Introduction
This is a beginner’s guide for editors in Ondexx Sites. If you have the ability to edit and create content within a site, this article will cover everything you need to know, along with a few tips on how to save time:
- How to use the editor administration menus, and what you can find there;
- How to create Modules, Chapters, and Pages;
- How the Page Lifecycle workflow for editing Pages works;
- How to edit and update Pages;
- How version control works in Ondexx;
- How to manage files in a Site using the File Manager, and;
- How to use and create templates.
This article assumes that you already have a basic understanding of how to use Ondexx, and are learning how to use Editor functions. If you are new to using Ondexx as an End User as well, we recommend starting with the Ondexx Beginner’s Guide.
It is worth noting that Ondexx controls a user’s privileges with many individual rights, assigned to Admin-created roles. This allows a Site Owner to granularly customize who is able to do what. As such, there may be menus you are able to access that are not mentioned in this guide, or menus described here that you cannot access.
This guide will reflect the actions a user in an Editor-type role can usually take.
Administration Dropdowns
Editors have access to a variety of menus to edit and publish content in their Site. These can be accessed from the administration dropdown menus, which are visible above the navigation bar on the right side.
Each button allows quick access to a variety of editor-specific menus:
- +Add New lists items that you can quickly create—including new Modules, Chapters, and Pages.
- Administration lists a variety of different menus for different editor-specific aspects of the Site. These are logically organized in submenus like “Content Management” to make specific menus easy to find.
- Workflows lists workflow-specific menus, used to manage Pages during the publishing process
- File Storage opens the File Manager, where files, such as images or documents, are stored within a Site
Administrators can customize what different types of users are able to do inside their Site. As such, the menus that you are able to see may differ from site to site, and may be different from the screenshots in this guide.
Creating Modules, Chapters, and Pages
Creating new content in Ondexx outside of a Page is primarily done through the +Add New button. Simply click the button, and choose what you would like to create from the dropdown.
Existing Modules, Chapters, and Pages can be duplicated from this menu as well, making it easy to use existing content as a template. For more information on duplication, refer to this article: Duplicating Modules, Chapters, and Pages
Creating New Modules
- Click +Add New and choose Module.
- Enter the Module Name.
- Select the placement of the new module in the navigation bar in the Menu Item Placement dropdown.
- Select the “Duplicate Existing Module” action if you wish to create a complete copy of an existing module. Otherwise, set this to “New Module”
- Change other settings as desired:
- Menu Item Accent Color — Set an accent color for the module in the navigation bar.
- Dashboard Widget — Add a list of recently published pages to the Site Home Page for all users.
- Notifications Override — Prevent updates to pages in this module from appearing in content update notification emails.
- Module Listing Content — Add custom content to the Module itself. Note that this content is not indexed for full-text search, and should serve as supplementary information to the contained chapters and pages.
- Click Save Settings to create your new Module.
Creating New Chapters
- Click +Add New and choose Chapter.
- Select the Module in which to place the new chapter.
- Enter the Chapter Name.
- Select the “Duplicate Existing Chapter” action if you wish to create a complete copy of an existing module. Otherwise, set this to “New Chapter”
- Change other settings as desired:
- Grouping — Select if “Group Pages by Label” is turned on by default in the Chapter.
- Sort Order — Set how the how Pages in the Chapter should be sorted
- Homepage Callout Tag Color — Set an accent color for the module in the navigation bar.
- Chapter Listing Content — Add custom content to the Chapter itself. Note that this content is not indexed for full-text search, and should serve as supplementary information to the contained pages.
- Click Save to create your new Chapter.
Creating New Pages
- Click +Add New and choose Page.
- Select the Module and Chapter in which to place the new Page. This can be changed later.
- Enter the Page Title.
- If desired, add a Description of the new page.
- Select the “Duplicate Existing Page” action if you wish to create a complete copy of an existing module. Otherwise, set this to “New Page.”
- Click Save to create your new unpublished draft Page, and open it in the Page Editor.
Page Lifecycle Workflow
Pages in Ondexx use the Page Lifecycle workflow to manage the editing and publishing process. The basic lifecycle is as follows:
Edits to a page are made to a Draft that isn’t visible to End Users. This allows changes to be safely made to a page without worrying about affecting the information End Users are referencing.
When the edits to the page are completed, the draft is submitted to the Approval Queue. This freezes the draft in place, preventing it from being edited further while keeping it invisible to End Users.
Users with the applicable rights can Approve the submitted page to continue to publish the page, or Decline the page to revert it to an editable draft. Oftentimes an Editor will be able to approve and publish their own work, but occasionally a separate group of Approvers will be responsible for this step of the process.
Once approved, the draft can be published immediately, or scheduled for release at a specific date and time.
When the draft has been published, it becomes the new live version of the page, and is available for End Users to search and access.
You can view a page’s current Lifecycle information in the Page Lifecycle panel at the top of every page. Each menu under Workflows will list all pages in the Site currently at that stage of the lifecycle.
For more information about Page Lifecycle, please refer to this article: Updating Pages with the Page Lifecycle
Editing Pages
Opening the Page Editor
To edit a page, simply click the Edit Page button to the right of the Page Title.
If the Edit button is missing, it is likely due to the current Lifecycle Status—a page in the Approval Queue or Release Manager cannot be edited until it is Live, or is reverted to a Draft.
Navigating the Page Editor
The Page Editor is made up of different tabs and menus for different aspects of the Page. These menus can be found in the navigation bar at the top of the screen.
On the left, different tabs control which part of the page you would like to modify. Which tabs are shown can vary depending on your account’s rights and the optional workflows your Site uses. The three tabs that are always present are the Properties, Components, and Content tabs.
On the right, menus and options specific to the Page Lifecycle and editing process can be found.
The SAVE button will save your progress on the current draft. The dropdown menu on the right side of the button can be used to preview the page or submit the page for approval. You can also discard your draft from this dropdown.
The arrow on the far right toggles the Page Lifecycle panel, where information about the Page can be quickly reviewed.
Finally, to exit the Page Editor, click the X in the top right corner of the screen.
Editing Page Properties
Page Properties are important non-content aspects of the page. These are usually set up when the page is created for the first time, and do not need to be edited often.
To modify a page’s properties, switch to the Properties tab. There, the following properties can be edited:
- Location—the location of the page in the Site Structure
- Title—the name of the page
- Description—the searchable description of the page
- Keywords—the searchable keywords used to improve the page’s findability
- PII—indicate if the page contains Personally Identifiable Information
Adding Page Components
Page Components are the building blocks of pages in Ondexx. They serve as the high-level headings within a page, and contain the page’s content. When creating a new page, your first stop will often be to add components to the page.
To modify a page’s components, switch to the Components tab.
On the left is the Component Library, which lists all components already created in the site. On the right is the Page Layout, which lists all components in the page, in the order they will appear.
Simply click and drag components between the Component Library and Page Layout until you have the desired components in your page. If you cannot find the component you need in the Component Library, you can use the search bar to find it, or create a new component with the needed name.
Ondexx has built-in Page Components with special functionality, such as embedding a file in a Document Viewer or hosting an E-Learning Course. These components can be added to your page with the buttons underneath the Page Layout.
Editing Content
Content is the most important part of any page in Ondexx, as it will be the information your End Users will be referencing! Editing and creating content will be where most of your time is spent when modifying a page.
To edit content, click the Content dropdown and choose the Component of which you would like to edit the Content.
All user-created Page Components will house in-line content, created using Ondexx’s Content Editor. The Content Editor is straightforward and easy to use—if you are familiar with any kind of online content editor or word processing software, you will find many of the same tools and concepts in use here.
Along the top of the editor, you’ll find various tools to create and format content however you need, including:
- Standard text formatting and style options, such as fonts, headings, and text colors;
- Standard table creation and formatting tools;
- The Image Manager, Media Manager, and Document Manager, where images, videos, and download links can be added to your pages;
- The Site Links dropdown, where links to parts of the Site can be quickly inserted;
- The Content Templates dropdown, where templated content can be inserted, and;
- The Full-Screen button will expand the Content Editor to fill the entire browser window.
The Editor Context Menu toggle controls which right-click context menu will be used. When enabled, the Context Editor’s right-click menu will be used. When disabled, your system’s right-click menu will be used.
At the bottom of the Content Editor is the DOM Editor. Here, the underlying structure of your content can be found, along with various editable attributes. For example, you could edit the width and height of a table or image.
Restoring Past Revisions
Each time you SAVE your changes when editing a page, you will create a new revision. These revisions can be accessed and restored at any time, so there’s no need to worry about accidental saving!
To restore a previous revision, open the Revision History dropdown and choose the revision you would like to restore. Then, click Restore.
Previewing, Submitting, and Publishing
The SAVE dropdown contains options to continue the Page Lifecycle workflow, along with the ability to Preview the draft in an End User’s view.
When you have finished making changes to your page, open the SAVE dropdown and select Submit for approval. If desired add a comment, and click SUBMIT to submit the page for approval. You will automatically be taken to a preview of the page as it awaits approval.
If you have the right to approve pages (which Editors often do), you will be able to continue the publishing process from here. Click the Approve button to launch the approval window. If further changes are needed, click Decline to revert the Lifecycle Status to Draft.
If you would like to schedule the page to be published at a specific date and time, check the box next to Publish Approved page on a schedule. Then, enter the release date and time into the Release Time field.
When you are ready to schedule or publish the page, click CONFIRM. If no Release Time has been set, the new version of the page will go Live, and be immediately available for End Users to search and access.
Removing a Page
If a Page needs to be removed entirely rather than updated with a new version, it can be Submitted for Removal. This action is possible for any page that does not contain a draft, but can only be taken by those with the Remove Pages right.
Start by navigating to the page you would like to remove, and click the Remove Page button. This will open a submit window where an optional comment can be added. When ready, click the Submit button to submit a removal request to the Approval Queue.
