Tutorial: How to Use the CAN Website

This book contains a series of training materials showing how to use the CAN Website Content Management System.

Groups audience: 

How do I format text, add headings, images, tables, links, and other rich text formatting options?

You can format text, add headings, images, tables, links, and other rich text formatting options if you enable Rich Text Formatting.

To enable Rich Text Formatting, go to "Create Content > Article" (or other content type).

Scroll down to the bottom of the "Body" input area. Below the input area you will see a link "enable rich text. Click on it. You will see a word-processor like interface, which many people will find more intuitive and easier to use.

NOTE 1: Rich text formatting is only available in the "Body" field. 

In order to learn how to use each of the features, you have to experiment with each one of them. But most of the features are pretty much intuitive. In order to format bold text, highlight the text and click the button "B". Duh.

Some features are more complicated. But it's no rocket science, just try it and you will figure out how they work.

In order to add an image, click on the camera icon which reads "Add an existing Drupal image or create a new one". You will see a dialogue browse, from which you can either choose an existing image, or add a new one. You can also choose the size, and other options.

Groups audience: 
- Private group -

How to Configure Templates for New Local Groups

BASIC GROUP CONFIGURATION

  1. Create a Group: click on "Create Content > Local User Group".
  2. Complete the form and save. At the very minimum, you must give the group a name, a description, and choose a configuration regarding how to handle membership requests for the group. Usually, a local group would be "Open", meaning that membership requests are accepted immediately.
  3. Configure other group options according to your preferences. The most common configuration for a local groups is as follows: 
Registration Form: Yes (checked)
List in groups directory: Yes 
Private Group: No (unchecked)
All other options: just accept the default, unless you know what you are doing.

URL PATH SETTINGS (EXAMPLE)

Write "manawatu" in the appropriate input field to access this group with the URL www.can.org.nz/manawatu

ADDING COMMON RESOURCES TO THE GROUP (OPTIONAL)

Resources are shortcuts displayed on the top of the group page. In the context of local groups, these typically link to Tutorials explaining how to use the website for new users. To add resources, just type the first letters of the node title on the form, and choose from the list.

Here is a list of useful common resources that you can add to the Group:

Tutorial: Getting Started with this Website
Tutorial: Managing a Group
Tutorial: Configuring your Personal Preferences

ADDING CUSTOM RESOURCES TO THE GROUP (OPTIONAL)

To add custom resources, you must first create the nodes containing the resources, and then link to them as you would do if they were common resources.

HOW TO CREATE CUSTOM RESOURCES BASED ON VIEWS

This is a list of useful custom resources that you can add to the Group:

Submissions
Meeting Notes and Minutes 
All Group Documents 

Follow this link to see an example of how this is used (most user groups are using this structure):

Test Group - Andre's Scratch Pad

Here is an overview of the process:

  1. First, create a block view (or clone from an existing view).
  2. Then, create a page to contain the view.
  3. Subsequently, configure the block to display only on the page you have just created.
  4. Finally, configure the Group to display the page you have just ccreated in the Resources section of the group.   
And here is more detailed instructions on how to do this.
 
You can use the following views are originals for cloning purposes:
 
local_group_template_submissions
local_group_template_meetings
local_group_template_document

How to clone a view

Example: how to create a view for submissions from Cycle Aware Manawatu (TBD).

How to customize the view

Example: how to create a view for submissions from Cycle Aware Manawatu (TBD).

How to create a page for the Resource

 

  1. Click on "Create Content > Page" to start creating a page for the resource.
  2. Give the page a meaningful title (for example, Submissions - Cycle Aware Manawatu".
  3. Write something in the teaser and in the body (for example, "This page contains a list of submisions prepared by Cycle Aware Manawatu".
  4. Click on "Submit". The page is ready. Now we will add to this Page, a Block containing the View!

 

Groups audience: