The ContentsTab and Structuring a Publication

  Meta::

     Valid for:  Silva 0.9.3, Zope 2.6.2, Python 2.1.3
     Authors:    kit blake
                 Clemens Klein-Robbenhaar 
     Email:      kitblake+infrae.com
                 robbenhaar+espresto.com
     CVS:        $Revision: 1.11 $ $Date: 2003/12/06 07:06:06 $

  The first time you enter Silva, you find yourself in the ContentsTab.
  This is the standard entry point, always reachable by adding '/edit' to
  a container URL (adding '/edit' to the URL of a content type takes
  you to its EditorTab).
  
  Previously we mentioned that Silva sites have a tree structure, and
  this metaphor is carried through in the interface. A publication has a
  forest icon, a folder has a few trees in it, and a document icon is one
  tree. Text in a document has a tree structure as well.

  Structuring a publication 

    Structuring a publication involves dividing the content into units.
    Depending on the size of the publication, these units might be
    folders or sub-publications. A folder is comparable to a chapter in a
    book, while a sub-publication would function as a section. This task
    - including the creation of items as well as determining their
    order - occurs in the ContentsTab of a container.

  The sidebar

    The sidebar is visible in all container screens, except in the
    PreviewTab. At the top of the sidebar you see the name of the screen
    that is currently active. Next to the name are symbols which work the
    same as the arrows (or trees) next to the tabs. The small arrow takes
    you up one level (alt-[). The big arrow takes you to the top of the
    current publication (alt-]. If you are already at the top of a
    publication which is nested, the big tree turns into a double tree
    which will take you up to the top of the parent publication.

    The sidebar shows the containers that exist in the publication you
    are working in. Folders are shown unfolded and thus show any other
    containers inside them, but nested publications are not unfolded. In
    order to see the contents of a publication you need to enter it, and
    the sidebar is a quick way to do so.

  Contents listing

    At the top of the listing the title of the container is shown
    together with its icon. The listing has the following columns:

    - The first column contains a checkbox for selection. Next to the
    checkbox is the position number of the item. Knowing position is
    useful when moving an object with the |_move_| button. At the bottom
    there is also a 'select all' checkbox to select all items
    at once.

    - **modify**: Shows the icon for the content type of the item as
      well as the id of the item. The id appears in URLs (which the
      public sees in links and the browser location field). Content
      that is approved or published has a checkmark shown after the
      id.

      The icon and the id are both a link to the first screen of the
      item (EditorTab or ContentsTab, depending on whether it is a
      ContentObject or a ContainerObject).
  
    - **preview**: shows the title of the item, and links to the
      preview screen of the object.

    - **modified**: the date and time of the last modification, if the
      object is a ContentObject. If the object is a ContainerObject
      'n/a' (not applicable) is shown. The modified cell has
      a downlink to the Properties screen.

    - **author**: displays the name of the last person who edited the
      item, and is a downlink to the PublishTab of the item. If the
      object is a ContainerObject the text 'n/a' (not
      applicable) is shown.

    - **shift**: contains an up and down arrow for reordering items.

    The order of publication items is manipulated in the
    ContentsTab. This determines the structure of the TOC (Table of
    Contents) which can be inserted in pages. The 'index'
    document is always listed first and connot be moved (the index
    doesn't show up in the Table of Contents as it is assumed to
    contain the TOC). The order of items can be changed using the
    shift up/down arrows or the move function. One or more items can
    be selected and moved by choosing a position in the select list
    and clicking the |_move_| button (alt-m). They will then be moved
    to the chosen position.

    At the bottom of the listing (separated by a horizontal line) come
    Assets. An Asset is content that does not appear in the TOC, such
    as images and file objects. If there are no Assets in the current
    container, this section does not appear.

  Adding objects

    At the upper left of the contents listing is a |_new_| button and
    a select list. The |_new_| button (alt-n) links to a screen with
    descriptions of all objects that can be added in that location. In
    the New screen, clicking an object name initiates the create action.
    The select list (alt-s) is a shortcut, initiating the create action
    immediately after selection in the drop down list. The following
    Silva objects can be added:

    - Document

    - Folder

    - Publication

    - Image

    - File

    - Ghost

    - Ghost Folder

    - Indexer

    - Link

    - Automatic Table of Contents

    The content of this list can vary however; site administrators can
    disable certain objects as well as install Silva extensions that
    add new content types.

