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    Building a View: the View Layout and Adding Modules and Content

    Now that you have gone through the Content & Apps interface, we'll look in detail at how to build a new View with modules and manage it.

    In this article:

    View Details

    Creating a View
        · To create a new View in Content & Apps
        · Advanced View Setup

    Options in View Manager
        · Editing a View
        · Deleting a View
        · Copying an Existing View
        · View on Facebook

    The View Layout Page
        · Preview, Publish, and Connection Status
        · View Settings and Embedding a View

    The Add New Module area
        · The Reactivate Module area
        · The Brand Module area

    Adding Modules in a View
        · To add a module to the layout
        · Brand Modules

    Module Controls
        · Editing a Module
        · Scheduling a Module in a View
        · Previewing a View on a Specific Date and Time
        · Deactivating a Module

    Click a link above to get directly to that section, or scroll down and start reading.

    About View Details

    Views can be laid out using a full width or two-column layout. When you create a View, it will by default be in the two-column layout. If you want to make it full width, you will do that in the View Settings area (see below).

    Note: Even if the layout is 2-column, modules may cover the full width within the layout.

    If your account is using Legacy CSS:

    The total width of the View is 520 pixels. This means any header, footer, or full width module will be 520 pixels wide.

    The two column sizes are:

    • The left hand, narrow column: 194 pixels
    • The right hand, wide column: 318 pixels
    • Margin: 8 pixels

    If your account is using 2012 CSS:

    The total width of the View is 810 pixels. This means any header, footer, or full width module will be 810 pixels wide.

    The two column sizes are:

    • The left hand, narrow column: 300 pixels
    • The right hand, wide column: 494 pixels
    • Margin: 16 pixels

    Creating a View

    You can create a View in two places: the SRM Admin area of the platform or right here in the Content & Apps View Manager.

    To create a new View in Content & Apps:

    1. Click Create New View.
    2. A menu will drop down. Fill out the following fields:
      • Name Your View
      • Time Zone
      • Brand Template - Choose which brand template you want to use with this View or, if you don't want brand content on your View, choose "None".
    3. Click Update View. You'll be taken to the View's layout page so you can immediately start building.

    The View will automatically be added to the bundle that you are in when you create the View.

    Advanced View Setup

    Once you have created a basic View in SRMA and added it to a bundle, you'll need to set advanced details for the View in Content & Apps.

    1. Navigate to Content & Apps. You'll land in the View Manager.
    2. Scroll down your list of Views until you see your new View.
    3. Click the gear icon and choose View Settings from the menu.
    4. On the View Settings page, you'll see the following fields, which you can edit:
      • Name
      • Template: Choose how you want your modules to be laid out on your View. Choose from Two column or Full. Your View will be created in Two Column by default.
      • Slug: This is necessary for the backend of the software, so it can be anything.
      • View's Local Time Zone: Choose a time zone for your View from the dropdown menu. By default, your View will be in Pacific Time when it's created.
      • Exclude From Brand-Wide Content: If you don't want brand-wide content to be displayed on this View, select this box.
      • Analytics: If you want to use a third-party analytics program, like Google Analytics, paste the Javascript code they provided into this field.
    5. Once you are finished setting these details, click Update View. You'll be back to the View Manager.

    About Options in the View Manager

    After you've created a View, it will appear in a list on the View Manager main page. There is a gear option next to each view. If you click on the gear option, you can choose from one of these different actions:

    Editing a View

    This one's pretty easy - if you click Edit View from the gear drop-down, you'll be taken to the edit page for the View.

    Deleting a View

    Another easy one: if you no longer need a View, you can delete it from the gear icon.

    Copying an Existing View

    You might have a View that has the exact layout of modules that you want to use again. We've made it easy to copy that View and use it again. Just click Copy View from the gear drop-down menu, and a modal window will open. You can just copy the View, or choose to rename it and then copy. Your new View will then appear in the View Manager list.

    Note: Only the modules and CSS will be copied over into the new View. Any content inside modules, like images in a Banner module, will NOT be copied.

    Note: Only Administrators and Brand Designers can copy Views.

    View on Facebook

    Clicking this option takes you to a preview of your View on Facebook. This way you can make sure your View will look exactly how you want it to once it goes live.

    About the View Layout Page

    When you create a View, the first time you are taken to the View Layout page you will see a welcome window over the that gives you a quick rundown on how to create a View in Content & Apps. To exit this window, simply click anywhere outside the welcome message.

    The main section of the screen is the Layout area. This is where you will drop your modules to build your View.

    Preview, Publish, and Connection Status

    On the top right side of the screen you'll see info about the connection status the View, and the Preview and Publish buttons. If your View is connected to a Facebook tab, that status will be displayed above the Publish button. If your View is not yet connected, the status will show when it was last updated and by whom.

    The Preview button will open a new tab or window, showing you a preview of what your View will look like once it is published to Facebook. This takes you to a preview page on Facebook itself, so you get a true display of how your View will look.

    The Publish button actually makes your View live on Facebook. You will need to connect your View to a Facebook page to have it appear on Facebook. (For full instructions on connecting a View to a Facebook page, see the Connections help article.)

