Form and Manage Groups

The CPS-VO Portal provides extensive support for Special Interest Groups.

Exemplars of types of groups are:

  1. R&D SIGs
    • Federal Agency
    • PI Projects
  2. Websites for workshops and conferences
  3. Planning meeting groups for workshops and conferences
  4. Program committee groups for workshops and conferences
  5. Working groups

Groups may be formed to meet different needs. Typical use cases include:

  1. Planning R&D Workshops, Meetings, and Conferences
  2. Birds of a Feather (e.g. technical or policy issues)
  3. Archival of Proceedings
  4. Managing Research Projects
  5. Publicizing Research Results
  6. Competitions / Challenge Problems
  7. Open, Educational Resources

The services provided to Groups include:

For information on user roles see http://cps-vo.org/tutorial/types-of-users

Configure a Group

After your group form has been approved by site administration, you can go about the process of configuring your group and setting up its pages. The following tutorial section will break down the process for configuring your group settings, branding your group, creating panel pages and adding widgets and custom content to your pages.

Group Settings & Branding

Set the branding and populate content on the home page.

 Video example


 
  1. Click on the gray tab at the top of your page labeled “Edit Group”.



  1. You will be taken to a window which includes a place for you to:
  • edit the title of your group (which shows in the group header banner),
  • add your description sentence, and
  • add a mission statement (that will show under the title of your group in the header banner)

The rich text editor can be used to set text styles and insert graphics (much like Microsoft Word).



 

 
  1. The area to the right of the rich text editor is the area where you select your vocabularies and group type by simply clicking the check box next to the appropriate categories. Use the toggle triangles to reveal sub-categories.
 Setting up vocabularies will help define your group and make your group searchable in the cps-vo community and to Google search engines. 


     
  1. Scroll below the rich text editor to configure the group settings. You can set the group to private or you can list the group in the groups directory. You can also choose to add your group to the registration form so that new cps-vo registrants can join.


 You can determine a policy for how new membership requests should be handled.

    Private: set whether the group will be visible to the public or group members only.

    List in groups directory: set whether the group will be listed in the groups directory (http://cps-vo.org/og).

    Registration form: set whether users may join the group upon registering for an account.

    Membership requests: determine how membership requests should be handled for the group.

The bottom section of the “Edit Group” panel has a left side menu where you can choose your group chat settings, branding, and set an alias URL path.


 
  1. Choose Chat Options for your group. Selecting the radio button will turn off chat for your group.

 
  1. Choose a group base theme from a selection menu. Many styles and colors are available. Try each one to see how it affects your page header and colors.




 
  1. Next choose whether the group logo and sponsor logo will show in the banner header of your page. The default group logo is the CPS-VO logo, but you can upload a custom logo and sponsor logo if desired. Each logo can also have a link added with a hover title. Lastly, you will be able to upload a custom header for your group. Keep in mind all of these files have specific size and format requirements (defined beneath the "Choose File" buttons).


  1. You can change your URL path from the machine-set node number to a relative (English) path. Simply type the name that you would like to appear after the slash. The recommended best practice is to preface your group URL with the "group/" string (e.g. http://cps-vo.org/group/vo/exemplars/option1). 

Set a custom welcome message

Group Managers may customize the welcome message that is sent to newly approved members. A custom welcome message can help new members know where to start in your group. Note: only moderated groups generate a welcome message.

Customize the message in the "edit group" form  by scrolling down to the "welcome message" text field and composing a message. If a custom welcome message is not entered, the default welcome message will be sent.
Example of the default welcome message: Example of a custom message:

P.S. Don't forget to click the save button to save all these settings to your group.

 

Create a Basic Web Page

As a manager or moderator of a group you can post web pages which will show up in the activity stream and can be embedded in panel pages of your group.

  Video example 



 		 Use the "Create Web Page" link in the "Collaborate" toggle menu beneath the left sidebar menu in your group.

 		 This will launch a rich text editor where you can type the title of your web page and add content and checkmark vocabularies (in the column to the right of the text window).

There is an area beneath the rich text editor that has settings for your page. Click on the links in the gray boxes to navigate to the area you wish to edit.

Notifications: set whether members will be notified when you post or edit your announcement.

Groups: Select which groups to which your web page will publish. Check the box next to "Public" if you want it to be publicly available in the CPS-VO Repository.

URL path settings: Optionally specify an alternative URL by which this node can be accessed. For example, type "about" when writing an about page. Use a relative path and don't add a trailing slash or the URL alias won't work. If you want the page to be specific to your group you must type "group/groupname/about".

Revision information: If you log back in to edit your web page you can use this field to document your revisions.
 
When you click the "save" button (shown above), your web page will show up on the "Activity Stream" page of your group by default. (The Activity Stream page is a panel page set up to dynamically report recent changes.)

You may later need to reference the node number of your web page for other uses in the portal. The node number of your page is at the top of the browser page in the URL window. If a custom URL was set, you can find the node number by clicking the edit button at the top of your page.

NOTE: Web Pages may only be created/edited by group managers and moderators.

Create Panel Pages

You may want to create panel pages for your group. 

Use panel pages to organize your content in an attractive and informative manner. Each panel page becomes a tab when viewing your group. Different layouts can be chosen to best display the content for each panel page. 

1. Click on the gray “Panels” tab above the content area.
2. This will take you to a page where you can add a new panel page. Start by clicking the “Add new page” tab at the top left of the page.
3. Type the name of your new page in the page title input area and add a word after the slash in the path input area. Click the “Create page” Button.
4. Your page will now show in the list of panel pages as below:

After you create a panel page you can then "Change the Layout of your Page" and add content.
Content can be added in 2 different ways: "Widgets" or "Custom Content".

Widgets enable you to quickly add automated content. Custom Content provides flexibility to manually add content (e.g. lists, links, descriptions, definitions, etc.)

Change the Layout of your Page

You may want to change the layout of your page.


