Web Services :: Getting Started

Getting Started with OpenCms

Q: What is WebCMS?

A: WebCMS is SJSU's implementation of the OpenCms content management system. A content management system allows users to create and maintain Web pages without having to know any HTML. In OpenCms, users only have access to their own sub-sites. Users create and edit their content using a Web browser-based WYSIWYG editor.
OpenCms allows users to store links, documents (such as PDF files) and images in a centralized location where other users can access them. This reduces duplication of resources, and also helps ensure that documents and links are up-to-date.

There are three types of user in WebCMS: managers, editors, and reviewers. Users' privileges are based on their user type:

Managers are able to create, edit and publish sites.
Editors can see and change the contents of a site, but can not publish it.
Reviewers can see the contents of a site, but can not change or publish it.

WebCMS utilizes standardized templates so that all pages created within the system conform to the www.sjsu.edu look and feel. Pages in the WebCMS system have consistent navigation. This is especially relevant because studies have shown that a significant number of users visit a Web page because they found it through a search engine. By using WebCMS, we can help ensure that a user who lands on a page deep within the SJSU site will know that page is part of the SJSU site, and be able to easily navigate to other areas of the site.
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Q: How do I get my site included in the Content Management System?

A: Make a request through the "contact us" form at http://www.sjsu.edu/webservices/
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Q: Does it matter what browser or Operating System I use?

A: The system works with nearly every browser on every operating system, but the preferences are
Operating System: Windows
Browser: Internet Explorer

Important: Netscape on Windows appears to have some incompatibilities that affect some of the functionality in the system. If you use Netscape and experience difficulties please try another browser. Regardless of what browser you use, you need to enable cookies, enable javascript, and configure all of your pop-up blockers to allow pop-ups from webcms.sjsu.edu.
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Q: How do I log in?

A: Go to http://www.sjsu.edu/login/ and click on "Department/Program Website Content Management System". Then, enter your User name and password and click the "Login" button. When you see the OpenCms Workplace screen, select your project from the menu.

select project from list
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Q: Why can't I log in?

A: The most common reason for failed logins is that a popup blocker is preventing the login screen from opening. Check your browser setting to enable pop-up from http://webcms.sjsu.edu

Here are screenshots to help you troubleshoot this problem.

Microsoft Internet Explorer (Windows)
Google Toolbar (Windows)
Yahoo Toolbar (Windows)
Firefox (Windows)
Safari (Mac OS X)

Browser: Internet Explorer 6.0 on Windows XP
pop-up blocked in IE

If you see the above screen in Internet Explorer, click in the indicated area and select "Always Allow Pop-ups from This Site...".

always allow popups

Google Toolbar Pop-up Blocker

google pop-up blocker

If you see a screen similar to the above, you will need to configure the Google toolbar pop-up blocker to allow pop-ups from webcms.sjsu.edu. To do this, go back to the Web Services Unit login page and click the Google toolbar Options google toolbar options button button to bring up the Options dialog.

google toolbar options menu

Then remove the checkmark from the Popup Blocker box and click the OK button.

Yahoo! Toolbar Pop-up Blocker

yahoo pop-up blocker

If you see a screen similar to the above, the Yahoo! toolbar pop-up blocker may be blocking the WebCMS window. To disable the Yahoo! popup blocker, go back to the Web Services Unit login page, click the pop-up button yahoo popup button and select Always Allow Pop-Ups From…

yahoo popup menu

Select webcms.sjsu.edu from the list of sites and click on Allow.

yahoo allow dialog

Browser: Firefox 1.5 on Windows XP
firefox blocked

If you see the above screen in Firefox, click the Options button and select "Allow popups for webcms.sjsu.edu".

firefox allow

Browser: Safari 2.0.3 on Mac OS 10.4.x
safari pop-up blocker

Remove the check mark from "Block Pop-Up Windows" under the Safari menu.

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Q: What are some best practices for creating Web pages in WebCMS?

Use meaningful names for pages you create.
Use lower-case characters for page names. Page names are case-sensitive; for example, publications.htm is different from Publications.htm.
Don't put spaces in names, use a hyphen '-' or an underscore '_' to separate words. For example, "about_sjsu".
Use the image/download/link galleries to avoid duplicating resources and ensure that links and files are up-to-date.
Avoid changing font styles and sizes. The SJSU stylesheet will format your text to be consistent with the rest of the site.
Use bold or italic to emphasize important words or phrases, but use them sparingly.
Use the Heading styles to organize your page and format headings and sub-headings.
Copy your text, paste it into a word processor document, and run the spell checker on it.
Refer to the University Web Style Guide for additional information.

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Q: How do I review a site?

A: As a site reviewer, you will not be able to edit or publish a site, but you can see all of the pages in the site before they are published.
To do this, you need to:

Log in to the WebCMS system and select your project.
Click on the site name in the left window under sjsu subsites.
Click on index.htm in the right window.
You will see the site in a new browser window, and will be able to browse to all of the pages within the site.

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Getting Started with OpenCms