adding an article into IdeaXchg

(Author's note: this page is obsolete, but it has been retained for further review and processing.  Some broken links to deleted elements may still be present on this page.  See IdeaXchg Development Tasks for current notes and references.)

| Discuss | Contents (unframed) | Contents (framed) | Thread (unframed) | Thread (framed) |

This page outlines the steps to add a new edited content page (an article) into IdeaXchg.  (Note that you must be a registered IdeaXchg member with FrontPage authoring privileges to contribute editable content using the procedures outlined in this article, but anyone can post messages in the related open discussion area.)

1. create a new page in your reserved author directory
   The author directory is a folder named "by" + your initials, e.g. "bymda" for content authored by mda.  Use a template article to save time and assure a consistent layout, header, navigation bar, and footer.
2. adjust the title line in the header and the HTML page title
   Use a short, descriptive title that would be suitable for a discussion message subject line and/or a category heading.  This title should be reasonably self-explanatory, since it also may appear in search results.
3. adjust hit counter as necessary to refer to the proper page
   If you copy a template hit counter, as opposed to inserting a fresh one, it may be left pointing to the wrong page.  You can see this by looking at the HTML.  The safest procedure is to insert a fresh FrontPage hit counter in the standard header location, to be sure it really refers to the unique counter for this page.  If you add hit counters frequently, consider customizing your FrontPage toolbar to include the hit counter icon.
4. assign a placeholder discussion message corresponding to this page
   This entails the following steps:
   1. post a top-level message with the title Re: <title of page>
      Post in the discussion group most appropriate to this article.  For consistency, use the exact same <title of page> as the one assigned to the article.
   2. confirm that posting appears in TOC and note the target URL
      With the TOC displaying threads, see the status bar message as the mouse is hovered over the title of your new posting.  This displays the filename of the article, which is auto-assigned from a hexadecimal counter maintained by the FrontPage discussion component.
   3. edit the placeholder message to follow template format
      This entails the following steps:
      1. make the article title into a link to the article
         This provides the backward connection from the placeholder message to its corresponding article.
      2. adjust links in placeholder navigation bar
         Below the subject line, each placeholder message has a special navigation bar for synchronizing the position in the threaded contents page.  After cloning this navigation bar from a template placeholder message, you'll need to adjust the links to specify the proper bookmark corresponding to this message.  Note that the placeholder message's navigation bar is very similar to that for the article.
      3. remove any extraneous cruft from the message header
         Since the placeholder message was initially created via FrontPage's discussion component, it may include some garbage that you can eliminate while you're editing the message.  Keep the placeholder message format concise and consistent.
      4. supply boilerplate comments via include file
         Use a FrontPage include page component to provide a standard explanation that this message is a placeholder.
5. adjust article navigation bar to connect to placeholder message, etc.
   If you started from a template copy of the navigation bar, you'll need to adjust each link to make the connection to the corresponding placeholder discussion record you just created.
6. also supply a navigation bar at bottom of long articles
   The easiest way to do this is by cloning the upper navigation bar and adjusting it for the Top/Bottom distinction.
7. add one or more entries for this article in edited Contents outline(s)
   Select one or more topical outlines where the article is to be listed.  Each discussion area's Contents outline resides in an include file, in order to support both framed and unframed interfaces.  Insert one or more links to the article, using the article title as the link.  Massage the outline as necessary to maintain a good logical organization.  (Note that direct maintenance of Contents outlines requires IdeaXchg editorial privileges.)
8. add additional links to the article as appropriate
   Articles are also used as the target of the Help button in various navigation bars, as well as any other appropriate place within another article or message.

IdeaXchg Copyright © 2000, SpaceTime Systems