 		 1. In the area where you edit panel pages, click the “Change layout” link.

 		 2. You can set the number of columns and the layout (in the example below we chose two). After selecting your layout choice, click the “Next” button. 
3. Click the “Save” button in the next window.

 

Add Widgets to Panel Pages

After you have created your panel page and edited the layout, you will want to add content.

 Video example

Widgets can be added to automatically pull in certain kinds content from your group. Search, Calendar, Activity Stream, Member List, etc. are examples of the widgets available. A full list of widgets can be found in the "Widget Reference Table". Content can then be added to different regions of the page via widgets.


 		 Step 1: Content and widgets can be added to your panel page by clicking the "Edit content" link next to the name of your panel page.

 		 Step 2: You will be taken to a page that shows the regions of your panel page. Click on the gear icon in the upper left corner of a region.

 		 Step 3: Then select "Add content" from the dropdown menu to add widgets and custom content.

 		 Step 4: This will take you to a page where you can add widgets and custom content (for more detail see pages adding custom content and "Widget Reference Table".

 
A spotlight slideshow is one example of a widget you might want on your panel page.
 
a. Click "Widgets, group dashboard" in the left side menu. Then select "Spotlight [group]" from the available widgets.
 

 

b. Change the Spotlight title if desired, then click "Finish"  to set your changes.

Group administrators and moderators may now add news and event slides to the spotlight. See "Adding a Spotlight Slideshow". The news and event items will also appear in recent news and upcoming events sections if you have added those widgets to your panel page. Events and news widgets work best when added to the right side of your 2 column layout.  

See "Widget Reference Table"  for a list of widgets and their functions.
 

 		 Step 5: After adding widgets, click "Save" to take you back to your panel pages list.
After adding content to your group you can expect to see something like this Example Home Page

 

Add Content to Widgets

Each widget requires certain content which is either automatically populated by activity in your group, or purposely added by the group manager. A "Widgets Reference Table" displays the widgets that are available to add to panel pages. Adding content to those widgets is covered in the section called "Kinds of Pages".

A spotlight slideshow is one example of a widget to which you might want add content.

Only group Managers and Moderators have permissions to add content to the group spotlight slideshow.
 
“Events” and “News items" can be displayed in the spotlight slideshow.
 

 		 Scroll down to the area that is titled “Slideshow Image”. Click the “Choose File” button to retrieve an image from your computer. Click the “Upload” button to upload the image.

 		 If your upload is successful, the image will display next to a button giving you the option to “Remove” it. 
Next, click on the gray tab titled “Publishing options” and checkmark the box next to “Display in Slideshow”. 
 
Click "Save"  to publish your event or news item and show it in the spotlight. News and event items will also appear in recent news and upcoming events sections if you have added those widgets to your panel page. Events and news widgets work best when added to the right side of your 2 column layout. 

About Publishing Options

  • Publish: Uncheck this option if you don't wish for this content to appear on the VO yet. Useful for saving drafts of content that requires editing before going live/published.
  • Publicize on Group Homepage: This option will place your post on your group's homepage in the corresponding section (Recent News, Upcoming Events, etc…)
  • Archive: Will remove this post from displaying publicly (or to members of your group) and add it to a historical archive listing. You may also want to type in a date and time in the “Sunset” section to control when your event or news item is automatically archived.
  • Display in Slideshow: Will place this post, along with its image (or video), in a slideshow. Must be used with either Publicize to Entire VO or Publicize on Group Homepage options.
  • Pin to Top of Lists: This option will make this post appear at the top of content listings, regardless of any other settings. Useful for denoting important content or content that has a "call to action" associated with it.

Widget Reference Table

Widgets fall in different categories for different uses on pages.

  • Widgets in the "Organic Groups" category would be used in creating your home or about page.
  • Widgets in the "View Panes" category would be used on pages where you want to display recent comments.
  • Widgets in the "Group Dashboard" category are typically embedded into one of the regions of a panel page.
  • Widgets in the "Group Menu Items" category typically populate an entire page.

Click on links in the left column of the table below to see an example of the widget dashboard. 
Click on links in the right column of the table below to see examples of those widgets being used on pages.

Widget Categories

Widgets within Category
Organic Groups
View Panes
Widgets, group dashboard
Widgets, group menu items

 

 

Add Custom Content

Custom content can be added to panel pages either by referencing an existing node (preferred method), or by creating content within a region on the page.


 		 Step 1: Click the "Edit content" link next to the name of your panel page.

 		 Step 2: You will be taken to a page that shows the regions of your panel page. Click on the gear icon in the upper left corner of a region.

 		 Step 3: Then select "Add content" from the dropdown menu.

 		 Step 4: This will take you to a page where you can add widgets and custom content.

 		 New custom content:
Clicking the “New custom content” link will take you directly to an editor where you can type in the content you desire to shown in the widget.

 		 Existing node (preferred method):
To reference an existing node, you will need to type the number of the node in the first text field. The number of the node can be found in the URL of the page you want to add. If a custom URL has been set, you can find the node number by clicking the "edit" button on the page (For more information see "Creating a Web Page"). There are options to override the title of the node, leave existing node title, link the node title to the full node, allow comments and 'read more' links and tell whether to show the entire node or just a teaser (build mode). 
 
Don’t forget to click the “Finish” button when you’re done typing.

Edit content that has already been created

Existing node: simply click the "edit node" link that shows when you hover over the content on the page.

Custom embedded content: navigate to "Panels" and edit the page where the content is placed. Click the gear icon and select "edit".

Edit Embedded Custom Content

You may need to edit content after adding existing nodes and custom content into a panel page. 

1. Edit existing nodes embedded in a panel page.  

 Video example

To edit existing nodes embedded into the panel page (see ”add custom content”) hover your mouse at the top left of the content.
 
