Browser requirements

In order to use an FCS platform the following browser requirements should be met:

 

1. The browser should support and has cookies enabled

2. The browser should support and has javascript enabled

3. The browsers should have AJAX support

4. If the platform uses SSL (secure socket layer) the browser should be SSL 2.0 compatible

5. HTML 4.0 compliant browser

6. CSS 2 compliant browser

 

We officially support the following browsers:

 

Firefox 2.x

Firefox 3.x

Opera 9.x

Opera 10.x

 

Google Chrome 2 - 7

 

MS Internet Explorer 7

MS Internet Explorer 8

MS Internet Explorer 9 beta

 

Safari 4.x

Safari 5.x

 

The following browsers are not supported*:

 

Versions of Opera less than 9

Firefox 1.x

Google Chrome 1

Safari 1.x, Safari 2.x and Safari 3.x

MS Internet Explorer 5.5, MS Internet Explorer 6

 

 

* These browsers are outdated! They may work well but some problems may occur while using a platform generally connected with creation and editing of facts, file and image upload.

Author: factline factline
Published by: Ivo Marinov
Copyright: factline Webservices GmbH
factID: 1539241.4 published on 04 Jan. 2012; 14:21
Functional hierarchy

To run an FCS platform, people with three different levels of privileges are needed. In order to understand these levels, we would like to begin by giving a short explanation.

There are 3 levels of privileges in the hierarchy:

• System administrator ("S-Admin"):
  The system administrator assigns one ore more platform administrators ("P-Admin") to each platform.
  
  
• Platform administrator ("P-Admin"):
  The platform administrator provides each user group with access and/or publishing rights for particular services.
  
  
• Users:
  Users set permissions for the content ("facts") they create.

 

If factline acts as an application service provider (ASP), the system runs on a server powered by factline. In this case, factline takes over the tasks of the S-Admin.

 
 

Author: Astrid Holzhauser, CK
Published by: factline Webservices
Copyright: factline Webservices GmbH
factID: 115657.16 published on 24 Aug. 2010; 12:56
System administrator ("s-admin")

 

The first task of the s-admin is to set up the platform, which includes:

• deciding on a platform title
• deciding on a domain name
• selecting one or more appropriate platform administrators
• enabling desired features (i.e. services)

Forms of use - ASP and server license
factline offers the factline Community Server (FCS) as an ASP solution. This means the server, on which a client's platform is installed, is located at factline. Furthermore, the functions of the system administrators are taken over by factline representatives. The customer can also purchase a server license. In this case the platform is installed on the server of the customer and the customer is the system administrator.

 

 

Author: Astrid Holzhauser, CK
Published by: factline Webservices
Copyright: factline Webservices Gmbh
factID: 115709.25 published on 05 Oct. 2010; 11:54
Platform administrator ("p-admin")

After the platform is set up to the customer's specifications and is linked to the desired internet domain by the s-admin, the platform is passed to the p-admin.

Please, note! At this time noone can provide content to the platform, not even the p-admin, because there are no permissions assigned. Users can only register and change their settings (userdata).

 

In this initial phase, the tasks of the platform administrator are to:

• create groups
• assign registered users to the groups
• assign permissions to the users groups
• structure the content of the platform (create folders, define filters, etc.)
• edit the e-mail templates
• create a start page

 

If desired, factline can support you in the initial phase as P-Admin. Moreover at the beginning factline can take control over the functions of the P-Admin for you. Factline can also advise you how to structure your platform useful.

 A future platform administrator has to register like all normal users. Afterwards, the s-admin of the new platform can define users as p-admins.

 

Once the initial phase is completed, users, that have the right permissions, can create content, assign permissions to that content, view content, connect with other users (using ping, chat,...), etc.

 

As concerns the maintenance of the platform, the p-admin has to:

• manage users and user groups
• provide new users with permissions
• analyze statistics

 

Read more in the p-admin manual.

Author: Astrid Holzhauser
Published by: Ivo Marinov
Copyright: factline Webservices GmbH
factID: 115710.23 published on 25 Oct. 2010; 10:17
Users

Users have different rights depending on the group(s) they are assigned to and the permissions these groups have been granted. In general, a user can only see services and contents for which he/she has been authorized.

 

A user can:

• register
• change his/her "settings" (address, telephone number, photo, password,...)
• order automatic e-mail notification about changes on the platform
• view content (The permission system controls who sees what.)
• create content (The permission system controls who is able to create content.)
• link pieces of content with each other
• change content (The permission system controls who is able to edit content.)
• delete content (The permission system controls who is able to delete content.)
• set permissions for new or edited content
• get into contact with other users (ping, chat…), if these services are activated

 A user sees the groups the p-admin has defined and can decide which groups he/she would like to grant read/write permissions for his/her content. However, a user cannot add his/her own groups. 