The removal request will now need to be approved by a user with the Approve Pages right , either from the Approval Queue workflow page, or from the page itself. As with publishing a page version, the page’s removal can optionally be scheduled for a specific date and time.
One removed, the page’s status will become Retired, and it will no longer be available for End Users to view and access. The Page can still be reviewed and, if needed, restored by users with the View Page Versions right.
Version Control
Each time a page is updated, a new Page Version is created and goes through the Page Lifecycle workflow. When the page is next updated and a new Page Version is published, the old Page Version is Expired.
Expired Page Versions are not deleted, and can still be reviewed by those with the appropriate rights. This ensures that you can always know what version of a page was in place at any given time.
Reviewing Page Versions
To review the previous Page Versions of an individual page, navigate to the page, and click Reports > Version History. This will show that page’s Page Version History.
This report will list information about every version of the page, beginning with the most recent version. The Activity Log button will open the Activity Log to that specific version, allowing one to review every action taken for the version of the page.
If Content Export is enabled in the site, Page Versions can be exported as PDFs with the Download Version as PDF button.
To review a Page Version, click the corresponding View Version button.
This will show the content, components, and metadata of the selected Page Version. To change which Page Version you are reviewing, use the dropdown under Page Lifecycle > Currently Viewing.
This view also allows you to track changes between different Page Versions. To start, toggle on Track Changes in the Page Lifecycle panel. Then, choose the version you would like to compare against.
Restoring Page Version as a Draft
Past Page Versions can be restored as a new draft version of the page at any time, so long as the page does not already have a draft.
To restore a previous Page Version as a draft, simply open the Page Version History, and click the version’s corresponding Restore as Draft button. This can also be done while viewing a specific Page Version.
Using Version Control reports
Sites have three Version Control reports to review past Page Versions, removed pages, discarded drafts. These reports can be found under Administration > Version Control. Simply click a Page Version’s name to review it. While viewing
The Page Versions Report (or Content Revision History) will show a list of all Page Versions that went Live in the specified date range.
The Deleted Drafts report lists all drafts that were deleted before they were published.
The Retired Versions report lists all pages that were submitted and approved for removal.
Restoring Retired Pages
When a Page has been submitted and approved for removal, the page becomes Retired. These Pages and all their Page Versions are not deleted, and is still accessible using the Retired Versions report.
While viewing a Retired Page, the Restore as Live button can be used to return the page to its Live state. This change will apply immediately, allowing the page to be searched for and accessed again.
File Management in Sites
Every Site has a File Manager where files (such as PDF documents, images, and videos) are stored and managed. Any files can be archived here for future reference, or used as a resource in a Page.
Using the File Manager
The File Storage button above the navigation bar will open the File Manager. If this button is missing, the File Manager can be accessed from any file select menu in the Page Editor.
The File Manager uses a folder-file directory system to store and organize files—just like your computer. This is separate from the “Module, Chapter, Page” structure used for Sites, so your file folders can be set up in whatever organization system makes sense for your Site.
At the top of the File Manager, you’ll find the Search Bar. Simply begin typing the file you wish to find, and results will appear as you type.
Underneath the search bar is the Toolbar, where buttons for various navigation actions can be found:
- Back and Forward navigation
- Create Folder, which will create a new folder in the current folder
- Delete, which will permanently delete the currently selected item
- Upload Files, which allows files to be uploaded from your device to the current folder.
Below the toolbar are the folders and files in the File Manager. The pane on the left will display the directory structure, while the right will show the contents of the current folder.
To navigate, simply click through folders in the directory structure on the left.
Click and drag files on the right to the desired location on the left to organize them as you see fit. Right-clicking on a file or folder will reveal a dropdown menu of options, including the ability to download or rename a file, or access its file details page.
File Details page
The File Details page shows information about the selected file, such as who uploaded the file and when, the size of the file, and more. Compatible files can be opened in a standalone Document Viewer with the View Document button.
The New Version button can be used to replace the file with a new version. This process is described further in the “File Versioning” section below.
The Web Address for the file can be retrieved here. This link can be used to externally share this file, for example, in an email. However, this field should not be used to embed the file in a page in Ondexx—the Content Editor’s document manager menu should be used instead.
The File Version History will list each version of the file, allowing previous versions to be accessed. Simply click on a previous version’s name to view the File Details page for that version of the file. More information on file versioning can be found in the section below.
The File Usage Report will list every usage of the file in a Live Page in Ondexx, with a link to the page in question and an indication of how the file is used in the page.
File Versioning
File Versioning allows a file in Ondexx to be replaced with an updated version. Any appearance of the file in Ondexx content will immediately use new version instead.
A file can be versioned from the File Manager, but the File Details page provides a more straightforward route.
Start by navigating to the File Details page of the file you would like to version. Then click the New Version button.
Select the new version of the file from your computer, and click SAVE. The file will be replaced with the newly uploaded version. The previous version is still accessible from the File Details page using the File Usage Report.
Further learning
Below are several articles that further explore features and functions for Editors: