This page will take you through the process of adding a new Post to your Web site. Posts are the individual pieces of content that populate a Post Type, such as news articles, calendar events, or blog entries. Ensure you have an existing Post Type before beginning this tutorial.

 

Step 1 - Navigate to your Posts Directory

In the menu at the top of your Digital Bell Dashboard, click the tab labeled "Posts." This will bring you to the Posts Directory on your Dashboard, which lists your existing Post Types in seperate boxes. 

Locate the Post Type you will be to adding your new post to, and click the link below the blue header, labeled "+Add a new post."

 

Step 2 - Complete the Form

Once you click the link, you will be taken to the "Add Post" form, for creating a new post. The form is divided into six sections, each with their own fields and options. 

Depending on your User permissions, some sections may not appear. This is a feature of The Digital Bell, and will not prevent you from creating a new Post. Also, note that all fields marked with an asterisk (*) are necessary for submitting the form.

1. 

In this section, you will title your post, enter the content, add optional images, select the publication date, and determine whether visitors can view this post. Each subsection is explained in detail below.

*Title: This will be the title of your new post. It will appear both in the Post Browsers, which provide a listing of your Posts, and at the top of the individual post itself.

*Date: These fields set the date, or date range, for your post. Clicking in a field will create a pop-up calendar tool, which allows you to choose a date by clicking on the appropriate day of the month.

For Posts such as news articles, blog entries, single day calendar events, etc., you will enter the creation/publication date in the first field, and the second field will auto-fill with a copy of that date. For calendar event entries that span multiple days, you will use the respecive fields for the start and end dates of your event.

If you are creating a calendar entry that occurs at a specific time of day, uncheck the box labeled "All Day?" to add the time of the event.

Image: If you are creating a "Featured" Post, this section is used to attach the image that will appear in your gallery. Depending on your default "Image Options" settings, the image you attach here may be visible only in "featured" galleries, and will not appear in the content of the post, itself. The "Image Options" setting is explained in part 5 of this tutorial, below.

When attaching an image, you can select an existing image from the Warehouse, or upload a new image from your computer. Clicking on the button labeled "No image" will remove any attached images.

Content: This field is used to enter the main content of your Post. For example, you would use this field to enter your news story or blog post. If you are creating a calendar entry, this field is used to enter any additional information for the event. The toolbar loacted at the top of the text box is used to format your content, which can contain images and links, as well as text.

See Using the WYSIWYG Toolbar for more information on the available formatting options.

See Adding Images for information on adding images to your content.

Abstract: The abstract is a short summary of the content in your new Post. Note - not all Post Browsers will display content in this field, and it will depend on your specific page or website. 

Published?: This option determines whether your post is currently viewable by your site's visitors. 

2.

The Feature Groups section allows you to "feature" selected posts for a specified time period. For example, if you would like your homepage to display your latest news article for the next 30 days, you would tick the checkbox and enter the beginning and ending dates in the "From" and "To" fields. Note, leaving "To" blank will feature the post indefinitely. 

Homepage: Most Digital Bell websites will include the "Homepage" option. Selecting this Feature Group will add the post to the featured section on the homepage (usually a carousel or photo gallery that includes the Post's image and title). 

Additional Feature Groups will depend on the individual school or organization's website. For example, Alerts and Annoucements.

3.

The Display Options section is used to set an internal Post designator, add an optional subtitle or by line, and create embargos.

*Name: This field will auto-complete based on your title, and does not need to be manually edited. If you choose to add a custom Name, note that spaces and special characters (&, %, $, etc.) are not allowed.

Subtitle: This field allows you to enter an optional subtitle for your Post. Note, not all Web sites are designed to take advantage of the "Subtitle" field. If you would like this functionality added, please contact support@gslsolutions.com.

By Line: This field allows you to enter the Post author's name, which will be displayed in an optional by line. Note, not all Web sites are designed to take advantage of the "By Line" field. If you would like this functionality added, please contact support@gslsolutions.com.

Do Not Display Before: This feature allows you to create posts that remain unpublished, but will automatically become viewable to visitors at a date and time of your choosing. Use the fields to select the date and time to select the date and time the post should appear

Do Not Display After: This feature allows you to set a date and time, after which the post will no longer be shown on the site. Like the "Do Not Display Before" feature, use the fields to select the date and time to select the date and time the post should be removed.

The Related Content section allows you to attach files, such as .pdf or .doc files. You can also use this section to associate other related Posts to the Post you are creating.

Files: Here you can select a file from your Warehouse or upload one from your computer to attach to your Post. Files attached to your Post can be dowloaded by your Web page visitors.

Posts: Search for and select a related post (or posts) to link to. Search by name or title in the left hand pane, then use the "Select" arrow to add the appropriate post(s) to the right hand pane. Selected posts will be linked from your new post.

5.

Image Options is an optional section, dependant upon whether you have attached an image to your new Post.

Show on detail view?: If you have attached an image to your Post in the "Image" section, selecting "No" will display the image only within the Post Browser, such as a "featured" gallery/carousel on the homepage. Selecting "Yes" will also display the image above the content of the Post itself.

6.

The optional Access section allows you to add permissions for other Users, or User Groups, to have editorial access or full ownership of your new Post.

*Permissions: By clicking in the "Add People or Groups" text box, you can search for and give another User or User Group access to your Post. Begin typing in the "Add People or Groups" field, then select from the list of results that pops up. Once you have made a selection, Owner, Editor, or Viewer access can be assigned via drop-down menu.

 

Finish - Click Submit

When you have completed all of the necessary sections, scroll to the bottom of the form. Here, you will find two "Submit" buttons.

The first button is the "Submit and Edit" button, which will create your Post, then take you directly to the content editor, where you can further modify your Post. If your site has been integrated with Cloudinary, clicking this button will also give you access to the Cloudinary Image Editor.

The second button is the default "Submit" button. Clicking this button will create your Post, then return you to the list of existing Posts for your chosen Post Type.

To edit an existing Post, return to your Posts Directory, then click the "View the list of posts" link for the appropriate Post Type. This will bring you to a list of existing Posts for you chosen Post Type. Locate the Post you wish to edit from this list, then click the "Edit" button (pencil icon) to the left of the Post title. For more in-depth information, see Edit an Existing Post.