This site uses a CMS which means a Content Management System.

CMS means you edit your site in your web browser, which is like using a word processor for the website.

In fact, a Rich Text Editor is included as one of the main editing tools. See Image 1.

CMS (Content Management Systems) come in a variety of styles. Our community network uses the TYPO3 system which allows you to edit your content directly from the page (FE Editing).

TYPO3 is Open Source software which means it is available free to use and our automatic upgrades are also free of charge.

TYPO3 is highly regarded as one of the best CMS options in the world. While to the new user it appears over complex, you will very quickly appreciate it's flexibility and raw, gutsy editing power!

When you are a registered user and have logged in to your own pages you will see the main editing tools and each content element you create also has it's own editing tools.

Image 2 shows you the main editing tools.

These appear on all editable pages and are found in the left corner of the header or banner.

These main editing tools allow you to

• create new content (of any type) on a page
• create new pages
• move pages within your site
• change page names
• give pages web addresses (alias)

Image 3 shows you the tools for just one content element (this one) as it appears for the logged in editor.

Notice that as you mouse over each tool, a description of the tool function appears as shown in Image 4

A blank web page has no rules until instructed - so we decided to help you format your pages easily by creating a default template (or set of rules) that we think is universally helpful.

What is a template?
A template is a set of page layout rules (see Image 5). The template instructions say that every page should have a header or banner and columns in which you can place your content.

How do the columns work?
We have created four potential and flexible vertical columns for you to place content in.

• Border (where the Pages Menu is)
  
• Left
• Normal
• Right

These columns float or resize, meaning, if you place content in them they will appear - but if you do not use them they do not appear. They also adjust their size depending on what content is in them.

Column Size
The width of the column is defined by the content within. If the content contains a large image, column width will be governed by the image size. If the content is text the column will adjust to fit the available space.

Care in the management of images is thus an important feature of good web pages. Your editor has the ability to resize images should they be too big. See the section on adding images to your web pages at australiancommunities.org.au/addimage.html

Width of flexible columns
If you only use one column - your text will fill the whole page. If you use place two content elements in two seperate columns, the content should space evenly in both columns.

Exploring the column behaviour should clarify your content placement options.

If you place an image in one column and text in another - the image size will rule and text will adjust accordingly.

NOTE: Column width is defined by the size of immovable objects like images or long web addresses!

Top Row and Bottom Row Columns
These two 'special' columns are the top and bottom of the page respectively (see Image 5)

Thumbnail Galleries on a page
A thumbnail gallery is a series of small images across or down a page that will enlarge when mouse clicked.

The thumbnail gallery feature provides for up to 8 image columns horizontally and these gallery options over-ride the template columns. You can also create a photobook which is like a thumbnail gallery but with slideshow and other advanced features.

See australiancommunities.org.au/addimage.html for more information.