Creating Content

Once you have logged-in, you're ready to start posting content.

At the top of your personal menu, you'll find a link called "create content". Click this and you'll see a list of the types of content you can create. This list reflects the privileges assigned to your user account or to the groups ("roles") to which your account belongs.

There may be several types of content that you can create. Many of these are organized into what are called "nodes". Basically, you can think of a node as the content of a page. This might be, for instance, an article. Content is added or updated through web page forms. So to add an article, you bring up a form, enter text into it (like the title and content of an article), and hit a button to submit the form. On this site you can select from:

Types of Content

A page is a whole Web page. It's best for static content.

A story is a generally short news item or feature. You can create a story and have it post to a specific page (or pages) using the taxonomy feature. For example if you have an event at a specific branch for Seniors you could have the event post on both the branch events page and the Seniors page.

A blog entry is similar to a story but is attached to a user. If you wish to have several different blogs you would create different user identities for yourself and log in under each to submit a blog entry.

The book content type is suited for creating structured, multi-page hypertexts such as site resource guides, manuals, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). It permits a document to have chapters, sections, subsections, etc. (what you're reading is a 'book')

  • Books have additional navigation elements at the bottom of each page for moving through the text, the previous, up, and next links. Users can select the printer friendly version link at the bottom of the page to generate a printer friendly version of the page and all of its subsections.

A newsletter is a publication that has 'issues' to be sent to subscribed e-mail addresses.

A poll is a simple multiple-choice questionnaire, which displays the cumulative results of the answers to the poll.

The forum module lets you create threaded discussion forums for a particular topic on.

An event adds a new event to the events calendar. This can include recurring events, and signups.

Blogs

  1. The blog module allows registered users to maintain an online weblog (commonly known as a blog), often referred to as an online journal or diary.
  2. Blogs are created the same way as stories.
  3. If you wish you may allow your readers to comment on your posts.
  4. Readers may also subscribe to RSS feeds of your blog.
  5. You can display links to the most recent blog entries on your menu.

Books

The book content type is suited for creating structured, multi-page hypertexts such as site resource guides, manuals, and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). It permits a document to have chapters, sections, subsections, etc. A book may be collaborative, but doesn't have to be. Authors with suitable permissions can add or edit pages in a book, and can arrange and re-order pages within the existing document.

Books have additional navigation elements at the bottom of each page for moving through the text, the previous, up, and next links. The previous and next links will be printed as the titles of the previous and next nodes in the book. Additional navigation may be provided by enabling the book navigation block.

Users can select the printer-friendly version link visible at the bottom of a book page to generate a printer-friendly display of the page and all of its subsections.

Administrators can view a book outline, from which is it possible to change the titles of sections, and their weight (thus reordering sections). From this outline, it is also possible to edit and/or delete book pages. Many content types besides pages (for example, blog entries, stories, and polls) can be added to a book by choosing the outline tab when viewing the post.

You can:

  • create new book pages: create content >> book page
  • administer individual books (choose a book from list): administer >> books

Events

  1. Click on Create Content
  2. Click on Event
  3. All information below this point is the same for creating any other content.
  4. Select Start date and End date. If the event runs all day, check the box for All day.
  5. If the event repeats, click on Repeat
  6. Select the Repeat type, Daily/Weekly/Monthly/Yearly
  7. Select the End Settings. Whether it ends on a certain date, or after so many times.
  8. If the repeating event has exceptions (you're closed on Sundays), click on Exceptions
  9. This allows you to exclude specific dates.
  10. Once that's finished, fill in the Title, Category, Body, Menu, etc.
  11. Near the bottom, there is a link for Signup settings
  12. If you'd like to allow signups, fill in the appropriate information and click on Submit when finished.

Forums

  1. To create a forum go to administer >>forums
  2. Select the Add Container tab.
    1. A container holds forums.
    2. Think of it as a subject heading for your forums.
  3. Enter the Container name.
  4. Select whether it will at the top level of your forum or live within another container.
  5. You can now create your forums.
    1. A forum holds threaded discussions.
  6. Select within which container or forum your new forum will live.
  7. To create a new Forum Topic (threaded discussion) in an existing forum.
    1. Select Forum Topic from the Create Content Menu.
    2. Select which Forum the Topic will be under.

Newsletter

The newsletter module allows registered users to maintain an online newsletter that users can subscribe to. Users can subscribe to newsletters using their email address, or by subsribing to it's RSS feed.

