Nimbus will have supplied you with the following either by post, email or fax:
A Username & Password.
A content map of your site.
An Internet connection and the latest version of your browser*
NB: ANY CHANGES YOU MAKE USING NIET WILL INSTANTLY BE AVAILABLE TO VISITORS OF YOUR SITE.
How to use the Nimbus Instant Edit Tool (NIET)
First you will need to log on so that the system can locate and display your current information. To do this enter your username in the "Username" field on the home page and then your password in the "Password" field.
Click "GO"
The NIET is a simple tool and therefore there is no fancy navigation (at present). Each of the 12 content pages has 4 text fields for use in your site, making a total of 48. These may have been used for titles or scrolling sections as well as text.
This is why Nimbus have supplied you with what we call a "NIET MAP" This shows you where the text boxes in each of the edit pages here are implemented in your site.
Now simply enter the text for each section in the relevant boxes on each page. At the bottom of the page there are 3 buttons. Here's what they're for:
- Clears all data in the boxes on the page you are editing.
- Saves the text on the current page for use in your site. As soon as you click save your site will reflect the changes you have just made. Once you have clicked "Save" you should use the menu (described below under "Navigating NIET" to move to the next page.
- This button takes you to the NEWS. You will find details on thisbelow.
Navigating NIET
Content Pages
At the left of each page there is a menu. This displays links to all the pages available to you with in the NIET. After making an edit and saving it you can jump to any page (from 1-12) by clicking its number in the menu. Alternatively, use the "Next" and "Previous" buttons to move through pages consecutively.
REMEMBER: IF YOU HAVE MADE AN EDIT OR ADDED TEXT, YOU MUST CLICK "SAVE" BEFORE MOVING TO THE NEXT PAGE.
Other Pages
You can also jump straight to the Links, Tables, Gallery, Style or News sections using the menu. More about these feature below.
To access NEWS directly click Done at the bottom of page 1 when you log on.
You may also have use of the "NEWS" section. This is slightly different to the other pages in the site. It can be used to keep your site's visitors up to date with latest developments while still displaying earlier entries. It could also be used to display events in a journal like fashion. The NEWS section of your site will display up to 30 articles at one time.
NEWS offers various features:
Add
Edit
Delete
View
The main news page will display a section allowing you to add new articles and, below this, a list in chronological order of all existing articles.
To add a new article first enter a the title you wish to be displayed at the top of the article in "TITLE" field. Next enter a date for the article. This would usually be today's date. Dates must be entered in the form of DD/MM/YYYY. Using zeros where applicable and forward slashes "/" between segments. For example: 03/09/2001 to represent 3rd September 2001. Finally, enter the main text of your article in the "ARTICLE" text box. When you have finished entering your article click "SUBMIT" at the bottom.
Now your new article will be displayed in the list below the article entry area. Next to each article you will see one radio button () and one tick box (). At the bottom of the table you will see two buttons, "EDIT" and "DELETE".
EDITING ARTICLES
Select the radio button next to an article you wish to edit. Click the EDIT button at the bottom of the EDIT column. Your article will now appear in the upper area of the page as you first entered it. Click in the field(s) you wish to edit (Title, Date, or Article) and make your changes. When you have finished click "EDIT THIS NEWS" beneath the Article text box. Your updated article will be saved and displayed in your site immediately.
If you wish to add further new articles click the "ADD ARTICLE" button beneath the article text box.
DELETING ARTICLES (USE WITH CAUTION)
To remove articles click the tick box next to the article in question to mark it. You may want to select several articles to be deleted at once. Once you are happy with your selection click the "DELETE" button. Your article will be permanently erased and removed from your site.
SHOW ARTICLE LISTING
If you want to see all your articles together along with their content...... You can. Select an article to edit and click the edit button (as described above). Beneath the "Article" text box you should now see a button marked "SHOW NEWS LIST"Click this button to view all your news in chronological order.
At some point you may well wish to apply various different styles to your text. The overall appearance is controlled by us and set when we design your site. However, you can change smaller things such as line breaks and bold and italic.
To do this you must put a special code, known as a TAG, in the text boxes of the NIET where you want your text to be formatted. Below is a list of usefull codes and examples of their functions.
Caution: we cannot take any responsibility for errors caused by using these tags with in the NIET. We suggest where possible that you do not use them. Rather discuss formatting requirements during the site build.
