Configuring and Managing Websites and Language Versions

This Chapter will familiarize you with tools and features that help you set up and operate panel websites and language versions according to your requirements.

This Chapter shows you how to manage your panel websites and language versions. This includes, for example, deactivating a website and assigning access rights to user teams.
It will be explained how to create additional websites and language versions.
The Chapter provides an overview of the varied configuration options offered by EFS Panel. There are numerous options
– for the entire panel
– for individual websites
– for individual language versions.
Panel sites can usually be accessed via one or more dedicated domains.It will be explained how you can match domain and panel site via the EFS People GUI and which further steps are necessary.
Automated tests help you avoid making mistakes when configuring websites.

Information

The website editor is designed for up to 20 websites and up to 40 language versions.

Managing Websites and Language Versions

In the Website menu you can manage the different websites and language versions.

The following info and actions is displayed for a website:

Name: Name of the website(s). A click on the name opens the website-specific settings.
Number of pages
Mapped domains.
To-do marker: Allows you and your colleagues to store notes, e. g. on the degree of completion of a website, directly in EFS.
Default website: yes / no
Online - Set website offline / Offline - Set website online: The button displays the status and allows you to activate or deactivate the website. It is not possible to put the default website offline.
Set rights: You can restrict the access rights of user teams to individual websites.
Test website: Allows to check the configuration automatically.
Copy website: This function allows you to copy an entire website including its language versions.
Delete: This function allows you to delete an entire website. You cannot delete a default website.

The following info and actions are displayed for a language version:

Name: Indented below the website, you can find the related language version(s). A click on the name opens the Website editor of the language version.
Target pages: Pages to which visitors are automatically taken in different situations, if they click on or enter the panel URL.
To-do marker: Allows you and your colleagues to store notes, e. g. on the degree of completion of a website, directly in EFS.
Default language version: yes / no
Only in Panels with Social Insight Connect: Facebook: For language versions with an activated Social Insight Connect app, a red icon is displayed. Via this icon, you can access the configuration dialog of the app.
Online - Set language version offline / Offline - Set language version online: The button displays the status and allows you to activate or deactivate the language version. It is not possible to put the default language version of the default website offline.
Preview: Opens the language version in a pop-up window.
Excel export: Allows you to export text elements for external editing.
Upload file: Allows you to import externally edited text elements.
Set rights: You can restrict the access rights of user teams to individual language versions.
Test language version: Allows to check the configuration automatically.
Copy language version: This function allows you to copy an entire language version.
Delete: This function allows you to delete an entire language version. You cannot delete a website’s default language version.

Putting a Website or Language Version Online/Offline

Using the buttons Online - Set website / language version offline and Offline - Set website / language version online, you can put the various websites and language versions online or offline.

If a website is offline, none of its language versions are accessible to visitors.
If a language version is offline, then it is no longer accessible to visitors.

It is not possible to put the default website and its default language version offline.

Information

We recommend that you create and display a replacement page with an error or maintenance message, for example, if you deactivate a website or language version.

Defining Access Rights on Panel Sites or Language Versions

You can limit access to the different web sites and language versions by assigning object rights to specific user teams.

To do so, choose the desired panel site or language version and select the Set rights icon. The standard rights dialog opens, in which you can assign different teams read or write rights.

The read or write rights refer to all those website or language version specific ACL rights, which were assigned to the team in general. If the team has for example general write rights on the news functions (news_admin), then it can edit the news only for those language versions for which it has write rights.

Information

You can assign rights to News and FAQ, the menus containing community features, forms etc. in specific languages to user teams, without granting them access to the website editor. This is of special importance if you want to delegate community management to users who are not familiar with the website editor.

To realize such a constellation, you have to combine

Write rights for “mod_panelsite”, which grants access to the Website module,
Rights for those language versions and corresponding parent websites which the team is supposed to manage,
ACL rights for the respective menus

and abstain from granting read or write rights on “panel_cms”.

Editing Text Elements of the CMS Externally

Key text elements of the CMS can be exported for external editing or translation. Afterwards, the changed content is imported back into EFS. External editing allows to add new text elements, too, which is particularly useful when upgrading panel installations:

it is possible to create new text elements. This is of special importance if, after upgrading a panel to a new version of EFS, additional wildcards or messages are needed.
It is up to you to decide if you want to add new text elements during import, or if existing texts should be updated as well.
The export file can be imported into any language version of the installation. Thus, you can use one export file to create new text elements in several language versions.

