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The Knowledgebase

Study Abroad: The Site Builder

Terra Dotta's Site Builder provides offices with an easy and efficient way to build, preview, and publish public site pages. Use an existing template to input your desired text and images, or choose to drag and drop components to customize your page layout. Benefit from integrations with Program Discovery and staff pages, and create timely announcements for site visitors. 

See the "Learning Resources" section of this article for additional information and video instruction on the features of the Site Builder. 

This article covers the following topics related to the Site Builder:

 

 

Important Considerations

Before getting started with the Site Builder, review these important considerations:

1. It is not recommended to link to external images located on HTTP (instead of HTTPS) servers in your custom headers/footers/CSS.

2. When navigating to the Admin Console > Site Builder for the first time, you will have one of the following options depending on your site:

  • Import Classic Content: If you are currently using Terra Dotta's classic site builder to support your site's public pages and you have not yet created content in the Site Builder, then Terra Dotta has automatically imported this classic content into the Site Builder. This action eliminates your need to spend time manually creating pages yourself and gives your office the benefit of previewing how your public pages appear in this updated interface before they are published for public use. You will need to manually disable the "Legacy Public Site" setting in order for your site to officially begin using the Site Builder's public pages. See the Site Builder Import Guide article for details. 
  • The Site Wizard: Use this guided process to navigate through the basics of setting up your public site pages. This option is for offices that either do not have classic content already imported or do not want to import classic site builder content as the Site Wizard is a quick way to set up the essential parts of your public site pages in the Site Builder. After clicking "Site Wizard", you'll move through four main steps, after which time you can preview your work and publish your changes. Your site will immediately begin using the pages of the Site Wizard for your public site pages at this time. If you had previously been using the classic site builder pages, then the "Legacy Public Site" setting will be disabled automatically. The Site Wizard will no longer appear after you've published your changes; however, you can always access the Site Builder to add, modify, and delete aspects of your public site pages.

Regardless of the option you select above, you will continue to have access to the Site Builder afterwards to create and modify public menus, pages, and content. 

3. If at anytime during the import process you determine that you actually want to revert your changes and manually create your pages in the Site Builder instead, then you should open a Support case. Our team will be able to assist you with this action. It is not possible for an admin to revert the changes from an import process on their own.

4. The Site Builder's Content Editor Guide accompanies this article and offers details on the Site Builder's content editing tools. 

5. To manually disable the use of your classic public site pages and begin using your Site Builder's public site pages, you must disable the following setting:

  • Navigate to Settings > System Features > Interface Settings > Legacy Public Site.
  • Uncheck the option for "Enable" and click "Update" to preserve your changes.

This setting should not be disabled until you have created and published, at a minimum, a public site home page in the Site Builder. Otherwise, disabling the "Legacy Public Site" setting without a public site home page in place will result in site users being unable to access a home page for your site. 

Again, you must have a home page created and published before you enable the Site Builder. Otherwise, site users will a message on the home page similar to "The page you were looking for does not exist".

6. After you've started using the Site Builder for your public site pages (i.e. the legacy public site setting has been disabled), you will no longer have access to the following classic menus (as you will use the options available in the Admin Console > Site Builder instead):

  • Site > Announcements
  • Site > Site Builder
  • Site > Staff Pages

The classic Site Builder should be used to modify logged-in pages prior to enabling the Site Builder. After you have enabled the Site Builder for your public site pages, you will not have access to the classic menu which is the only place where you can edit logged-in pages at this time. If subsequent changes were needed to logged-in pages, you would need to disable the Site Builder to regain access to the classic Site Builder menu. Then, you'd make your changes and re-enable the Site Builder. 

7. Preview your changes before transitioning to the Site Builder or publishing content.

For existing clients, take the following steps before enabling the use of the Site Builder's public site pages:

  • Preview your public site pages and compare them to your logged-in pages. It may be the case that you need to adjust settings in the classic layout editor so that your classic logged-in pages align with your public pages as desired. Preview links are valid for 24 hours before expiring.
  • It is only possible to preview saved changes to pages.
  • It is possible to preview Program Wizard brochures by previewing your "Programs" page. It is important to note that if your site is using custom style sheets (CSS), then a change to the Site Builder may impact how information appears on your brochures. 
  • Any public page links (including copied search URLs that might be used with buttons on your institution home page) that direct site users to search result pages in the classic advanced search will not be compatible with a transition to the Site Builder. You must replace these links with search result page links from Program Discovery. Otherwise, these links, once the page is published, will direct users to the Program Discovery page - with no search results applied. 
  • After you have published a change, this action cannot be reverted. You would need to edit the current content to your liking and save those changes.

8. The Site Builder supports two levels of menus on the public site home page.

  • The main menus that appear directly on the home page are referred to as "parent" menus. A parent menu can have sub-menus that are referred to as "nested" menus.
  • If a parent menu has at least one nested menu, then the parent menu will no longer be clickable. For this reason, the "Home" menu can never have a nested menu.
  • It is not possible for a nested menu to have a sub-menu of its own. 
  • A menu has a maximum length of 25 characters. 

These features, along with others, are in place to ensure best practices so that your web pages render as expected, leading to the best user experience possible. 

9. Program Discovery is the program search option available for use in the Site Builder.

10. With the Site Builder, the following classic options are not supported on public program search pages: List All, Simple Search, Advanced Search, Map Search, and Featured Programs. 

Important Note:

  • If your public site pages use links to direct site users to search result pages in the classic advanced search, then these links will need to be replaced with those pointing to search result pages in Program Discovery prior to enabling the Site Builder. If you do not replace these links, then a site user will be routed to Program Discovery without the classic advanced search filter applied as these links are not compatible.
  • If your public site pages use links to direct site users to search result pages in Program Discovery, then these links will redirect site users to Program Discovery and the desired search results pages as expected after you enable the Site Builder.

11. As a component of the Site Builder, the use of text identifiers with Program Discovery (i.e. #10203, #10204, and #10097) is not supported. Instead, offices can use the content editor's text box to create instructions that appear on the Program Discovery page. 

12. The Document Center appears as part of the Site Builder menu in the Admin Console and can be used to create and upload documents. It is not currently possible to perform the following actions in this Document Center:

  • Create and delete folders.
  • Access the Document Center in the Site Builder's content editor.

13. For offices that used folders in the classic Image Library, these folders will be converted into tags when the 22.2 release upgrade to production sites occurs. From this point onward, you should create tags to organize your images. Any folders created in the classic Image Library after the 22.2 release upgrade will not be converted into tags.

Images should be managed (i.e. modified or deleted) in the Site Builder's Image Library.

14. If your site has been using custom style sheets (CSS) on your brochure pages, then this CSS will be removed when you change over to using the Site Builder. Therefore, you will want to review these potential changes as it might call for you to make adjustments to the CSS in your Site Builder to accommodate changes on your brochure pages. 

15. Making a change from using the classic site builder to the current Site Builder will result in your Program Wizard brochures losing their gutters.  

16. The Site Builder does not support the use of JavaScript.  

 

 

Access and Permissions

To access the Site Builder, navigate to the Admin Console > Settings > Site Builder. 

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To view the Site Builder option in the Admin Console's Settings card and in the left Navigation Menu, the admin must have one of the following permissions:

  • Maintenance: Superuser (Terra Dotta Support only)
  • Website Admin: Homepage Content
  • Website Admin: Link Content 

To update Site Builder settings and add or update existing pages in the Site Builder, the admin must have one of the following permissions:

  • Maintenance: Superuser (Terra Dotta Support only)
  • Website Admin: Homepage Content
  • Website Admin: Link Content 

To access the "Image Library" tab of the Site Builder and add, update, or delete images from it, the admin must have one of the following permissions:

  • Maintenance: Superuser (Terra Dotta Support only)
  • System Settings: Image Library (Add)
  • System Settings: Image Library (Edit)

To access the "Document Center" tab of the Site Builder and add, update, or delete items from it, the admin must have one of the following permissions:

  • Maintenance: Superuser (Terra Dotta Support only)
  • Website Admin: Document Center (Add)
  • Website Admin: Document Center (Edit)

The Site Builder consists of five main tabs:

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  • Site Settings: Manage the general configurations and customization options for your site.
  • Menus: Create the main links which display at the top of your public site home page.
  • Pages: Create standard pages as well as those for staff members and announcements. 
  • Image Library: Manage a catalogue of your site's images.
  • Document Center: Create and manage your site's documents. 

 

 

Site Settings

The "Site Settings" section of the Site Builder is where an admin can adjust the available settings for their public site home page. As changes are being made, the following actions will appear as available options to the admin at the top right section of the page:

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  • Get Preview Link: Copy a link to your clipboard which can then be shared with anyone who might need to view and give input to your changes before they are made public. A preview link is valid for 24 hours before expiring.
  • Reset: Revert any changes that have not yet been published. After changes have been published, you will not be able to reset them to what they were prior to the last publish action. Note that this "reset" action is not the same as reverting the import process of classic content into the Site Builder. In order to revert that action, you must open a Support case. 
  • Publish Changes: Make your recent changes public. After a change has been published, it cannot be reverted. You will need to make the desired changes and then save, preview, and publish again. 
  • Save Site Settings: Preserve your changes. In some cases, this action does not automatically make the changes public. 

Important Note: Any time a change is made, the "Save Site Settings" option should be used to preserve your changes. It is then recommended to preview your changes when the option is available before publishing them.

If the "Legacy Site Builder" setting is enabled, a message will appear at the top of the Site Settings tab with a direct link to disable this setting when ready:

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Settings can be adjusted in one of the following six sections of the "Site Settings" tab:

1. General Configurations

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Use this section to assign the visual elements that will shape your site's identity with users. These include:

  • Primary Color: Choose from the available colors, or manually set a color property. This color also serves as the default footer color. 
  • Institution Logo: Upload a file or make a selection from the Image Library or Pixabay. Consider assigning your image a name and tag under the "Image Details" as a best practice for organizing images. A suggested resolution is a maximum of 92 DPI (dots per inch).
  • Headline & Paragraph Fonts: A selection of the top 50 most popular Google fonts appear from which to make a selection. It is not possible to upload custom fonts. Choose from the following fonts: 
    • Arimo
    • Barlow
    • Bebas Neue
    • DM Sans
    • Dosis
    • Fira Sans
    • Heebo
    • Hind Siliguri
    • IBM Plex Sans
    • Inconsolata
    • Inter
    • Josefin Sans
    • Karla
    • Lato
    • Libre Baskerville
    • Libre Franklin
    • Lora
    • Merriweather
    • Montserrat
    • Mukta
    • Mulish
    • Nanum Gothic
    • Noto Sans
    • Noto Sans JP
    • Noto Sans KR
    • Noto Sans SC
    • Noto Sans TC
    • Noto Serif
    • Nunito
    • Nunito Sans
    • Open Sans
    • Oswald
    • Oxygen
    • Playfair Display
    • Poppins
    • PT Sans
    • PT Sans Narrow
    • PT Serif
    • Quicksand
    • Raleway
    • Roboto
    • Roboto Condensed
    • Roboto Mono
    • Roboto Slab
    • Rubik
    • Source Code Pro
    • Source Sans Pro
    • Titillium Web
    • Ubuntu
    • Work Sans

2. Homepage Features

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Set a background color and image for your public site homepage.

Enable features to appear on your public site home page, such as the "Apply Now" button.

3. Pages Background 

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Set a background color and image for your public site home page.

4. Header

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Add HTML for a custom header.

5. Footer

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Modify text and information in the existing footer template, or use the available options to create your own footer layout.

By default, the footer will use the primary color defined under the "General Configurations" section of your Site Settings tab. This footer color can be changed as follows:

  • Select your footer canvas.
  • Open the Style Manager navigate to Decorations. 
  • In the Background Color field, enter the desired HEX color code, making sure to include the "#" sign. 
  • Click on the "Save Site Settings" icon at the top right of the page. You can preview your changes before publishing them. 

To edit the existing template to add a hyperlink to the social media icons, follow these steps:

  • Click on your desired social media icon, such as Facebook. This action will prompt a small command menu to appear.
  • From the menu, click on the arrow icon. 

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  • Click on the "Component Settings" icon (i.e. the gear icon) in the main command menu. This action will prompt a menu to appear with an "Href", or hypertext reference, field which is where you specify the URL of the page to which the social media icon should link. For example, I could enter https://www.facebook.com/TerraDotta.

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  • Click on the "Save Site Settings" icon located at the top right of the Site Settings page to preserve your changes.

6. Theme

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Enter CSS to modify the public site home page theme.

7. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

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For sites using third-party tools to gather, measure, and optimize site data, use this section to manage the necessary identifiers. Currently, options are available for the following:

  • Google Tag Manager: Enter the corresponding identifier for sites using Google Tag Manager.
  • Google Analytics Measurement: Enter the corresponding identifier for sites using Google Analytics to measure site activity.
  • Social Media Schema Markup: Select a social media platform from the drop-down menu. Then enter the identifier associated with that platform. This data will add structured data to your site's HTML to assist search engines in returning more relevant search results about your site. This code will not appear on your public site home page. Click the "+" icon to add additional social media platforms.

 

 

Menus

A menu appears in the top right section of your public site home page and has the job of directing users to a public page on your site, a URL, or a sub-menu (also referred to as a nested menu). Menus have high visibility and generally link users to pages which contain key features or information.