An “Edit node” link will appear only if you are group administrator, manager, moderator. Click  on “Edit Node” to launch the text editor and edit the content. 
Click "Save" when you are finished editing and you will be taken back to the panel page where the node was embedded.
 
2. Edit custom content embedded in a panel page. 

 Video example

Go to the listing of panel pages by clicking the “Panels” tab at the top right of your group page. 
Click on the “edit content” link to the right of the title of the panel page with the custom content you wish to edit.
You will be taken to a page that shows the regions of your panel page.
Click on the gear icon at the top right of the region that has “Custom: Add custom” in it. Select “Edit”.
A text editor will be launched where you can make changes to the content.
Click “Finish” at the bottom of the text editor when the changes are complete.
 
Red text “status:changes not saved” will show in the region that contains the custom content. Click “Save” at the bottom of the panel region page to commit the change.

 

Kinds of Panel Pages

Different layouts can be chosen to best display the content for each custom page. Content can then be added to different regions of the page via widgets.

Creating a Home Page

Creating a basic custom home page versus creating a dashboard style home page.

Creating a Basic Home Page

After editing your group settings your home page will have a left menu with 3 tabs: Home, Forums, and Files.

 Video example 

The content area of your home page will include the mission statement and an activity stream (a dynamic listing of content as it is added to the group). Many times groups do not want the activity stream on their home page. In order to remove it you will need to set up a custom home page.


 		 1. Click on the gray “Panels” tab above the content area.

 		 2. This will take you to a page where you can add a new panel page. Start by clicking the “Add new page” tab at the top left of the page.

 
3. Type “Home” in the page title input area and add the word home after the slash in the path input area. Click the “Create Page” Button.
 
4. Click the radio button next to your new page and then click the “Save settings” button.

Once you have created the new home page you can customize the content.


 
1. Click the “Edit content” link to re-insert your mission statement into your home page without the activity stream beneath it. 
 

 		 2. This will bring you to the settings display of your panel page. The top area is where you will add your mission statement widget. Click on the gear icon in the upper left corner of the ‘top’ region.
 

 
3. Then select “Add content” from the dropdown menu.

 		 4. From the left menu select “Organic groups”. Then click on "OG Mission".

 		 5. This will take you to window where you can override the title by clicking the checkbox. You can either leave the title empty or add any title you wish to show on your home page content area. Click the "Finish" button.

6. Click "Save" to take you back to your panel pages list.

The home page will now be set to your custom content page and will no longer show the activity stream.

 

Creating a Dashboard-Style Home Page

After creating a basic home page for your group, you may want to change the layout to accommodate more features.

View a video example for creating a Dashboard Home Page

 Video example


 		 Step 1: In the area where you edit panel pages, click the “Change layout” link.

 		 Step 2: Choose the number of columns and click the radio button to select a layout. Click the “Next” button. 

 		 Step 3: Click the “Save” button in the next window.

For instructions on how to add widgets and custom content to your dashboard-style home page see page adding widgets to your panel page and adding "custom" content page. Adding slides to your slideshow widget is covered in the next tutoral section "Adding a Spotlight Slideshow". See the widget reference table for further description of available widgets. 

View a video example for adding news, events and spotlight slideshow widgets to your Dashboard Home Page

 Video example

 
 
 

Adding A Spotlight Slideshow

You might want to add a slideshow to your home page.

 Video example


 		 You will first need to add the Spotlight widget. Click the "Edit content" link.

 		 You will be taken to a page that shows the regions of your panel page. Click on the gear icon in the upper left corner of a region.

 		 Then select "Add content" from the dropdown menu.

 
This will take you to a page where you can add widgets and custom content (for more detail see pages adding custom content and Widgets Table).
 
 Click "Widgets, group dashboard" in the left side menu. Then select "Spotlight [group]" from the available widgets.

 		 Change the Spotlight title if desired, then click "Finish"  to set your changes.

 		 Step 5: After adding widgets, click "Save" to take you back to your panel pages list.

 

Adding Content to the Spotlight Slideshow

Only group Managers, Moderators, and Members who have been granted the 'Trusted User' status have permissions to add content to the group spotlight slideshow.


 		 After creating an “Event” or “News item", scroll down to the area that is titled “Slideshow Image”. Click the “Choose File” button to retrieve an image from your computer. Click the “Upload” button to upload the image.
If your upload is successful, the image will display next to a button giving you the option to “Remove” it. 
 

How to add content to your spotlight slideshow (usually found on the group home page).

An image is required for an event or news item to display in the spotlight slideshow.
 


 		 If you want the slideshow image and title to link to something other than the node URL (default), enter a custom "slideshow link" to make the spotlight link to a custom page with the setting below. Checkmark "Open URL in a New Window" if you want the browser to launch a new window upon click. If it's an external link, it needs to be a fully qualified URL, ie. http://www.somesite.com If it's internal, it should be sufficient to put a relative URL, ie. node/1234.
 

 		 There is also a "more" button at the bottom right of the slideshow that links directly to the CPS-VO news item or event rather than the custom link.

Next, click on the gray tab titled “Publishing options” and checkmark the box next to “Display in Slideshow”. 

Click "Save"  to publish your event and show it in the spotlight.

About Publishing Options

  • Publish: Uncheck this option if you don't wish for this content to appear on the VO yet. Useful for saving drafts of content that requires editing before going live/published.
  • Publicize on Group Homepage: This option will place your post on your group's homepage in the corresponding section (Recent News, Upcoming Events, etc…)
  • Archive: Will remove this post from displaying publicly (or to members of your group) and add it to a historical archive listing. You may also want to type in a date and time in the “Sunset” section to control when your event or news item is automatically archived.
  • Display in Slideshow: Will place this post, along with its image (or video), in a slideshow. Must be used with either Publicize to Entire VO or Publicize on Group Homepage options.
  • Pin to Top of Lists: This option will make this post appear at the top of content listings, regardless of any other settings. Useful for denoting important content or content that has a "call to action" associated with it.