Code
Description
Example
Result
<P>
Gives a new paragraph
Hello <P>
This is a test
Hello
This is a test
<BR>
Give a new line
Hello<BR>
This is a test
Hello
This is a test
<B>
</B>
Make text BOLD
My name is <b>fred</B>
I am <b>25</b> years old
My name is fred
I am
25
years old
<U>
</U>
Underlines Text
My name is <u>Jim</u>
I am <u>27</u> years old
My name is Jim
I am 27 years old
<I>
</I>
Makes text itallic
My name is <i>Bob</i>
I am <i>93</i> years old
My name is Bob
I am 93 years old
You can use a combination
of these TAGS at the
same time.
My name is <i><b> Norman
</B></i>I am <i><u><b> 14 </b></u></i> years old
My name is Norman
I am 14 years old
<Div align = "Left">
</div>
Aligns all text in a paragraph to the left
<div align = "left">Hello, My name is George.</div>
Hello, My name is George.
<Div align = "right">
</div>
Aligns all text in a paragraph to the center
<div align = "center">Hello, My name is Paul.</div>
Hello, My name is Paul.
<Div align = "Left">
</div>
Aligns all text in a paragraph to the right
<div align = "right">Hello, My name is Kieth.</div>
Links have been implemented in your site in one of two ways or both, navigation or general links. The NIET offers use of up to 30 customizable links in your site.
Navigation
If your site uses the NIET to define site navigation (that is the labels on your buttons that link from page to page) you should follow these instructions:
Log on to NIET
Click the LINKS item in the menu
You should have been provided with a NIET map describing the use of each link. These are usually the first four (or however many pages you have) links in the NIET links table.
In the URL column you will see a reference to the html file containing the code. You should not modify this.
The description field will contain a default description of the page contents. You can modify this so visitors can see more information about your pages by holding the mouse over the button.
The title field contains the text that will be displayed as the link or button. You should enter a brief title in here. Common examples are:
Home
Services
Products
Pricing
Contact
etc.
When you have you completed entering titles for your page links scroll to the bottom and click SAVE or UPDATE.
You can change the title at anytime using the method described above.
General Links
You may have requested a links page in your site that allows you to display links to useful or recommended sites to your visitors. You can use the links manager of the NIET to edit, update and create these. We have allowed for three variable with in the links manager. These are:
Title - displayed to the visitor and clicked to access link
Description - A brief introduction or description of the page(s) you are linking to.
URL - the most important part, the link itself. This must contain the full website address including the "http://" part. e.g. http://www.nimbus.uk.com
Here's how:
Log on to NIET
Click the LINKS item in the menu
In the first column, "Title", add a title for your link
e.g. Nimbus
In the second column, "URL", add the full web address you want to link to.
e.g. http://www.nimbus.uk.com
In the third column enter a description for your link. e.g. "This site is great for cost effective web development and commerce integration"
Repeat the steps above up to 30 times to add links. These links will be displayed in your designated links page.
When you are finished, scroll to the bottom and click "SAVE & UPDATE".
Editing Links
Editing pre-defined links is simple.... Simply log on and go to the LINKS section of the NIET site. Here you will see all the links you have previously created plus space for any unused links. To edit a link simply change the item in the column you wish to edit and click "SAVE & UPDATE" at the bottom. The edited link will be instantly updated in your site (although you may need to press refresh if you are using a cache)
Tables can be used for many purposes with in your web site from displaying results or league tables to price lists or inventories. There is no limit to the number of rows you can have in the table as each row is added as a separate record. We have put a limit on the number of columns you can use (25). There is only one table available per user.
You NIET Site Map will describe how and where your table is used in your site. It is a good idea to have planned your table before you start to edit it using the NIET
Creating a Table
Log on to the NIET
Click "Tables" in the menu.
You will be asked to define the number of columns and initial rows you would like to use. You can come back and add or remove columns or rows and we will cover this later.
Figure1
When you have defined the number of rows & columns click "NEXT"
At the bottom of the next page you will see the editing section as illustrated in figure 2 below.
Figure 2.
The first record in the table will always represent the headings for you table. This will be reflected in later records. Enter your heading in each cell of the table. When you are done click "NEXT".
Now your headings will appear in the top section of the editing table. You can begin to enter you data.
Figure3.
Figure 3 shows the main table. As well as entering your data you can also perform other functions:
Click 'Save' to save your changes and preview your current table.