Important Note: You must first create a page before you can link that page to a parent menu. Otherwise, you can link to a URL if you want to route users to an external page.

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From the main "Menus" section, information is displayed in columns from to left to right as follows:

  • Ordinal
  • Title
  • Link
  • Target
  • Actions
    • Edit Menu
    • Delete Menu

To create a menu:

1. From the "Menus" tab, click on the "+" icon for "Add Menu". This navigates you to a blank builder page. 

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2. Populate information for the following fields:

  • Title: The name of your menu link that will appear on your public site home page. 
    • Example: Let's imagine that you want to create a link that appears on your public site home page that will navigate users to your institution's home page. For the menu title, we'll use "TDU University".
  • Link: Search for an existing page to link (created in the "Pages" section), or enter a URL to which this menu will direct users. For example: If your menu title is "TDU University" and you want to route users to your institution's home page, then you would enter your institution's home page URL in the "Link" field.
    • Important Note: If you are creating a parent menu that will later have nested menus associated with it, then you need to manually create a link in this field. This will normally be a forward slash  ( / ) followed by the title of your page. For example: If the title of your page is "Info", then enter the following in the link field: /info
  • Parent: This is an optional field that can be used to create a nested menu that is collapsed inside of your main parent menu. With these nested, or "sub", menus, you can keep the focus on your main parent menus but also provide a sub-option with additional information for your users. As you add parent menus to your public home page, a "Menu Preview" section will appear below the configuration fields so that you can view how the menu will appear.
    • Example: If your parent menu is "Home", then you can select this option so that your nested menu of "TDU University" appears to users when they hover their cursor over the "Home" menu.
  • Target: Choose whether or not your menu will open in a new tab or the same tab.
  • Ordinal: Choose the order (i.e. 1, 2, 3) in which your menus will appear on your public site page. For nested menus, choose the order (i.e. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3) in which they will appear in the parent menu. A parent menu can only have one level of nested menus. This means that a nested menu cannot have its own set of nested menus. 
    • Example: My parent menu is "Home". When I hover over this menu, the nested menu of "TDU University" appears. It would not be possible to create a nested menu for "Financial Aid" that would appear from the nested menu for "TDU University". Instead, my nested menu for "Financial Aid" should be created as a sub-menu for the parent menu of "Home". 

4. Click "Save Menu" to preserve your changes and publish them so that they appear on your public site home page. 

Important Note: After a menu is saved, it is automatically "live" and appears on your public site home page. There is not a separate publish action for menus.  

 

 

Pages

A page is content created for your site to which users can be directed using a menu.

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From the main "Pages" section, information is displayed in columns from to left to right as follows:

  • Title
  • ID
  • Publish Date
  • Page Type
  • Actions
    • Edit
    • Duplicate Page
    • Delete Page
    • Get Preview Link (if an edit has not yet been published)
    • Publish (if an edit has not yet been published)

There are three different page types to choose from in the Site Builder:

  • Standard: A general content page that shares information to users.
    • Example: Common content on a standard page could be FAQs, Health & Safety, Funding Study Abroad, etc.
  • Staff Member: Content which provides information about a staff member, including their name, title, and profile photo. 
  • Announcement: Content which appears in a dedicated "Announcements" banner at the top of your public site page to alert users to important information.

The process to create a page will vary slightly depending on the page type you've selected.

 

 

Creating a Standard Page

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To create a standard page:

1. From the "Pages" tab, click on the "+" icon for "Add Page". This navigates you to a blank builder page. 

2. For page type, select "Standard" from the drop-down menu.

3. Populate information in the Page Info section.

  • Title: This is the name of your page as it will appear in the Site Builder.
  • Page ID: This is a unique identifier that is visible in the URL and references content on the page.
  • Description: These are optional details about your page that are used in search engine results. The maximum length is 180 characters.
  • Publish Date: You do not need to enter any information in this field. After your page has been published, this field will auto-populate with the corresponding date so that you have a record of when the page become public-facing.

4. Populate information in the "Insert Legacy Content" section.

If you previously used the classic, or "legacy", Site Builder to create a page on your site, then this section allows you to pull in that legacy content, make edits, and publish it to your updated public page. This is an optional step as you might choose to not use legacy content.

Use the "Content" drop-down menu to select any page content from the legacy Site Builder to insert onto this standard page. After making your selection, click the "+" icon to add the content to the "Edit Page Content" section.

5. Make changes as desired in the "Edit Page Content" section. For full details on the Site Builder's content editing tools, see the Site Builder's Content Editor Guide.

