Introduction to the RedDot Content Management System Table of Contents Content Management Systems... 2 System Requirements. 3 Rider Web Site Organization 4 Accessing RedDot.. 6 Finding your Content to Edit 7 Editing Content in RedDot. 9 Linking to Internal Pages 12 Linking to External Pages 15 Inserting Pictures & Documents (Uploading) 16 Releasing Pages and Publishing your Changes. 21 Log Off 24 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).... 25 Advanced Users: Structure of the Rider Web Site 27 Rider Web Manual version 2.6 Prepared by the Office of Enrollment Management Jennifer Cafiero, jcafiero@rider.edu, x7374 Joseph Woodhull May 4, 2008
Content Management Systems 1. Content management is a software tool that allows for: o Easy creation and modification of content by non-web experts; o Automated maintenance tools for the Webmaster; o Easy organization and retrieval of content using appropriate menus and search technology. 2. The advantages to content management systems include the: o Ability for end users to enter and update information on the web without having any knowledge of HTML coders; o Ability to enforce a standardized appearance that remains consistent from one department to another; o Ability to provide end users with individual access rights and limit the information that may be modified. 3. RedDot is Rider University s content management system. 2
System Requirements 1. RedDot can only be used on a Windows-based PC or an Apple computer running VirtualPC. 2. RedDot can only be used via Internet Explorer. You will not be able to use RedDot if you are using Netscape Navigator, Mozilla Firefox, or other browsers. 3
Rider Web Site Organization To enter content or modify content on your pages within the Rider website, you must first become familiar with Page Identification Numbers. This picture shows the Academics page of the Rider University website. In this example, the arrow points to 172; this is the page s Page Identification Number. 4
This example shows the Majors and Programs page of the Rider University website. This page is found under the Academics section and you will notice that the address includes 172, which references to this Academics section. However, in this example, the second set of numbers is our Page ID number. The figure shows the arrow pointing to only 5719, which is this Page ID number. 5
Accessing RedDot 1. Double click on the Internet Explorer icon. 2. In the address browser, type one of the following addresses to access RedDot and press ENTER. a. From On-Campus (both campuses): http://10.61.2.76/cms b. From Off-Campus: http://renewal.rider.edu/cms 3. Enter your department s username and password. This Login information is created and maintained by the Office of Enrollment Management. If you have forgotten or misplaced your username or password, please contact the department. 4. Click START to log on. 6
Finding Your Content to Edit Note: A recently added feature of RedDot allows us to set a default start page for your username. We have used our best judgment at selecting this default start page. If you would like to change this page, please let us know and we can do that for you. If you need to edit pages other than your default start page, there are two options: Option 1: In the RedDot window, browse to the appropriate page as you would in a regular web browser. Option 2: Search by Page Identification Number. Directions follow. 1. Click on the Search button, as shown above. 2. A search window will open, as shown on next page. 7
3. In the Page ID box, type your Page Identification Number. You may also search for a list of Page Identification Numbers. 4. Click the Start button. 5. Click the link to choose the appropriate page. See below. 6. Your page will now open up in the RedDot window. 8
Editing Content in RedDot 1. Click [open page for editing] to begin. HELPFUL HINT If you see a symbol, your log in does not have access rights to create or modify that content. If you should have access to this page, please let us know. 9
2. Choose the RedDot immediately before the section you wish to create or modify. 10
3. Clicking will open the editing window. The RedDot Text Editor is very similar to Microsoft Word. 4. Make edits to your content. 5. Save your changes. HELPFUL HINT Clicking Save saves your changes and settings but keeps the editor window open. Clicking OK saves your changes and settings but closes the editor window. Clicking Cancel closes the editor window but does not save any changes or settings. When working on longer pages, or if you need to leave your desk, it is best practice to click Save frequently. 11
Linking to Internal Pages 1. Highlight the words that will link to another page. 2. Click the Hyperlink button. 3. The Insert/Edit Link window will appear. Click the Insert Link to Page icon. 12
4. A search window will appear. Type in the Page ID number of the designation page. HELPFUL HINT If you are unsure of that Page ID number, open up another browser window, browse to the page you wish to link to, and find the Page ID. 5. Select the page from your list. 13
6. A series of number and letters will appear. This means you have linked correctly. 7. Click OK. 14
Linking to External Pages 1. Highlight the words that will link to another page. 2. Click the Hyperlink button. 3. The Insert/Edit Link window will appear. Type in your desired designation. You must begin the address with http:// or the link will not work properly. 4. In the target window, you must type _blank. This opens a new window when the link is clicked on. This is University policy and must be adhered to. 5. Click OK. 15
Inserting Pictures & Documents (Uploading) 1. (a) To insert a picture, you must be in the RedDot Text Editor. Click on the Insert/Edit Image icon. (b) To insert a document (PDFs, Docs, etc), first highlight the text you wish the user to click on. Then click the Hyperlink button. Then click on the Insert File Link icon. (only for documents) 16
2. A dialog box will appear with two options: Select File from Local File System: For files on your computer / network drive. Select File from Server: For files already located on the Rider website. 3a. If you selecting a File from Local File System, click the option and hit OK. Click Browse. Search for your file and click Open. Click OK. 17
Another window will open. Select the appropriate folder and click OK (which may be hidden) For Images, click the images folder. For Documents, click the files folder. Your Image/Document is now uploaded. Follow these steps to finish: For Images, the image should be displayed in the text editor and you are finished. For Documents, type _blank in the target window. This will open the document in a new window when users click on it. This is a University policy and must be adhered to. Click OK to finish. Website Policy requires management of images and documents in this manner: Include a departmental prefix in ALL files uploaded. Examples: o Athletics = ath-image1.jpg o HR = hr-application.pdf If you are uploading an updated version of an image/document, you must replace the current file. To do, simply upload the image/document with the same exact file name. In the next window, choose the replace option. 18
