About the Text Editor The Text Editor appears in many locations throughout Blackboard Learn and is used to format text. For example, you can use it to: Add items to Content Areas, Learning Modules, Lesson Plans, and folders Create Announcements, Assignments, discussion messages, and test questions You can use the Text Editor to: Format text and paragraphs Create and format tables Insert hyperlinks, images, and horizontal lines Add links to document files Insert multimedia files Compatible Browsers For Windows operating systems: Internet Explorer 7.0 and 8.0 Mozilla Firefox 2.0 and 3.0 For Macintosh operating systems: Mozilla Firefox 2.0 and 3.0 Safari 3.0 Safari 2.0 (supports Text Editor Lite) 2009 Blackboard Inc. Page 1 of 12 Using the Text Editor
In the following example, a content item was created using the Text Editor. The letters indicate the function used to create each item. Detailed instructions are provided in the following pages. Take Note A Embedded image B Color in the heading C Table D Links to URLs E Link to a document 2009 Blackboard Inc. Page 2 of 12 Using the Text Editor
Text Editor Functions The Text Editor interface is similar to a word processor and allows you to perform basic HTML functions without any knowledge of HTML. The Text Editor has three collapsible rows of buttons: The first row contains functions for formatting text, similar to functions in a word processor. The second row contains functions for working with text already typed in the text box, such as spell checking, cutting and pasting, undoing the last action, and markup validation. The third row contains functions for attaching documents, images, and media files. This row only appears in selected areas within Blackboard Learn. For example, it is available when adding items to Content Areas, but not when creating questions in Test Manager. NOTE: Collapse any row using the caret to the left of the row. 2009 Blackboard Inc. Page 3 of 12 Using the Text Editor
Adding Links to Documents or Other Content You can include links to documents by using the Attach File function. The following file types can be attached:.doc,.exe,.html,.htm,.pdf,.ppt,.pps,.txt,.wpd,.xls, and.zip. NOTE: Files that are added as attachments from a local drive are automatically added to Course Files. Once in Course Files, attachments can be organized into folders so they can be located easily. QUICK STEPS: adding links to documents 1 In the Text Editor, position the pointer and click where you want to add the link to the file. 2 Click Attach File in the third row of Text Editor functions. 2009 Blackboard Inc. Page 4 of 12 Using the Text Editor
Adding Links to Documents or other Content Complete the Insert Content Link page: 3 On the Insert Content Link page, Browse for the file on your local computer or in Course Files. 4 Type a Name of Link to File. If a name is not added, the file name is used as the link name. 5 Add Alt Text. Alternative text will appear when a user moves the mouse over the link and it will be read by screen readers. 6 Decide whether the attachment will open in a new window. 7 Click Submit. 8 On the Content Link Added page, confirm the addition by clicking Submit. 2009 Blackboard Inc. Page 5 of 12 Using the Text Editor
TIP: Click Preview to see how the item will appear to students. 2009 Blackboard Inc. Page 6 of 12 Using the Text Editor
Embedding Images You can embed images in content by using the Attach Image function. You can include the following file types:.gif,.jif,.jpg, jpeg,.tiff,.wmf,.png. Optionally, when you attach an image, you can add a URL where the user will be taken after clicking the image. For example, if you are attaching an image of Mars, you can type the URL for the NASA Mar s Exploration Web site. QUICK STEPS: embedding images 1 In the Text Editor, position the pointer and click where you want to add the image. 2 Click Attach Image in the third row of Text Editor functions. 2009 Blackboard Inc. Page 7 of 12 Using the Text Editor
Complete the Insert Image page first by selecting the source for the image and then adding in the required information: 3 Browse for the file on your local computer, in Course Files, or use a source URL to link to the image on another server. 4 Optionally, type the image width and height in pixels. You can adjust the size later, if necessary. 5 If you want the image to contain a link to a URL, type the URL and select whether to launch the site in a new window. 6 Optionally, select the Border width. You can adjust the size later, if necessary. 7 Type Alt Text. Alternative text will appear when a user moves the mouse over the link and it will be read by screen readers. 8 Click Submit. The image is added. 2009 Blackboard Inc. Page 8 of 12 Using the Text Editor
2009 Blackboard Inc. Page 9 of 12 Using the Text Editor
Inserting URLs Use the Hyperlink function to include links to Web sites. QUICK STEPS: inserting URLs 1 In the Text Editor, select the text the user will click to access the Web site. 2 Click Hyperlink in the second row of Text Editor functions. 3 On the Insert Link page, type the URL, including the http:// 4 Optionally, type text that will appear when the cursor is positioned over the hyperlink. 5 Select the check box to have the link open in a new window, if you want. 6 Click Submit. The hyperlink is created. 2009 Blackboard Inc. Page 10 of 12 Using the Text Editor
Editing Source HTML When you perform functions using the Text Editor, the HTML code is automatically inserted for you. For example, if an image is embedded in an item, the Insert Image page prompts you to add the border size for the image. Behind the scenes, the HTML code is added based on the information you provided. To edit the information in the future, use the Toggle HTML Source Mode function to display the code. The code can then be edited as you want. After you have finished editing, click the Toggle HTML Source Mode function to return to normal mode. 2009 Blackboard Inc. Page 11 of 12 Using the Text Editor
If you have made changes to the source code, you can check them using the Markup Validation function. Any errors in the markup will appear in a separate window and the code can be corrected. After you have corrected the code, run the Markup Validation function again. NOTE: Validation of source code is run against XHTML 1.0 Strict rules. Not all reported errors will cause pages to malfunction. However, errors can affect the way a page appears, how style sheets are employed, and accessibility. For more information on XHTML 1.0 Strict, see the World Wide Web Consortium XHTML 1.0 The Extensible HyperText Markup Language (Second Edition), http://www.w3.org/tr/xhtml1/. 2009 Blackboard Inc. Page 12 of 12 Using the Text Editor