Board Basics

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Boards offer an exciting and dynamic way to group chronological content on the front-end of your site. Think of boards like page lists, express lists or calendar event lists – but with the ability to switch between different content form factors, to aggregate different types of content together in the same list, and more.

Create a Board

  1. To create a new Board, go to Dashboard > Boards 
  2. Click on Add Board
  3. Provide the Board Name
  4. Select a template for the Board
  5. Choose the order (either ascending or descending by date) in which you want the data to be sorted
  6. Click on Add

Select One or More Data Sources for the Board

After creating the Board, a data source is required to populate the Board. To choose a source, go to Board Details and click on Data Sources.

  1. Click on the Add Data Source dropdown and select a Data Source like Page, and Calendar Events
  2. Give the Data Source a name
  3. Choose the days for which you want to display the data
  4. Click on Add Field to select how you want to import the data. For example, if you want to add pages based on Page Type, then you can select Page Type from the dropdown menu.
  5. Select the data type you want to display. For example if you are displaying by Page type, you can Blog Entries.
  6. Multiple types can be added to the same Board by clicking on Add Field button
  7. Once you have selected the Data Source, click on Add Data Source button

Select Templates for the Board

Templates handle the design and layout of the Board. You can select if your Board would have the same layout throughout all the slots or you can mix multiple layouts within the same board by allowing multiple Slot Templates.

Slot Templates are available under Board Details > Appearance > Slots.

Board Permissions

You can limit the access to a Board by user type. To modify a Board’s access, go to Board Details > Permissions
Boards provide granular control for multiple actions. You can edit who has the permission to

  • View the board
  • Edit Board settings
  • Edit Board permissions
  • Edit Content
  • Edit Locked Rules
  • Delete the Board

Now that the board is configured, let's create an instance of the board to place on a page.

Board Instances

Once you have created a Board and populated it with Data, you have to create an instance for that Board.
Instances provide a way to use Boards across different sites in your Concrete install, and to pull in different subsets of data.

To create a Board Instance, go to Board Details > Board Instances and click Generate.

  1. Give the instance a name (optional)
  2. Click Refresh Data Pool to bring the different objects for the board
  3. Under Update Instance >Regenerate, Click Regenerate 
  4. If you have selected multiple board templates, clicking on Regenerate will change the Board’s appearance to display the data in a different layout
  5. Click on View Instance to view the Board

 

Board Block

Adding Board on a Page is similar in style to adding a Block inside a Page. To add a Board you need to 

  1. Edit the page where you want to add the Board
  2. Click Edit Page
  3. Select/drag the Board Block under the area/section where you want to add Board.
  4. From Board Block, Select the Board from the dropdown list which you want to add in this current page.
  5. Select the Instance or You can also create a new Instance for this Board Block for the current page.
  6. Click on Add.

Customize and Schedule Content for Board Slots

Boards contain multiple slots in them where each slot has its own layout and data source. You can Pin any slot within the Board at any point of time. Once you Pin a slot its data resource will remain the same even after you regenerate the data source of the Board.

In order to customize the Slot if you want to change its layout then:

  1. Click on the Slot which you want to change layout to
  2. Click on Replace Slot
  3. Select the Template
  4. Click on Save

Custom slot contents allow editors to really control how their boards look, even while maintaining the ability to add content automatically to it over time.

Schedule Content for Board Slot

Scheduling custom slot contents is another advanced feature of Boards. With the Board Scheduler you can schedule slot at any specific instance for any start date. 

To schedule Slot on Board:

  1. Go to Dashboard -> Boards -> Scheduler.
  2. Select the Instance for the list for which you want to Schedule the Slot.
  3. Click on Add Schedule Stripe.
  4. Select Element. If you want to create a new Element then you can always do so from Designer.
  5. Select From date.
  6. Select End date. (optional)
  7. Select the Time Zone. Choosing a different Time Zone may vary for the audience you want to publish that Slot for. It will be default to the Time Zone you have choose at the time of Concrete Installation. (Optional)\
  8. Select the number of Slot you want to publish.
  9. With Local Stripe and Share Stripe, you can lock this current Schedule Slot permission to administrators and other Editors on your Concrete Site.
  10. Click on Save Changes.