The following text elements can be edited externally:

Wildcards for text elements
Notifications
Error messages

Information

Registration messages, topics, HTML page titles and other text elements are currently not covered by the export function.

Exporting content

Switch to the Website menu to make an export.
Choose the desired language version. Open the export dialog by clicking on the Excel export icon.
Choose the contents which you would like to export.
Confirm by clicking on Export.
The export file is created. You can download it by clicking on the file Copy file to local PC.

Importing contents

Switch to the Website menu to make an import.
Choose the desired language version. Open the import dialog by clicking on the Upload file icon.
Choose the edited Excel file from the hard drive of your PC.
To update existing wildcards and messages, activate the “Update existing datasets” checkbox. If you want to add new text elements, while keeping the old ones as they are, make sure the checkbox is deactivated.
With Import the import operation will be triggered.

Editing contents externally

The exported XLS file contains the wildcards and messages of the CMS, various meta information and the empty column “new content” in which the required new texts can be entered. The following tables 15.1 and 15.2 explain the meaning of the columns in detail.

To realize your changes, please proceed as follows:

To change existing text elements, simply enter the appropriate new text in the “new content” column.
To create a new wildcard, add a new row and add the required data.
To create a new notification or error message, you have to add two new rows:
- The text type of the first row is “header”. For a message of type „error message“, you can optionally enter a header in this row.
- The text type of the first row is “body”. It contains the message itself and is obligatory.

Information

Caution: A frequently made mistake is to change the text in the “content” column. New text must be entered in the “new content” column.

Table contents:

Column	Meaning
section	Indicates which type of content it is.
identifier	Number or name of each text element.
text type	In this column, you define if the respective row contains header or body of a message.
language	Language version’s abbreviation.
content	The previous content of each text element. Do not change!
new content	Text changes or new texts are entered into this column.
status	Indicates the status of the editing process.

Entry in the column “section”:

Entry in the column “section”	Meaning
placeholders	Wildcards for text elements.
errors	Error messages.
messages	Notifications.

Creating Websites and Language Versions

You can create new websites as well as new individual language versions. However, their configuration and page structure must be created from scratch. Alternatively, you may copy an existing website or a selected language version, adopting the respective settings and contents. This is advisable, for example, if the copied version is to differ only slightly from the original or if you need a copy for testing purposes.

Information

Please note: Copying of websites and language versions is only possible within the same installation. An export / import function that would allow a transfer from one installation to another is not available.

Creating a New Website

Switch to the Website menu.
Click on the + Website button.
Enter the name of the new website.
Select the appropriate functional scope.
Confirm by clicking on Create website.

A new website which already has a default language version will be displayed. In the default version “Standard Layout // From scratch”, however, neither are configured nor do they contain pages or templates, merely a few settings are preset by default.

Creating a New Language Version

Switch to the Website menu.
Click on + Language version.
Specify the website you wish to assign the new language version to.
Enter the name of the new language version.
Confirm by clicking on Create.

A new language version will be created. This language version is neither configured nor does it contain pages or templates.

Copying an Existing Website

Switch to the Website menu.
Search for the website you wish to copy. In the “Actions” column, click on the Copy website icon.
Enter the name of the new website.
Specify the existing content you wish to copy. You can copy messages, wildcards, page modules, templates and includes, form configuration, news items, FAQ, quick polls, bulletin boards, mail templates and bonus items.
Specify the language version you wish to copy.
Confirm by clicking on Create.

Information

Please note:

At least one language version must be copied.
Results from quick polls, contributions to forums, discussions and chats, blogs and download files are not copied.
The counter registering the hits for news items is reset during copying.
Social Insight Connect: The settings on the language version-specific tab Facebook configuration are not copied, Social Insight Connect will be deactivated in the copy.

Copying an Existing Language Version

Switch to the Website menu.
Search for the language version you wish to copy. In the “Actions” column, click on the Copy language version icon.
Enter the name of the new language version.
Specify the existing content you wish to copy. You can copy messages, wildcards, news items, mail templates, bonus items, quick polls, page modules, templates and includes, form configuration, FAQ, forums, download sections, discussions, chats and blogs. In language versions with Social Insight Connect, the settings on the tab Facebook configuration are not copied, Social Insight Connect will be deactivated in the copy.
Confirm by clicking on Create.

General Settings

EFS Panel offers a wide variety of configuration options, both global options that apply to the entire panel installation and options that apply to individual websites and language versions. These features are presented in detail in the following.

Global Settings for the Entire Panel

In the Website → Global configuration menu you can define parameters that apply to the entire EFS Panel installation.

Global settings for all websites

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