The Front Page Messages (Management) module is used to create messages to display on the preLink V3 Dashboard (Front Page). These messages can be welcome messages, hints and tips for preLink users, lab protocol, etc. The messages can also be set to appear for a certain period of time. 


The following is an example of the Dashboard/Font Page. The messages are outlined below:



To access this module, navigate to "Administration > General > Miscellaneous > Front Page Messages", as shown below.




This will bring you to the following screen:



Here you can edit the current messages, or create new ones.



Search


To quickly search for a message in the list:

  • Enter the message Subject (title) in the Search field and click on "Search". 
  • Click on "Clear" to quickly clear the Search field.



Create a New Message


  • Click on "+ Add new record".


The following options will appear:



  • Enter the message Title. Note: This will not be displayed - displayed titles can be added in the message itself.
  • Enter the Start Date, and time.
  • Enter the End Date, and time.
  • Compose the message in the Body field.
  • Once complete, click on "Insert" (at the bottom), (or "Cancel" to cancel changes and return to the Message Management screen).



Edit a Message


On the Message Management screen:


  • Click on "Edit" on a message in the list.


The following options (as shown above), and the selected message, will appear:



  • Edit the message.
  • Click on "Update" (at the bottom), (or "Cancel" to cancel changes and return to the Message Management screen).



Delete a Message


On the Message Management screen:

  • Click on "Delete" (to the right of "Edit") on a message in the list, and "OK" in the pop-up confirmation box.


When editing a message:

  • Click on "Delete" (at the bottom), and "OK" in the pop-up confirmation box.



Formatting with HTML & the Toolbar


The toolbar at the top of the message body contains many of the standard tools for formatting text used in most word processors, and since preLink utilizes a web browser, the message can also be formatted using standard HTML element/tags to create bold, italics, different size headings, superscript, subscript, links to other pages, add images and so on. 

Furthermore, a knowledgeable HTML user can manipulate the body of the message even further using the "View HTML" button on the toolbar, which displays the message in the full HTML format.



Note: To format a piece of text with the above toolbar, highlight the piece of text first and then click on the formatting tool you wish to use. 



HTML Elements/tags


The basic HTML formatting elements for text are:

  • <b> - Bold text
  • <strong> - Important text
  • <i> - Italic text
  • <em> - Emphasized text
  • <u> - Underlined text
  • <mark> - Marked text
  • <small> - Small text
  • <del> - Deleted text (strike-through)
  • <ins> - Inserted text
  • <sub> - Subscript text
  • <sup> - Superscript text


Other basic HTML elements are:


  • A text header, denoted using the <h1>, <h2>, <h3>, <h4>, <h5>, <h6> tags.
  • A paragraph, denoted using the <p> tag.
  • A horizontal ruler, denoted using the <hr> tag.
  • A link, denoted using the <a> (anchor) tag.
  • A list, denoted using the <ul> (unordered list), <ol> (ordered list) and <li> (list element) tags.
  • An image, denoted using the <img> tag
  • A divider, denoted using the <div> tag
  • A text span, denoted using the <span> tag


Note: Each HTML element tag placed before a piece of text must then be closed again with the same tag with a forward slash (/) in front of it. Eg. <b>Bold</b> or <i>Italics</i>.