Post-Setup

When you run initial setup, most of the settings have already been set. There are however a few options, settings and configurations, which you might need to adjust for final board personalization. You may easy identify whether you logged as admin, by the indicator at the top-right corner with link to Admin tasks. For configuring a Payment system for your board, click "Payment System" link above after you get familiar with board operations.

But before you start board configuration, make sure you considered the following security precautions:

• Always delete the following pages from your installation before going live: !setup.asp, !access_setup.asp, !mssql_setup.asp, !mysql_setup.asp.

• When you finished board configuration (or even before that), remove an "Admin" link form navigation bar and create a bookmark to admin_logon.asp in your browser so you can easily logon to admin section of the board. Open config/config.asp in an editor, set [showAdminLink = False] within "SHOW ADMIN MENU AND LINK" section.
  Note: The other setting - "Display admin menu on all administration pages" only switches on/off a drop-down menu and does not pose security threat. If you wish not to have it, set [showAdminMenu = False].

NOTE: Before you take your board online and make it available to customers make sure you have finalized categories and optional fields customization. This version comes with a powerful optional fields builder. If you changed options order, type and other attributes after some ads have already been posted to the board you might confuse your clients as some of the options they specify would appear under different fields which you have changed. That does not necessary means that you cannot add categories and optional fields later on. Just make sure you understand how exactly the options builder works and what consequences might be as a result of your changes.

The board allows you to create practically unlimited categories/subcategories/3-rd level categories. Theoretically you can create 10,000 categories, 50,000 subcategories and unlimited number of 3rd level. Categories modified/created from Categories Administration page. Note: The meta/title properties of the categories/subcategories are described in SE Optimization section of this manual.

The board comes with 10 preset categories and 170 subcategories. You may freely modify categories tree by adding /modifying categories or deleting everything and starting from the scratch creating a custom tree. When you remove a category, all subcategories/3rd level associated with this category are removed as well. Note: All ads under given category must be removed first, before removing category completely.

Rules for creating new category: Give a category name, brief description, first subcategory name and a custom icon name if necessary. Custom icon should be 40x40px in size and  be located in "img" folder. If you leave "icon" field empty, then the default icon will be used. Board comes with one default icon for all categories. If you wish you may download a set of custom icons from our web site. Custom created collection consists of 24 icons wrapped in 6 different color bands making the total of 144 icons.

Price Level - If your board is running in Pay Mode, then you may identify each category by a specific price level. The price level multiplier affects the base price for posting an ad. If for instance you have $5.00 base price for posting an ad, then assigning [1] as a price level for category "Jobs" would leave base price on $5.00 level for posting in "Jobs". But [1.5] price level for category "Rentals" would set the base price as $7.50 for posting in "Rentals". Price levels adds flexibility to pricing scheme depending on selected category.

Note: Price Level is just a quick way to differentiate the ad price depending on category. There are more advanced "Pricing Schemes" and "Packages" methods described in Payment system and Board Operations.

Optional Fields

Each category can have up to 20 optional fields. Optional fields are displayed on the ad post page and allow for the customers to specify additional information regarding the product/service they are offering within the ad. While selecting a category, customers would be prompted to fill optional fields with respect to the options you have created for each category at Categories Administration page. Next to each optional field there are few additional controls which helps you to expand options functionality.

First is "Global" (Glb) check box.  Global option (if checked and saved by clicking "Modify"), would immediately propagate respective optional field name throughout the entire category structure. So if you for instance created a "Price" as first optional field in "Automobiles" category, checked global and saved settings, then every other category would immediately inherit "Price" as first optional field overriding existed settings (if any was specified as first optional field). While Global box is checked the Field name remain grayed out and cannot be changed.

Note: The Global setting is irreversible. Although you can uncheck "Glb" later on, the respective optional field would remain the same for each category until you change it manually. Make sure you indeed willing to propagate selected field to all categories before saving global option.

The "Global" makes optional fields creation process a snap if you building a subject oriented board. If for instance you have deleted all categories and started from the scratch. You then create first category, assign optional fields and make them global. When you create additional categories, they will automatically inherit global optional fields sparing you from the job of creating fields for each category over again. But this is scenario for subject oriented board (cars, boats... etc). If you have general board where you must have different optional fields, then use you judgment assigning global optional fields. You might create a few, which are common for most of the categories and then uncheck global and modify options on the minority of categories. You would still save some time and effort configuring your categories.

