Creating and Editing Panel Pages

This Chapter shows you how to configure panel pages and fill them with content and functions with the help of page modules:

You should be familiar with the most important steps for creating new panel pages from the introductory Chapter. Features and tools for editing pages in the website editor are introduced in this chapter.
Furthermore, this chapter contains detailed information on the individual EFS Panel page modules.

Information

The following chapter explains how to further edit text elements placed on a panel page by a module, e.g. by using HTML, by inserting links and images or by outputting data with wildcards.

Before you start

If the website you are editing contains several language versions, please note:

There is only one page structure available for each website, which is used by all language versions. If you create a new page it will be incorporated in all language versions.
You can configure a page differently to some extent in the various language versions.
Content and functions on a certain page can differ between language versions.
Each language version has its own set of templates, meaning that you can link a page to other templates in each language version.
A page’s online and offline status can differ in different language versions. In particular, when publishing a new page, the publication always only refers to the current language version.

Managing Pages

Page Overview

In order to view the pages of a website, open it in the Website editor, then change to the Pages tab.

If you create more than one language version or even set up several websites, there will be a set of pages for each website; page configuration and content, however, may differ between language versions. You can use the selection function in the upper part of the dialog to switch from the current language version to the other versions.
The tree view on the left hand shows all pages. The tree arrangement reflects the external navigation structure.
- Clicking on a page title opens its corresponding edit dialog on the right hand.
- Traffic light: publishing status of the page.
- i: The links and the wildcard used to address the page.
- Copy page: The page is copied, a new page name has to be entered.
- Delete page: The page and all its subpages in all language versions will be deleted following a confirmation prompt.
+ Page: Opens the dialog where you can enter the data for a new page.
Search: Opens a list of all pages along with detailed information (status, page identifier, internal page name, HTML title, URL alias) and a search function. The actions in the drop-down list below the overview allow you to change several selected pages en bloc.
- Delete selected pages: The pages and all their subpages in all language versions will be deleted following a confirmation prompt.
- Publish selected pages: The pages are published, i.e. they are available both in the working version and the online version.
- Set selected pages offline: The selected pages are no longer available online.

Editing Pages

Edit Dialog

Open any page, for example “Home”.

Actions

Actions can be carried out with the help of buttons and drop-down lists in the head section:

+ Page module: Allows to create new modules.
Save:
- Save: Saves the page. It is subsequently available in the working version. Please note: In the publicly accessible version, the page is only available once it has been published.
- Save & publish page: The page is published. This means it is not only available in the working version but also in the online version.
- Save & Set page offline: The page is no longer accessible online.
Preview: Various preview modi can be opened in a new browser tab.
- Offline version: The current working version of the page, i.e. the version you usually prepare changes in.
- Direct editing: In this modus, you can make changes in the preview itself.
- Online version: The page version that can be accessed by visitors.

Tabs

Further functions for editing page content and configuration are located on the tabs:

Page modules: This tab is used to create and edit the page modules.
Page configuration: Contains configuration option.
Modules from other pages: Referenced modules.

Editing Options for Page Modules in Detail

Page content and functions can be set on the Page modules tab, which is usually automatically opened first.

The central part of the tab contains the modules already created for the page.

You can either display only the title or all module properties:

[+], [-]: These icons allow to open and close individual modules.
Move: You can use the arrow icons to change the order of the modules.
Edit page module: From EFS 10.4, you can find reference name, page module title and module template below this icon.
Delete page module: The respective module is deleted after a confirmation prompt.

Page Configuration in Detail

You can define page properties, such as position in the navigation and access rights, in the Page configuration tab. The tables explain the configuration options.

Language-independent configuration options

Field	Meaning
Page identifier	Page identifier: The page identifier is used to uniquely identify the page within the system, regardless of language settings. It is particularly used in the browser address bar and for internal links. Therefore it should not contain any blank spaces or special characters.
Parent page	You can change the level of the page in the page tree and in the navigation.
Position	You can change the position of the page in the page tree and in the navigation.

