March 18
CMS
Guide
2011
The administrators guide to using the CMS facility for the Margetts
website.
Revision 0.1
Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 3
Understanding how the website works .............................................................................................. 3
Logging on to the CMS ............................................................................................................................ 4
The Main Menu ................................................................................................................................... 4
Logging Out ......................................................................................................................................... 5
Managing Users ...................................................................................................................................... 6
Adding a new user .............................................................................................................................. 6
Editing an existing user ....................................................................................................................... 6
Removing an existing user .................................................................................................................. 6
Managing Featured ................................................................................................................................. 7
Manage Newsletters ............................................................................................................................... 8
Adding a newsletter ............................................................................................................................ 8
Editing an existing newsletter ............................................................................................................. 8
Removing an existing newsletter ........................................................................................................ 8
Managing Content .................................................................................................................................. 9
Updating Content................................................................................................................................ 9
Manage Agricultural / Commercial ....................................................................................................... 10
Managing Images .............................................................................................................................. 10
Website Tips and Tricks ........................................................................................................................ 12
Preparation ....................................................................................................................................... 12
Importing from Word........................................................................................................................ 12
Appendix A: Sandbox destinations ....................................................................................................... 13
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CMS Guide :: Margetts
Introduction
The new Margetts website is maintained by an online editor, commonly known as a content
management system (CMS).
A CMS allows users to update the content on the website instantly and in this case online, via a
simple interface. This document outlines how to use the CMS and update the website.
Understanding how the website works
Although not essential for using the CMS it can help to understand how the website operates.
All of the non-property content for the website is generated from a single database that is accessed
directly by the web server. When a user requests a page the web server generates the page
dynamically using the content from the database.
The CMS allows you to edit the database on the web server directly. This means that any change you
make is instantly reflected on the website. Equally, uploading images and documents will have direct
influence on what the end user sees.
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CMS Guide :: Margetts
Logging on to the CMS
To log on to the CMS you will require a username and password that will have been given to you by
your administrator.
To log into the CMS, take the following steps:
1. Go to the content management system for the website you require. For example for
Margetts go to http://www.margetts.co.uk/cms
NOTE: If you want to use the sandbox server for testing, please go to Appendix A (page 19)
for a list of addresses to use instead.
2. Enter your username and password
PLEASE NOTE: Your username and password are case sensitive. For example JoHn is
different to john
3. Press submit
If your username or password is incorrect you will be returned to the login page. If successful you
will be shown the main menu.
The Main Menu
The main menu is your overview of the CMS. Each option in the main menu is repeated at the top of
each page for easy access from one section to another.
<< Figure 1: The Main Menu >>
The following options are available from the Main Menu:
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CMS Guide :: Margetts
Manage Users
Manage the users of the CMS.
Manage Featured
Select which properties are 'featured' on the site
Manage Newsletters
Add, Edit and Delete Newsletters on the website
Manage Content
Edit the Content throughout the website
Manage Agricultural
Manage the agricultural properties for the website
Manage Commercial
Manage the commercial properties for the website
Logout
Used to logout of the CMS
Logging Out
It is important you log out from the CMS once you have finished your session.
Due to the nature of entering content there is a no timeout on the CMS, leaving yourself logged in
could allow someone else access to the site.
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Managing Users
Each user of the CMS has their own username and password. Managing users allows you to create
new users, edit existing users or stop existing users from accessing the system.
Adding a new user
To create a new user, take the following steps:
1. Go to the Main Menu (see page 4)
2. Click on Manage Users
3. Complete the form that appears at the bottom of the page, see Table 1 below for a
description of what each field means
4. Press submit
Field Name
Name
Username
Password
Field Description
This is a real name of the new user.
The username for the editor. This is case sensitive.
The password for the editor. This is case sensitive.
<< Table 1: A list of fields within the add user form >>
Editing an existing user
To edit an existing user, take the following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Go to the Main Menu (see page 4)
Click on Manage Users
Locate the user you want to edit and click on
next to their name
Adjust the details of the user in the form that appears, see Table 1 above for a description of
what each field means
NOTE: If you do not want to change their existing password, simply leave blank.
5. Press update user
Removing an existing user
To remove a user, take the following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Go to the Main Menu (see page 4)
Click on Manage Users
Locate the user you want to remove and click on
Confirm you want to remove the user
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CMS Guide :: Margetts
next to their name
Managing Featured
Images of properties are rotated in a slideshow on the home page, and also differentiated on the
map. Managing featured allows you to select which properties should be distinguished in this way.
Select Featured Properties
To manage featured properties, take the following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Go to the Main Menu (see page 4)
Click on Manage Featured
Select the Sales or Lettings tab as appropriate
Find the property in the list
5. Click the
star, a featured property will is indicated with a
the featured status of a property. This has immediate effect.
Field Name
Address
Price
Featured
Field Description
This is the address of the property.
This is the price of the property.
This indicates whether a property is featured or not.
<< Table 1: A list of fields within the add user form >>
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Clicking the star will toggle
CMS Guide :: Margetts
Manage Newsletters
Newsletters items can allow you to keep you users up to date with the latest information and offer a
good way to make search engines promote your site.
Adding a newsletter
To create a new newsletter, take the following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Go to the Main Menu (see page 4)
Click on Manage Newsletters
Click on
Add Newsletter at the bottom of the page.