    Note: The Publish button will only be active once you have added content to your View for the first time.

    View Settings and Embedding a View

    Under the View's name, you will see a two text links: View Settings and Embed. Clicking View Settings will take you to the page where you can edit the View's Settings. You can edit the following items:

    • Name - Name of the View.
    • Brand Template - The template you have chosen to use with your View
    • Slug - An identifier for the backend systems. We recommend you do not change this.
    • 3rd Party Analytics - Paste any 3rd party analytics code, like Google Analytics, here.
    • Time Zone - The time zone the View will be using.
    • Language - The language your View will display in on Facebook. You can write the View in whatever language you'd like, and it will be translated into the language you choose when it's viewed on Facebook.
    • Exclude from Brand Template modules (template CSS will still apply) - If you don't want brand-wide content to be displayed on this View, select this box.

    Clicking the Embed link creates a code that allows you to embed the View onto an external website. For more information on this, please see the Embedding a View on an External Website using Anywhere Apps help article.

    About the Add New Module Area

    Underneath those buttons is the add new module area - this section is a library with all the modules you can add to a View. The modules are broken into 6 categories: Basic, Interactive, Feeds, Media, and Custom. Click on the triangle next to the category name and the list of modules available in that category will expand out. The current available modules are:

    BASIC

    INTERACTIVE

    FEEDS

    FORMS

    MEDIA

    CUSTOM

    Note: Each module has its own help page, so for more information on a specific module, click the name of the module above or select the Table of Contents to read the article on that module.

    The Reactivate Module area

    The next area down is the reactivate module area. When you no longer want a module on your View, you can deactivate it. If you later decide you want that module back on your view, find its name in the dropdown menu in the reactivate module area, click the reactivate selected module and the module will appear in the original place location you dropped it in the layout area.

    Adding Modules in a View

    Building a View is fun and really easy with Content & Apps' drag-and-drop interface.

    To add a module to the layout:

    1. Choose a module from the menu. As you hover over a module, its icon will become colored and an icon will appear, showing you it can be moved.
    2. Click on the module and drag it to the layout area.

    3. Dotted lines will appear, showing you the positions where the module can be dropped. You can choose from:

      • Full-width top, which makes the module a banner along the top of the View
      • Narrow column, which makes the module 194 pixels wide
      • Wide column, which makes the module 318 pixels wide
      • Full-width bottom, which makes the module a banner along the bottom of the View

    4. Once you choose the position you want for your module, drop the module there. A popup window will appear, asking you to give the module a name and optional header text, which will appear if that module displays with a header. Enter that info and click OK.

    5. Your module will appear, ready for you to add content.

    Brand Modules

    When you build a template, you can make certain modules optional, so the users who are building the View with that template can decide if they want to add them or not. Those modules will not appear automatically on your View - they will be in the "Brand Modules" area. If there is a module there you want to use, select it from the drop-down menu and click Add Brand Content. The module will appear on your View.

    About Module Controls

    Once you've added a module to your View, you may need to come back and make changes to it, like add more photos to an album or change the date for an event. To do this, you'll use the controls that appear on the side of every module.

    Click on the triangle next to CONTROLS in the module, and the available controls options will open. There are buttons to edit the module, schedule it, or deactivate it, and checkboxes to turn the module's header and borders on and off.

    Editing a Module

    When you click Edit from the control panel, you'll be taken to the edit page for the module. Any areas that can be changed will appear here - each module has its own set of rules and select what those are for each module in its individual help file (helpfully linked from the Content & Apps Table of Contents).

    Scheduling a Module in a View

    If you are running a campaign or have a coupon that you only want valid for a certain amount of time, you can easily make sure the modules appear and disappear on your View on the right dates by scheduling the module.

    To schedule a module:

    1. Click on the Schedule button. A dialog window will appear.
    2. Select the check box to Enable Module Scheduling and date selectors will appear below the check box.
    3. Use the date selectors to set the Start and End dates for your module's appearance.
    4. Click Update to save the scheduling.

    If you have scheduled your module to start at a date in the future, that module will be hidden from your View until that Start date. So don't be afraid if your module just disappears - it's supposed to do that. It will reappear on the day it is scheduled to start. However, if you want to see all your modules, regardless of their schedules, click Display All Modules from the View Control Bar and all your modules will appear.

    Previewing a View on a Specific Date and Time

    Once you've scheduled a module or two, you may want to get a look at how your View will appear on different dates. The Date Preview in the View Control Bar makes this really easy.

    Just click on the date in the View Control Bar and it will expand down into a Date and Time Selector. Click on the date you want to preview and the time, if applicable, then click Apply. The View will refresh, displaying the modules that are scheduled for that day. The Control Bar will also say how many modules are hidden on that date.

    Deactivating a Module

    Click this to remove the module from your View.

    Note: This does not delete the module. You can reactivate a module at any time from the Reactivate Module area.

    What's Next?

    Now that you know how the ins and outs of a View, let's talk about each module and all their tricks and features, starting with the Banner module.

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