I’ve implemented a colour scheme selector here. You can now select from one of the five colour schemes we’ve discussed to date and that will become the scheme for the site in your selected browser until you choose a different scheme.
The home page now shows three images in a random order. My idea is that we will build a set of images representing the range of U3A activities.
While you’re on the home page try clicking the photo at the bottom of the page. You’ll see a larger version ‘on top’ of the page. Click the ‘x’ at the top right, to go back to the page. Any photo can be made to show this way just by adding a parameter when inserting an image into a page.
Just above the photo you’ll see a folding section. Click the title to see the section. Click it again to hide it. This is a useful way to build pages with a lot of content because people can go straight to the section that interests them.
I’ve finished the Group pages. Click ‘Groups’ in the menu bar to see the different kinds of group list available. If you log in to the members area you can also see a page that lists all the groups you belong to (the monthly meeting and visits groups are added to the list automatically).
Click ‘more’ next to a group in the list to see the detailed groups page. Choose the Art Appreciation group to see a minimal display (only Peter as group leader will see the maintenance options). If you go to the page for a group you lead, you will see options to: edit the group page; add/remove members; and add/remove editors (people allowed to raise events, news and articles for the group). If you go to the cycling group you’ll see I’ve attached some cycling news and articles. If you log in to the members’ area you’ll see some items show a padlock indicating they are available only to members; those items don’t appear if you are logged out. The lists show only the next four events and the most recent four news items and articles. Click a ‘more…’ link to see more details for each item and the full list. Articles show in a summary page that splits out featured articles (always shown at the top). Ordinary articles and a folding section containing (any) archived articles.
The ‘News & articles’ menu also lets you see news and articles of general interest to U3A members. Note that we don’t have to copy news and articles to get them to appear here. One item can be attached to as many groups as you want as well as the News and Articles pages linked from the menu.
If you log in to the members’ area you’ll also see an ‘Articles for your groups’ page that collects together articles for all the groups you belong to (plus those of general interest). I’ll create an equivalent page of news items shortly.
There’s a new ‘Your calendar’ page in the Events menu if you are logged in. It shows all the events for the groups you belong to plus the monthly meetings and visits.
I’ve implemented a simple ‘Contact us’ page under the ‘About U3A’ menu and the page footer. This sends an email to enquiry@haylingu3a.org . We can forward the messages to any email address(es). For the time being they’re coming to me.
In the members’ area there’s a new ‘Member lookup’ service under the ‘Member services’ menu. You can enter (a part of) a first name, last name or both to see matching members. Selecting one shows available detail (try looking for last name “henderson”). If there’s just one match you’re shown the detail straight away (try looking for first name “andy”). Note that members can elect not to show their details here.
There’s now the ability to show different wording to people who are logged in and those who aren’t. For example see how the first sentence of the ‘Open groups’ page changes depending on whether you are logged in, or not.
Finally, I’ve added some graphics so that you see:
- ‘U3A’ in browser tabs when showing a U3A page
- A more stylised version when you create a shortcut to a U3A page on an Apple or Android device
Please let me know your views on the above.
There’s still a lot to do, but I think this list describes most of the tasks:
- Finalise colour scheme
- Update login page to match
- Operational data maintenance, enquiry and reporting
- Email notification of new project items
- Email all members
- ‘Your news’ page
- Access control for news, article and event pages
- Maintain/show group interests
- Complete events pages
- Forums
- Documentation
- Walkthrough
- ‘How to’s
- Developer
- Data capture
- Members
- Groups
- News
- Articles
- Events