The MEWAN CMS is being upgraded!

As part of the continuing improvement to the MEWAN service, we have updated the Content Managment System that runs the MEWAN MicroSites.  We are now rolling out version 6 of the CMS and there are a few important changes that all people that edit content in MicroSites should be aware.  Those changes are listed below, and you will notice the changes to the system in January.

The changes that have been introduced fixes some minor bugs we had in the system and improves the functions and features available to you.  Some of the key changes also ensure that your MicroSite has improved accessibility to visually impaired users and meets higher website coding standards.

If you have any problems with the upgrade, contact me here at the MEWAN office on 234 6727 or jon@mewan.net

The way in which categories (menu items) can be moved within a MicroSite has changed.  The change is designed to make moving single and multiple categories quicker and simpler.

	Underneath each category item are several buttons - edit, show/hide, **NEW** clipboard, up/down arrows. The clipboard logo replaces the button MOVE. Clicking the clipboard logo turns it red and places that category into the "move clipboard".  Multiple categories can be selected.
	Once a category (or many categories) has been selected, insert here options appear. Clicking insert here will drop all the selected categories into that position. If multiple categories have been selected, they will drop in to position in the order in whcih they were selected. You can use this method to insert categories at any level of menus - eg move items from the root page to a sub menu.
	The view clipboard link at the bottom of the category listing allows you to see what category items you have selected and also clear these items from the clipboard. Note - clearing items from the clipboard does not delete them, it just removes them from this moving process.

The way in which entries can be moved around has been improved.  The changes are designed to make moving single or multiple entries quicker and easier.

• The entry moving feature works in the same way as the category moving feature.
• Clicking the clipboard button below and entry will change the icon red and lists that entry in the Entry clipboard
• Multiple or single items can be added into the Entry clipboard
• All entries can then be dopped into a position by clicking Insert Clipboard entries here
• Again, entries are dropped in to place in the order in which they were selected.
• The Assign Parent method still works for single item moving and to make entries appear on more than one category page.
• Clicking Entry Clipboard at the top of the entry list will show all the entries currently listed in the clipboard and allow you to clear the clipboard.

The way in which editors switch between editing in the CMS and previewing their work has changed.  The allows user to toggle between editing mode and the preview screen in the same window (rather than opening another internet explorer screen).  This removes window handling confusion that some users have been experiencing.

• Clicking the icon with the arrow between boxes loads a preview screen in the current window

• An equivalent button at the bottom of the preview page returns the editor back to the CMS

Editors can now change the colour of the text in the Entry Title bar. Previously this defaulted to the same colour as the default text for the page.

• The hightlighted area above shows where a user can change the colour of the text in the Entry title.
• The colour can either be entered manually using the standard hex system, or by selecting a colour from the selector (click the bucket)

To imrpove accessibility standards of MEWAN MicroSites, the table creation window has had a slight change

• To meet accessibility standards, all tables should have a summary.  When correctly inputted, this summary tells screen reading software the contents of a table so that it can be properly described to visually impared users of the MicroSite. 
• By default the summary is "Content"

New text styling options have been added.  This makes changing the size and emphasis of text easier and improves the accessibility rating of MEWAN MicroSites

• Two new styling options have been added as drop down menus in in the text editor.
• Select Style:
• This allows you to change the relative size of text and also the font
• Heading:
• These are preset markers that create uniformity in text by sizing paragraphs/lines to match the hieracy of heading they represent.
• Using these drop down options is preferable (for the website code) than using the select font or size drop down options.
• These options (especially the heading drop down) also greatly improves the accessibility rating of your MEWAN MicroSites
• To remove formatting, click the mouse in the paragraph they adjusted and then select "Remove Tag" from the bottom of the text editing screen.

The Image gallery associated with each MicroSite has been significantly altered. These changes make it easier to insert images onto your page, organise and upload your images.

• The Image gallery now has folders in the same way as the file library does.
• Images will be placed into the folder onscreen at the time of upload
• Images can be moved between folders using the clioboard feature (same as the file library)
• An "Upload & Insert" button has been added. This brings in a one click action to put an image on the page, adding the image to the library in the process.
• Multiple upload of images into the library has also been added (see below)

The ability to bring multiple folders, images and files into the File Library and Image Gallery has been added.

• Next to the file upload buttons is a link for "multiple files"
• This starts a Java* application allowing you to upload complete folders and multiple files to your library.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to complete this process.
• Files can be multiply selected using either the shift or ctrl keys on your keyboard
• Note that the total size of the files to be uploaded cannot exceed 8mb in one transaction
• If the process is successful, a message will inform you of that success.
• Click the link at the bottom of the window to return from the multiple upload screen to your library from where you can insert the link/image.

*Java will probably already be installed on your computer.  If not, click here to download and install. (Java is free to install)