Updated App – How To Guide

Following a major update which we have been working on for some time, the admin area which you are used to will have changed slightly.

These changes have been developed through direct feedback from our schools and we hope the new layout and features will make administering the website and app(s) much easier.

At this point we must state there are some bugs we still need to address, a couple of which affect how things work and we hope they will be fixed in the very near future.

The biggest change to the admin area is the removal of the right hand options bar and the implementation of a step-by step approach. This is to make adding content as straightforward as possible and to remove any human error.

 

Below we have created some guides for the adding content, please click on the links below to jump to the relevant content. Please note, where there are bugs present we have highlighted this, and any relevant work arounds.

Step 1

 

When adding a notification, the content entry area is the same as it has been. Simply add your title and then any content needed before scrolling down.

 

Step 2

Add any categories that you wish to send the notification to. Please ensure the correct categories are set. Then press ‘Next Step’.

Please note, you no longer have to add a category, if you don’t need a category simply skip this step by pressing ‘Next Step’

 

Step 3

Please note at this point, the first tick box for ‘Parents’ has to be selected.

Here you can either send the notification to categories (if selected) or to individuals.

New Feature – when selecting individuals we have added the ‘All’ year group feature (for SIMS users) this will allow you to see all parents and search when the table loads below.

Bug – For schools with more than 500 parents there may be some slight bugs with pagination, but these will be fixed soon.

 

Step 5 – Sending to individuals

If using SIMS data you can select the year group to display the entires.

New Feature – we have added the ‘Select All’ function back into each column, so you can send to all P1, P2, P3 etc parents across an entire year group.

NEW FEATURE – You can now select multiple parents across multiple year groups. The selected parents will display underneath the list of parents along with their year group. You can jump from year group to year group and add as many parents across year groups as you like. You can also remove parents from this list if added in error. The search function also works and is no longer case sensitive.

When all the recipients have been selected press ‘Next Step’ to continue.

 

Step 6

If you want to schedule a reminder notification to automatically be sent use the options here, when ready press ‘Next Step’

Step 8

Finally, press publish to complete the notification creation. The notification is then published and queued to send.

Step 1

When adding a new News Post, the first box remains the same; simply add your title and content as you normally would.

Then scroll down to edit the options for the post

 

Step 2

The first option is for expiry – if you want this content to expire and therefore not be visible on the website/app after a certain date/time simply enter the date and time you want the content to expire. If you don’t want this content to expire simply scroll down past this box.

 

Step 3

In the next section there are 2 options. If your site has a search area you can exclude this content from appearing in these search results. Tick the first box if you wish for this post not to be included in search results.

If the second option is ticked it means that the content will not be accessible to the public even if they can guess the URL. When ticking this box, only people who receive a notification about this content can access it.

When you are happy with these options scroll down again.

 

Step 4

The next section is where you can select categories for the news post. This determines where the post will appear. You can select multiple categories for both the website and the app.

Please ensure that categories are selected correctly for both the website and the app. E.G. If something has the categories ‘All News’ and ‘Class 2’ selected, parents who don’t have children in ‘Class 2; will also receive this information, if the content is being sent with a notification they will receive a notification regarding information that isn’t relevant to them’ 

Please note that since this is a post it has to go on both the website and the app. If you want to send content just to an individual or category in the app please use the notification function.

 

Step 5

The next section allows you to send a notification regarding this News Post. Please see the guide on notifications for a step by step guide.

If you don’t want to send a notification please just skip past these options and press  ‘Next Step’

 

Step 6

If you want a reminder notification to automatically go out use this area to do so. If you don’t need a reminder notification please just skip this step by pressing ‘Next Step’.

 

Step 7

To add a featured image (the image that is displayed in a news feed or a feed on the website) click the set featured image button and follow the steps in the pop up box – these steps haven’t changed.

For sites that use Featured Image 2 to add a header image to content, simply use the ‘Featured Image 2’ area. Please remember that ‘Featured Images’ are generally square – or will be hard cropped to be square. ‘Featured Image 2’ images are generally rectangular images – or will be hard cropped to be rectangular.

When this section is complete, please press the ‘Next Step’ button

 

Step 8

The final step is to publish the News Post. In this section you can also set the post to be draft or publish at a specific time.

Press the publish button (or Save Draft if this option has been selected) to finish adding the news post content.

Bug – We are aware that scheduling content to be published at a specific time isn’t working – we are looking to fix this in the very near future.