Language-specific configuration options

Field	Meaning
Internal page name	Name of the page in the tree view. Can be defined individually for each language version.
Main template	Template responsible for the overall structure of the page. Usually “main_default”.
Positioning template	If several content modules have been defined for a page you can define their location with the help of the positioning template.
HTML title	The HTML titel is the name of page, which is displayed in the browser header. In addition, the HTML title is also used as a label in the website navigation for the link to this page.
Access control	You can restrict access to the page. Select one of the following options: Public: All panel visitors can see the page. All logged-in panelists: All logged-in panelists can see the page. For logged-in panelists of a panel group only: If you choose this option, a drop-down list is displayed, from which you can select a certain panel group. Only members of the selected group can see the page.
Show in navigation	Depending on the setting the page is either shown or hidden in the navigation. The following options are available: Never Always Only when logged in Only when logged out Only if access is possible
Meta keywords	Key terms under which search engines are to find the page.
URL alias	Optionally definable page name used for the URL of the page in the current language version. Language-specific adjustment of page URLs is particularly important for search engine optimization.
From EFS 10.5: Meta data (CSS classes)	QuestBack customizing feature for Responsive layout websites.
From EFS 10.5: External link	QuestBack customizing feature for Responsive layout websites.
From EFS 10.5: Show breadcrumb	QuestBack customizing feature for Responsive layout websites.

Referencing Page Modules from Multiple Pages

By creating appropriate page modules, you can easily compile the desired contents and functions for each panel page. However, if an element such as a news list, for example, is to be displayed on multiple pages, creating the respective module on every single page would be very time-consuming. The updating of changes would also involve considerable effort: every copy of the page module would have to be adjusted manually.

Therefore, once you have created a page module, EFS allows you to reference it from other pages as well: the modules are created only once, changes are made only once, but the contents will be visible on all desired pages.

Example

In the example shown above, the “Latest News”, the display of the currently logged-in panelists, and the list of blogs are referenced page modules. In the website editor, the are located on a dedicated page “GLOBAL”.

Information

Please note: For many page module types, referencing does not make sense. Therefore the referencing feature is only available for selected page module types. For an up-to-date list, please see the Modules from other pages tab in the editing dialog of the respective page.

Additional modules can be made available for referencing. If this is necessary, please contact QuestBack support.

Work Steps

Referencing page modules from multiple pages requires three steps:

Deciding where the global page modules should be placed in the overall structure and modifying the main template accordingly
Creating page modules
Referencing page modules from the desired pages

Defining the Position of Global Page Modules

First, you have to decide at which position the global page modules are to be displayed. Then you have to modify the main template accordingly.

In the standard panel, for example, the following code is used to insert various page modules on the right-hand side between the login section and the quick poll, as shown in the example above:

{* START GLOBALS *}{if $global_page_contents}{foreach from=$global_page_contents item=s key=k}<div class="gpRightColBox">{$s}</div>{/foreach}{/if}</div>{/foreach}{* END GLOBALS *}

This code checks whether there are any page modules referenced from the currently opened page. The wildcard used for addressing these modules is $global_page_contents. If modules have been referenced, it will be checked whether the panelist is logged in: if so, the contents of these modules will be displayed.

Of course, you can also insert the referenced page modules at other positions.

Creating Page Modules

Create the desired page modules.

They can be created as usual on any page of the CMS.
Optionally, you can also create the repeatedly used page modules on a dedicated page set up for this purpose. This is useful, for example, if these modules do not fill the content area of a normal page but are displayed in special areas on the page margins, as in the standard panel shown above.

Referencing Page Modules from the Desired Pages

Go to the page from where page modules are to be referenced.
Open the Modules from other pages tab.
Tick the “Select” checkboxes for those page modules that are to be displayed.
Confirm by clicking on Save. A reference is now established between the page and the selected page module.
Repeat these steps for all pages where the page modules are to be displayed.

A Detailed Look at Modules

This Chapter will take a detailed look at the modules used to compile panel pages.

Content Module: Headline + Text

The most frequently used module is certainly the “Headline + text” content module. It is used to create page sections which are for informational purposes only. One example for such an information text can be found on the About us page of the standard panel.