After adding content to your slide show you can expect to see something like the example below.

Notice that the event and news items were added both to the Spotlight and to the Events and Recent News sections in the right column.

Creating a Projects Page

Creating a projects page is a convenient way to post your group research projects in one easily accessible location.

 Video example

First create a "Projects" Page by adding a new page in Panels. (see Creating Custom Pages for additional instructions).


 

When your page is set up and named, click the "Edit content"  link to the right of the title of your "Projects" panel page.

 

 

You will be taken to a page that shows the regions of your panel page. Click on the gear icon in the upper left corner of a region.

The "Project" widget works best if placed in the Top or Bottom region of your panel page display settings due to its horizontal layout.
 

 

Select "Add content" from the dropdown menu.

 

This will take you to a page where you can add widgets and custom content.

There are 3 widgets associated with Group Projects content.

  1. Research Projects, All [group] - All projects associated with your group
  2. Research Projects, Archived [group] - Archived projects associated with your group
  3. Research Projects, Current [group] - Current projects associated with your group

Click the "Research Projects, All [group], Research Projects, Archived [group], or  Research Projects, Current [group]" widget link - which is found under the left menu item called “Widgets, group menu-items”. This will insert the widget into the chosen panel-page region (top or bottom).
 


 

A new page will launch with a "Finish" button. Click the "Finish" button to insert the widget. Only one widget at a time may be added using this process.

Click the "Save" button at the bottom of your panel regions page to set your changes.
 

 		 Initially the "Projects" page will read "no projects found".

 		 Linked project titles will display on the "Projects" page in a table as group members add projects (Further instructions to members about contributing projects can be found in this tutorial at Creating a Group Project).
 

Clicking on the linked project title will lead to the individual project page (which will appear as below). 

 

Creating an About Page

Creating an "About" page is a way to provide a brief overview of your group.


 

When you initially created your group, you added your group “Description” and a “Mission statement”.

This content can be included in your “About” page by using widgets.
First create an "About" Page by adding a new page in Panels. (see Creating Custom Pages for additional instructions).

When your page is set up and named, click the "Edit content"  link to the right of the "About" panel page title.
 

 		 You will be taken to a page that shows the regions of your panel page. Click on the gear icon in the upper left corner of the region in which you want your content to appear.
 

 

Select "Add content" from the dropdown menu to add widgets and custom content.

 

 		 Click either the "OG description" or "OG Mission" link to add the desired content to your page and click “Finish”. 


 
You may also add new custom content or content from an existing node to your "about" page by following the “Add Custom Content” instructions. 
 
Click on the widget name to insert that widget. A new page will launch with a "Finish" button. Click the "Finish" button to insert the widget. Only one widget at a time may be added using this process.
 
After both widgets are added, click the "Save" button at the bottom of your panel regions page to set your changes.
 

 		 Your description and mission statement will now show on your "About" page.

 

Creating a Members Page

A "Members" page is a convenient alphabetical listing of all members in a group with easy access to features such as adding to contacts, viewing contributions, linking to profile, etc.

First create a "Members" Page by adding a new page in Panels. (see Creating Custom Pages for additional instructions).

When your page is set up and named, click the "Edit content"  link to the right of the title of your "Members" panel page.
 
You will be taken to a page that shows the regions of your panel page. Click on the gear icon in the upper left corner of the full-width region where you want your members list to display. The top or bottom region is best for this widget.
 

 		 Select "Add content" from the dropdown menu.
 

 		 This will take you to a page where you can add widgets and custom content.
The “Group Members” widget can be found by selecting the left menu item “Widgets, group menu items”.
 
Click on the widget name to insert that widget. A new page will launch with a "Finish" button. Click the "Finish" button to insert the widget. Only one widget at a time may be added using this process.
 
Click the "Save" button at the bottom of your panel regions page to set your changes.
 
Example of a "Members" directory page..

 

Creating a Calendar Page

A "Calendar" page is a convenient place to post a group event calendar.


 		 First create a "Calendar" Page by adding a new page in Panels. (see Creating Custom Pages for additional instructions).

When your page is set up and named, click the "Edit content"  link to the right of the title of your "Calendar" panel page.
 

 		 You will be taken to a page that shows the regions of your panel page. Click on the gear icon in the upper left corner of the region in which you want your search widget to display.

 

 		 Select "Add content" from the dropdown menu.

 

 		 This will take you to a page where you can add widgets and custom content.
The “Calendar [group]” widget can be found by selecting the left menu item “Widgets, group menu items”.
Add the widget by clicking on its title.
 

 
Click on the widget name to insert that widget. A new page will launch with a "Finish" button. Click the "Finish" button to insert the widget. Only one widget at a time may be added using this process.
 
Click the "Save" button at the bottom of your panel regions page to set your changes.
 
A calendar will then be added to your "Calendar" page.
 
 
See Creating a Calendar Event for more information on posting events to calendar.
 
 

Creating an Activity Stream Page

The content area of a basic home page will include the mission statement and an "activity stream" (a dynamic listing of content as it is added to the group). Many times groups do not want the activity stream on their home page. In order to remove it you will need to set up a custom dashboard style home page.

Creating an"Activity Stream" page is encouraged if you remove the activity stream.

Follow the directions below to create an "Activity Stream" page.


 

First create an "Activity Stream" Page by adding a new page in Panels. (see Creating Custom Pages) for additional instructions).

When your page is set up and named, click the "Edit content"  link to the right of the title of your "Activity Stream" panel page.

 		 You will be taken to a page that shows the regions of your panel page. Click on the gear icon in the upper left corner of the region in which you want your content to appear.

 		 Select "Add content" from the dropdown menu to add widgets and custom content.

 
The “Group Activity Steam” widget can be found by selecting the left menu item “Widgets, group menu items”. 
 

 		 The "Recent Comments" widget is found in the “View Panes” category in the left menu.