6. When you are satisfied with your page, click on the "Save Page" icon located on the top right of the page. 

Important Note: This action only preserves the changes you made. It does not automatically publish your page so that it is public-facing.

7. From the main "Page" interface, considering previewing your work by using the "Get Preview Link" option located under the "Actions" column for your page's row. This link can be shared with others in your office or at your institution who might need to give approval before the information is shared publicly. 

8. When you are satisfied with your page, click on the "Publish" option under the "Actions" column.

 

 

Creating a Staff Member Page

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It is possible to create a page with information on a staff member using the Site Builder. 

Important Notes:

Before you begin with creating a staff member page, it may be required that you take the following actions first:

Add the individual as a staff member on your site.

An individual must be a current staff member on your site in order to create a staff member page for them. Staff are added to a site under the classic administrative menu Staff > New Staff Member. Here you will search for the individual using the Directory or manual search, and then add and save the staff member.

Create a standard "Staff" page,

You must have a standard "Staff" page created in order for your staff member pages to appear on your public site pages.

When creating a standard "Staff" page, you will need to drag and drop the "Staff Cards" block from the "TDS Component" onto the canvas in the "Edit Page Content" section of your page. This block cannot be modified as it is a hard-coded template. You also have the option to use the "Staff Table" block. This is the only time that you will use either staff block in the Site Builder. 

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Create a "Staff" menu.

You must have a "Staff" parent menu from which site users will access your staff pages. You might consider populating the information for this menu as follows:

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To create a staff member page in the Site Builder:

1. From the "Pages" tab, click on the "+" icon for "Add Page". This navigates you to a blank builder page. 

2. For page type, select "Staff Member" from the drop-down menu.

3. Populate information in the Page Info section.

  • Title: This is the name of your page as it will appear in the Site Builder. For staff pages, you might consider entering the staff member's name as the title.
    • Example: Fred Pine
  • Page ID: This is a unique identifier that is visible in the URL and references content on the page. Information in this field will auto-populate based on the information entered as your title.  
    • Example: fred-pine
  • Description: These are optional details about your page that are used in search engine results. The maximum length is 180 characters.
  • Publish Date: You do not need to enter any information in this field. After your page has been published, this field will auto-populate with the corresponding date so that you have a record of when the page become public-facing.

4. Populate information in the Page Settings section.

  • Staff Member: Enter the staff member's name to search and make your selection. 
  • Department/Title: Select the appropriate option. This list displays options available from your site's Staff > Title/Dept. Admin menu.
  • Ordinal: Use this setting to order how your staff member cards appear on the public page. By default, the ordinal of "1" will be selected. If you want to swap the position of two staff cards, then you must modify the ordinal for both staff members.

5. Make changes as desired in the "Edit Page Content" section.

For staff pages, the only change you would need to make would be to pull in a text block and add content. This content will display as the biography information for the staff member when a student hovers their mouse over the staff member's image.

For full details on the Site Builder's content editing tools, see the Site Builder's Content Editor Guide.

6. When you are satisfied with your page, click on the "Save Page" icon located on the top right of the page. 

Important Note: This action only preserves the changes you made. It does not automatically publish your page so that it is public-facing.

7. From the main "Page" interface, considering previewing your work by using the "Get Preview Link" option located under the "Actions" column for your page's row. 

8. When you are satisfied with your page, click on the "Publish" option under the "Actions" column.

 

 

Creating an Announcements Page

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To create an announcements page:

1. From the "Pages" tab, click on the "+" icon for "Add Page". This navigates you to a blank builder page. 

2. For page type, select "Announcement" from the drop-down menu.

3. Populate information in the "Page Info" section.

  • Title: This is the name of your announcements page as it will appear in the Site Builder.
    • Example: Study Abroad Fair
  • Page ID: This is a unique identifier that is visible in the URL and references content on the page. Information in this field will auto-populate based on the information entered as your title.  
    • Example: study-abroad-fair
  • Announcement Title: This is a brief description of your announcement that will appear on the public site home page. The maximum length is 180 characters. 
    • Example: Next Study Abroad Fair to be held September 15th
  • Publish Date: You do not need to enter any information in this field. After your page has been published, this field will auto-populate with the corresponding date so that you have a record of when the page become public-facing.

4. Populate information in the "Page Settings" section.

  • First Announcement: If you have more than one announcement to configure, use this setting to make this announcement always appear first in your announcement banner.
  • Expiration Date: This is the final date that your announcement will be displayed.
  • More Info: If you want the announcement to link to a content page with more information, then select this box. This action will display the content editor.

