Add Posts to a Page

Introduction

This tutorial explains how to add Posts to a page. By adding the "Post Type Group" (also referred to as a "Post Browser") element to your page, you can list the posts from a your chosen Post Type(s), and also include display and filtering options.

Note: For newly created Post Types, a Post Type Group containing the new Post Type must be added to the "default page" selected when creating the Post Type. 

Step 1 - Add a Post Type Group

Begin by clicking the "Pages" tab, located in Digital Bell's top menu. Next, locate the page where you would like to place the Post Type Group and click the Edit button (pencil icon) to the left of the title. This will bring you to the page's content editor.

Here, click the "Post Types" link, located under "Add Content" in the right sidebar. This will add a Post Type Group to the page.

 

At the bottom of the new Post Type Group, click the "+Existing Post Types" button, as seen below.

Add Posts - Existing Post Types

Locate the "Select Post Type" section, then click to select the Post Type(s) to display. To select multiple Post Types, hold the Control ("Ctrl") key (or "Cmd" for Mac) while clicking. Once you have selected your Post Type(s), click the "Submit" button to add them to the group.

Add Posts - Select Post Type

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Step 2 - Adjust Settings (optional)

The "Settings" panel will allow you to change the way your posts are displayed. For example, you can change the way posts are sorted or select the number of posts to list.

Note: If you are updating an existing Post Type Group, begin by clicking the "Pages" tab in Digital Bell's top menu. Next, locate the title of the page that contains the Post Type Group (ex. School News), then click the Edit button (pencil icon) to view the content editor. 

Begin by locating the Post Type Group in the content editor, then click the "Settings" button in the top right corner. This will bring up the settings menu, which includes five separate tabs: Display Options, Labels, Features, Variables, and Layout.  Each tab and it's options are described in detail below. 

Note, some websites may display fewer options for Posts, while others may have had extra, custom designed settings added. If you require additional assistance with these settings, please contact support@gslsolutions.com.

Settings Tab

Display Options

Below is a list of the fields you will see in your Post Type Group's Disply Options tab, along with descriptions of each setting. 

Layout:
The "Layout" options allow you to change the Post Type Group's format. Selecting a different "Layout" will change the way your Posts are displayed on the public page, as described below. The default setting is "Browse by Month & Year."

Note, several layouts are image-based, and you will need to set the "Display Images?" option to "Yes," for the Gallery, Panels, Media, and Tiles layouts, in order to display the content correctly.

Template Placement:
This option determines which section of your page the Posts will be displayed on.
  • The default "Template Placement" is "Main Body." This will display your Post Type Group within the central content area of your page.
  • Selecting "Sidebar" will display the Post Type Group in the right (or left - depending on your specific site layout) margin of your page.
Display Group Title?:
The "Display Group Title?" option allows you to choose whether you would like the Group Title (which can be entered below "Post Type Group" in the Post Type Group's content block), to be visible to visitors.

Detail Page:
This setting determines which page your Posts will be displayed on. Selecting the "Post Type Default Page" will redirect the visitor to the Post Type's selected "Default Page" which was selected in the Post Type's settings (Main Menu > Posts > Manage Post Types > Edit). Selecting "This Page" will display the Post on the page where the Post Type Group is located. 

It is recommended to create a new page for each Post Type's "Default Page" that includes no other content besides the Post Type Group. That way, when a post is viewed, no other content will be present. If a page with existing content is set as the "Default Page," the post details will be shown along with any other content on the page (ex. Text Blocks, FAQs, etc.).
Sort By:
The "Sort By" option allows you to sort your Posts by Date Written, Date Uploaded, or alphabetically by Title.

Sort Order:
This option determines the order of your "Sort By" selection.
For example: If you are sorting by "Date Written," selecting "Ascending" will display the newest Posts first, and "Descending" will display the oldest Posts first.

Items to Display:
This option allows you to set the number of Posts that will be displayed in your Post Type Group. If you are using your Post Type Group as a calendar, this should be set to "All."


This option allows your visitors apply filters to the Posts in the Post Type Group.  For example, by selecting the "Labels" filter, your visitors could filter calendar events by grade level or sports team - if the calendar entries have grade or team specific Labels attached to them.
"Default Set" filters by month and year.


If you have images attached to your Posts, this gives you the option to display them within the Post Type Group.


If you have chosen to display your images, this drop-down menu allows you to select the display size. "Thumbnail" displays a small 100x100 pixel image. "Featured" displays a larger 600x400 pixel image. The default option for this setting is "Thumbnail."


This option allows you to select whether the date of the Post is visible to visitors. The default option is "Yes."


This option allows you to select whether the exact time the post was published is visable. The default option is "No."


This setting allows you to limit which Posts are displayed on the page, relative to the current date. The default setting is "All," which displays every Post in the Post Type. "Upcoming" limits the available Posts to those with a future publishing date. "Past" displays only the Posts whose publishing date has already occurred. 

Labels

Show filters for Posts with Labels from the Label Type(s): 

If you have attached Labels to your Posts, this setting allows you to create a new drop-down menu in the Filter Bar, which allows visitors to choose from any of the Label Types you have selected in this section. Once a visitor has chosen a Label from the menu, only Posts with the selected will be displayed.

Only display Posts that match the Label(s):
By selecting a Label from the "Label Type" menus in this section, your Post Type Group will display only those Posts with the selected Label attached. Posts without the selected Labels will not be viewable by visitors.

Features

The default setting for this tab is "Do Not Limit," which will display all Posts in the Post Type. If you have selected a Feature Groups in this tab, such as "Homepage," the Posts will be limited to those you have marked as "Featured." for your chosen Feature Group. 

Variables

This tab displays two fields by default, separated by an "equals" sign ( = ). Specifc text strings can be entered into these fields to change the way your posts are displayed. For additional fields, click the "Add" button. The following are two examples that should work with most websites. Note, if you are creating a scrolling image gallery, you will need to enter the first of the variables listed below.

This variable limits the display to one image - and with "Show Images" set to "Yes," it is used in conjunction with the "Featured" Image Size, and "Carousel" Layout to create a gallery with one large image that can be scrolled left or right by the visitor.

ShowNum = 1

This variable automatically scrolls through the gallery, and changes the image every seven seconds. It is often used in conjuction with the above variable, the "Carousel" Layout, and the "Featured" Image Size.

AutoPlay = true

Once you've entered your variables, continue selecting your settings, or click the "Submit" button to apply them.

Layout

If you have customized your Web page with the "Page Layout" feature, this option allows you to place your Post Type Group in a specific section of your page.

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Finish

Once you have selected the appropriate layout and settings, click the "Submit" button to complete the process.

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Example Layout

Browse by Month & Year

This is an example of a "Browse by Month & Year" Post Browser. This layout creates a list of Posts, sorted by date, with additional label filtering options available.