Author: Astrid Holzhauser
Published by: factline Webservices
Copyright: factline Webservices GmbH
factID: 115711.24 published on 25 Aug. 2010; 11:15
Registration

 

In order to be able to work on your platform, you have to register. You only need to enter your name and an e-mail address. All information will be kept confidentially, of course. Each platform-administrator decides individually which rights he/she assigns to newly registered users.


In order to register, proceed as follows:

(1) Click on the "Login" button.

(2) Now, you are on the login-page. Click on "want to register".

(3) You are directed to an input mask . Please fill in all input fields.

(4) Click on "submit" to finish your registration.

You will receive an automatically generated password by e-mail within a few minutes. Then you can log in.

 

Note: When you login you can set a cookie in order to stay connected. If you want to learn more about this function, please visit Keep session alive

 

Username - We recommend choosing a combination of your first name and your surname. This facilitates the disctinction between users. 
 

Did you forget your password?
Click on "Forgot your password?" on the login page and enter the user name and e-mail address you used to register. Within a few minutes, you will receive a new password via e-mail.

 

Author: Astrid Holzhauser, CK
Published by: factline Webservices
Copyright: factline Webservices GmbH
factID: 109662.24 published on 25 Aug. 2010; 11:16
Settings

After you have logged in, you will see a "Settings"-button (usually on the right side of the menu bar). All personal data is specified in the settings. If you click on "Settings", you will be redirected to an overview page. The overview page shows you a summary of your personal data, a short information about your  notification settings and a list of the groups that your user belongs to.

You can find link to the Settings interface in the header of the page or in the left column("options area") in the "settings-box".

 

At present, there are four areas.

(1) Profile
All data in the personal settings can be viewed in your user profile (except password!). Access to the user profile is possible by clicking on your name in the metainfo of a fact.

(a) User profile
Here you can change your names, email, picture and also password. Type in your old password once and your new password twice. Finally, click on "save" to preserve your new password. Please note, that the system only checks the first eight letters of a password. Your password, may consist of more than eight letters, of course.

(b) Additional information

Here can be added birthday, company, short description.

(2) Contact information
You can specify contact details like telephones, messengers, adresses.

(3) Options

(a) Notifications options

Here you can request and define the details of an automatic e-mail report on changes made on your platform (see chapter on "automatic e-mail notification").

(b) Application options

> ping messages
You can determine whether you want to receive ping messages.

> preferred editor
In addition, you can decide whether you want to use a rich text editor by default (e.g. TinyMCE).

> use AJAX mode

You can enable the ajax interfaces, if not the Simple Form Interface will be used.

(4) Membership of groups on the current and other platforms.

Author: Astrid Holzhauser, CK
Published by: Ivo Marinov
Copyright: factline Webservices GmbH
factID: 109660.36 published on 04 Jan. 2012; 10:26
Password

Once you have registered, an automatically generated password will be sent to your e-amil account.
You may change the password at any time in your Settings.

Please note that the the system only checks the first eight characters of your password upon login. Your password may consist of more than eight characters, of course.


Did you forget your password?

If you forgot your password, proceed as follows:

(1) Click on "forgot your password?" on the login page.

(2) Insert your username and your e-mail address.

(3) Click on "send password".

A new password will be sent to your e-mail address within a few minutes. You will be asked to change the password after your next login.

 

Author: Hella Dietz, CK
Published by: factline Webservices
Copyright: factline Webservice GmbH
factID: 109661.14 published on 25 Aug. 2010; 11:18
Navigation on the platform

(1) main menu
In the header of your platform you will find the main menu. In the standard solution provided by us, "Structure" is on the left side, followed by buttons for other services your platform offers. On the right side, you see the users online, settings and login/logout buttons.

The menu buttons for Structure and Services can be replaced with other buttons according to your wishes. In this case, the individual services are accessible via a drop-down menu in the left column. There you will also find a link for "Structure".


(2) pathline - vertical navigation
Below the header of your platform, you will see a pathline that shows you which area of your platform you are currently in (“Home > Structure > English > Manuals“). The titles displayed in the pathline, are shorter than the original titles, for space saving reasons. If you want to jump to a higher level in the hierarchy, simply click on the respective designation in the pathline (e.g. "English").


(3) advanced search
On the right side, between header and pathline, is the button “Factlist & search”. You can search (text-based) content on the platform for certain words, using the given options (fact type, publisher etc.). If you press the "Search"-Button without making any choice, ALL facts on the platform will be listed.
For detailed description of the functionalities of "Factlist & Seach" see chapter Factlist & search,


(4) Left Box (options area)
The Left Box (options area) consists of numerous boxes. These boxes contain information on facts displayed in the main frame. Moreover, you will find all edit-options there.

Platform administrators decide which boxes are visible in the options area. They can determine that some boxes are only visible to certain groups.

Further information on the options area is available in the chapter "Left Frame (Options Area) - boxes".