 
Click on the widget name to insert that widget. A new page will launch with a "Finish" button. Click the "Finish" button to insert the widget. Only one widget at a time may be added using this process.
 
Click the "Save" button at the bottom of your panel regions page to set your changes.
 
When activity and comments begin to populate in your group, you can expect it to look like the image on the left. Notice the option of filtering recent posts by type.

 

Creating a Wiki

Managers can create Wikis for their group where they and their group members will be able to add and edit shared pages (see "Creating a Wiki Page")


 		 Make sure you have already created your first wiki page before you add the wiki widget to your group. If not, you can use the "Collaborate" toggle menu to get started.
Click "Create Wiki Page" to launch the rich text editor.

 		 You can then find the node ID number in the top address bar.

 

After you create your first wiki page, create a panel page and name it "Wiki" (see “Creating Custom Pages”).

Click “Edit content” link to the right of the title of your "Wiki" panel page.
 

 

You will be taken to a page that shows the regions of your panel page. Click on the gear icon in the upper left corner of the full-width region in which you want your wiki to display. 

The "Wiki" widget works best if placed in the Top or Bottom region of your panel page display settings due to its horizontal layout.
 

 		 Select "Add content" from the dropdown menu.

 

This will take you to a page where you can add widgets and custom content. Click the "Existing node" link in the bottom left menu to begin. 

 

 		 This will launch a form. Type the node ID number of your first wiki page in the first text field. 

 		 Don’t forget to click the “Finish” button when you’re done typing.

 		 Click the "Save" button at the bottom of your panel regions page to set your changes.

 		 Your first wiki page will now be displayed on your "Wiki" panel page. Group members can now add and edit shared pages (see "Creating a WIki Page").
 

Creating a Popular Content Page

A popular content page is helpful for perusing the most viewed and used group content.

First create a "Popular Content" Page by adding a new page in Panels. (see Creating Custom Pages for additional instructions).

When your page is set up and named, click the "Edit content"  link to the right of the title of your "Popular Content" panel page.
 
You will be taken to a page that shows the regions of your panel page. Click on the gear icon in the upper left corner of the region in which you want your search widget to display.
 

 		 Select "Add content" from the dropdown menu.

 
This will take you to a page where you can add widgets and custom content. 
Click to add the “Popular Content (group)” widget (which can be found by selecting the left menu item “Widgets, group menu items”).

 
A new page will launch with a "Finish" button. Click the "Finish" button to insert the widget. Only one widget at a time may be added.
 
Click the "Save" button at the bottom of your panel regions page to set your changes.
 
As content is developed in your group, a table will display on the page like the example below.
 

Creating a Videos Page

A "Videos" page is a convenient way to provide a place for group members to share embedded videos from services such as TED, Vimeo, or YouTube.


 

First create a "Videos" Page by adding a new page in Panels. (see Creating Custom Pages for additional instructions).

When your page is set up and named, click the "Edit content"  link to the right of the title of your "Videos" panel page.

 		 You will be taken to a page that shows the regions of your panel page. Click on the gear icon in the upper left corner of the region in which you want your search widget to display.

 		 Select "Add content" from the dropdown menu.

 
This will take you to a page where you can add widgets and custom content.
Click on the “Videos, All [group]” widget (which can be found by selecting the left menu item “Widgets, group menu items”).

 		 The "Video, Featured [group] widget"  is found in the “Widgets, group dashboard” category in the left menu.
A video must be set to "public" in the group settings and in the publishing options as "published" and "publicized to group home page" in order to show up in the featured videos category. (see bottom of page for more about featuring a video).

 
Click on the widget name to insert that widget. A new page will launch with a "Finish" button. Click the "Finish" button to insert the widget. Only one widget at a time may be added using this process.
 
Click the "Save" button at the bottom of your panel regions page to set your changes.
 
You and group members can now begin adding videos to your "Video(s)" page (see "Creating A Video"). You can expect the video page to look similar to the example below.
 

More About Featured Videos

Only group administrators can set videos to be "Featured". 
 
You will need to edit some of these settings to make a video show in the "Featured" section.

 		 Make sure the video is set to"public" in the group settings.
Publishing options should be checked as "published" and "publicized to group home page". 
Be certain the video is not archived by the sunset date (described above).

 

Creating a Moderation Board Page

A Moderators Board page is helpful for editing, deleting and moving group content.

First create a "Modboard"* Page by adding a new page by that name in Panels. (see Creating Custom Pages for additional instructions).

When your page is set up and named, click the "Edit content"  link to the right of the title of your "Modboard" panel page.​

*Some groups choose to name this page differently, but the standard CPS-VO terminology is "Modboard".

 		 You will be taken to a page that shows the regions of your panel page. Click on the gear icon in the upper left corner of the region in which you want your search widget to display.

 		 Select "Add content" from the dropdown menu.
This will take you to a page where you can add widgets and custom content. 
Click to add the “Manage Group Content” widget (which can be found by selecting the left menu item “Widgets, group menu items”).
 

 
A new page will launch with a "Finish" button. Click the "Finish" button to insert the widget. Only one widget at a time may be added.
 
Click the "Save" button at the bottom of your panel regions page to set your changes.
As content is developed in your group, a table will display on the page like the example below. A set of dropdown menus give you bulk-editing capabilities.
 
see Using the Modboard for additional instructions on how to use the modboard feature.
 

Creating an Agenda and Meeting Minutes Page

An "Agenda and Meeting Minutes Page" page is a convenient way to store and search meeting documentation.


 		 An "Agenda and Meeting Minutes" page collects and displays anything tagged with 'Meeting Minutes' or 'Agenda' from the 'Document Type' taxonomy (located to the right of the text editor when creating group content).

 

First create a "Meeting Minutes" Page by adding a new page in Panels. (see Creating Custom Pages for additional instructions).

When your page is set up and named, click the "Edit content"  link to the right of the title of your "Meeting Minutes" panel page.


