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Copy and Master Pages Two of the new features in GenWeb are Master Pages and the Copy command. The Copy command is visible in the GenWeb editor when you edit existing web pages. If you click this button you can then save a copy of the web page giving it another name. So when would you use this option? Lets say you have a really great web page which you would like to use somewhere else, with some changes. Using the Copy command allows you to make a copy, then edit the copy with the changes that you want. A great time saver.
Master Pages is another new feature. These are GenWeb templates, and make setting up a website much faster. The main emphasis of Master Pages is the visual or design aspect. They make extensive use of tables and place holder text and images. All you have to do is copy and paste your text over the Ipsum Lorem Latin text which has been used as placeholder text since the 1500s. Replace the placeholder images with your images.
There are two types of Master Pages - GenWeb system Master Pages which are supplied with the software and Master Pages that you save yourself from other web pages you have created. You cannot delete the GenWeb system Master Pages, they are always there for you to use.
Your own Master Pages are listed on the Web Page List. GenWeb system Master Pages are displayed in the Web Page option by clicking on the Master Pages button.
There are no Master Pages for Blog/News items.
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Getting ready for public release Next week, GenWeb will be available for the public to start using. Everyone gets the first 30 days free and with the 12 month prepay options you can get the first 12 months for 9 months subscription. Subsequent years give you 12 months for 10 months payment. Just like we have tried to make the software real easy to setup and use, so we have tried to price the subscriptions at a level that offers value for money. We have already had a number of users running the Beta version of the software, many who have got their websites and blogs up and running with little or no help from us.
Now for some good news on features - GenWeb 2007 now includes a built in Forum option (Professional + version only). This means you can now add a website Forum onto your menu. You can allow access to the Forum open to everyone or your can password protect the Forum to restrict access. The Forum has a language filter to moderate the language used on it.
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Rollback In this new version of GenWeb there is a Revert button which allows a Author of a Web page or Blog/News item to rollback to the previous entry. This is how it works.
You enter the information and save your web page. At a later time you decide to change the entry, you make the changes and click on the Save button. You check how it looks on the public web site and decide you prefer how it was before the changes were made, but its too late the changes have been made. No its not! The image below shows the Save, Cancel, Delete and Revert buttons. Before you Save the changes, GenWeb saved a copy of how the page looked. If you go back into the page and click on Revert your original changes are restored. If you then change your mind a second time, click Revert again and the second changes are restored.
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GenWeb 2007 Beta release
Starsoft's latest release on GenWeb officially entered beta testing on Tuesday 20th March 2007. This new version of our website content management software (CMS) has been produced in less than three weeks. This was due to is a tremendous sustained effort from the software team at Starsoft. The changes in this new version are substantial, some of which I have listed below.
- The software was converted from Microsoft Visual Studio 2003 to the latest version Visual Studio 2005.
- Data has been moved from Visual FoxPro databases to SQL Server 2005.
- All options in the Admin section have had an upgrade to give GenWeb the latest look and feel available on the web. This upgrade involved extensive use of AJAX technology which enables information on the screen to change without refreshing the whole screen.
- Web List Pages are now called Blog/News Items which more correctly describes what the option does.
- Config is now called Setup and this option has a number of new features including options to increase the visual aspect of websites created with GenWeb 2007. You can have background images for the website, line box around the edge of the pages (select colour and pixel size).
- On the Web Page List, pages not added to a menu are described as parked, when added they are described as published. This makes it easier to find pages to add to menus particulary when you have lots of pages in GenWeb.
- Individual Web pages (not Blog/News Items) can be hidden from the menu temporarly.
- Individual Web pages (not Blog/News Items) can be password protected.
- The whole website can be password protected.
- The Date, Time and Author name can be automatically displayed on a page by ticking a checkbox. Style (font, colour and font size) is controlled globally through setup options.
- Revert - this option allows you to rollback to your previous information on a page. Very usefull if you make a mistake.
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