(5) previous | next fact - horizontal navigation:
If required, users can activate a horizontal navigation. By doing so, users can directly jump from one fact to the next within a folder. Subsequently, facts do not need to be opened and closed individually. If the horizontal navigation is activated, ther are "previous" and "next" arrows above the fact title. You can activate the horizontal navigation while creating or editing a folder.

 

 

Author: Astrid Holzhauser, CK
Published by: factline Webservices
Copyright: factline Webserivces GmbH
factID: 144193.16 published on 25 Aug. 2010; 11:19
Design of the System

The design of FCS platforms greatly differs from common software products. Therefore, it is essential to understand the basic design of the system.

Services	Each FCS platform disposes of an individually selected choice of so-called "Content Services". Upon request, services can be activated and deactivated later on. Basically, services allow you to publish different types of content (e.g. a text, a file, a picture). Subsequently, each service allows for a distinctive presentation of content types. As a result, a normal text looks different from a picture.
Facts	Each content item is referred to as a "fact".
Filings	All facts of a particular service are saved in separate repositories called "service filings". The repositories can be accessed via the main menu or the service box in the options area.
Structure	The service "Structure" consists of folders which can be organised hierarchically. Folders can be used to order facts thematically.
Shortcuts	Folders always contain shortcuts. Basically, a shortcut is a link to an original fact which is stored in the respective service filing. Subsequently, it is possible to assign one fact to several different folders.

 

 

  

Author: Astrid Holzhauser, CK
Published by: factline Webservices
Copyright: factline Webservices GmbH
factID: 134506.19 published on 25 Aug. 2010; 11:20
Content Services

An FCS platform is made up of indivdually selected modules called "Services". The relationship between these services is explained in the chapter "".

At the moment the FCS offers 18 content-services and 6 functional-services:

 

Content Services These services allow you to create an publish facts (= content items).
	Text	create texts and format them with a text-editor	more
	News	clearly laid out presentation of latest news	more
	Downloads	upload and download files	more
	Images	upload pictures and include them in texts	more
	Events	list of upcoming/past events	more
	Links	collect, categorize, describe links	more
	Library	collect, categorize, describe bibliographic sources	more
	Forum	write short statements ("posten")	more
	Album	present a large number of pictures	more
	factchat	arrange written contributions on a chatboard	more
	Weblogs	chronological list of entries	more
	Partner	logos of associates in the header	more
	Comment	add comments below a fact	more
	Company Profile	creation of company profiles	more
	Expert Profile	creates expert profiles	more
	Ebuddymikroartikel	creates e-buddy micro articles	more
	Client Questionnaire	creates client questionnaires	more
	Snapshot	creates snapshots	more
	Questions and Answers	creates a queston and a user can answer	more

 

Functional Services These services provide support for working processes on the platform.
	Search	fulltext and advanced search on the whole platform	more
	Index Search	makes the search service work faster	more
	Structure	create a hierarchical folder structure	more
	Notification	automatic notification about changes on the platform	more
	Users Online	display of all users who are currently online	more
	Tagging	Create tags and link them to your facts	more
-	TinyMCE	text-editor for writing and formatting text	more

 

 

 The names of services are standard designations used by factline. Other names are possible.

  

Author: Astrid Holzhauser
Published by: factline Webservices
Copyright: factline Webservices GmbH
factID: 109615.43 published on 15 Nov. 2010; 16:32

Publishing with Multiple Assignment

Create content (= facts)

Create content - alternative 1

Create content - alternative 2

Create a quick link - alternative 3

Input mask

Four options in edit mode

Publish content

Save changes (edit version)

Number of the unpublished versions

Set guarantee of existence (GOE)

Extend guarantee of existence (GOE)

Permissions

Group function

Easy form: assign permissions to groups

Easy form: assign permissions to individual users

Multiple permissions change

Assign permissions to subgorups

Delegate permissions for the content of a folder

Edit content (facts)

Edit pictures

Edit files

Working with Text-Editors

Meaning of the factID

Version control system

The fact-archive / Version History

Comparison of versions (Diff function)

Folder's history

History of a fact

Create links

Link to an infoID ("factlink")

Create a factlink

Create a factlink to the latest or current version

Factlink advanced formatting

fastlink

Create a factlink in text or HTML mode

Link to an Internet address (URL)

Link from external documents to a fact

Insert images

Insert facts ("factinclude")

Create factinclude

Create an itemtemplate

Add itemtemplate to a factinclude

Include the whole content from a folder

Create folders

Create shortcuts

Possibility 1- Create a shortcut in a folder or in structure

Possibility 2 - Create a shortcut from the fact itself

Create multiple shortcuts

Move content

Delete options

Delete shortcuts

Hide content

Display hidden facts

Display hidden shortcuts

Unhide content (facts)

Delete content (facts)

Delete one fact

Delete several facts

Copy content

How to create folder templates

How to use templates