In the standard panel, you can use the “cont_headline_text” template to change the appearance of the “Headline + text” module.

Options

The following options are available:

Option	Meaning	Standard panel „About us“ page
Reference name for template	Name that can be used to trigger the module in positioning templates.	about_us
Page module title	Name of the module in the page’s module overview	About us
Module template	Module-specific template that controls how data provided by the module are displayed.	cont_headline_text
Headline	This field contains the section headline.	About us
Text	Enter the body text of the section in this field. E.g. you can use HTML and CSS to format the text, you can enter images or links.

Function Module: Lost Account Functionality

The “Lost account” module newly introduced in EFS 10.4 creates a form via which panelists can ask for their forgotten account name.

EFS Panel provides various design options:

You can select the mail template used to deliver the account name.
Once the account name has been successfully delivered a confirmation message will be displayed.

Information

Optionally, account and password can be used for authentication instead of e-mail and password

Options

The “Lost account” function module offers the following options.

Option	Meaning	Standard panel “Password recover” page
Reference name for template	Name that can be used to trigger the module in positioning templates.	module_password_recover_3
Page module title	Name of the module in the page’s module overview.	Lost account
Module template	Module-specific template that controls how data provided by the module are displayed.	func_lostaccount
Mail template for password recovery mail	Mail template used for password delivery. The “Password recovery” mail templates are available. Please make sure that the selected template contains all necessary wildcards.
Hint for e-mail address
Message upon successful delivery	This text is displayed once the mail has been sent.

Function Module: Master Data Category Overview

The function module „Master data categories list“ allows you to display one or more master data categories. This may be of use, for example, if you offer separate „Change data“ forms for each category. Links to corresponding sections of the master data survey may also be displayed in such a list. The module is controlled via the “func_md_view” template. If this template is not available in your installation, you can revert to the „masterdata_categories“ template in the template library.

EFS Panel provides various design options:

You can select the desired master data categories.
The categories can be relabeled. This is particularly important in multilingual panels.
Several sort order options are available.

Options

The “Master data categories list” function module offers the following options.

Option	Meaning	Standard panel
Reference name for template	Name that can be used to trigger the module in positioning templates.
Page module title	Name of the module in the page’s module overview
Module template	Module-specific template that controls how data provided by the module are displayed.	func_md_view
Master data category	You can choose from the categories created in the Panel → Master data → Master data categories menu. You can enter an alternative label for each category.
Directory for file selection	All asset library directories of the respective panel installation are available.
Sort master data categories by	Possible criteria: Defined sort order Alphabetical Possible sort order: Ascending Descending

Function Module: Display of Private Messages

When using the community function “Messages from panelists to panelists”, the function module “Display of private messages” allows you to create different lists of received messages:

a message overview, e.g. on the personalized homepage.
a detailed list of the received messages.

Which list is created depends on the selected template (“func_messages_light”, “func_messages”).

Options

The “Display of private messages” function module offers the following options.

Option	Meaning	Standard panel
Reference name for template	Name that can be used to trigger the module in positioning templates.
Page module title	Name of the module in the page’s module overview
Module template	Module-specific template controlling the display of the data provided by the module. Depending on what you wish to display, you select one of the following templates: func_messages_light: Message overview, e.g. on the personalized homepage. func_messages: Detailed list of the received messages.
Maximum number of posts displayed	Limits the length of the display per page. Excess posts are displayed on subsequent pages.
Sort posts by date	Possible sort order: Ascending Descending

Function Module: Picture Upload for Panelist Profile

With the function module “Picture upload for panelist profile” you can set up an upload form that enables the panelists to upload two profile images.

In the standard panel, the appearance of the form is determined by the “func_profile_picture” template.

