The Basics
Adding Buttons, Icons, Pictures, Backgrounds, and More.
One of the first things you're probably going to want to do is figure out how to add custom styled buttons, a new background, and more. Where do you do all this stuff? For now we'll assume that you've successfully created your guild account and understand how to access the main admin menu.
Click on the Admin Menu, then Control Editor. The Control Editor is your "workshop" to creating the buttons that you'll later place on your website. This includes creating simply images, such as the banner, all the way to complex backgrounds.
After click on the Control Editor you'll see a new section come up. The first thing is the type of control you want. Here is a brief explanation of each in the list:
Image Control: Select this to place simple images on your website (great for backgrounds, fillers, etc.)
Image Button: The same as the Image Control but adds a button feature for clicking, as well as adding text on top of the button to identify the buttons function.
HTML Container: More complex section within your website. This allows you to define a certain area to display elements, such as NewsFeeds from your favorite games site. This can also be used to place simple text blocks that you'd like to see displayed permanently on the site.
Embedded Custom Page: Great for controlling content on a particular site depending on the person's viewing the page. You can setup multiple pages in one page for admin access, member access, or public. A page within a page basically.
Text Navigation Button: Same thing as the Image Button but without the image!
Slide Show Control: Useful for displaying multiple images in a series over a certain timeframe, such as for rotating screenshots
Select the option that best fits your needs. Right now we won't get into the details of those options, so if you are lost within them please let us know.
Once you've customized the button, text, or other element to your satisfaction, save it and now prepare to add it to the website! "And how do I do that?"... glad you asked.
Click on the Admin link again and instead of choosing Control Editor, choose Control Layout Manager! Makes sense, right? You first edit what you need, then manage it.
This section is somewhat self-explanatary. Where do you want what you created to be placed? The main section shows the left menu, the center, banner area, and the right menu. If there are controls already in place you'll see them listed there.
Let's say we want to add a button we've just created to the left menu. Click on the box Header Panel on the right and choose which area, in this case the left panel. Immediately below that is your current list of default and custom controls. Select the one you want, and voila! It is added to the left panel. You may notice it's probably out of order from what you wanted, but that's ok because each line has a small up and down arrow set. Clicking on those allows you to shift which position each of the buttons are in.
You can delete buttons, go back and create new ones in the Control Editor, and then in the Control Layout Manager is where you place them and make it all fit together nicely.
Existing But Hidden Buttons
There may be button links, such as the Application page available but hidden from the default set of choices you see on your page when you first sign up to the guild service.
You can implement a button just like you would for anything above, so we'll skip that part and identify the area that allows you to see these other buttons. We'll use the Application page as an example link possibility.
You shouldn't have them register in the forums actually as that is something you add them to.
1) Go to your admin panel
2) Select Control Editor
3) For "Control Type", select Image Button (or whatever type of link you prefer)
4) For the "Address", select Application.aspx
5) Edit the rest of the button properites that you see fit and then submit
6) After that, go to your admin panel again and select "Control Layout Manager"
You should see under the right column labeled "Available Controls" the control you just created.
7) Above that list is the "area" that you want to put the control. Choose the area then click on the control and voila, you have your Application button that will be put somewhere on the main page that allows users to fill out the application.
A) To customize the application to go the admin panel again and select "Guild Application Setup".
Additional Tips:
- If you built a new site and add buttons only to see the entire menu shifted up into the header, simply use the small up and down arrows in the header section of the Control Layout Manager and it should force the menu down again.
- If you want super-fine control over colors, positions, etc., click in the Admin menu the Style Manager, then check the "Advanced" box. It will bring you to the style sheet, which is basically where you can really fine tune everything and anything (Be Warned, this can also really mess up your site so please only edit this if you know what you're doing!).
