Using Themes

Use Themes to Store Multi-Use Images for Posts

Themes are a useful Digital Bell CMS feature that allows you to create collections of images to use for regularly occurring Posts. When you create a new Post, there is an option for you to select a theme.

When creating a Post, the theme you select will then grab one of the images you have added, and attach it to the Post's "Image" section. For example, you may want to create a "Sports" theme, where you would store generic sports-related images for sports posts. If you wish to be more specific, you could make a theme for soccer event posts where you store generic soccer themed images.

When using themes, keep in mind that when choosing the theme for a Post, you are telling it to use the image(s) added to the theme in the Post's "Image" section. This means that if you have added multiple images to a single theme, it will cycle through them in the order they are listed. This is important to remember, as you wouldn't want to put both prom- and football-related images in the same theme, or your Post about a football game may have a prom photo as its image.

Step 1 - Upload your Images

Themes are comprised of an image, or images, that have are chosen from the existing list in your Warehouse. Before the theme can be created, the images will need to be uploaded. For in-depth information on how to upload images to the Warehouse, see "Batch Upload Images."

Once your images have been uploaded, continue to the next step in this tutorial.

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Step 2 - Navigate to the "Themes" Section

After you have logged into the the Digital Bell, mouse over the "Posts" tab, located in the menu at the top of the Dashboard. In the drop-down menu, click on "Manage Themes." This will bring you to the "Themes" section.

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Step 3 - Create a new Theme

You should now see a list of your current themes. Note that this is the page you will use if you wish to edit your existing themes. In order to create a new theme, click on the green "Create" button to the right. 

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Step 3 - Add your Images

After clicking the button, you will see a form to fill out. Start by giving your theme a title and name. Next, choose an icon that fits the theme, from the drop-down menu. After selecting an icon, you can start adding images to the theme.

A single image can be used for your theme. However, if you are adding multiple images, keep in mind that when you select a theme to use for a Post, it will select the next image from that theme. When you add multiple images to a theme, they should be generic enough so that no matter which image gets used, it will match the content of the Post.

In the "Images" section, just below the "Icon" drop-down, you will see a list of files to choose from; these are the existing images that have been uploaded to your Warehouse. Add the images you wish to use for themes to your Warehouse beforehand, and then select them here.

To select an image, search for the file name in the search bar, then preview the image by clicking on it and checking preview pane below. Once you have found the correct image, select it by clicking the arrow icon to the right. Selected images will be listed in the right side panel. Select each of the desired images, then click the "Submit" button to create a new theme. 

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Step 4 - Using your Theme

Now that you have created a theme, you can use it to add an image to a new Post. To create a Post, return to your dashboard, then click the "Add new post" link. For more in-depth information, see "Create a new Post."

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Step 5 - Create a new Post

After selecting your Post Type, you will be taken to the "Add Post" form. Here, you will select your newly added Theme to attach an image. To pick a theme, click the "Theme" drop-down menu. Locate the title of your new theme, then click to select it.

After selecting the theme, complete the remaining form fields and options for your Post. Once the form is complete, click the "Submit" button to create your Post. Now, when viewing your Post, it should have the first image added to the theme assigned as its image.

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