TechNote (Archived)

Changing the default settings of a blank page in Contribute

Introduction

By default, when users create a new page in Macromedia Contribute, they have a choice of using a blank web page, a copy of the current page (if one is already open), a page based on a Contribute sample web page, or a page based on any templates created for the site.

Of these choices, only the choice of a blank web page will allow users to start with a "blank slate." That slate is not completely blank, though. A new blank page already contains HTML information. Besides having basic HTML tags like head, title and body tags, it can also contain other invisible information that is not rendered, or not seen in the page. These hidden tags may include meta data such as keywords and descriptions, JavaScript code and links to CSS files.

Modifying the blank page available for a Contribute site

An administrator for the site can create a new blank page for the site following the method described in this TechNote. This allows the administrator to dictate certain coding that might be needed for the pages of the site. The following list describes some of the functionality that could be modified.

• The new blank page could link to an external Custom Style Sheet(CSS). This would allow users to have access to styles without needing to base a page on a template.
• The new blank page could use a different document encoding than the default (UTF-8).
• The new blank page could already include default meta information, such as a list of keywords or a description.

Note: This technote assumes the site administrator has a basic understanding of HTML and has access to an HTML editor such as Dreamweaver. The new blank page must be edited or created in a full HTML editor, and not in Contribute.

Creating the blank page

1. In Dreamweaver or any HTML editor, create a new HTML page. This page must include the basic HTML tags: HTML, HEAD and BODY.
2. Add or modify the default code. Using the examples from above, the administrator might do the following things:
   • The administrator adds a link to a CSS file in the head of the new document.
   • The administrator sets the encoding in the head of the new document to iso-8859-1 (for example). A Contribute user can still change the encoding in any page he makes, but this will set the encoding to a default setting.
   • The administrator defines a group of keywords and a description for the new document. A Contribute user can still change the keywords or description in any page he makes, but this will set default meta information.

Note: If you want more default content in a new page, consider using Dreamweaver Templates for creating pages that have substantial content built in. See Using templates with Contribute (TechNote tn_16581) for more information.

Setting up a new blank page will not affect any pages that have already been created. Changes to existing pages will have to be made in Dreamweaver or another HTML editor.

Setting-up the new default blank page in Contribute

Now that the new page has been created it needs to be available to potential users. This is accomplished by placing the page on the web server, and by editing the permissions for the users.Note: While setting permissions, Contribute 2 uses the term Groups, and Contribute 3 uses the term Roles.

1. Upload the new page to the server, within the Contribute site. It is a good idea to place these important files in a special folder.
2. In Contribute, choose Edit > Administer Websites and select the site to administer.
3. If prompted, enter the password in the Administrator Password dialog box.
4. In the Administer Website dialog box, choose a user role/group to edit. Select the group and click the Edit Role/Group button.
5. In the Permission Role/Group dialog box, select the New Pages category.
   This category contains the options that the administrator can allow for users to create new pages.
   • Create a blank page.
   • Use built-in sample pages.
   • Create new page by copying any page on the web site.
   • Create a new page by copying a page from this list.
   • Use Dreamweaver Templates.
   
   
   This example uses the fourth option "copying from this list".
6. Check the box for "Create a new page by copying a page from this list", and click the Add button.
7. In the dialog box that launches, browse to and choose the new blank page that was uploaded in step 1. Click OK.
8. (Optional) To ensure that users choose the page that was created, uncheck the "Create a blank page" option.
   You can further restrict new page creation by disabling other options in this dialog box. Keep in mind that these other new page options will not have the custom settings of the new default, so you may want to disable other new page options that are not set up with your custom code.

Note: If the site has multiple permission groups, repeat steps 4-8 for each of those groups. Also remember that different "default" pages can be assigned to different groups.

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