The "Search" option (Sch) check box next to optional field would make this individual option available for search (in Advanced Search only). So you decide which options you would like to be searchable and which to be not. The global setting would affect the option availability for search. The current search setting would propagate to all categories if option is made global.

Options Set. The last and the most important optional fields attribute is "Opt. Set". This attribute would effectively convert plain input text filed into preset options set (drop down box). Meaning a client would be prompted to use drop-down selector instead of typing information for the respective option. Within the "Opt. set" you might see some default options which come with the board. You can use them or you can create your own custom options sets. (see "Options Builder" bellow).
There are few different types of option sets. The difference and the instruction to create new option sets are described bellow in "Options Builder" section. When you select option in an "Opt. Set" column, you can immediately view the way this option would appear at the ad post page. Just click on an "eye" icon next to optional filed and the selected option would appear with "Options Preview" frame (located to the right from option 17).  As with field name and search option, the Options set will be inherited by all categories if the "Global" is checked for a specific optional field.

Options Builder and Options - Explained

Options Builder is the page which allows you to customize your options Drop-Down lists (option sets). There are some default options come with the package (such as yes/no, US states, List of Countries... etc). All options - default and those you build at this page would immediately appear by the individual optional fields selector at Categories Administration  page.

At the Options Builder page you presented with 2 columns at the top. First is the name of the option set and the second is the list of values for the currently selected option. While you select options at the left column, the values on the right are changed with respect to the selected option set. The actual appearance of the selected option is always displayed under "Selected Option Preview:" tab, so you have a pretty good idea how exactly the selector would appear to the customer at the ad post page. You may sort the order of values with up/down arrow buttons. Once desired order is established, click "Save Order" orange button to save the option set values to database. The "Remove" button would remove selected value from the list and the "Delete" button would toss out the entire Options set from the list. The "add" would add a new value to the list and "modify" would allow to change the selected value respectively.
 

There are few different option types can be created. The option type would affect the option set appearance and behavior throughout the board.

Blank Values

You may have One (1) blank value within your values list. Blank value means if client selected this value from the option set it would be equal to "not selected" and this option will not be displayed anywhere on the board for that particular ad. To create a blank value check "blank" check box while adding a new option to the list. Name the value like - "not specified", "not selected", "leave blank".. etc. The blank value marked with red color within the values list. Blank value would also help to create a check box effect (not the check box itself). Having one valid value and one blank value in the options list would force your client to select... or not to select this option - leaving it blank. If you need to change the status of the blank value and make it a regular value you need to remove it and recreate or add another blank value which would reset the "blank" status of the existed blank value.

Allow Custom Override

There are situation when you would like to allow for the client to specify their own values in place of the preset values from Drop-Down list. In such a case, while the target option is selected, check the "Allow Custom Override" box, specify prompt text and push the "Set Custom" button. The result of this action can be seen immediately under the "Selected Option Preview:" tab. Client can select preset values as well as type his/her own by selecting the check box next to the list. The check box is a trigger which disables/enables Drop-Down options list and Custom prompt.

Hidden Option Sets

You can effectively convert any list to a "hidden" list by clickng "Hide" button (Note: If the option list is set as a range option set, it cannot be hidden and vice versa.). Hidden list would appear at the ad post page for the user to fill out, will not appear anywhere on the board except for the Advanced search (if the optional field to which this options set is bound is also selected to be searched.

Why would you need  a hidden list? Hidden list would help you to make some of the other fields searchable. If for instance you have a "Price" field, which is a regular text input. People can enter practically anything there beside the actual price. Like "$20 - can negotiate". If you allow client to do so, the price field cannot be made searchable. Otherwise the search result may not be accurate as expected. In addition to the price you may add a second filed like "Price Range", make it a Drop Down "Hidden" list with preset price range values and make it searchable. Client would fill both "price" and "price range". The "price" would be displayed at the ad view page, the "price range" would not. But in turn the "price range" would appear within Advanced Search making certain that this ad can be searched within the decided price range. The disadvantage of this method is that you would have to create a number of hidden selectors if the sale items on your board are greatly varies in price range from one to another. For instance you cannot use the same range selector in Automobiles and Home Appliances categories. The other method of creating a "certain" searchable options list is to create a "Range Option Set"

Range Option Set

You can create an Actual Range Option Set for Advanced Search on the fly. The range option set would consist of Two (2) Drop-Down lists of the same kind at the Advanced Search page but the order of the second box values will be reverted. Range option values can only be a numeric values!. During the Ad Post client selects a value from the Option List (Age for instance). While at the Advanced Search, this optional field would appear as a range so that people can search only for the desired Age range!

