The Easy Edit Suite
The Easy Edit Suite offers a user-friendly interface within Squiz Matrix, allowing users with little or no Squiz Matrix training to update the content of a Site.
Bookmarks to the headings on this page:
By default, the following tasks can be performed in the Easy Edit Suite interface:
- Create a variety of page and file assets.
- View and navigate your Site, either by using the Asset Finder or within the Easy Edit Suite's Preview Mode interface. These options allow you to select the assets to be edited.
- Edit the general settings and content of assets within a Site.
- Edit the metadata of assets.
- Control Workflow, approving or rejecting changes made to assets and viewing the Workflow Status and logs of an asset.
- Manage Location Links (add and delete) and select which links appear in the navigation menu.
- Edit the web paths of assets, changing their URLs.
- Delete assets, moving them to the Trash.
The Easy Edit Suite is designed for use within the context of the Site that it is applied to. This means that referencing assets outside of this Site, such as the system's Media Folder and other Sites or locations, is not supported by the Easy Edit Suite's features
and functionality.
In cases where you are required to reference assets currently outside your Site, you should consider moving these assets within the context of the current Site or review alternate implementations that may be available.
Tip: an effective way to manage your assets is by creating a central Shared Content folder within the context of the Site that the Easy Edit Suite is applied to. These assets can then be linked under different locations within your Site while still retaining use of the Easy Edit Suite's functionality.
Accessing the Easy Edit Suite
You can access the Easy Edit Suite by appending the suffix /_edit onto the end of the URL of the Site or page you are currently viewing. For example, if you are viewing a page with the URL http://www.example.com/contact_us, adding the suffix /_edit onto the end of the URL will allow you to access the Easy Edit Suite.
If you are not already logged in, a login box will appear on the screen, as shown in the figure below.
The login box
Enter your username and password and click Login.
Tip: This Login Design (ees_login_design) is located in the System Design Folder and can be set as the System Defined Login Design on the Site you have enabled the Easy Edit Suite for. For more information, refer to the Installation Guide chapter in the manual.
The Easy Edit Suite Interface
When the Easy Edit Suite is accessed, a tool bar will appear at the top of the page, as shown in the figure below.
The Easy Edit Suite tool bar
The left side of the tool bar contains the Create New Asset and Mode Switcher buttons, as well as information on the asset that is currently being viewed. These tools are shown in the figure above.
The Logout and Save buttons
The right side of the tool bar contains the User Details / Exit Edit Mode, Find an Asset and Save buttons. These tools are shown in the figure to the right
For more information on these tools, refer to the sections below.
Creating a New Asset
The Mode Switcher
To create a new asset in your Site, click on the Create New Asset button. The Asset Creation Wizard pop-up will appear, where you can configure the asset to create.
For more information on the Asset Creation Wizard, refer to the Asset Creation Wizard chapter in this manual.
The Mode Switcher
The Mode Switcher
The Mode Switcher allows you to navigate between the Preview and Edit modes in the Easy Edit Suite. The Mode Switcher section of the tool bar is shown in the figure to the right.
By default, when you first access the Easy Edit Suite, you will be viewing your Site in Edit Mode. You can use the Mode Switcher to switch to Preview Mode and vice versa.
Tip: You can change the default mode that will be displayed when you first access the Easy Edit Suite in the Easy Edit Suite's configuration file. For more information, refer to the Installation Guide chapter in this manual.
Preview Mode allows you to view the current asset and navigate around the Site, as you would normally. Once you are viewing the asset you wish to edit, selecting Edit in the Mode Switcher will transfer you to Edit Mode for that particular asset, as shown in the figure below.
Edit Mode
In Edit Mode, users can modify and update the content of the asset that was being previewed.
The Edit Mode interface will vary depending on the type of asset that is being edited. For more information on Edit Mode, refer to the Edit Mode chapter in this manual.
Asset Information
The Mode Switcher
The Asset Information section of the tool bar allows you to quickly view the information on the asset that is currently being viewed.
For each asset viewed within the Easy Edit Suite interface, the status (indicated by status colour), name and asset ID of the asset will be displayed to the right of the Mode Switcher in the tool bar.
Clicking on the Asset Information section of the tool bar will display the Asset Information pop-up, as shown in the figure to the right.
The Asset Information pop-up provides a more detailed summary of the asset currently being viewed, including the status, name, asset ID and asset type of the asset. It also includes details on when the asset was published and when it was last updated.
This pop-up also allows you to mark an asset for deletion by clicking the Move to Trash button at the bottom of the Asset Information pop-up. Clicking this button will navigate you to the Linking screen for the asset, with the location links of the asset marked for deletion. Committing this change by clicking Save will send the asset to the trash. For more information, refer to the Linking Screen chapter in this manual.
Compare to Live
The Compare to Live and Stop Comparing buttons
When an asset has a Status of Safe Edit, an additional Compare to Live button will appear in Preview Mode, as shown in the figure to the right. This option allows you to compare the current Safe Edit version of an asset against its Live version (or last published version).
To compare an asset, click Compare to Live - the asset will refresh and display any content that has been deleted (highlighted in red) and/or any new content added to the asset (highlighted in green). An example of this feature is shown in the figure below.
The Compare to Live feature
Clicking the Stop Comparing button will remove the comparison information displayed.
Tip: You can configure the Easy Edit Suite to automatically display these Preview Mode version comparions in the Easy Edit Suite's configuration file. For more information, refer to the Installation Guide chapter in this manual.
User Details / Exit Edit Mode
The logout button
The User Details / Exit Edit Mode button displays information on the currently logged-in user and allows you to exit the Easy Edit Suite interface.
To view this information, click on the User Details / Exit Edit Mode button, located to the left of the Find an Asset button in the tool bar, as shown in the figure to the right.
When you click this button, the Current User pop-up will be displayed, as shown in the figure below. This pop-up displays the currently logged-in user and allows you to either exit the Easy Edit Suite and log out of the system.
The Exit Edit Mode pop-up
The Exit Edit Mode option will exit the Easy Edit Suite interface and reload the current page - you will still, however, be logged into the system. The Logout option will exit the Easy Edit Suite and log you out of the system before reloading the current page. When you exit or log out of the Easy Edit Suite, all locks on the current asset will be released automatically.
Find an Asset
The Mode Switcher
You can use the Asset Finder to navigate through the assets within your Site, locating and redirecting to the assets you want to edit. To open the Asset Finder, click on the Find an Asset button.
For more information on the Asset Finder, refer to the Asset Finder chapter in this manual.
Saving Your Content
The Save button
The Save button allows you to Commit any changes made in Edit Mode. When an asset is modified, the Save button will turn green, as shown in the figure to the right, indicating that there are changes to be saved.