5. Make changes as desired in the "Edit Page Content" section. For full details on the Site Builder's content editing tools, see the Site Builder's Content Editor Guide.

6. When you are satisfied with your page, click on the "Save Page" icon located on the top right of the page. 

Important Note: This action only preserves the changes you made. It does not automatically publish your page so that it is public-facing.

7. From the main "Page" interface, considering previewing your work by using the "Get Preview Link" option located under the "Actions" column for your page's row. 

8. When you are satisfied with your page, click on the "Publish" option under the "Actions" column.

Announcements appear at the top of the public site home page in a distinct banner that indicates the number of current announcements.

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Students can expand the section to see all announcements and access details using any available "More Info" links. 

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Image Library 

The Image Library is a space where you can upload, view, and manage images on your Terra Dotta site. These images can be used in site page content as well as in Program Wizard brochures.

To access the Image Library, click on the "Image Library" tab in the Site Builder. 

Four main tabs appear:

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  • Image Library
  • Upload
  • Pixabay
  • Image Details

Image Library

Here you will find a listing of all of the images in your library. For offices that uploaded images in the classic Image Library, those images will appear in this section.

Important Note: For offices that used folders in the classic Image Library, these folders will be converted into tags when the 22.2 release upgrade occurs. From this point onward, you should create tags to organize your images. Any folders created in the classic Image Library after the 22.2 release upgrade will not be converted into tags. The best practice is to only manage your images in the Site Builder's Image Library going forward.

Images are organized with the use of tags (and not folders). Multiple tags can be applied to the same image which gives offices the flexibility to organize images across categories.

The main menu bar consists of the following options:

  • Format Icons: Choose your preferred format for viewing images: Grid or List.
  • Search: Enter a keyword to search on the title of an image.
  • Tags: Click the drop-down menu for a list of existing image tags. Use the search bar to locate an existing tag. If the tag does not appear, click on the "+" icon in the search bar to create a new tag with this name. After you create a tag, you will need to manually locate the new tag and select it in order to add it to an existing image. 

Hovering your mouse over an image provides you with three options:

  • Preview image: Take a peek at what your image looks like in full view.
  • Set image: Select an image to add or update the image's title and tags.
  • Delete image: Permanently remove the image from your library.

Pagination can be modified at the bottom of the page to view a minimum of 10 images at a time (default setting) up to a maximum of 50.

Upload

Add new images to your site in this section of the Image Library with the following steps:

1. Create a title for your image.

2. Select one or more tags to add to your image. Tags provide a way to organize your image into one or more categories. Use the search bar to locate an existing tag. If the tag does not appear, click on the "+" icon in the search bar to create a new tag with this name.

3. Review the file information.

  • Maximum file size is 5 MB.
  • Supported file extensions are jpg, jpeg, gif, and png.

4. Search for an image to upload or drop a file from your computer.

5. Click "Upload".

Pixabay

Your Terra Dotta site provides free access to images from Pixabay. Enter a keyword into the search bar, such as "globe", and view results. If you find an image that you'd like to use, hover over the image and click on the "Set this Image" option. 

Next, assign the image a title and desired tags before clicking "Update". This image is now part of your Image Library.

Image Details

Anytime you hover over an image to "Set this Image", this action refers to adding or updating the image's title and assigned tags. You'll be routed to the "Image Details" tab to take two actions:

  • Add or update an image title.
    • The image title is used as the alternate text for an image. 
  • Add or update the tags assigned to your image.

Make sure to click "Update" to preserve your changes. 

 

 

Document Center

The Document Center provides a way to create, upload, and manage different document types on your site. This section of the Site Builder integrates with your site's existing Document Center. 

Important Security Note: Documents accessed via the Document Center include files that are uploaded to the Document Center and documents that are created directly in the Document Center. These documents should not be considered secure because anyone with the URL of the document can access the document without needing to be logged into your site. Additionally, if a link to the document is created on a public website page or program brochure, Google and other search engines can index that file. Even after deleting the file from your Terra Dotta site, search engines can continue to show the cached file in search results. Be very careful not to upload files that contain sensitive data.

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The main Document Center page consists of a keyword search bar and folder menu. Information is organized in columns from left to right as follows:

  • Title
  • Type
  • Folder
  • Last Modified
  • Actions
    • Download (for those files that were uploaded to the Document Center)
    • View (for those documents created in the Document Center's rich text editor)
    • Copy Link (for those files that were uploaded to the Document Center)
    • Edit
    • Delete

Two types of documents exist in the Document Center:

  • WYS: Content is entered into a rich text (WYSIWYG) editor, thereby creating the document within the Document Center.
  • Non-WYS: Files are uploaded from your computer which might include PDF, JPEG, TXT, or HTML files. 

