Requirements: tixxtCloud Business, IndividualCloud Enterprise, IndividualCloud Maxx
Creating a channel #
Channel administrators can create a channel as follows:
- Via the context bar of the channels module above: ‘Create a new channel’
- Via the channel directory next to the search bar: ‘Create a new channel’
The following form is used to request information for the new channel:
- Title (mandatory field)
- Description (mandatory field)
- Image
- Status:
- Draft → The channel is only visible to channel administrators with the appropriate permissions. Channels in draft mode are marked as ‘Draft’ in the channel directory for users with the appropriate permissions. Channels that are being edited are also marked with a note that they are in draft mode.
- Published → Anyone can view and subscribe to the channel.
- Archived → The channel is no longer publicly accessible and is only visible in the channel directory to channel administrators with the appropriate permissions. All subscriptions are removed. Archived channels are marked as ‘Archived’ in the channel directory for users with the appropriate permissions.
- Tags
- Channel Manager; selection options at a glance:
- Individual users
- Previously defined user role (see Manage membership roles)
- All group members from selected groups
- Only group administrators from selected groups
- Previously defined group membership roles
The available options above can be combined as required. To narrow down the suggestions, enter the first few letters of the search term in the text field, corresponding suggestions will then appear.
In addition to the channel administrators defined in the network administration, channel managers can create and edit channel content and widgets for this channel and administer it.
- Visibility:
Here you can set whether guest users are also allowed to view and subscribe to this channel. If the channel has been approved for guest users, they will also see the channels in their module bar and can view all channels shared with guest users in the module.
After clicking on ‘Save’, the channel is created. You will then be redirected to the still empty channel.
There are several options in the context menu next to the channel title.
Independent of administrator status:
- Show blog
- Subscribe
Based on the existing administrator status:
- Edit Channel
- Edit layout
- Create new blog post
By clicking on ‘Edit Channel’, the administrator accesses the full channel administration screen with all available options:
By clicking on ‘Channel’ in the context bar, the administrator can switch to the edited channel to view the changes.
By clicking on ‘Edit layout’, the administrator can go directly to the configuration of the channel layout.
An article can be added to the blog that is automatically stored for the channel via ‘Create new blog article’. By clicking on ‘Edit layout’, the administrator can go directly to the configuration of the channel layout.
Edit Channel #
Channel settings #
You can edit the settings defined during ‘Create channel’ in the channel settings. For example, the status of the channel can be changed from ‘Draft’ to ‘Published’.
Layout #
The channel layout can be defined here using drag and drop.
Row layouts in the channel module:
- Single-column (full width): A widget across all three columns.
- Two-column with 2/3 + 1/3: One widget for two columns (left) and one widget for one column (right).
- Two-column with 1/3 + 2/3: One widget for one column (left) and one widget for two columns (right).
- Three-column: Three widgets, one per column.
In the layout preview screen, layout elements that have been added can be arranged and moved vertically as desired. Layout elements can be removed by dragging and dropping them onto the ‘Delete’ area.
Widgets can be added to a defined layout element (new widget) by clicking on the cogwheel at the top right. Further information on creating and managing widgets can be found here.
Widgets created for the channel can also be selected.
If a layout element is already populated with a widget, further functions can be found here.
- Edit widgets, remove widgets, new widgets
- Other widgets created for the channel can also be selected.
Once changes to the layout have been completed, the layout must be saved in order for the changes to apply. To do this, click on ‘Save layout’ in the top right-hand corner.
Unsaved changes can be cancelled by clicking on ‘Discard changes’.
Widgets #
The ‘Widgets’ section provides an overview of the widgets that have already been created for the active channel. These can be edited or deleted from the overview. New widgets can also be created for the channel in this section.
Clicking on ‘New widget’ takes the channel administrator/manager to a list from which they can select the type of widget.
The following types of widgets are available:
- Appointments
- Banner
- Blog
- Free text & HTML
- Images
- Link
- Navigation
- People
- RSS
- Spotlight
After selecting a widget type, click on ‘Continue’ to go to the widget configuration.
The editing screen for each widget contains a ‘Preview’ section, which shows how the display would look in different layouts.
People widget #
In order to create person widget, the following content must be entered in a form:
Name (mandatory field) → The name of the widget is used to identify the widget within the channel administration.
Title (mandatory field) → The title of the widget appears in the title bar of the configured widget in the finished channel.
Focus labels: A widget can be assigned a specific importance with a focus label. Options: No selection, Newest, Focus, Important. The colour of the individual focus labels can be changed using the channel’s design manager.
Title bar: The colour of the title bar shown in the preview can be changed here. To do this, tick the box and use the colour picker. You can also hide the title bar to give the content as much space as possible.
User (mandatory field): The users displayed in the widget can be selected. To find the desired users, enter the first few letters of the name in the text field, corresponding suggestions will then appear.
The possible number of users displayed depends on the widget width:
- Single-column: max. three users
- Two-column: max. six users
- Three-column: max. nine users
Blog widget #
In order to create blog widget, the following content must be entered in a form:
Name (mandatory field) → The name of the widget is used to identify the widget within the channel administration.
Title (mandatory field) → The title of the widget appears in the title bar of the configured widget in the finished channel.
Focus labels: A widget can be assigned a specific importance with a focus label. Options: No selection, Newest, Focus, Important. The colour of the individual focus labels can be changed using the channel’s design manager.
Title bar: The colour of the title bar shown in the preview can be changed here. To do this, tick the box and use the colour picker. You can also hide the title bar to give the content as much space as possible.
Note: The blog widget displays the channel’s latest blog articles.
Spotlight widget #
In order to create spotlight widget, the following content must be entered in a form:
Name (mandatory field) → The name of the widget is used to identify the widget within the channel administration.
Title (mandatory field) → The title of the widget appears in the title bar of the configured widget in the finished channel.
Focus labels: A widget can be assigned a specific importance with a focus label. Options: No selection, Newest, Focus, Important. The colour of the individual focus labels can be changed using the channel’s design manager.
Title bar: The colour of the title bar shown in the preview can be changed here. To do this, tick the box and use the colour picker. You can also hide the title bar to give the content as much space as possible.
Blog article: You can select a maximum of five articles for the spotlight widget, which are displayed prominently and permanently in the channel.
Banner widget #
In order to create banner widget, the following content must be entered in a form:
Name (mandatory field) → The name of the widget is used to identify the widget within the channel administration.
Title (mandatory field) → The title of the widget appears in the title bar of the configured widget in the finished channel.
Title bar: You can also hide the title bar completely for the banner widget.
Background colour: If no image file has been specified for the banner, the background colour defined here is used to display the banner widget in the channel.
Title colour: This colour is used to display the ‘Name’ value on the banner.
Image: You can upload a banner graphic here.
Appointments widget #
In order to create an appointments widget, the following content must be entered in a form:
Name (mandatory field) → The name of the widget is used to identify the widget within the channel administration.
Title (mandatory field) → The title of the widget appears in the title bar of the configured widget in the finished channel.
Focus labels: A widget can be assigned a specific importance with a focus label. Options: No selection, Newest, Focus, Important. The colour of the individual focus labels can be changed using the channel’s design manager.
Title bar: The colour of the title bar shown in the preview can be changed here. To do this, tick the box and use the colour picker. You can also hide the title bar to give the content as much space as possible.
Mode (mandatory field):
- Option 1: Next appointment from a calendar → The next appointment of the calendar selected in the ‘Calendar’ field is always displayed in the widget.
- Option 2: Specific appointment → A specific appointment can be selected to be displayed permanently in the widget. After clicking on ‘Select appointment’, the monthly calendar view opens where you can select an appointment (click on the appointment).
