SimpleUpdates Support Site

Editing the Home page is like editing any other page - except . . .

The Carousel

Most of the Themes available for your website include a Carousel. A Carousel is a series of images that will play like a slide show. You may add text to each slide and link it to more information. 

Different themes offer different styles of Carousels so the following instructions will be general in nature.

 

Image Buttons

Many of the Themes available for your website include what we call image buttons. These are options that usually display just under the banner - which is often a Carousel. They use smaller images and may have only a title, or they may have a title, description, icon, color options and each button can be linked.

Image buttons work well for information you wish to emphasize, advertise and/or that you anticipate will be used frequently.

 

In Common

• Both the Carousel and Image Buttons are included with some default images and text that you can easily adapt for your site needs
• Both are edited very similarly
• Both are technically Collections, but they are collections that are unique to the Home layout vs. for site wide use. Additionally they are distinct from Custom Collections that you would design yourself.
• There is only one Carousel Collection and one Image Button collection. If you choose to use the Home layout on other pages - possible, but not recommended - the same Carousel and Image buttons will display on all the pages where the Home Layout is used. If you make a change on one page, that change will display on all other pages using the Home layout.

 

Editing (or Adding) Carousel and/or the Image Buttons

• Edit the page.
• Hover your mouse over whichever you wish to edit
• In the top left corner of the section you are editing you will see a small black square with a pencil (edit) icon in it. Click the pencil
• A new window will open. You will be able to see the various images that are included and some of the text if it is being used. To the far right of each image is an [Edit] button. Click it to make changes to an existing item. Click the blue [Add] button to the top right of the screen to add a new item.
• Clicking [Add] or [Edit] will open yet another screen where you will be able to affect one item. You may add/replace the image, change the text, edit a link and set activation / deactivation dates.
• When finished with the edits, click the blue [Save] button. The screen will close. Or click [Close] to close without saving your edits.
• Choose a different item to edit, add a new item, or close the screen.
• Publish the page.

 

Images

You may replace the image by dragging and dropping an image file in the image field or click 'Replace' to look for the file on your computer.

In the middle of the image is a small white circle. This is called a focal point. You may click and drag the focal point with your mouse. The placement of the focal point will be used by the system as the center of the image. It will come as close as it can to putting that point in the middle of the image display.

Under the image will be a reference to the minimum size image that will work in this space.

 

Captions, Titles and Descriptions are Optional

 

Linking - Optional

The link field is a little different here. No matter to what you are linking, you will need to manually add the URL. Copy and paste is the easiest.

Following are linking instructions that are not difficult to do, but they can be difficult to explain, so please read carefully.

 . . . to your website:

When linking to a page on your website, the system adds the site domain name part of the URL.

For example: if you are linking to your About Us page, the link will look something like "https://[yourDomainName]/about"

Your website will automatically assume the "https://[yourDomainName]" part of that path. All you need to enter in the link field is "/about"

To find the link you will need, go to the page you want to link, check out the URL field of your browser, copy everything starting from the forward slash that follows .com or .org etc. and everything to the right of that slash. Then paste it into the Link field of the Carousel or Image Button you are editing.

 . . . to another website:

Go to the website / the specific website page to which you want to link your slide or button. From the URL field of your browser, copy the entire path. You WILL need the whole path, including http. 

Paste it into the Link field of the Carousel or Image Button your are editing.

 

Activation and Deactivation Dates - Optional

Carousel slides and Image Buttons can be set to display at specific times.

Let's say something about your life is going to prevent you from being able to make a time sensitive edit when it needs to be made. You can add a slide to your Carousel or add an Image Button and give it an Activation date in the future. That item will not display until that date comes.

The Deactivation date will turn the slide / button off when it is no longer relevant.

Maybe you'd like to add a Christmas Peace message to your Carousel. Add the image, the text, the link and set the Activation date to December 1 and the Deactivation date to December 26. (dates are only an example)

Or maybe you have an Event registration that you've made an image button for. Set the activation date for that button to the date that registration opens and the deactivation date for when registration closes.

 

Save

Save whatever changes you have made using the blue 'Save' button at the bottom left of the popup screen you're working on.

Close

 The gray 'Close' button just to the right of the 'Save' button. Close the Item popup window without saving. Your changes will be lost.

Delete

The red 'Delete' button will permanently delete the item you're working with.

 

How many slides / buttons can I have?

The system will let you add as many as you want. But there are limits to how many you should want.

For the Carousel three to five is considered optimal. Less than three isn't so interesting, more than five and virtually no one will stay on the page long enough to watch them.

With Image buttons the number of them is not as critical as making sure they are of value. Image buttons will adapt in size to the width of your screen. If you only have one active button it will be very large. If you have many buttons they will be smaller and will display in rows.

The slides / buttons that come as defaults are the recommended number.

 

What if I don't want the Carousel or the Image buttons?

If you wish to have an image, but it doesn't change, deactivate either by setting a deactivation date or by deleting, all but one slide.

If you delete all the items in either the Carousel or the Image buttons the entire display will disappear. We strongly recommend that you either edit the existing items or add some of your own before deleting the ones you don't want.

If you delete all items intentionally because you don't want the display - congratulations!

If you delete all the items by mistake and lose either the Carousel or the Image buttons. You can recreate them by using Preview and Customize.

Reactivate the carousel by using the 'Themes' link on the black Admin bar to the left of your website (when you are logged in). It's the paint brush icon. 

1. Click the Preview & Customize button
2. In the Collections section on the right of the screen, click the 'Edit Home Carousel' link or the 'Edit Home Image Buttons' link - whichever is appropriate to your need.
3. Add an item
4. Click the blue Publish button on the bottom right of the page.

This will reactivate your carousel / image buttons so you can again edit from the Home page.

 

More information about characteristics unique to the Carousel