Important Note: 

  • You can only copy the link of non-WYS documents.
  • If you want to link to a WYS-type document in the Site Builder, then you have the option to drag and drop the "Linked Document" block onto your canvas. You can then select your WYS-type document. When a user visits your public page, they will click on a link from which a modal will appear to display the WYS-type document. More details can be found in The Site Builder's Content Editor Guide article. 

To add a document:

1. Click the "+" icon in the lower right corner of the page. 

2. Assign the document a title.

3. If you want to organize your document into an existing folder, use the "Folder" menu to select the desired folder. 

4. Choose a document creation method. There are two options: 

  • Upload a File: Upload a file from your computer to save in the Document Center. Simply drag and drop the file, or search on your computer for a file to select. 

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  • Upload Rich Text: Enter content into a rich text (WYSIWYG) editor, thereby creating the document within the Document Center.

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5. When you are satisfied with your document, click the "Save Changes" icon. This action will preserve your changes and route you back to the main Document Center page where your document should appear in the list of documents.

 

 

The Site Wizard

For sites that are not yet using the Site Builder for their public site pages, a site wizard is available to guide you through a step-by-step process for setting up your site's key layout features and pages.

The steps include the following:

1. Set Branding

During this step, you will assign the visual elements that will shape your site's identity with users. These include:

  • The site's primary color.
  • The site's headline font. 
  • The site's paragraph font.
  • Institution's branding logo.

A selection of the top 50 most popular Google fonts appear from which to make a selection. It is not possible to upload custom fonts. 

2. Create Site

For this step, you will select one or more page options to display in your site's menu. The pages for "Home" (i.e. your home page) and "Program Discovery" will appear by default. Other options include "Staff Page" and "Deadlines". If you don't have your staff pages set up, for example, then you can always come back and add this option into your site menu when ready.

Important Notes:

  • Program Discovery is the program search tool in the Site Builder. 
  • The information displayed for deadlines is pulled from the App Cycle Management section of the Admin Console.

3. Design Page

During this step, you will customize your home page layout. By default, a template has been provided that you can use as is, with modifications, or not at all if you want to start a layout on your own. 

An advanced web page designer provides built-in components that you can drag and drop into your layout editor. For full details on using this content layout editor, see the standard page section of this article.

Below the "Edit Page Content" section, you'll find the section to edit your site's footer. 

4. Preview & Publish

After all steps have been completed for the Site Wizard, we recommend that you preview your site before publishing changes as the publish action makes your site visible to all users. Note that after changes are published, those changes cannot be reverted. You would need to make your desired edits, save and preview, and then publish again.

Exit the Site Wizard when you are ready. It is always possible to create more pages.

 

 

The Import Tool

The Import Tool is a feature that allows offices currently using Terra Dotta's classic site builder to import  this public page content into the Site Builder.

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After clicking "Import" from the Site Builder's welcome modal, the migration process occurs immediately. After the page reloads, you can preview and edit classic content in the Site Builder before officially enabling the Site Builder to support your public site pages. 

Offices should review the "Important Considerations" section of this article for the best understanding of how to review content before publishing changes and moving forward with enabling the Site Builder. 

 

 

Learning Resources

The following articles and video instruction provide support on using the available features of the Site Builder. 

Articles

Video Instruction

  • The Site Builder: Creating a Standard Page

 

  • The Site Builder: Creating a Staff Member Page

  • The Site Builder: Creating an Announcements Page

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What program search options are available with the Site Builder?

Program Discovery is the program search option available for use with the Site Builder. Students can apply filters to search on desired program types, countries, terms, and program details. 

The classic simple and advanced searches are not available for use with the Site Builder. 

2.  Where does the information on the Deadlines page come from?

The Deadlines page is dynamically driven from the site's content and pulls from the data in App Cycle Management.

3. On the Deadlines page, how can I display additional information related to when a program application opens?

The Deadlines component in the Site Builder displays information on upcoming and past deadlines by default. When creating or modifying your Deadlines page in Site Builder > Pages, it is possible to drag and drop a text block onto your canvas in the "Edit Page Content" section of the page editor. Then double click into the text block to open the rich-text editor. Here, you can manually enter information, such as upcoming programs and the dates on which they will begin accepting applications. This information will then display on the Deadlines page after being saved and published. You would need to remember to keep this information updated.