3b. If you are selecting a File from Server, click the option and hit OK. Select your Folder and click OK (which may be hidden) For images, select the Images folder. For documents, select the Files folder. 19
This is the RedDot Asset Manager, which actively displays all files currently in either Files or Images. If you would like to browse, type an asterisk (*) after your entry: o 4yrplan* o 4yr* You can also find it manually. The list is sorted alphabetically. To get the next window, click Next. To select a file, click on its Name. Click on the thumbnail to bring up a preview of the image, PDF, document, etc. Click on the filename to bring up details, which include: creation date, creation editor, image size, document author, and many other important facts about the file. Click on Adopt File to select it. Click on Update File to upload an updated version of a file with the same exact filename. Please do not upload several copies of different versions of the same document. 20
Releasing Pages and Publishing Your Changes HELPFUL HINT After editing, pages are stored in your Tasks window. Only you will see those changes. The first step is to release the changes into the RedDot system, so that other RedDot users can see them. The second step is to publish the changes onto the server, so that everyone can see them. Releasing Pages 1. In the menu near the top of the RedDot window, click on Actions. 2. A new window will open. Click on Release Page. The window will close. 21
Publishing your Changes 1. Once again, click on Actions. 2. Click on Publish Page. a. Please Note: You must publish each page that you release. If you do not publish the page, it will remain in your updated version in the RedDot system. It will not appear live on the web until you publish it. 22
3. A new window will open. You need only to click OK. Your page should take between 2-5 minutes to change. Whatever email address is listed in the window will receive an email confirmation when the page is published. You need only pay attention to the top line reading Status: OK/Errors. A successful email confirmation is below: 23
Log Off When you are finished with your work, please click Log Off. If you don t, the system will keep you logged on. That may block other users. 24
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Why is RedDot not formatting my text correctly? Help!!! 9 times out of 10, copying and pasting is your problem. If you are copying from Microsoft Word, an email, another website, etc, do not simply paste the content into RedDot. Use the Paste Unformatted button: near the top of the RedDot text editor. We highly, highly recommend using this feature at all times. You may lose some formatting, but you can easily re-do it in the RedDot text editor. How do I create a single space in RedDot? When pressing Enter on your keyboard, RedDot automatically creates a double space. To create a single space, hold Shift while pressing Enter. How do I see an accurate page preview while in RedDot? Easy. Simply open the page for editing [if it s not already], click on Actions, and then Page Preview. Can I create new pages? Users may not create new pages. They may only load content to and change content in existing pages. If you need a new page created, you should contact the Office of Enrollment Management. Can I edit the HTML of a page? If you are familiar with HTML coding and would like to enter and edit content using the coding language, you may do so. In the RedDot text editor window, right click your mouse in the editor and choose Source Code. To revert back to standard editing (which you must do in order to save), right click on your mouse in the editor window and choose Standard View. What exactly am I allowed to change on a page? RedDot uses a template for each page. The only customizable content is the actual text content on a page. You cannot change, add, or remove pages linked in the Left Hand or Right Hand side of any page without requesting it through the Office of Enrollment Management. 25
What are my font options? The Rider University web site uses a consistent font style. You may make minimal changes to the font using the buttons and drop down menu in the text editor. Using the buttons in the tool bar, you can bold, italicize, and use super- and sub-scripts. Using the drop down menu, you can change font sizes from small, medium, and large. Since Rider uses consistent colors throughout the web site, the colors chosen in the drop down box are either red or black. To undue formatting, click the unformat button. You may need to do this several times. Please remember: the font color and sizes seen in the text editor are not necessarily what will appear on the website. It is a glitch in the system and is 100% normal. How do I create Anchor or Jump Links? If you wish for a link to jump down to a particular point on the same page, follow these directions: a. Highlight the text you wish to jump to. b. Click the Define Jump Mark and give it a title. c. Highlight the text you wish to jump from. d. Click the Hyperlink button. e. Click the Insert Jump Mark and select from the list. f. Click OK. What does the HR Button do? No, it s not Human Resources. Hitting the button in the Text Editor will insert a Horizontal Line, which is very helpful in separating information on a page. Is there any easy way to delete a link? To quickly delete a hyperlink, click the un-hyperlink button. Anything else I should know? Using the Spell Check feature is a very good idea. 26
Advanced Users: Structure of the Rider website The website is structured via the breadcrumb on the top of every page. The first 3 levels of each page are set up in Top-Down tiered structure in the Left Hand Navigation window. The window below matches the Breadcrumb above. Beyond the first 3 levels, all pages are then linked in the More Information box in the Right Hand Navigation. This Navigation is necessary for the structure of the site and cannot be removed. It is integral in making sure pages stay within certain sections. All official pages links (those in the Breadcrumb, Left, and Right Navigations shown on this page) are the exact Headlines from the pages in which they link to. If you change the Headline on a page you are editing, it will also change the title of these links. On the publish page screen, there are two options. o Publish All Following Pages: Publishes your edited page and all pages that fall underneath it (from the pictures above, publishing the Housing page would publish every single page and all updates to those pages that have been submitted to workflow that are listed under Housing.) o Publish All Related Pages: Publishes all official links to the page if a headline has changed (in the Housing section, if the headline on the Residence Life Calendar page was changed to Calendar, it would update this Left Navigation bar on all pages that include it.) 27