Setting up a new or re-imaged computer to work with Collage

Occasionally, Marketing and Communications receives calls from Collage users who are suddenly encountering problems with the product. In most cases, these people have received new computers or had the operating systems on their computers reinstalled. Either of those possibilities necessitates the installation of the three plug-ins required by Collage.

1. ActiveX plug-in
2. Java Virtual Machine
3. MSXML 4.0

To see if you need any or all of the above plug-ins, conduct a Collage system check. This Web page runs a system check on your computer, the results of which will reveal which plug-ins you need to install.

If you need the ActiveX or MSXML plug-ins, the procedure below will install both of those items. These steps work on any Windows computer connected to NUNet.

1. Go to Start Menu > Settings > Control Panel > Add Remove Programs > Add New Programs > Serena Collage Plugin 1.0 and click install.
2. Quit your browser, start your browser again and log into Collage.

Installing the Java Virtual Machine is a separate process. Before describing how it can be downloaded, it is important to note that the Collage system check will list versions 1.6 and above of the Java Virtual Machine as unsupported. However, Collage will run correctly with those versions installed. The Java Virtual Machine only needs to be installed if your system check says it is not installed, or you have version 1.5.0_05 or earlier.

In order to install the Java Virtual Machine software on your computer, you need what Information Services calls "local administrative privileges," also known as "local admin rights." Local administrative privileges allow you to add programs to your computer. Call the IS Help Desk (373-HELP) to see if you have local administrative privileges. If you do not, the IS representative will guide you through the short process.

Once you have confirmed you have local administrative privileges, you can download and install the Java Virtual Machine. Go to the download page on java.com. The page contains instructions on downloading and installing the software.

After you install the Java Virtual Machine, quit Internet Explorer. The software installation will not finish until you exit the browser.

Now that you have installed the necessary plug-ins, you should be able to use Collage.

The five basic rules for writing Web copy

• write short headlines
• use powerful first words
• choose plain language
• place key information first
• bullet long lists

See our Web writing site for more information
http://www.webwriting.neu.edu/how_write_good/reviewing_basic/

Can a deleted asset be recovered?

Rajiv's answer: Depends on what kind of asset it is and how long it's been deleted. IS performs backups on the system, so it may be possible for their storage/back-up team to recover it.

Naming files and folders on your Web site

A common question we receive from Web editors is how files and folders should be named in Collage.

Usability studies have shown that visitors to your site will sometimes use a page's URL to figure out your site's structure. Therefore, all folder and file names should provide clear descriptions of their contents.

Additionally, visitors to your site will sometimes need to type a URL. To help these people, file and folder names should be composed of lowercase characters and made as short as possible. This helps prevent typos.

Many of our Collage sites are set to limit the names of files to 20 characters. Even if your site has a higher limit, it is a good idea to try to keep names to less than 20 characters. This guideline applies to Web pages, folders, PDFs and any other files that you may create or upload. It is easier to change the names of files you want to upload before uploading them to Collage.

Source: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9605a.html.

Remembering that long log-in address...

Sometimes when Collage users are away from their primary work stations and their bookmarks, they e-mail to ask about the log-in URL.

You no longer have to remember the https://collage01.neu.edu:8443 address since http://www.northeastern.edu/webedit takes you right there.

If Collage isn't functioning correctly...

Every so often an e-mail comes in describing a problem when using Collage: the drop-down menus do not work. For instance, when the user clicks to change from "Deploy Folders" mode to "Contribution" mode nothing happens.

This is usually because Collage is missing a plug-in, or more specifically an "ActiveX Control."

Here's how you can get the plug-in on any Windows-based computer on the Northeastern network:

Go to Start Menu > Settings > Control Panel > Add Remove Programs > Add New
Programs > Serena Collage Plugin 1.0 and click install.

Quit your browser, start your browser again and log in again to Collage.

The menus will work fine now that the plug-in is installed.

Differences between the Content > Contribution and Content > Deploy Folders views

In Serena Collage, most of the work involved in editing files takes place in the Content > Contribution view. Similar work can also be accomplished in the Content > Deploy Folders view. However, your editing capabilities are affected by the view you select.

Some tasks can only be performed in the Contribution view, while others are only accessible through the Deploy Folders view. The list of tasks below shows some situations where you might have to switch from one view to the other.

Creating files

You must be in the Content > Contribution view to create new files.

In the Content > Deploy Folders view, clicking the New button only enables the creation of a blank HTML file or the uploading of a file from your hard drive.

Changing file names

In the Content > Contribution view, file names cannot be changed.

To change the name of a file, select Content > Deploy Folders and edit the file's properties.

Approving multiple files at one time

In the Content > Contribution view, only one file can be approved at a time.

To approve multiple files at once, switch to the Content > Deploy Folders view.

Approving a site structure

When editing and checking in a site structure, you normally use the Site tab. However, to approve a site structure, you must switch to the Content > Deploy Folders view and approve the site structure inside the site_structures folder.

The site_structures folder is not available in the Content > Contribution view.