How to… Understand Versioning and Publication States - Draft, Published, and Archive

Kelly Hansen — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 19:21:28 +0000

How to… Understand Versioning and Publication States - Draft, Published, and Archive Kelly Hansen Wed, 02/02/2022 - 14:21

What is Versioning?

SiteMasonry's versioning workflow allows content to be modified in an unpublished Draft state without changing the publically viewable Published version of the page or content item (news item, profile, or program).

When an Editor makes content changes, SiteMasonry creates a previewable Draft version of the page or content item alongside a copy of the currently published page or content item. Each version can be viewed or retrieved on the page or item’s Revisions tab.

SiteMasonry's Publication States

SiteMasonry utilizes three publication states - Draft, Published, and Archive. The Publication State selector is located near the bottom of the page or item's 'Edit Settings' screen.

Draft

The Draft state allows an editor to make changes to a page without making content visible to site visitors. This acts slightly differently depending on whether or not an item has ever been published before. However, all drafts require a user to be logged in to view or edit. This means that should you wish to send a preview of edited content to another person, you'll need to either make sure they have an account on the site you are working on or rely on screenshots to show the changes.

New Content

If you are working on a new page or piece of content, setting a page in draft mode will let you see the page if you are logged in. However, you and visitors will not be able to see or visit the page until it is published.

Existing Content

If you are modifying currently published content, you can save changes as a draft. This will add a tab to your page labeled "latest version." The latest version will reflect your changes, while the current version is still public and viewable on the View tab. Once the page is re-published from Draft mode, all changes will become live and the old version will only be viewable via the revision log.

Published

A Published page is the most recent version of a page. It is 'live' and viewable to site visitors. You can make changes and push them as published immediately.

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How to... Add Files to Blackboard and Find the Web Permalink

Kelly Hansen — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 18:28:02 +0000

How to... Add Files to Blackboard and Find the Web Permalink Kelly Hansen Tue, 02/23/2021 - 13:28

Documents available to your site visitors should be stored in a Blackboard Organization space. A permanent URL is created for each file there, and you can control the permissions guests have when accessing the file.

Don't just copy a Blackboard URL from your browser toolbar. That URL is temporary. You must copy the permanent URL to have your file accessible to others.

This information and clip augment the Blackboard Upload and Permissions Management Guide created by Blackboard's managing department, Mason ITS department. Before you begin, make sure you have access to your unit or department's Blackboard organization space. Do not put documents in a personal Blackboard space. If you need an Organizational Blackboard space, contact ITS Blackboard support.

Uploading your File

To start, you'll need to log into Blackboard. In the navigation (left hand side on desktop, top left dropdown on mobile), click "Organizations" then find your organization in particular. This should open your organization's Blackboard space. There should be a grey sidebar on the left hand side of the window (it collapses with an arrow on mobile) that displays the contents of your organization. Click the section labeled "Content Collection" and then the top option. This should bring you to your organization's Blackboard storage space. The ability to upload a file should be one of the first buttons on the page.

Setting Permissions

If you have not already, upload your document to the folder you wish it to reside in. From the folder view, right-click on the file you uploaded and select "Permissions." This will bring you to the general permissions screen.

Different folders may have different permissions levels. What you are looking for is to have "public" as a listed option, with at least "read" indicated as checked. If you do not see "public" listed, select "permit anyone" at the top of the table. Ensure "read" is selected and save.

Getting Permanent URL

Once you are sure the permissions are correct, you can get a permanent link to your document for the public to use. From the folder view, right click on the file you want the link for and select "edit settings." On that page, you should see two URLs, one of which is labeled as permanent. This is the URL you need to copy and use on your site.

Looking for a quick video showing how to get the permanent link? Check below.