This could look something similar to the following:

FAQ_one.png

 

4. With the Site Builder, is it now possible for an office to add a CSS file directly to their production site? In the past, we had to open a Support case and request that Terra Dotta transfer the CSS file from our sandbox site to production.

Yes, the Site Builder supports CSS that you can add in a draft form from the "Theme" section of the "Site Settings" tab of the Site Builder in your production site. (This eliminates the need to contact Terra Dotta Support for assistance.) It is highly recommended that you preview your changes to ensure you are satisfied with them before publishing.

5. Can the Site Builder support more complex header/footer formatting for institution's that specify site branding?

Yes, the Site Builder's "Site Settings" tab provides support for more complex headers, footers, and custom CSS. Changes can be made, saved in a draft format, and then shared with the necessary partners using a preview link. After you receive the feedback and approval you need, you can move forward with publishing your changes.  

6. I disabled the "Legacy Public Site" page by accident and now cannot access the classic Site > Site Builder menu. Can I undo this change?

Yes, navigate to Settings > System Features > Interface Settings and check the box next to "Legacy Public Site". After clicking "Update", your site will revert to using your classic public site page. In order to see the classic Site > Site Builder menu, you will need to log out of your site and log back in.

7. What information is used as the alternate text for images?

The image title is used for the alternate text. When setting an image, a title is required. 

8. If I want to clean up my site's images and the folders/tags, are the classic and current Site Builders dynamically connected, or would I need to work exclusively in the current Site Builder?

They are not dynamically connected. When production sites were upgraded on July 2, 2022, any existing Image Library folders were converted into tags. Going forward, if you were to create more folders in the classic Image Library, then these would not be converted automatically into tags. The best practice going forward would be to no longer use the classic Image Library and work exclusively from the Admin Console (i.e. accessing the Image Library from the Site Builder or Program Wizard).

9. When will universities need to transition over to using the Site Builder instead of the one in classic?

There is currently not a deadline in place as to when institutions should transition to using the Site Builder to support their public site pages. However, we encourage offices to make the transition as soon as possible in order to benefit from consistency across interfaces as well as the enhanced offerings that become available when you use the Site Builder. 

10. How do I regain access to the Site Wizard if I open it and click "Cancel"?

If you have opened the Site Wizard and want to return to it later, then you will need to click on the "Resume Site Wizard" link that appears in Global Settings > Site Builder. After you publish your changes in step four of the Site Wizard, this feature will no longer appear. Going forward, you would make updates directly in respective section of the Site Builder. 

11. What are the permissions that a user needs to gain access to the Site Builder?

As noted in the "Access and Permissions" section of this article, an admin user must have either the Website Admin: Homepage Content or Website Admin: Link Content permission in order to access the Site Builder option in the Admin Console's Global Settings card. This access is inclusive of the Site Settings, Menus, and Pages sections within the Site Builder which means if you have access to one of these sections, then you have access to all three.

Access to the Image Library is granted with assigning the System Settings: Image Library (Add) or System Settings: Image Library (Edit) permission.

Access to the "Document Center" tab of the Site Builder is granted with assigning the Website Admin: Document Center (Add) or Website Admin: Document Center (Edit) permission.

12. I have enabled the Site Builder. However, when I navigate to my site home page, I see a message similar to "The page you were looking for does not exist.". Why is this happening?

In order to enable the Site Builder, you need to ensure that you have a site home page that has been published. Otherwise, the system won't have any content to display after you enable the Site Builder. The next step would be to navigate to the Site Builder > Pages section and make sure that you have a site home page with content that you have saved, previewed, and published.

13. I clicked on the "Import" option to pull my classic public site page content into the Site Builder. However, I've changed my mind and don't want to use this content. How can I revert my changes?

An admin is not able to revert the import process on their own. You will need to open a Support case and request that our team revert the import for you.

14. Are there any recommended image settings to use in the Site Builder?

For icons, use an SVG format (scalable vector graphic).

For logos, the recommendation is to use a maximum resolution of 92 DPI (dots per inch).

For images, such as those for backgrounds, consider using the following:

  • Maximum resolution of 72 DPI.
  • Maximum width of 2000 pixels.
  • Recommended width of 1200 pixels.

15. I have added the Pre-Built Program Search option to my site, but when I attempt to search the search does not initiate. How can I fix this?

The html is most likely malformed; this can happen if you add the search bar multiple times in the site builder. To fix, delete the element, save, publish, re-add the element, save and publish. The search should now initiate. 

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