Options

The following setting options are available:

Option	Meaning	Standard panel
Reference name for template	Name that can be used to trigger the module in positioning templates.	My_picture
Page module title	Name of the module in the page’s module overview	My picture
Module template	Module-specific template that controls how data provided by the module are displayed.	func_profile_picture
Allow upload of picture 1	Activates an upload form for the first image.
Allow upload of picture 2	Activates an upload form for the second image.
Maximum file size for profile pictures (in kb)	Maximum value for the image size. Please mind: the size of the thumbnails of profile images can be changed in the Website → Panel websites → {Selected language version} menu on the Detail configuration tab
Message upon successful change	This text is displayed after successfully uploading an image.

Function Module: Chat

The “Chat” function module allows to set up chats.

In the standard panel, the appearance of the form is determined by the “func_chat” template.

Options

The “Chat” function module provides the following setting options:

Option	Meaning	Standard panel
Reference name for template	Name that can be used to trigger the module in positioning templates.	Chat
Page module title	Name of the module in the page’s module overview	Chat
Module template	Module-specific template that controls how data provided by the module are displayed.	func_chat
Assigned section	All chats of the respective language version are available.

Function Module: Change Data

The “Change data” function module allows you to generate a form where panelists can subsequently edit the data they entered upon registration. In the standard panel, you can find this form on the Change details page, for example. You can determine which data can be edited in this form using a separate GUI.

You can use the “func_change_details” template to change the appearance of the “Change data” form.

Options

The following options are available:

Option	Wildcard	Meaning	Standard panel „Change details“ page
Reference name for template		Name that can be used to trigger the module in positioning templates.	change_details
Page module title		Name of the module in the page’s module overview	Change details
Module template		Module-specific template that controls how data provided by the module are displayed.	func_change_details
Form configuration		In this field, you choose the appropriate form	Change data form
New e-mail address must be entered twice (for confirmation)?		An input field in which the new email address must be confirmed is displayed.	yes
New password must be entered twice (for confirmation)?		An input field in which the new password must be confirmed is displayed.	yes
Mail template for confirming change of e-mail address		The selected mail template is sent to the panelist’s new e-mail address, to validate the changes. The “Standard mail” mail templates are available. The data required for verification should be inserted into the mail template using wildcards. Use #mail_validation_code# to insert the actual verification code; by using #mail_validation_code_complete# you can create a complete clickable link	Change email confirm
Message upon successful change of data	{$change_data.success_message}	In this field, you should enter the message to be displayed once data have been successfully changed.	Your data was changed successfully.

Function Module: Discussion

The “Discussion” function module allows to set up discussions.

In the standard panel, the appearance of the form is determined by the “func_discussion” template.

Options

The “Discussion” function module provides the following setting options:

Option	Meaning	Standard panel
Reference name for template	Name that can be used to trigger the module in positioning templates.	Discussion
Page module title	Name of the module in the page’s module overview	Discussion
Module template	Module-specific template that controls how data provided by the module are displayed.	func_discussion
Assigned section	All discussions of the respective language version are available.
Message title is optional	Activates an additional input field where the participants in the discussion can enter a subject header for their posts.
Maximum number of posts displayed	Limits the length of the display. There is no page break, excess posts are not displayed.
Sort posts by date	Possible sort order: Ascending Descending

Function Module: Downloads

The “Downloads” function module allows to set up download lists.

In the standard panel, the appearance of the form is determined by the “func_download” template.

Options

The “Downloads” function module provides the following setting options:

Option	Meaning	Standard panel
Reference name for template	Name that can be used to trigger the module in positioning templates.	Download
Page module title	Name of the module in the page’s module overview	Download
Module template	Module-specific template that controls how data provided by the module are displayed.	func_download
Assigned section	All download sections of the respective language version are available.
Sort order of files	Possible sorting criteria: Date Title # Accesses Possible sort order: Ascending Descending
Maximum number of files displayed	Limits the length of the display per page. Excess posts are displayed on subsequent pages.
Maximum thumbnail size (pixels)	If you want thumbnails to be displayed, specify a maximum size. If the field is left blank, no thumbnails will be displayed. Up to 300 pixels are possible.