Furthermore, is you check "Search only" (after you have created a search range), client would be prompted with a regular text box at the ad post page but this box is number enforced. Client can only enter a number here (checked at submit). This gives a bit more flexibility to the client and make it searchable via create range. Just make sure to create a suitable range for a specific category and an.option.

Creating a new Option Set

At the bottom of the page, there is a section for creating a new options set. Pretty much self-explanatory. You may create an option set with multiple values from a gathered external text atonce by checking "create by entering a text" box. Make sure to have one value per line.

Applying  optional values to User Accounts

As with categories, the Options set can be bound to option fields for user  accounts (user registration form). Exactly the same rules apply to those options except for one difference -"Hidden" options cannot be bound to user fields. User fields build the same was as category optional fields only though Admin Preferences page.

Appearance Modes

The general appearance of the board can be changed with 4 preset modes (4 buttons at the admin tasks page) as well as via Side Bars Content & Geometry task page.

Compact Mode - Most suited if you wish to ensure 100% compatibility with 800x600 screen resolution (Note: Some admin pages would still require higher resolution for proper viewing).

Compact Portal - All pages (except Admin pages) are shown wrapped into the 6 portal style content column. The content columns are populated according to your preferences via Main Page Configuration. Although most of the page in this mode are compatible with 800x600 resolution, the recommended resolution is 1024x786.

Full Mode - All pages fill available width of the browser window, plus advertising side bars would appear on the right and left. The side bars can be turned off from Side Bars Content & Geometry page. The recommended resolution: with side bars - 1024x768, without side bars- 800x600.

Full Portal - All pages would be displayed within a portal, plus side left and right side bars. Your clients resolution in this case should be at list 1024x768... and up.

You can create a custom appearance - combine portal, left/right side bars, adjust overall board width and orientation from Side Bars Content & Geometry page. For more info about this page navigate to Advertising chapter of this manual.

Customizing Styles:

The board comes with 9 graphical and 1 simple style. Styles are selected from Admin Preferences. You can modify existed styles or create new. A table bellow displays common classes used throughout all .css style sheets.

As you can see the graphical portion (images which create custom look of the board) are not part of any .css. This is because images are not used as background and inserted directly into the tables for the most precise joining of image slices. There are 17 image slices per style and they have the following naming convention and purpose:

Creating additional simple styles

The 10-th style is "Simple". But that does not mean there is no graphics at all. Because images inserted directly there must be something there even though you do not see any custom graphics in "Simple" style. All 17 images are transparent and blank in this style. Creating additional simple styles is easy:

 1. Come up with style name (for instance "Light")

2. Duplicate all 17 images with "Simple" style name in it and rename them as following: Navbox_TL_simple.gif  as Navbox_TL_Light.gif, Navbox_BL_simple.gif  as Navbox_BL_Light.gif ... etc

3. Duplicate simple.css and rename it to Light.css.

4. Copy new images into "img" folder and Light.css into  main classified board location.

5. Edit classes in a new Light.css to create a custom look of your board.

The new "Light" style will be available for selection within styles drop-down box at the Admin Preferences page.

Creating additional graphical styles

You can add graphical styles by creating custom image slices. If you proficient with Photoshop or any other graphical applications capable of image slicing you should have no problem creating new slices. You basically need to create 3 images. One for navigation tables (8 slices). One for List tables (8 slices). And one for List tables header. The naming convention and size in pixels for slices must remain intact. See the table above.

Logo

The Logo for your board can be easily modified. Create your logo image drop it into "img" folder, open "config/config.asp" and modify variable "logo". 

Since ALL pages include header.asp at the top and footer.asp at the bottom of the page, the custom design configuration is a very easy process. You can add banner rotators at the top and bottom, which will be displayed for entire board.

Enter Email Templates page. You have pretty much customized Email templates. You may select a template from drop down box, customize it and save. All Emails are sent as Text formatted, therefore do not use HTML tags. There are number of variables you can include in the Subject and Body of the Email. Those variables will be substituted at the time Email is sent. For instance :uNick: will be substituted with an appropriate user nick name to whom the Email is intended to be sent.

