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Preparing  |  Creating/Formatting Content  |  Uploading Content

Tools for Creating Content :

• KompoZer (HTML editor) - http://kompozer.sourceforge.net/
• NELN template for KompoZer - template 4 kb (** this is a zip file which must be extracted. Specific directions for unzipping are highly OS dependent. For more information than you ever wanted on zip, and a comparrison of software that expands zip files, see Wikipedia **)

1. Preparing for Creating Content:
   • Open KompoZer
   • On the menu bar at the top, click on 'File'. Then click on 'New'
   • On the dialog box that appears, titled 'Create a new document or template', select the second radio button labeled "A new document based on a template"
     • Just below that radio button, click on the icon of the yellow open folder that allows you to choose a file.
     • In the file navigating window that pops-up, Navigate to & Select the NELN template that you previously downloaded and saved. Click the 'Open' button.
     • You should be back to the dialog box titled 'Create a new document or template'. Click the 'Create' button.
   • In the main KompoZer interface, save the document. This can be accomplished by either clicking the button in the toolbar labeled save, or by clicking in the menu bar on 'File, and then on 'Save'
     • Pay attention to where you save the file. The file should be saved in the same folder with any images or other media that will be included in the page.
2. Creating/Formatting Content:
• The regions of the page outlined in teal are editable.
  • The top region is called "MainTitle" - for the page title
  • The second region is called "MainText" - for the actual content
• Creating/Inserting/Formatting Text:
  • Place main text into the page region 'MainText'.
  • To format the text, select the text you want to change, and use the buttons in the tool bars.
    • The main tools you will use most of the time are on the second toolbar - the toolbar just below the one with the big picture buttons.
  • To create a hyperlink to some place on the web:
    • Select the text you want people to click
    • In the big button toolbar, click on 'Link'
    • In the 'Link Properties' dialog box, type or paste the URL into the second text box - which is in the region of the dialog box titled 'Link Location'
    • Click 'OK' button.
• Inserting Images:
  • Click the mouse where you want the image to appear.
  • On the menu bar, click on 'Insert' , then click on 'Image...'
  • In the dialog box 'Image Properties', you should be on the 'Location' tab. Click on the little yellow open folder icon.
  • Select the file you want, click 'Open'
  • Back in the 'Image Properties' dialog box:
    • the checkbox for 'URL is relative to page location' should be checked
    • the radio button "Alternate text:" should be selected - type text into the text box on that line that describes the image. (Image you can't see the image, how would you describe it.)
  • Click 'OK' button
3. Uploading Content:
   • Go to NELN/administer
   • Login
   • Click 'Add new item'
     • First Screen:
       • Title should be the text you put into "MainTitle" on the KompoZer page.
       • Choose media type
       • Select any/all appropriate topics for your item.
       • Click 'Submit' button
     • Second Screen:
       • Description - should be roughly one paragraph or less which describes the content to someone who may not go see the content
       • For the HTML:
         • In KompoZer, make sure the item is open.
           • Towards the very bottom of KompoZer, click the tab 'Source'
           • Select the main text you're going to copy.
             • *** click immediately AFTER : <span editable="true" id="MainText">
             • scroll down to see the second bunch of green dashes if necessary
             • *** HOLD the Shift key down & click immediately BEFORE: </span>
             • Copy the content you just selected. A simple way to do this is to go to the menu bar and click 'Edit' then click 'Copy'
         • Return to the browser window
           • Click inside the text box for HTML
           • Paste into the text box. A simple way to do this is to go to the menu bar and click 'Edit' then click 'Paste'
         • If you included any images or other media you MUST click the link 'Upload File(s) Linked to in This Item' and proceeed to upload all relevent images and media files'
         • Click 'Submit' button
       • Finally, do a double check and verify the look:
         • Scroll ot the bottom of the editing page, click 'View Complete Page (Pop-Up)' - if everything looks the way you want, then you're done - otherwise make changes as necessary.