  The object creation screen
    
    The object creation screen typically asks for an id and a title,
    but may also ask for extra information depending on what kind of
    content object is being added.

    The 'id' of an object (comparable to a 'file
    name') should be as short as possible while still retaining
    some meaning. While the id won't typically be displayed openly on a
    public web page generated by Silva, it will appear as part of the URL
    of this object (see the browser location bar). It can also be used to
    create a relative link. A clear name for an id is therefore important
    when people are reading URLs or looking for content in Silva. The
    tips in the &8216;id' section of the creation screen indicates
    some restrictions that ids have to conform to.

    The title should be descriptive as it will be visible to the
    public inside web pages. For most content objects it will appear
    on top of the public web page, but it will also appear in a Table of
    Contents as well as in site navigation.

    The |_cancel_| button on the left is used to back out from creation
    and return to the ContentsTab. The |_save_| button creates the object
    and returns you to the ContentsTab of the container. |_save+edit_| is
    used to go directly to the EditorTab or ContentsTab of the object
    that has been created. 

  Manipulating objects 

    At the bottom of the contents listing are a series of buttons
    which provide familiar functionality, plus some Silva specific
    functions.  Items must be selected first before any of these
    operations can be performed (except pasting and pasting as ghost).

      **move** (alt-m) -- 
        Move selected item(s) to a new position in the contents listing.

      **rename** (alt-r) -- 
        Change the id and/or title of the selected item(s).

      **cut** (alt-x) -- 
        Selected items are placed on the clipboard for moving. The same
        restrictions apply to cutting that apply to deleting objects.

      **copy** (alt-c) -- 
        Selected items are placed on the clipboard for copying.
     
      **paste** (alt-v) -- 
        Items on the clipboard are pasted, either copying or moving
        them. This button is only present when there is something on
        the clipboard.

      **paste ghost** (alt-g) -- 
        Items on the clipboard are pasted as ghost objects. As with
        paste, this button is only present when there is something on the
        clipboard. |_paste_ghost_| allows content in other locations
        to be (re)used in the current publication. Ghosts are useful for
        creating matrix structures, where a 'horizontal'
        publication can intersect across multiple 'vertical'
        publications, creating a thematic overlay in the information
        matrix. An example might be a publication for university students
        which includes (pre-existing) content from multiple faculty
        publications.

      **delete** (alt-d) -- 
        Selected items are deleted (if allowed). An alert will appear,
        asking "Really delete?". Sometimes items cannot be
        deleted, for instance approved objects must first have their
        approval revoked and published objects must first be closed
        (these actions occur in the
        "PublishTab":../PublishTab/). Folders which contain such items
        cannot be deleted either. This restriction exists to prevent a
        user from accidentally removing objects that are intended to
        be public.

  Importing XML 

    Via the |_import_| button (alt-i) you can import Silva XML from
    other locations or Silva sites. You must have an XML file on your
    local disk that you can upload. 

    The import will create a new branch in your Silva complete with
    Publications (if any), Folders, and Silva Documents. Note that
    only the XML text will be imported. Non-versioned content, Images,
    Assets, and Zope objects are not imported. Access settings are
    also not carried over. However all references and metadata remains
    intact. If you wish to import/export more that just textual
    content, an export within Zope will serve your purposes better.

  Import a Word document

    If Docma has been installed for your site, the option to import a
    Word document is also available through this screen. Docma at
    present requires Word 2000. Documents created with other Word
    versions might also work but may lead to different results.
    
    To create Silva content out of a Word document use the import screen
    in the Contents screen. In the "import word document
    (.doc)" section click on the [_browse_] button and select the
    file you want to convert.

    o **email address:** You are notified once your job is finished. 

    o **description:** The job will be shown with this description in the job
      lists. Leaving it empty results in the file name as description.

    Click on the [_import_] button to start the import. 
      
    See the Infrae site for more information about how to
    "markup":http://infrae.com/products/docma/docma_server#markup your Word
    document properly.

<br /> Copyright &copy; 2002, 2003, 2004 Infrae. All rights reserved.<br /> 
See also "LICENSE.txt":license.txt