To create a newsletter issue:

  1. Click Create content >> Newsletter issue
  2. Fill in the newsletter issue Title
  3. Choose the appropriate Newsletter: from the dropdown
  4. Fill in the message of the newsletter. (this can be pasted from word, or whatever the newsletter is typically done in)
  5. Fill in Newsletter sending options

  6. Make sure Send newsletter is selected if you'd like to notify all subscribers of new issue
  7. When finished, click Preview or Submit

Polls

  1. To add a poll go to create content >> polls.
  2. Type in your question in the Question Box
  3. Type your choices
  4. For more than 5 choices check the more choices box and click preview.
  5. You can have your poll open for an unlimited time, or have it open for a specific time period.
  6. The available selection options are:
    unlimited
    1 day
    2 days
    4 days
    1 week
    2 weeks
    4 weeks
    8 weeks
    16 weeks
    1 year
  7. You can close the poll manually anytime.

Editor Overview

  1. The Title is the title of the page that goes both at the top of your browser and at the top of the page itself.
  2. You enter your text in the Body.
  3. You can type directly into the body box, but NEVER JUST COPY AND PASTE TEXT STRAIGHT INTO THE BODY BOX. Instead, click on the 'Insert Text' button:
  4. Mousing over each editor icon allows you to see what it does.
  5. You can make notes or comments for the other website authors in the Log message box.
  6. To attach a pdf or word document see the File Attachments page.

  7. To see how your work looks click the Preview button at the bottom of the page.
  8. When you are done click Submit.

Adding Images

To add an image:

  1. Click on the Insert/Edit Image Icon

  2. In the Pop-up box that appers click on the Browse Icon (next to the Image URL fields)
  3. You will see a list of all files already uploaded
  4. You can click on any of the images to Preview them
  5. You will not see your Word documents or PDFs in preview
  6. If you wish to add a new image click on Browse
  7. You will be able to search your computer to locate the desired image
  8. Once you have found it, click on it and Open
  9. Then click on Upload File
  10. You will see your image and the comment Upload Successful
  11. To insert it in your page click, click the picture of the image
  12. The file name will now appear in the Image URL field of the Insert/Edit Image Pop-Up
  13. Enter a description of the image in the next line for users who rely on screenreaders.
  14. You can select how you would like words to wrap around the image from the Alignment drop down menu.
  15. You can also insert your cursor within your text to position where your image will be.
  16. You can add both horizontal and vertical space as well as borders around your images.
  17. When you are done click Insert

Menu Settings & Weight

  1. To place your page on a menu click on Menu settings.
  2. Under Title enter the name that your want to display for the menu link.
  3. Under Parent item select the Menu Item that you would like to place it beneath.
  4. If you have multiple items beneath the same parent then the default is in alphabetical order.
  5. If you wish to change that order then you would use the Weight drop down menu.
  6. The default menu position is 0.
  7. To place something higher in the menu order you would make it lighter by using a negative number up to -10.
  8. To place something lower in the menu you would make it heavier by using a positive menu number up to (plus) 10.

File Attachments

  1. To link to a document use file attachments.
  2. Browse on your computer to find a pdf or word document to link to.
  3. Click Attach
  4. Then copy the url that has been created and place your cursor over the word(s) that you would like to link it to.
  5. Select the add link icon and a pop-up window will open.
  6. Paste the url and select the target.
  7. Chose whether you would like it to open in a new window or the current window.

Comment Settings

  1. Comment settings allow you to select which Web pages and stories you will allow users to comment on.
  2. You can select from
    Disabled
    Read Only
    Read/Write

URL Settings

  1. URL settings allow you to create a URL alias for your page.
  2. By default Drupal URLs have addresses such as:
    http://websites.winnefox.org/node/42
  3. You can enter a more descriptive term such as "about".
    This would translate to:
    http://websites.winnefox.org/about

Authoring Information

  1. Authoring information shows you the user name of the page creator and the time the page was submitted (default).
  2. You can change the username to another registered user.
  3. You can change the time.
  4. If you leave it blank then anonymous will be credited.

Publishing Options

  1. Published - upon Submit your page will be visible on your website.
  2. In moderation queue - your page will not be published until it is approved
  3. Promoted to front page - adds the content to your homepage. When setting up your Web site be sure to go to adminster/content and uncheck this as the default for your content categories.
  4. Sticky at top of lists - this applies to content other than pages, the item will stay at the top of the page even if newer items are posted
  5. Create new revision - When you are creating a revision be sure to check this option. The page will now have a revert feature. Each version of the changes to the page will be saved and you can revert back to previous versions or the original page. The user who made the changes will be logged automatically as well as the date and time. For ease of telling the various revisions apart be sure to enter notes in the log message box.