Purpose
This tool was developed to give clients the ability to obtain scripts for any dynamic content needed, allowing them to copy and paste them anywhere needed to serve dynamic content within their site. It allows you to create your own custom 'script' which will serve dynamic content, wherever you place it. These scripts can be copied and pasted into any script editor 'anywhere' within the site to show latest content types.
Description
This tool allows clients with no development skills, the ability to obtain scripts for any dynamic content needed, allowing them to copy and paste them anywhere needed to serve dynamic content within their site.
For an example, lets say a client would like to serve Top 10 News Items of the taxonomy 'Press Releases' within the homepage of their site. This tool allows selections to be made, including design and formatting, of which a script is given, to be copied and pasted within the specific area of the homepage of their site. From this point forward, the newest press releases released to the site, will show up within the top 10 on the homepage. This script allows for 'any' content to be obtained, giving the user over the number of records to appear, design and formatting options (including, more images, defining the amount and fields of content to be displayed, background colors, mouseover effects, font, font size, font color and even bullet images). Additionally, this tool allows you to define 'which' records appear within the script, including which Audience Type or Site these records are coming from, and what security options. These links which display on your site, when clicked on will take the site visitor directly to that record within the site.
How To Use
This module is found within the Design Tab of your Client Console. Simply click on Script Generator, and then click on 'New". The tool will ask you:
1.) Which module you would like to pull records from
2.) Which types (or taxonomy) of records from the module
3.) Which field will be used to define any content serving besides the titles
4.) How many records are to be presented
5.) In which format (vertical or horizontal)
6.) In what order (Date des/asc- Alpha des/asc)
7.) How much of the content should be displayed before truncating per record
8.) Design/formatting options
9.) Security rules over what is presented.
When you are completed building your script, it will deposit it within the module. Simply click on the record (name of script) and it will display the script that you are able to copy and paste.
Simply copy the script, and paste within a RTF Text box wherever you would like (Homepage Stylesheets and/or Advertisers are common areas for these scripts, but could be managed anywhere). You can additionally have multiple tables within one RTF Text box, which each serve different scripts allowing you to create your own dynamic homepage stylesheet (with a collection of these scripts).
Tips About This Module
You may need to create one or two scripts to learn the formatting options, but once you get the hang of it, you will no longer need to turn to a developer to request these custom feeds of dynamic content again. This is a very popular module of Oxcyon's client base.
Other good places to manage script besides homepage stylesheets and advertisers is within Results text, and also within Site Modules, allowing you to dynamically server particular types of content along with the results of certain type of search. For an example, if you are managing results text for 'Press Releases' you could also suggest the top 10 press releases dynamically in this search results area.
In January of 2006, Script generator got a facelift, allowing users even more control over this robust tool. It now supports the ability to pass direct SQL WHERE statements to allow greater filtration over the content being served. During this re-tooling, new features including Commenting code, and the ability to save each script for future (re-use).