Complete the form that appears, see Table 4 below for a description of what each field
means
5. Press Update
Field Name
Title
Small Description
Full Description
Date
Visible
Field Description
The title of the news item. This will appear at the top of the page, and when
the news item is shown in brief.
A small summary of the news item. This will appear when several news
items are shown in brief.
The full news item. This uses a Rich Text Box, for more information on Rich
Text Boxes please see the separate documentation.
The date of the news entry. Does not appear on the site, but determines
the order of the news items website.
Set if the news item is visible on the website.
<< Table 4: A list of fields within the add news form >>
Editing an existing newsletter
To edit an existing user, take the following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Go to the Main Menu (see page 4)
Click on Manage Newsletters
Locate the newsletter you want to edit and click on
next to its title
Adjust the details of the news item in the form that appears, see Table 4 above for a
description of what each field means
5. Press Update
Removing an existing newsletter
To remove a news item, take the following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Go to the Main Menu (see page 4)
Click on Manage Newsletters
Locate the newsletter you want to remove and click on
Confirm you want to remove the newsletter
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next to its name
Managing Content
Updating Content
To edit a main menu item, take the following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Go to the Main Menu (see page 4)
Click on Manage Content
Locate the menu item for the page you want to update. Press next to its name
Complete or amend the details in the form that appears. A guide to each field is listed in
Table 5 below.
5. Press Update
Field Name
Page title
SEO Title
SEO Keywords
SEO Description
Full Description
Field Description
The title of the page. This will appear at the top of the page, above your
content.
The title that will be seen by search engines. It is also visible at the top of
the browser window, e.g:
Keywords that are relevant to the content. We recommend anything up to
25 keywords, or phrases, separated by commas. These are seen only be the
search engines such as Google.
A small summary of the page for Search Engines. This is not visible by the
users of the site, but will appear on search engines if summarising the page.
The content of the page itself. This uses a Rich Text Box, for more
information on Rich Text Boxes please see the separate documentation.
<< Table 5: A list of fields within the update content form >>
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CMS Guide :: Margetts
Manage Agricultural / Commercial
The Agricultural and Commercial property listings are managed via the CMS. Their usage is identical.
This guide will reference itself as Agricultural; however these instructions also apply to the
commercial area.
Managing Agricultural Properties
Adding a property
To add a property, take the following steps:
1. Go to the Main Menu (see page 4)
2. Click on
Add Agricultural item
3. In the form that appears fill in all the details and press Update
Editing a property
To edit a property, take the following steps:
1. Go to the Main Menu (see page 4)
2. Locate the property you want to edit and click on the
3. Amend the details of the property and press Update
symbol next to it
Removing a property
To remove a property, take the following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Go to the Main Menu (see page 4)
Click on Manage Agricultural
Locate the property you want to remove and click on the
Confirm you want to remove the property
Field Name
Name / Number
Address Line 1
Address Line 2
Town
County
Postcode
Features
Price (£)
Full details
Brochure
Visible
symbol next to it
Field Description
Name or Number of the property.
First line of the property address.
Second line of the property address.
Town or City.
County the property is located within.
The properties postcode.
Property features, separate with commas.
The price of the property, enter as integer.
Full description of the property.
Property brochure attachment.
Whether the property is displayed on the website.
<< Table 6: A list of fields within the agricultural property form >>
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CMS Guide :: Margetts
Images
Before uploading an image, you must have created the property.
Adding an image
To add an image, take the following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Go to the Main Menu (see page 4)
Click on Manage Agricultural
Locate the property you want to add images to and click ‘Images’
Complete the form at the bottom of the page. A description of each field can be seen in
Table 6 below.
5. Press Upload image.
NOTE: Uploading an image to the website can take a little time. Please be patient after clicking
“Upload image”
Field Name
Title
Image type
Image
Field Description
The title, or caption, of the image. This will appear alongside the image
when shown.
Whether the image is a photo of the property or a flooplan.
The image on your computer. Must be a JPEG file.
<< Table 6: A list of fields within the add image form >>
Removing an image
To remove an image from gallery, take the following steps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Go to the Main Menu (see page 4)
Click on Manage Agricultural
Locate the image you want to remove, and click on the
Confirm you want to remove the image
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CMS Guide :: Margetts
symbol on the image.
Website Tips and Tricks
The following tips and tricks should help you use the CMS editor effectively and efficiently.
Preparation
Preparation is the key to using the site quickly. It’s worth preparing documents in Word before use
and taking the following steps to adding a document:
1. Add any images required by the content. Remember to:
a. Ensure they are good enough quality (see Images below)
b. Aren’t too large. The CMS will resize them but it might be a long wait if they are
larger than 4Mb
2. Add the content, then attach the images.
Importing from Word
When preparing a document in Microsoft Word it is worth noting that Word actually uses HTML
when cutting and pasting into the CMS. This is not ideal as paragraphs are not often well formatted.
To help reduce problems we recommend copying everything from Microsoft Word, then pasting into
Notepad (or equivalent), copying everything from Notepad and then pasting it into the CMS.
Please note this will remove any text formatting such as Bold, Italic, etc.
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Appendix A: Sandbox destinations
If you have never used the CMS before you can practice in our “Sandboxes”. These will not effect the
live site and allows you to try settings or content before using the real thing.
The following Sandbox destinations are available:
Main website: http://client.setsquareassist.com/Margetts_06-12-2010/
CMS:
http://client.setsquareassist.com/Margetts_06-12-2010/cms
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