 		 You will be taken to a page that shows the regions of your panel page. Click on the gear icon in the upper left corner of the region in which you want your search widget to display.

 		 Select "Add content" from the dropdown menu.
This will take you to a page where you can add widgets and custom content.

Click on the “Videos, All [group]” widget (which can be found by selecting the left menu item “Widgets, group menu items”).

The "Group Meeting Agendas & Minutes widget"  is found in the “Widgets, group dashboard” category in the left menu.

Click on the widget name to insert that widget. A new page will launch with a "Finish" button. Click the "Finish" button to insert the widget. Only one widget at a time may be added using this process.
 
Click the "Save" button at the bottom of your panel regions page to set your changes.
 

Initially your Meeting Minutes page will be empty. However, the search features will automatically populate as content is added and tagged with 'Meeting Minutes' or 'Agenda' taxonomies from the 'Document Type' taxonomy (located to the right of the text editor when creating group content).

Manage a Group

The CPS-VO Portal provides extensive support for Special Interest Groups. Group Managers and Group Moderators are responsible for maintaining and grooming the content in their group. To edit group content select the [Edit] menu tab in the upper righthand corner of the page. To remove content select the [Edit] menu tab in the upper righthand corner of the page and then the [Delete] button located next to 'Save' and 'Preview'.

The links below explain how to perform advanced group management functions.

Administer Members

Handling memberships in a group involves overseeing who is a member of the group, and who are the administrators, managers and moderators. There must be at least one administrator for every group. Members of a group may leave the group at any time. As the administrator you may only leave the group if at least one other administrator is designated.


 

View Member Information Table

Click on the "Membership Information Table" link in the "Member Info" toggle menu beneath your group menu in the left sidebar.

This will take you to a "member list" where administrators and managers can moderate group membership requests and edit user group privileges.

  1. Displays the CPS-VO username and credentials (badges). Hovering over a badge displays user privileges. Read more about user roles at http://cps-vo.org/tutorial/types-of-users
  2. Real Name of user as shared in account details. Blank if no name was written.
  3. Google search on user's email address.
  4. Organization with which user is associated.
  5. Date user joined CPS-VO. Results can be sorted by join date by clicking blue "Joined VO" link.
  6. Blue Log icon indicates notes have been written about user (e.g. "Did a Google search on this user. They are a professor at USF. OK to approve?"). Gray indicates no notes have been written. Click to read and write oog notes.
  7. Indicates Admin role in group. Group Managers can remove admin privileges by clicking the red minus icon or add admin role by clicking blue plus icon.
  8. Approve or deny membership requests from the "member list". Users requesting membership will have a green checkmark icon. Managers can grant membership by clicking the icon. Group Managers and Group Moderators will receive an email notifying them of new membership requests. See more about group membership request settings. The red "X" icon allows managers to deny or remove membership.

Clicking the orange "CSV" button at the bottom left of the table will export the list in spreadsheet format. 
 

View Group Members

To view a page with the photos and names of the members of your group, click the "Faces" tab.

Add Members

Managers can add members to a group and configure their function in the group. 

Click on the “Add Members” tab. Type one or more usernames into the “List of Users” text area. Separate multiple usernames by commas or new lines. Click the “Add users” button to complete the process.
 
If you need to find a user, enter their name in the upper right hand search field (see Seeking Out Colleagues). Click the individual's name to go to their profile page where you will find their username listed beneath their real name.
 

Configure Roles

 Configure member roles from the "Configure roles" tab. Members can be given "manager" or "moderator" roles from this page by checkbox selection. Click the "Save" button to submit changes.
 

Invite Members

Group members can invite users to join the group by using the "Invite members" tab. This will send an email message asking the invitee to click a link to join your group. Type one or more comma delimited email addresses and/or VO usernames into the "Invitees" text input area, provide an optional message in the textbox entitled "Additional message". Finally, click the "Invite" button to send the message(s).  Note, a maximum of 20 invites can be sent out at a time.    

 

Send Out Messages

Only group managers can broadcast a message to members of a group. A broadcast emails all group members with a copy of the message. Remember your message will be read by all of your group members. The "From" field of the message upon delivery will say it is from "cps-vo on behalf of" and your name from your profile.

To broadcast a message, follow these steps:

Figure 1: Broadcast Message
 		 Step 1: Go to the page of the group you manage by selecting it from the “My Groups” dropdown menu from the home page of the portal.
Figure 2: Broadcast Message
 		 Step 2: Select the gray “Broadcast” tab under the top banner of your group.
 
Figure 3: Broadcast Message
 		 Step 3: Enter a subject and body message. You may also want to provide your name in the "Reply-To Name" field and your email address in the "Reply-To Address" field. This will allow people to know who sent the email and how to reply.  When you have filled out all the information click the “Send Message” button at the bottom of the form. 

 		 A green confirmation message will appear above the text editor form to let you know your message has been sent.

 

Set Up Group Vocabularies/Terms & File Folders

Content should be labeled to make it searchable. See http://cps-vo.org/node/878 for an explanation of Tags, Terms and Labels.

As a group administrator you can edit and create taxonomies for your group with the following steps.

  Video example

 
Figure 1: Group Taxonomy
 		 Step 1: Go to your group and select the “Taxonomy” tab.

 		 Step 2: To add a vocabulary click on the "Add vocabulary" link. This will take you to a form where you can create a new vocabulary for your group. 
Figure 3: Group Taxonomy

 		 Step 3: To keep vocabularies consistent and well defined, type each one as an abbreviation of your group name (in this case "eg"), followed by a colon, a space, then the name of your new vocabulary (See example below).
Adding a description can help existing or future functionality of the Portal to clarify the intended nature of your new vocabulary.
Figure 4: Group Taxonomy
 		 If you select the "file" content type, the vocabulary will show in your group’s file browser. You may select other item types that you wish your group members to be able to label terms with from this vocabulary.
Figure 5: Group Taxonomy
 		 A vocabulary can be free forming or controlled. Free forming vocabularies come as open keywords labeling an item and are also called tags. Mark the “Tags” checkbox to make your vocabulary free forming. Select the “Multiple select”option if you intend to provide a list of terms for labeling content. Selecting "Required" vocabularies force a label on uploads.
Figure 2: Group Taxonomy
 		 Once you have created your group vocabularies, they will appear in your group taxonomy table (as shown left).