Function Module: Change E-Mail

It is essential for panel operation that panelists’ e-mail addresses are up-to-date. EFS Panel therefore provides a module that allows you to change e-mail addresses with the help of a form. In the standard panel, you can find such a form on the Change details → Change e-mail page, for example

EFS Panel provides various design options:

In addition to the input field for the new e-mail address you can optionally query the old address or request confirmation of the new e-mail address. Both options are used in the standard panel.
By changing their e-mail address panelists trigger verification of their e-mail address in the standard panel, i.e. they are sent a confirmation mail.
Once the change has been saved a message informs the panelists that they must confirm a verification mail to successfully complete the process.

In the standard panel, you can use the “func_change_email” template to change the appearance of the change form and change confirmation.

Options

The “Change e-mail” function module offers the following options.

Option	Meaning	Standard panel „Change email“ page
Reference name for template	Name that can be used to trigger the module in positioning templates.	change_email
Page module title	Name of the module in the page’s module overview	Change email
Module template	Module-specific template that controls how data provided by the module are displayed.
Previous e-mail address must be entered for confirmation?	An input field in which the old email address must be entered is displayed.
New e-mail address must be entered twice (for confirmation)?	An input field in which the new email address must be confirmed is displayed.
Mail template for confirming change of e-mail address	The selected mail template is sent to the panelist’s new e-mail address, to verify the changes. • The “Standard mail” mail templates are available. • The data required for verification should be inserted into the mail template using wildcards. Use #mail_validation_code# to insert the actual verification code; by using #mail_validation_code_complete# you can create a complete clickable link.
Message upon successful change	This text is displayed once the panelists have clicked on the verification link in the confirmation mail.

Function Module: FAQ List

The “FAQ list” function module allows you to embed an FAQ list in a panel page. In the standard panel, such a list can be found for example on the How it works → FAQ page. The contents of the FAQ list are maintained via a separate GUI.

EFS Panel provides various design options:

You can optionally limit the number of FAQ items to be displayed.
You can create different FAQ lists for each language version and place them on different panel pages.
You can sort items according to different criteria.

You can use the “func_faq” template to change the appearance of the FAQ. In the standard configuration, the questions are displayed; users can display the full text of the FAQ item by clicking on the [+] icon.

Options

The “FAQ list” function module offers the following options.

Option	Wildcard	Standard panel „FAQ“ page
Reference name for template	Name that can be used to trigger the module in positioning templates.	FAQ
Page module title	Name of the module in the page’s module overview	FAQ
Module template	Module-specific template that controls how data provided by the module are displayed.	func_faq
Maximum number of entries to be displayed	You can limit the length of the list to a predefined number of FAQ items. This can be particularly useful if you have entered a large number of FAQ items. If you do not wish to limit the number of FAQ items to be displayed, enter “0” or delete the existing value.	2
Show FAQs from list	The FAQ list from which the items are to be included. In the standard panel, only the “main” list is available.
Sort order for items	Possible criteria: Defined sort order Question Answer Author Possible sort order: Ascending Descending	Defined sort order - Ascending

Function Module: Form for Text Search in Modules

Information

Text search is a custom feature that can be made available optionally for EFS 9.1 or higher.

This function module allows to set up a form for text search.

Option	Meaning	Default
Reference name for template	Name that can be used to trigger the module in positioning templates.
Page module title	Name of the module in the page’s module overview
Module template	Module-specific template that controls how data provided by the module are displayed.	func_search
Template for media display	In this field, you can enter the template that controls how uploaded files are output. The field should be kept empty for text search.
Display results using	In this field, you specify the search page which is used to display the results.

Function Module: Forum

You can use the “Forum” module to embed a forum in a panel page. The module is controlled by the “func_forum” template.

Options

The “Forum” function module offers the following options.

