Getting Started with EPiServer CMS

All menus and structures in EPiServer CMS are built up by creating new pages. To create a new option in a menu you simply create a new page. The menus are then dynamically built up of the pages on the website. See "Create, Save and Publish Information".

You can delete pages from your website using the Delete button in the toolbar. Select the page you want to delete and select Delete from the toolbar. Remember that all underlying pages will also be deleted. Once you have deleted a page, it is sent to the Recycle Bin.

Using the Cut tool, you can move a page in your structure to a different location. Select the page you want to move and select the Cut tool. Select the page to which you want to move your page select Paste from the toolbar. If you interrupt the operation before you have chosen to paste, nothing will change on the website. Remember that all underlying pages will also be moved.

You can copy pages using the Copy button in the toolbar. Select the page you want to copy and select the Copy tool. Select the page to which you want to copy your page and select Paste from the toolbar. A new, identical copy of the copied page will now be placed at the chosen location, after which the page can be edited. Underlying pages and associated files in the page folder will also be copied and the links will point to the new copy of the page.

You can copy pages using the Copy button in the toolbar. Select the page you want to copy and select the Copy tool. Select the page to which you want to copy your page and select the Paste tool. A new, identical copy of the copied page will now be placed at the chosen location, after which the page can be edited. Underlying pages and associated files in the page folder will also be copied and the links will point to the new copy of the page.

In EPiServer CMS it is possible to assign visitors different levels of authorization for the website. This means that you can display certain pages to a particular visitor, but hide the same pages from others. If a visitor is not authorized to read a page, this visitor will not see that page in the menu.

To set access rights for a page, begin by selecting the page and then select the Access rights button in the toolbar. This will open a page from which you can opt to set access rights for either a group or for particular individuals.

When you open the page, you can see which groups and individuals currently have various access rights for the page in question. By selecting Add Group or Add User you can display more groups and individuals in the list.

By selecting the check boxes, you can delete or set access rights for various groups and individuals. If the check box is selected, it means that the group or individual is entitled to do what is displayed. If the box is empty, these access rights have been denied. For example, if you do not want the group Everyone to be able to read the Welcome to EPiServer CMS page, the group should not be selected in the checkbox under Read. Once you have assigned the access rights that are to apply for the page in question, select the Save button at the top of the window.

Using the Edit dynamic properties tool, it is possible to customize functions in the website so that they apply to a particular page and its sub-pages. Certain properties are the same on many pages, so it becomes troublesome to have to fill them in on every page. Using dynamic properties, you can store a property on one or more pages simultaneously. The different dynamic properties that are available vary, depending on the type of website you have built up and the functions you want.

For example, you can set the standard search words that are to apply for a page. This is used to make it easier for search engines to find the page and index in the most appropriate way. These search words may need to be different depending on which page they relate to. The page about our products should perhaps have different search words from the page containing contact details. By entering a few search words and selecting Save, you can store search words for the page. If the check box beside the field is selected, the search words you have specified are also saved for all the sub-pages below the page you have selected.

To find out which values apply to a particular page, you can point to the various symbols by the input box under dynamic properties and find out about the value by means of help texts.

*	The property in this field is defined on the page you have selected and is displayed in the field.
?	The property in this field as no value.
^	The property in this field is defined on an overlying page. The value is shown in a help box by pointing at the symbol. The number of the page where the property is stored is shown in square brackets and after this the stored value is displayed.

Dynamic properties are always stored on the page that you have selected and all its sub-pages. If you have other values stored on one of the sub-pages, you can choose to retain them or overwrite these values with what you are now going to store. By selecting the check-box to the left of the input field, you are writing over any other possible values on sub-pages. If you want to retain the values on the sub-pages, leave the check box empty.

If you have chosen to activate the globalization support in EPiServer CMS, you will see an additional three buttons in the toolbar. Page Language, Page Overview and Page Settings.

The Action Window in EPiServer CMS can contain different functions depending on how your website is constructed. The aim of the Action Window is to allow you, as editor, access to other parts to work with at the same time as you work with content in EPiServer CMS. Which parts those are, depends on how your website is constructed and which functions and modules you have implemented. When you select the Action Window in the toolbar, the window appears on the right in the web browser. You can hide the Action Window by clicking Hide in the right corner or the button Open Action Window in the toolbar.

You start a function by selecting the grey link containing the name of the function. To return to the Action Window, select the Action Window text at the top of the tab. In a standard installation of EPiServer CMS there are seven functions in the Action Window. The following functions are available:

• Page Languages . View the status of and access the different languages for the current page.
• Create New Task . Create a task and assign it to a user in the system.
• File Management . Upload and manage files and folders.
• View Autosaved Page Drafts. View the list of autosaved page drafts, see "Options for Saving".
• Create Workflow . Connect a workflow to a current page.
• Approve Mirroring Updates . A list of defined channels that are available in this system. Only displayed if mirroring has been configured on the website.

Selecting the File management tool will open the EPiServer CMS File Manager in the Action Window to the right in the window. You can work with files here in EPiServer CMS in the same way as you would work with a normal File Manager on your computer.

Read more about managing files in EPiServer CMS.

By selecting Start workflow instance you can create a workflow by manual means, for example to ask someone to check changes you have made to a page.