 		 Step 4. Add Terms to your group vocabularies by selecting the "add terms" link at the far right of the vocabulary name in the taxonomy table.

 		 Add the name of the new term (folder name in files) and a short description then select the "save" button to add the term.

 		 The new term will now show in the list of terms for that individual vocabulary.

 		 Use the crosshairs to re-order the terms.
NOTE: Terms with the "file" content type selected will also show up as folders in your group’s file browser. File folders are really just group vocabularies that are relevant to the File content type.

* NOTE: Details for further customizing your group are given in Configuring Groups.  

 

Create a Webform

Webforms may only be created/edited by group managers and moderators.

As a manager or moderator of a group you can post web which will show up in the activity stream and can then be embedded in panel pages of your group.

Create Webform and add components

 Video example 

1. Use the "Create Webform" link in the "Collaborate" toggle menu beneath the left sidebar menu in your group.

 
2. This will launch a rich text editor where you can type the title of your webform, add a description, and checkmark vocabularies 
     (in the column to the right of the text window).

There is an area beneath the rich text editor that has settings for your webform. (Refer to screenshot)
Click on the links in the gray boxes to navigate to the area you wish to edit.

Notifications: set whether members will be notified when you post or edit your webform.

Groups: Select which groups to which your webform will publish. By default the webform will publish within the group in which it was created. Check the box next to "Public" if you want it to be publicly available in the CPS-VO Repository.

Publishing options: Gives you the option to publish or unpublish your webform by clicking a radio button. If the webform node is left unpublished, only the node author will be able to view the content.

URL path settings: Optionally specify an alternative URL by which this node can be accessed. For example, type "about" when writing an about page. Use a relative path and don't add a trailing slash or the URL alias won't work.

Revision information: If you log back in to edit your webform you can use this field to document your revisions.

 
When you click the "save" button (shown above), your webform will show up on the "Activity Stream" page of your group by default.
You may later need to reference the node number of your webform for other uses in the portal. The node number of your page is at the top of the browser page in the URL window. If a custom URL was set, you can find the node number by clicking the edit button at the top of your page.
 
3. Next you will be then be taken to the webform component editor (shown below).
 
A.Type the "label" of the component.
B. Select the type of component you want to add via the “Type” selection menu.
C. Select "Mandatory" to make this a required field.
D. "Add" the field to your webform and further define your settings for each component type.
E. Use "drag tool" to reorder form components.

Types of Components:

  • Date:  Inserts a drop-down menu for user to select a month/day/year. Optional calendar selector is also available.
  • Email: A field where user can enter their email address
  • Fieldset: A boxed field that contains a description and a title
  • File: A place where user can upload a file.
    *NOTE: Create a custom directory by typing a path similar to the one below. This identifies attachments with the webform.
  • Grid: a series of questions and options with radio button selectors 
  • Hidden: This gives you the option to insert variables or notes which users cannot see.
  • Markup: This allows webform creator to enter text in multiple colors and font styles.
  • Textfield: You can collect lengthier responses from your users by creating "textarea" fields
  • Number: Creates either a dropdown menu or a text area with predetermined low and high integers.
  • Page break: Allows you to split your webform into 2 pages.
  • Select Options: Makes a list of options with radio buttons.
  • Textarea: You can collect lengthier responses from your users by creating "textarea" fields
  • Textfield: A one line field for user to enter text.
  • Time: A dropdown hr/minut/am/pm selector
Each component will have further option settings (upon clicking the "Add" button) which are defined by hover text in the editing area.
 
The sample form images below display these components in order as the user would see them.
 
 
 
After configuring the webform components, you will need to configure notification emails, confirmation landing page, webform validation and access policies. These options are located in the secondary tabs at the top right of webform configuration page. 
 

Configuring Notification Emails

 Video example

You can configure the webform to send a submission receipt for each entry received. This may be useful to notify the user of successful webform submission. It can also be useful for letting webform administrators know a submission has been received.
 
Typically two notification emails are configured for each webform.
  1. The first is the email address (or multiple addresses) of the webform administrators.
  2. The second will be the submitter's email address as they typed it in the "email" field on the webform. 
    *NOTE: You must include at least one email component field in the webform to enable this function.
To get to the configuration settings:
  1. Select the gray tab labeled "E-mails".
  2. You can enter an email address into the text box, or select component value "Email Address". The dropdown box next to component value is populated by any email field(s) that have been configured in your webform. Select from the dropdown menu which email field should receive submitssion notifications.
  3. Click the "Add" button to the far right.
     
After clicking the "Add" button, you will be taken to a page where email settings can be configured.

Email Address:

The Email To address has already been configured in the previous step. You may choose to change it if necessary.

Email Header Details

  1. ​Email Subject can be set to "Default", "Custom" or "Component".

    • Default sets the subject of your email to "Form submission from: Name of your webform"
    • Custom allows you to set the subject of your email.
    • Component allows you to select a field from the form via a dropdown menu.
  2. Email From Address can be set to "Custom" or "Component". Custom allows you to enter an email address. "Component" may be used if you want it to go to an email address the user enters into the webform. 
  3. Email From Name "Default" is CPS-VO. A "Custom" name can be typed or a "Component" may also be used if you want it to use a name the user enters into the webform.
     

 

Email Template Settings

A default email template already exists in the Email Template window. However, you can customize the message to suit your needs.

Left is an example of custom elements added to the template. Values can be found by expanding the token values section beneath the template.