Option	Meaning	Standard panel
Reference name for template	Name that can be used to trigger the module in positioning templates.	Forum
Page module title	Name of the module in the page’s module overview	Forum
Module template	Module-specific template that controls how data provided by the module are displayed.
Template for media display	In this field, you can enter the template that controls how uploaded files are output. Images are usually displayed. A download link is available for other file types.	tpl_media_display
Assigned forum	All forums for the respective language version are available.
Display mode	Available options are: Chronological, newest posts on top Chronological, oldest posts on top Only usable in context of special programming: Threaded: Posts are displayed in such a way that clearly shows a hierarchy of main and side discussions. Please mind that this option requires special programming: The hierarchic display is not part of the standard scope.
Topic sort order	Using the drop-down-lists, you can define in which order the topics of a forum should be displayed on the website. Possible criteria: Topic title Displayed date of creation Date of last post Number of posts Possible sort order: Ascending Descending
Thread sort order	Using the drop-down-lists, you can define in which order the threads should be displayed. Possible criteria: Thread title Number of posts Date of last post Date of creation From EFS 10.3: Number of ratings From EFS 10.3: Average rating Possible sort order: Ascending Descending
From EFS 10.3: Panelists are allowed to modify the thread-sorting	If the option is activated, the thread sorting is displayed on the website.	Deactivated
Maximum number of posts displayed per page	Limits the length of the display per page. Excess posts are displayed on the following pages.
From EFS 10.1: Maximum number of threads displayed per page	Limits the length of the display per page. Excess threads are displayed on the following pages. In the external view, the pagination feature will be displayed as soon as the number of threads exceeds the limit.
Allow anonymous posts	You can permit anonymous posting. If the feature is activated, a checkbox „Anonymous post“ will be displayed on the website. If panelists mark the respective checkbox before submitting their posts, their profiles will not be linked - even if they have explicitly activated sharing of profile data. To prevent abuse, it will of course be logged internally who authored such anonymous posts, and moderators can access this information in the admin area.	Deactivated
Mail template for thread subscription mail	The subscription feature is activated by selecting a mail template which contains the accompanying text for the notification. Available are templates of the “standard mail” type. The following wildcards can be used: #subscription_title#: Title of the section #subscription_post_title#: Title of the new post #subscription_post_link#: Link to post #subscription_unsubscribe#: Link that allows to unsubscribe Once the feature is activated, Subscribe-/Unsubscribe links will be displayed in the forum threads. When panelists have subscribed to a forum thread they will receive an e-mail notification whenever a new post has been added. Panelists with panel status “inactive” (i.e. usually panelists who left the panel) will not get e-mails.
Allow editing	You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow the members of your community to subsequently edit their own forum posts. You can choose among the following options: Always allow editing Allow editing for 20 minutes after creation Disallow editing completely When editing is enabled, the panelists will see an Edit icon in their own posts. Moderators and other community members can identify subsequently edited posts via the date of the last change, which is displayed in the post itself on the website and in the list of posts in the admin area.
Header for quotes	Where panelists use the “Reply w/ quote” function, the text they are replying to is displayed as a quote in their post. In this field, you can determine whether, and if so, which information is to be displayed in the header line of the quote. In doing so you can use the following wildcards: #poster_account#: The quoted panelist’s account #poster_firstname#: The quoted panelist’s first name #poster_name#: The quoted panelist’s last name #poster_email#: The quoted panelist’s e-mail address #post_date#: Date the quoted post was created #post_title#: Title of the quoted post Example: On #post_date# #poster_firstname# #poster_name”: is filled with: On January 1, 2008 John Doe wrote:
Default title of replies	When a panelist is answering to a post, a default text can be inserted as the title. In this field, you can define this text. You can use the same wildcards as in “Header for quotes”.
Style for quotes	You can decide how quotes should be displayed: Display quotes with leading > symbol: Word wraps are inserted into the quoted text, each line starting with a >. Display quotes in nested div elements: The quoted text will be enclosed by a div named “quote-main”. Via the CSS file (usually the “css_default” include), you can define how the quotes will be displayed.
Maximum width of thumbnails	Maximum width in pixels of the thumbnails for the images uploaded by the panelists or the moderators in Pixels.	100
Maximum height of thumbnails	Maximum height in pixels of the thumbnails for the uploaded images, see above.	100
Maximum width of scaled images	Maximum width in pixels. Please mind: A change of this option affects only newly-uploaded images. Existing images are not modified retroactively.
Maximum height of scaled images	Maximum height in pixels, see above.

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