Click 'Preview' to view your current table without saving changes
To delete: Put a tick in the check box next to a record and click the delete buttons. You can delete multiple records at the same time. NB There is no auto sort function (yet) so you will need to ammend following records if you have entered them in a particular order.
To add rows to your table enter the number of rows to add in the box below the table click 'Go'
Browsing, Editing & Deleting Records
Once you are logged on and on the tables page you can browse through your records in one of two ways.
When entering the tables section just click the "NEXT" button (figure1.) if you do not wish to add any further rows or columns or you are unsure of how many further rows/columns you will add. If you wish to add rows or columns you should enter the total number in the corresponding box. (This must be greater than the previous number)
Clicking the "PREVIEW" button will display a simple table of all your records. You can then press the "EDIT RECORDS" button at the bottom of the table to return tot he main page.
To edit records in your table just enter the changes you wish to make and then click "SAVE"
Delete records (rows) by putting a tick in the box next to the record you wish to delete and then clicking the delete button at the bottom of your table. You can delete multiple records at a time. If you no longer require a column (at present: subject to change 30/1/2002) enter a lower number in the columns box shown in figure 1. This will delete the right most column.
Adding New Records
You can add rows from the table edit page by entering the number of rows to add in the "AddRows" box, then click go. Your table will grow by the number of rows you have chosen to add.
A web site is a useful tool. It can be used for one or all of three main applications. These are marketing, sales and information. But for it to be beneficial to you it needs to be seen! This is where keywords and descriptions are important.
Search Engines
A search engine (such as Alta Vista, Yahoo, Lycos, Excite, or Ask Jeeves) is a tool that helps people find the web sites they are looking for. They store millions of site addresses and a small amount of information about each one. To be listed in a search engine your site needs to be submitted to it. To improve your chances of being found you will need to submit your site every 2-4 weeks and have good keyword placement. You can submit your site manually by visiting the search engine site. Each search engine has a slightly different method for accepting submissions.
Keywords
A search engine works by scanning your site for keywords, descriptions, and titles. It will discount long or complex data and only store the basic or first items it comes accross. Keywords & Descriptions must be placed correctly in your site for them to be found by the search engine.
The Nimbus Instant Edit Tool does this for you. All you have to do is enter the information on the keywords page. This will then update every page in your site providing a consistant and correctly placed list for the search engine to store.
As a guide your keywords should include variations of the following:
Location: Country & County & Town/City
Business Name
Business Function
Web site address
Services & Products
This page currently uses the following keyword, you can view them by looking at the source code of this page: "Nimbus, instant, edit, tool, nimbus instant edit tool, www.nimbiz.com, www.nimbus.uk.com, edit, build, web, site, cheap, low, cost,, design, web design, London, U.K."
How?
Once you have logged on to the site using the username and password provided to you by Nimbus click the 'Keywords' item in the left hand menu.
The keywords page will load. At the bottom enter your information in the corresponding boxes
Figure.4.
Enter your keywords separated with a comma (,) (We suggest no more than 25)
Enter a description of your site. This should be a single sentence summary of your business or site.
Enter the Title of your site. (To be displayed on every page)
Select a category for your site. (To be used when listed within the Nimbus Directory [Coming Soon!])
When you are happy click the 'Save' button at the bottom of the screen.
Nimbus offers a service (Search-Lite) that automatically submits your site so that it can be listed in search engines. We have successfully managed to get all our current customers listed on the first page of most of the major search engines. Click here for more info.
The NIET has the ability to control the way that much of the text on your site appears. Certain areas have had pre-defined styles applied to them. A style contains information about the colour of text, the size and the font amongst other things. There are some obviouse examples of different styles with in your site. For example the title or heading that you use is likely to be in big bold characters whereas the body is likely to be a sensible, readable size and colour. Editing your styles will make apparent the areas of your site affected by each. However, a basic guide will have been included in your NIET Map.
How to:
Once you have logged on to the site using the username and password provided to you by Nimbus click the 'Styles' item in the left hand menu.
The styles page will load and you will be presented with a series of boxes. each one representing a different style within your site.
Here (Figure 5.) is an example of a style box that effects the heading or title of your site:
Figure 5.