Images widget #
In order to create an images widget, the following content must be entered in a form:´
Name (mandatory field) → The name of the widget is used to identify the widget within the channel administration.
Title (mandatory field) → The title of the widget appears in the title bar of the configured widget in the finished channel.
Focus labels: A widget can be assigned a specific importance with a focus label. Options: No selection, Newest, Focus, Important. The colour of the individual focus labels can be changed using the channel’s design manager.
Title bar: The colour of the title bar shown in the preview can be changed here. To do this, tick the box and use the colour picker. You can also hide the title bar to give the content as much space as possible.
Description: The description appears for the user when they open the image gallery.
Image: Here you can upload several image files. These will then be used to create an image gallery in the finished widget.
Free Text widget #
In order to create an free text widget, the following content must be entered in a form:
Name (mandatory field) → The name of the widget is used to identify the widget within the channel administration.
Title (mandatory field) → The title of the widget appears in the title bar of the configured widget in the finished channel.
Focus labels: A widget can be assigned a specific importance with a focus label. Options: No selection, Newest, Focus, Important. The colour of the individual focus labels can be changed using the channel’s design manager.
Title bar: The colour of the title bar shown in the preview can be changed here. To do this, tick the box and use the colour picker. You can also hide the title bar to give the content as much space as possible.
HTML editor (mandatory field): This field is used to enter text. You can use the editor to format the text. All standard formatting options are available.
Note: The preview can be used to check whether the desired text is displayed in its entirety in the intended widget size.
Link widget #
In order to create a link widget, the following content must be entered in a form:
Name (mandatory field) → The name of the widget is used to identify the widget within the channel administration.
Title (mandatory field) → The title of the widget appears in the title bar of the configured widget in the finished channel.
Focus labels: A widget can be assigned a specific importance with a focus label. Options: No selection, Newest, Focus, Important. The colour of the individual focus labels can be changed using the channel’s design manager.
Title bar: The colour of the title bar shown in the preview can be changed here. To do this, tick the box and use the colour picker. You can also hide the title bar to give the content as much space as possible.
Link: (Mandatory field) → Enter the link that should appear in the widget here. Hint: Copy and paste the desired URL from the browser’s address bar.
Note for internal network links: Internal links can only be displayed if the respective user has the appropriate permissions.
Link preview → Can be defined as an option.
RSS widget #
In order to create an RSS widget, the following content must be entered in a form:
Name (mandatory field) → The name of the widget is used to identify the widget within the channel administration.
Title (mandatory field) → The title of the widget appears in the title bar of the configured widget in the finished channel.
Focus labels: A widget can be assigned a specific importance with a focus label. Options: No selection, Newest, Focus, Important. The colour of the individual focus labels can be changed using the channel’s design manager.
Title bar: The colour of the title bar shown in the preview can be changed here. To do this, tick the box and use the colour picker. You can also hide the title bar to give the content as much space as possible.
RSS Feed URL (mandatory field): An external RSS feed link can be integrated, e.g. from your own website or from a news service.
The number of RSS objects displayed depends on the widget size:
- Single-column: max. 4 RSS objects
- Two-column: max. 8 RSS objects
- Three-column: max. 12 RSS objects
Navigation widget #
The Navigation widget makes it possible to link to internal areas within tixxt, to external offers, or to other areas on the same channel.
Name (mandatory field) → The name of the widget is used to identify the widget within the channel administration.
Title (mandatory field) → The title of the widget appears in the title bar of the configured widget in the finished channel.
Focus labels: A widget can be assigned a specific importance with a focus label. Options: No selection, Newest, Focus, Important. The colour of the individual focus labels can be changed using the channel’s design manager.
Title bar: Here you can determine whether a title bar is displayed and what background colour it should have. You can also hide the title bar to give the content as much space as possible.
Display as:
- Tool bars: The selected links are displayed as buttons with configurable background and text colours.
- List: The selected links are displayed as bullet points with configurable text colours.
- Grid: The selected links are displayed as tiles with configurable background and text colours.
