Plone Public Websites

A Plone Public Website is an implementation of our Plone Content Management System (CMS) specifically for clients who need the ability to work on draft versions of site content and have that content reviewed before publishing to the world.  In addition, this feature allows for the editing of existing content while the original version is still available for viewing.

The draft version can be created anew, or it can be a working copy of an existing content.  It can then be modified and submitted to the Reviewer for further modification or approval.  Upon approval, the draft of a new content can be published straightaway, and the draft that is a working copy can be published to replace the previous version.  This feature applies to Events, News Items, Pages, and Contacts.

There are two essential user groups:  Editors and Reviewers.  Editors can create and edit content.  Reviewers can edit and review content created by the Editor, and then either approve the content for publishing or return it to the Editor for additional work.  A user can be both an Editor and a Reviewer.

Create New Content

Create Content (by Editors)

• 1. 1. Expand the Add new menu on the toolbar and select Event, News Item, Page, or Contact (if in the Contacts folder).
     2. Fill in the necessary information and click Save.
     3. After saving, the content state will be Draft.  This is similar to the Private state.  It can be viewed by both Editors and Reviewers, but modified by Editors only.
     4. To cancel/delete a draft, select Actions > Delete from the toolbar.
     5. When the content is ready for review, select State > Submit for Review from the toolbar to change the state to Pending review and forward the content to the Reviewer.
     6. If there are additional revisions, select State > Retract to Draft from the toolbar, and click Edit on the toolbar to continue editing the draft.

Review Content in the Pending Review State (by Reviewers)

1. 1. 1. Content in the Pending review state can be accepted as is, revised by clicking Edit on the toolbar, or revert to the Draft state and return to the Editor.
      2. To accept content as is or after editing, simply select State > Publish from the toolbar.
         • Check whether the content contains unpublished links.
      3. To return to the Editor for further revision, select State > Retract to Draft from the toolbar.

Create a Draft or Working Copy

Create a Draft (by Editors)

1. 1. 1. Navigate to the content that requires editing and select Edit Draft on the toolbar.  A new screen opens stating that a working copy will be created.  Click the Create Draft button to complete the transaction.  The working copy has its title set to red and the state to Draft.
      2. Click Edit on the toolbar to open the Edit form, make the applicable changes, and then click Save.  Edits can be made as many times as necessary by repeating this step.
      3. When the draft is ready for review, select State > Submit for Review from the toolbar to change the state to Pending review and turn the revised working copy over to the Reviewer.
      4. If there are additional edits, select State > Retract to Draft from the toolbar and repeat Step 2.  If the draft is no longer needed, select Actions > Delete Working Copy instead.

Publish a Draft (by Reviewers)

1. 1. 1. Content in the Pending review state can be published as is, or revised and then published.
      2. To publish the draft to replace the previous version, select State > Publish from the toolbar.
      3. A comment box opens to allow the Reviewer to add an optional comment which can be viewed via the History tab on the toolbar.
      4. Click Publish to save the updated version.
         • Check whether the content contains unpublished links.

Note:  All drafts have the warning message "This is a working copy of <content title>, made by <user name> on <date>. (View changes)" at the top of the page.  Click View changes to see the track changes if desired.

Review List Portlet

Contents in the Pending review state are shown in the Review List portlet just below the navigation pane.  The Review List portlet is viewable by Reviewers, Editors, and Site Administrators.

My Content Link

This link is located in the User Account menu in the top right corner.  It opens to a page of content items applicable to the user.  However, both Editors and Reviewers can view content created by other users as well as content in various states.  As such, the content items can be filtered by the Creator and/or the Content State.  They can also be sorted alphabetically or by the modified date.

Notifications

Email notifications can be set so Reviewers and Editors can receive an email when a content item is awaiting their review.

1. When adding a new user, check the Review Queue Notification box on the Add New User form.
2. For an existing user, expand the User Account menu in the top right corner and select Personal Information.  On the user information page, check the Review Queue Notification box and click Save.