There are four News Letter templates. If you wish to periodically send news letters to your users, here is your chance to customize them. When you finish News Letter customization, you may enter News Letter page and preview your work. Click "Test Email" to send chosen template to yourself. When you click "Email News Letter", you are sending current template to ALL users who agreed to receive announcement. 

You need modify "Terms of Use"  "News" and optionally "FAQ" templates for your Board. Select appropriate template and modify it the way it best suites your needs. Here you may freely use HTML tags. You may use WYSIWYG editor to edit your "Newsletters" and "Content pages". (In Internet Explorer Only)

If you intend to expand board functionalities in any way you may add new Email, News Letter or Page Content templates. To add a new template, select a template type at the bottom of the page, fill template name field, description, subject and body. Subject is only used by Email Templates but please fill it out for all types of templates.

If you have created a new "Page Content" template see the chapter below on how to create a dynamically built page from your newly created template.

NOTE: Do not place any ASP code (<% %>) into the template. ASP code will never run from template. In addition it is not recommended placing any <form>,  <input>, <select>, <textarea> or any other forms into templates.

Adding informational pages for Advanced ASP user - Easy!

It is pretty straightforward. You may create static or dynamic pages.

Static Pages

Just add Server side include <!--#include file="header.asp"--> on top of your page and 
<!--#include file="footer.asp"--> at the bottom of the page. Your content goes in between. Create a link to a new page either in "header.asp" or "footer.asp" navigational bars and you're ready to go.

Dynamic Pages

Dynamic pages would allow you to change the content online via Email Templates page. 

• Create new "Page Content" template via "Email Templates" page.

• Open "terms.asp". Modify first line of the code: 
  
  templateName = "Terms_of_Use"
  
  so it does reflect the name of your newly created template i.e. replace "Terms_of_Use"

• Save terms.asp as new page. Create a link to it either in "header.asp" or "footer.asp" navigational bars and you're ready to go.

Each time you want to modify this page, you just go to Email Templates and change the content online.

All Static text within Classified Board pages can be translated by modifying 6 pages within "language" folder.

"language" folder content:
 

Each page contains variables which can be modified/translated according to your preferences/language. The corresponding to your language "character set meta tag" must be set in "language.asp" page (not in header.asp). Default is US English -1252

You may use any characters during translation except double-quotes ["]. If you must use a double-quote, substitute it with [&quot;] instead. Also the use of single-quote ['] is not recommended unless the variable is already contain this character. The other 2 characters which are not recommended: [<], [>]. Use [&lt;] and [&gt;] instead.

Note: Some of the variables (in extended_language.asp) contain HTML tags (<div>, <br>, <b>, etc...). While translating the text between HTML tags, make sure to preserve them.
 

Tips for random text modification:

If you do not intend to translate your board but wish to modify some of the static text, messages or other information on the pages, you might feel confused as to where to look for the text to modify. 90% of the static text is concentrated in language.asp. There are however some specific pages for which a separate lingual file was created (see the table above). To look for a specific text, first open language.asp in an editor (notepad.exe is fine). Hit Ctrl+f, copy the text to modify from a browser window into the search box and do the search. Most of the text in language.asp and other lingual pages is assigned to Constants. For instance: Const strText_Favorites = "Favorites". The strText_Favorites is used to render word "Favorites". In a header.asp for instance this word is rendered as <%=  strText_Favorites %>. So to change this word, modify the part between double quotes:  Const strText_Favorites = "My Favorites". Once found a desired text, modify it and save language.asp page. Refresh the page and watch for changes to take an effect. If you received an error after modifications, that means you broke the proper constant assignment syntax. Make sure your new text is enclosed in double quotes and you did not include ANY double quotes within the word/text itself. If you did not find a desired text in language.asp try to search for the text in other lingual pages (see the table above).

Recovering Admin ID and Password

There is not way to recover your Admin ID and password if you forgot it. The only way to logon to the board as Admin, is to generate a logon state.

Create the recover.asp page containing the following:

<!--#include file="header.asp"-->

<%  session("admin_loggedin" & strSUnique) = Session.SessionID  %>

<!--#include file="footer.asp"-->

You may name this page anything you'd like but make sure it has .asp extension. Upload this page to your classified location. Run this page in a browser. Then navigate to admin_config.asp are reset your admin ID and password. Finally, do not forget to delete created page from your installation.