A token value was used in the custom template below to populate the user's name (Dear %value[name]).

 

Included E-mail Values

All of the webform field components are listed in the expandible section called "Included e-mail values" with checkboxes next to each value. All components will be included by default in the notification email. You may choose to deselect components you wish to be excluded from the email.

 

 		 Click the "Save e-mail settings" button to save your changes and go back to the previous page where you can set up more email notifications if desired.
An example of a notification email.
 

Configuring Form Settings

 Video example

The "Form Settings" tab will take you to a page where you can choose a landing page, set submission limits, and choose access policies.

Submission Settings

The submission settings section contains a text editor where you can type the confirmation message the user sees on the landing page. After typing the confirmation you will configure the landing page URL, limit the number of times the webform can be submitted (globally or per user), and close the form when necessary.

Landing page option with confirmation message

The webform user will be taken to a landing page after submitting the form. You may choose (three options shown in image below) where the user is redirected.

  1. Confirmation Page - Sends user to generic CPS-VO.org confirmation page.
  2. Custom URL - Redirects the user to a custom page (most usually the group home page)
  3. No Redirect - Reloads current page.

Submissions Limit


 		 Limit the number of times the webform can be submitted globally or on a per-user basis by clicking the desired radio buttons and/or typing a number in the text box.

Status of this Form

After your submission period has ended you can close the form (or reopen it) with the radio button settings.

 

Submission Access

Select which user roles are able to view and submit the form. Note: Only authenticated users (CPS-VO members) are able to edit their submissions.

Configuring Form Validation and Access Policies

This tab will take you to a section where you can add validation rules to individual fields on the webform.
 
The following validation rules are currently included:
 
• Numeric values (optionally specify min and / or max value)
• Minimum length
• Maximum length
• Minimum number of words
• Maximum number of words
• Equal values on multiple fields
• Unique values on multiple fields
• Specific value
• Require at least one of two fields
• Require at least one of several fields
• Minimum number of selections required
• Maximum number of selections allowed
• Exact number of selections required
• Plain text (disallow tags)
• Regular expression
• Must be empty (Anti-Spam: Hide with CSS)
• Words blacklist
• Must match a username
 
One example of this feature would be:
Specific value(s)
Verifies that the specified component contains a defined value (select, textfield, textarea, email, hidden, select)

This feature would be used (for example) when a code is required to submit the form. The webform can then be viewable by anonymous users, but can only be submitted by users who have the code.

Export the Webform

Clicking the export button will prompt a download of the PHP code generated to create the form.

Access Webform Results

  1. Navigate to the webform.
  2. Click on the tab at the top labeled "Results".
 
You will be taken to the submissions results section which lists the submission number, date submitted, username, and IP address. You may view and edit individual entries.
Secondary tabs at the top right include analysis, table, and download.
  • Analysis views how completely the form was filled out by each user.
  • Table shows the populated fields of the form in table format.
  • Download gives you the option to export the table in an excel spreadsheet.
    *Note that this does not download attached files... only the values of the fields.

View/Edit Individual Submissions

It's easiest to access individual results from the "table" view. Click on the submission number on the far left of the column. That will take you to their individual submission where you can edit the submissions if needed.

  1. Click the "Table" tab
  2. Click the submission number to the far left.
This will take you to a window where you can view and edit the individual submission.

Edit the Webform

  1. Navigate to the webform.
  2. Click on the tab at the top labeled "Webform".

This will take you into the component panel where you can edit or delete components via the links to the far right of each component title.

 

Webform Check List

 Does your webform have a description?

 Is your webform published?

 Is your webform public or is it private to your group?

 Have you created all the components you need?

 Are the necessary components set as mandatory?

 Have you configured notification emails to go to the user and also to the form administrator?

 Have you configured the confirmation landing page?

 Have you configured the submission access rules?

 Does your webform need an access code? Has one been configured?

 Have the necessary users been granted permissions to view the webform results?

Manage Group Forums

Only group managers have permissions to administer group forums. Managing group forums involves adding new forums, editing or deleting existing forums, controlling the listing order of forums, and adjusting forum privacy settings.


 
  1. Navigate to the group forum by selecting the "forum"  tab in the left sidebar menu of the group you manage.
  2. Select the "Manage group forums" link (The stacked folders with wrench icon).
     
  1. You will be taken to a table that lists all of the forums associated with your group. From the forum management table select the links to:
    1. add new forums
    2. edit existing forums
    3. adjust privacy settings - private forums can only be seen and commented on by group members.
    4. reset publicity - will set forum to default (private).
  1. In the edit window you can:
    1. edit forum name or description
    2. use the "weight" dropdown menu to set where the forum falls in the list of forums. Note: When listing forums, those with lighter (smaller) weights get listed before containers with heavier (larger) weights. Forums with equal weights are sorted alphabetically.
    3. set your changes with the "submit" button or delete the forum with the "delete" button

 

Using the Modboard

see Creating the Modboard Page for additional instructions on how to create the modboard panel page.

As content is developed in your group, a table will display on the page like the example to the left.

 
A set of dropdown menus give you bulk-editing capabilities. The capabilities are listed in the table below.
 
Node: Type Node: Title Node: Body Public Published Promoted to front page Sticky Items per page

Type a search word or
phrase in text box.		 Type a search word or
phrase in text box.

Apply

Applies the search 
parameters

Reset

Resets the parameters to 0

Bulk Operations
  1. Click the "Apply" button to set your search parameters.
  2. Select the nodes you would like to edit by the checkboxes next to the title of the node.
  3. Choose a Bulk Operation from the Bulk Operations dropdown menu.
  4. Type a log message
  5. Check the "disable notifications" box if you want to keep your changes from being broadcast.
  6. Select the "Execute" button
  7. Follow the prompts for the operation you chose
  8. You will be taken back to the modboard page with a confirmation message at the top describing the action (see example below).