Colours: Here you can configure the background and text colour of the links.
Links:
- Add link: Use the “Add link” button to add the desired number of links to the widget (see note below). Use the control to the left of the link title to change the order of the links using drag & drop.
- Title*: The title of the link displayed in the widget.
- Link destination: You can specify a URL or another widget from the channel as the link destination.
- Colours: You can specify a different background or text colour for individual links.
- Icon: Selecting the “Buttons” or “Grid” display option allows you to assign an icon to the link.
Note: The number of links displayed depends on the widget size: (Single column: max. 6 links; two columns: max. 12 links; three columns: max. 18 links)
Design manager #
You can configure the base colours and the colours for the focus labels in the design manager for channels.
- Base colours
The background colour of the title bar and the link colour are determined from the primary colour specified. However, these two colour values can also be changed manually by using the colour picker or by entering a HEX code. You can also deviate from the standard white and specify colours for the channel background colour and the widget background colour.
The preview window on the right shows you how the colour values you have entered will look in the finished channel.
- Focus labels
The colour of the focus label is determined from the network design (note colours). These can be overridden here.
Here too, you can use the preview on the right to see directly how the changed colour values will look.
Edit blog #
The channel administrator can access the blog management of the channel module via the channel -> ‘Show blog’ -> context menu next to ‘Create new blog article’ → ‘Manage blog’.
After clicking on ‘Manage blog’, you will be redirected to a form where you can enter some details for the blog.
Title (mandatory field) → The title of the blog is already filled in and has the name of the channel. The title of the blog can be adjusted here as required.
Description → Here you can enter a more detailed description of the blog. This description will appear on the main page of the finished blog for the readers.
Publish as → The author of the blog article can either be the blog title or the user who authored the blog.
By clicking on ‘Save’ at the bottom right, you will be redirected to the actual blog where the blog articles can be posted.
If blog articles have already been created, an overview of the articles can be found here. These are sorted from left to right by publication date and status.
New articles can be created at the top right via ‘Create new blog article’.
The following information is requested here:
Title (mandatory field) → This defines the title of the blog article.
Teaser → You can enter a teaser text here. This will be found in the finished article directly under the title.
Preview image → The image specified here is displayed in the article overview in both the channel and the blog. If no image has been specified, a placeholder image appears here.
Article → This field is for entering text for the blog article. You can use the editor to format the text. All standard formatting options are available.
Set publication date → Blog articles can also be published at a specific time. This is set using by picking a date and time as the publication date. It is also possible to set a publication date in the past, this will immediately publish the article with the selected date as publication date.
After clicking on ‘Save’ or ‘Save & publish’, the author of the blog is taken to the blog main page where the new article is displayed.
‘Save’ means that the article can only be viewed by channel administrators.
‘Save & publish’ means that the article will be published directly and can be read by network members.
If you are editing an existing blog article, you can revert it to an unpublished status by clicking on ‘Save & unpublish’.
Edit blog article #
Users with the appropriate permissions will find an ‘Edit article’ button at the top right of the blog article page. Clicking here opens the editing screen of the blog article.
If you are editing an existing but not yet published blog article, you have the following options:
- ‘Cancel’ → Editing is cancelled without saving the changes, e.g. to the article.
- ‘Save’ → The changes are saved.
- ‘Save & publish’ → The changes are saved and the blog article is published.
You can also specify when you want to publish a blog article that is in draft mode. This is set using the date and time as the publication date.
If you are editing an existing and already published blog article, you have the following options:
- ‘Cancel’ → Editing is cancelled without saving the changes, e.g., to the article.
- ‘Save’ → The changes are saved directly in the published article.
- ‘Save & unpublish’ → The changes are saved and the article is reverted to an unpublished status.
To unpublish an article means that the blog article will be taken offline but remain as a draft. The article is no longer visible for readers but can be republished or edited at any time.
If an article is deleted, it is permanently removed and cannot be restored.
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