File Structure and URLs Introduction (1 of 5) Introduction

Transcription

1 EVO 101: EVOLUTION ROLLOVER TRAINING File Structure and URLs File Structure and URLs Introduction (1 of 5) Introduction In this lesson, we'll explain: the course file structure - that is, how course files and folders are named and organized in Evolution 2.0 The URLs used to access course materials, and the places where those URLs are important There will be no practice opportunity with this lesson, but it is important information to know as you work with your course files and with PACTS, Quickbase and ANGEL. Basic File Structure (2 of 5) Evolution 2.0 File Structure You can get a sense of the way files are arranged in Evolution 2.0 by looking at the Evolution File Manager: 1 of 7 11/2/13 9:09 PM

2 This interface should look familiar to you if you worked through the materials and practice opportunities in the Evolution 2.0 Basics lesson. But a little more explanation is in order. The images folder stores your images. The corefiles folder stores any non-image supplemental files required for your lesson, such as Word documents, PDF documents, or Flash files. The rest of what you see within a lesson are the lesson pages themselves. In the File Manager interface, you are seeing the titles of the lesson pages - that is, what's wrapped in the html < title > tags for those pages. (More on this in a bit.) Dreamweaver/FTP Information (Optional) Now let's get under the hood a bit and look at these files using the Dreamweaver file interface (you will see something very similar if you're using FTP to view the server files). You can read more about how to set up a site for Dreamweaver or ftp on the Outreach intranet. The screenshot above shows the remote site (not the local site) in Dreamweaver. For the purposes of this lesson, we are focusing on the content folder. (Except for the common folder, the other folders you see contain data and files necessary to manage your course and keep it running; only Learning Design ETs have the ability to change or delete these files.) The first thing you'll notice is the different naming scheme for files and folders. Since you're looking directly at the files on the server, lesson titles and page names are not being interpreted by the File Manager (remember, the File Manager shows whats contained in the html < title > 2 of 7 11/2/13 9:09 PM

3 tags). Instead, you're seeing the actual folder and file names, which will be less meaningful than the lesson and file names in the File Manager. Regardless of the difference in file and folder naming, the folder structure and number of lessons and lesson pages should be the same. If they are not the same, it means that the File Manager needs to synchronize with the server files. On the next page we will discuss the implications of using both Dreamweaver/FTP and the File Manager, and the precautions that must be taken if you work this way in your author + learning design team. Naming Schema (3 of 5) Naming Schema Evolution 2.0 will work with our old naming schema. However, it should be noted that Evoution 2 uses a new schema to allow for the new drag and drop interface in the file manager. Old Style: In tha past, most designers have adhered to a naming structure similar to that shown below New Style: In order for our our drag and drop interface to work in Evolution 2.0, the order number or the folder or page MUST come first. When you use the drag and drop interface to reorder items the course files are AUTOMATICALLY renamed to represent the new order. In the past renaming pages was a time-consuming process for designers, but no more! 3 of 7 11/2/13 9:09 PM

4 Do I need to rename my old pages to the new naming structure? NO. Let me repeat, NO. Evolution 2.0 will read the old file structure. However, once you use the drag/drop feature in the File Manager the first time, your course files will be automatically renamed. More about Dreamweaver/FTP vs. the File Manager (4 of 5) More about Dreamweaver and FTP vs. the File Manager (optional) As has been pointed out, it is now possible to edit and manage your course files entirely through the File Manager. Thus, the information on this page is optional and is only for designers and authors who still prefer to manage files through Dreamweaver or FTP. Team Considerations In World Campus Learning Design, it is common for courses to be put together and maintained by teams including instructional designers, production specialists, editors, and authors or subject 4 of 7 11/2/13 9:09 PM

5 matter experts. Ideally, everyone on the team would use the same method of interacting with the course files, minimizing the chance for conflict. Hopefully the efficiency advantages of the online File Manager and page editor in Evolution 2.0 would move everyone the direction of using them exclusively. However, we recognize that the likelihood that many individuals or courses will need time to move in this direction. If you and your design/authoring team do use both methods of managing and editing files, though, everyone on the team will need to be mindful of certain things. First and foremost, everyone will need to be certain that the environment they're working in reflects the current state of files on the server. Failure to be vigilant with this can lead to files being overwritten, or work being irrevocably lost. Here are the recommendations: When using Dreamweaver or FTP to interact with course files in a team environment, regardless of whether others on the team are using the Evolution 2.0 editor and File Manager, always be certain that your local files reflect exactly what's on the server. The very best way to be sure that local files are accurates is to delete or archive your entire local content directory before downloading from the server. Alternatively, Dreamweaver has a Synchronize function that will allow you to override anything in your local directory and replace it with the current status of the remote content directory. (See an ET if you are not familiar with the way the Synchronize function works or if you need to know the settings and options to use.) Also, if you're using Dreamweaver or FTP in team environment where others are using the Evolution 2.0 editor and File Manager, it is a courtesy to use the Synchronize or Reindex functions in the Evolution File Manager to be sure that everyone is seeing the same thing online. Regardless, if you're using the Evolution 2.0 File Manager in a team environment in which others are using Dreamweaver or FTP, it is probably a good idea to always Synchronize or Reindex your course files before working on them. The Bottom Line We hope you can see that the advantages of having everyone work on course files exclusively through the Evolution 2.0 editor and File Manager. If you are used to working with Dreamweaver and/or FTP, it might take some time and practice, but we hope you'll agree that the advantages of Evolution 2.0 are compelling enough to eventually make the switch. We realize there will be kinks. Please ask questions, either in the discussion forum for everyone to see or just talk to an ET directly. And continue to use Quickbase to report any bugs. Course URLs (5 of 5) Course URLs Next: Course URLs... A quick word now about course URLs. One of the goals in moving our courses into Evolution 2.0 is to save space on the World Campus servers. So whereas previously our course URLs might have 5 of 7 11/2/13 9:09 PM

6 looked like this: etc. Now, these same courses in Evolution 2.0 would be found at these URLs: etc. Note that the URL now starts with the semester, rather than the semester being appended after the course notation. Additionally, while the section number is still appended at the end of the URL, it is now appended with a slash rather than the "x" character, it is a 3-digit number rather that a 2-digit one, and it is always appended, even if the course is only being offered in one section. URLs in ANGEL Good news: You should not have to change any of the course URLs you have in ANGEL or on your course pages! The only thing you will need to do to be sure that all your URLs are pointing to the correct place is to change the $COURSES_DIR$ Course Environment Variable in ANGEL. This variable can be by using the "View Your Course's Environment Variables" link in your course. (For more information about course environment variables, see the Outreach Intranet page at You'll simply need to change the value of the $COURSES_DIR$ variable from the format abc101fa10x02 to 6 of 7 11/2/13 9:09 PM

7 fa10/abc101/002, and all your course internal links should work The Pennsylvania State University 7 of 7 11/2/13 9:09 PM