Each box contains the following information:
Style Name: This gives a name to the style for identification
Area Effected: This gives a general guide to the area in your site that the style usually effects
Size: Allows you to specify the size of the text in this style
Face: This allows you to define which fonts the text is displayed in. There are three boxes. Why? Because font use relies on the chosen font being installed on your visitor's computer. If your first choice font is not present it will revert to the second and so on. You can enter a Manual first choice by selecting the 'Manual' option in the 1st choice drop down menu and tyoing the font name in the Manual bo below. More info on manual font slection entry is available here]
When you have finished making your style selection click the 'Submit' button at the bottom of the page. You may need to refresh your site several times before the changes become apparent to you but they will be instantly available to any new visitors.
The gallery section has many applications, as a catalogue or database for example. It works in a slightly different way to tables.
How?
[UPDATED MAY 2002]
You will need to have supplied a set of images to Nimbus (using a method agreed at the time of applying for this module). Nimbus will then publish your images in the relevent directory.
All you need to do is log on to the NIET site.
Click the 'Gallery' link in the left hand menu.
Enter title information for your fields (Figure 6.) Each field should be labelled so that your site's visitor can identify the information he is looking at.
Figure 6.
Then click 'Save' at the bottom
On the next page your first picture will appear along side the title you have just entered and blank fields (filled with original content if you are editing) in which you should enter your content. (Figure 7.) Pictures are displayed in the NIET and your site alphabetically. You should name your images accordingly.
Figure 7.
Click 'Save' at the bottom. Your info will be saved and associated with the picture displayed to the left of it. (You can choose to turn an image record off (image & text)- that is have it not appear in your site - by ticking the box labelled "Do not display this image in the site.)
The next image will load along with its info (if pre-existing) or blank fields ready for data input.
Repeat these steps until you are informed there are no more images to display.
Adding your own pictures
The gallery now permits you to upload your own pictures. Please do not attempt this without prior knowledge of image editing software, such as Adobe photoshop. Images you upload must be below 25k in file size or else our server will not accept them. You should use an image editing application to optimize your picture for use on the web. If you would like more information on how to create your own gallery images please contact us for support.
Here's how to upload your picture using the N.I.E.T.
On the first page at the bottom of the brief instructions there is a link, "Or click here to upload new pictures," Click this link.
The gallery upload page will load.
Figure 8.
Figure 8 shows the gallery upload page.
You should know the path to (or location on your computer) or the image(s) you want to upload. They should be in either jpg (JPEG) or GIF formats.
Now click the "Browse" button at the bottom of the page. This will open a "File Browser Dialogue Box" which will display the contents of your computer. (In figure 8 we see an Apple Macintosh version, however Windows users will see a similar box)
You should use the File Browser to navigate to your first image. Select it (by clicking on it once) and then choose "Open" at the bottom of the dialogue box.
You will notice that the text box on the web page labelled "File" (next to the Browse button now contains the local path to your image.
When you are happy that this is the right file click the "Upload" button below the browse button.
Your file wil now be uploaded to the server. If it is over 25k in size you will see an error message and will not be able to upoad it. Uploading can take some time so please be patient.
Once your image is uploaded the web page will refresh allowing you to repeat the process to upload further images.
When you have uploaded all the images you wish to use in your gallery, click the link above the Picture Upload Box labelled, "When you have completed uploading click here to return to the main gallery editor"
This will bring you back to the first page of the gallery where you may edit your titles as described above.
Your new images will be available at the end of the gallery. If you do not wish to use the existing or old images simply check the box labelled "Do not display in site" by each image you want removed from your site. If you would like to delete image permenetly please contact Nimbus.
The background section can be used to change the background in your site (NB This is only available with certain layouts). You can upload your own background image, choose a colour, or enter a colour of your own (hexidecimal).
To edit your background first click the background link in the left hand menu after you have logged in. This will load the backgrounds page. Please make sure your web site supports backgrounds. If you are in any doubt please contact Nimbus to check.
At the bottom of the backgrounds page you will find the settings interface:
This guide assumes that you have already prepared an image for the Internet. If you need help doing this please consult this separate article.
If you wish to use a background picture you will need to click the browse button to locate it and upload:
Make sure you have save your background image in a convenient location on your computer in either GIF or JPEG format.
Click the 'Browse' button.
A file browsing window will opn. Navigate to your saved image. (As described in the Gallery help section).
Select it by double clicking on the file name.
The file name and local path will appear in the text field next to the browse button.
Click upload to store your image on our servers. If implemented, your background image will be available imediately on your site.
NB. Uploading a new image will replace any pre-existing image that you may have uploaded previously so make sure you have a back up. You may also delete your background picture to make use of a single colour. If you are unsure please contact nimbus.
Figure.4.