Step 1

When editing or creating forms, the initial view hasn’t changed. After adding the form title, you can then add content before the form.

You can then create the form field by field as before.

Then you can add any content that appears after the form. When the form content is complete, scroll down to edit the options.

 

Step 2

In the next section there are a number of options.

The first is an internal email address that receives notifications when the form is completed.

The next is expiry information; if you want the form to expire and therefore not appear on the website or app any more enter a date and time here.

The next option is if you want the user to be redirected to a specific page after completing the form. Simply enter a page URL here if you want to use this option.

The next option is ticked by default, to clear the form fields upon submission.

The next option is if you don’t want this form to appear in a list of all forms – should your website use this feature.

The next option is for if your site has a search area you want to exclude this form from appearing in these search results.

If the final option is ticked it means that the form will not be accessible to the public even if they can guess the URL. When ticking this box, only people who receive a notification about this form can access it.

When you are happy with these options scroll down again.

 

Step 3

The next section is where you can set categories for the form. This determines where the form will appear. You can select multiple categories for both the website and the app. Or just website, or just app categories.

 

Step 4

The next section allows you to send a notification regarding this form. Please see the guide on notifications for a step by step guide.

If you don’t want to send a notification please just skip past these options and press  ‘Next Step’

 

Step 5

If you want a reminder notification to automatically go out use this area to do so. If you don’t need a reminder notification please just skip this step by pressing ‘Next Step’.

 

Step 6

To add a featured image (the image that is displayed in a news feed or a feed on the website) click the set featured image button and follow the steps in the pop up box – these steps haven’t changed.

For sites that use Featured Image 2 to add a header image to content, simply use the ‘Featured Image 2’ area. Please remember that ‘Featured Images’ are generally square – or will be hard cropped to be square. ‘Featured Image 2’ images are generally rectangular images – or will be hard cropped to be rectangular.

When this section is complete, please press the ‘Next Step’ button

 

Step 7

The final step is to publish the form. In this section you can also set the post to be draft or publish at a specific time.

Press the publish button (or Save Draft if this option has been selected) to finish adding the news post content.

Bug – Currently the ability to publish at a specific date doesn’t work – we are working to fix this in the near future.

Step 1

When editing or creating events, the initial view hasn’t changed. After adding the event title, you can then add content relating to the event.

When the event content is complete, scroll down to edit the options.

 

Step 2

In the next section there are a number of options.

The first is the date of the event – this is the only required field.

The next is start time, please select a start time if required.

The next option is the end date – please select an end date if required. (This is required if the event is to recur)

The next option is end time, please select the end time of the event if required.

The next option is whether the event will recur – select a recur option from the drop down if required. If this isn’t required simply leave the drop down box with the ‘Don’t Recur’ option set. If a recur option is selected, the area below will be populated with dates that can excluded such as school holidays so the recurring event won’t appear during school holidays.

The final options are for the colour of the event when viewed in the calendar.

When you are happy with these options scroll down again.

 

Step 3

The next option is for if your site has a search area you want to exclude this event from appearing in these search results.

If the final option is ticked it means that the event will not be accessible to the public even if they can guess the URL. When ticking this box, only people who receive a notification about this event can access it.

 

Step 4

The next section is where you can set categories for the event. This determines where the event will appear. You can select multiple categories for both the website and the app. Or just website, or just app categories.

 

Step 5

The next section allows you to send a notification regarding this event. Please see the guide on notifications for a step by step guide.

If you don’t want to send a notification please just skip past these options and press  ‘Next Step’

 

Step 6

If you want a reminder notification to automatically go out use this area to do so. If you don’t need a reminder notification please just skip this step by pressing ‘Next Step’.

 

Step 7

To add a featured image (the image that is displayed in a news feed or a feed on the website) click the set featured image button and follow the steps in the pop up box – these steps haven’t changed.

For sites that use Featured Image 2 to add a header image to content, simply use the ‘Featured Image 2’ area. Please remember that ‘Featured Images’ are generally square – or will be hard cropped to be square. ‘Featured Image 2’ images are generally rectangular images – or will be hard cropped to be rectangular.

When this section is complete, please press the ‘Next Step’ button

 

Step 8

The final step is to publish the event. In this section you can also set the post to be draft or publish at a specific time.

Press the publish button (or Save Draft if this option has been selected) to finish adding the news post content.

Bug – We are aware that the ability to schedule this content publishing at a later date isn’t working – we are working to fix this in the near future.