful if creating several spaces that will have the same structure and/or the same baseline content. 1. Select Browse from the top menubar. 3. Select Copy Space drop-down list. 4. Enter a new name in the Space name box. 5. Type a name in the Key box. 6. Select the checkbox next to the space to be copied. 5. Click the Save button. Orphaned Pages The Orphaned Pages screen shows any pages that are not linked to any other page. Note that orphaned pages are usually at the root level and do not cascade from another page. Undefined Pages Undefined Pages are any pages that have been linked to from another page but that have yet to be created. They will appear with a green plus sign to the right of the page name. When you click on the hyperlink, the Add Page dialog box will open for you to begin creating the content of the page. Removing a Space Spaces can be removed. Removing a space will remove all of its content (including pages, comments, attachments, and blog posts). If necessary use the breadcrumb trail at the top of the screen to return to your wikispace. 1. Select the Browse button from the top menubar. 3. Select Delete Space. 4. Click the OK button to remove the space and all of its content. NOTE: When Remove Space is selected, a warning box appears. This action is irreversible. Prior to removing a space, it is recommended that the content be exported so that a copy of the content is saved. 5