How to Use the Features Section

Latest revision as of 18:14, 26 March 2012

Features

The Features section is one of the most dynamic and useful sections included with the PageLines framework. This tutorial will teach you how to use it; as well as some tips and tricks on how to customize it to its fullest.

[edit] Enable Features

There are different ways to set up the Features Section

[edit] Create a new page using the "Feature Page" template

Create a new page

From your WordPress Administration Panel:

1. Select the "Pages" panel, then "Add New"
2. Enter a title for your new page
3. Click the "Template" dropdown & select "Template |1"
4. Click "Publish"
5. Click "View Page"

You will now see the Features section with the two default Features on your new page. (By default, you will also see the Boxes section underneath the Features section. This is because the Feature Page Template also has the Boxes section turned on by default)

[edit] Enable the Features section on existing pages

Enable on existing page

From your WordPress Administration Panel:

1. Select the "PageLines" panel, then "Templates"
2. Select the Template Area that you want the Features section to go
   • If you select the "Page Templates" area, by default the Features section will be displayed on every page that is assigned to the type of Page Template you choose
   • If you select "Header" or "Morefoot," by default the Features section will be displayed on every page regardless of the Page Template
3. Drag the "Features" section from the "Available/Disabled Sections" over to the "Active Sections"
4. The Section Order will save automatically

You will now see the Features section on every page that it is active on.

[edit] Hide Features on individual pages

Using Section Control, you can control whether or not to show or hide an Active section on a page to page basis

Hide Features

From your WordPress Administration Panel:

1. Select the "Pages" panel, then "All Pages"
2. Click to edit the page that you wish to hide the Features section
3. On the "Meta Panel," click the "Page Setup" tab
4. Under "Individual Page Section Control," click "Hide Features"
5. Click "Save Meta Settings"

Because the Features section is displayed by default when you Enable it, you will need to use this method for every page that you do not want the Features section displayed.

[edit] Show Features on individual pages

Hide Features by default

You can also hide the Features section by default, and choose the pages you want to show it on.
From your WordPress Administration Panel:

1. Select the "PageLines" panel, then "Templates"
2. Make sure you have the correct Template Area selected for the type of pages you want to hide
3. Under "Active Sections" click "Features Options"
4. Click "Hide This By Default"
5. The Section Options will save automatically

Show Features

Now the Features section will be hidden by default until you select to show it on the individual page.

1. Select the "Pages" panel, then "All Pages"
2. Click to edit the page that you wish to show the Features section
3. On the "Meta Panel," click the "Page Setup" tab
4. Under "Individual Page Section Control," click "Show Features"
5. Click "Save Meta Settings"

[edit] Add New Feature

Add New Feature

1. Select the "Features" panel, then "Add New Feature"
2. Enter a Title for your Feature
   • By default this will be displayed as a Heading on your Feature Slide
3. Enter text to be displayed on the Feature
4. Choose your Feature Setup Options
   1. Feature Text Position
      • This option will control the position of the Feature's title & any text that you wrote
   2. Feature Background Image
      1. Click "Upload Image"
      2. Browse your computer for your background image & click "Open"
         • If you already uploaded a background image to your server, simply type the full URL of the image & click "Save Meta Settings"
         • Tips For Creating a Background Image
           • The default image width & height is 930x380 pixels
           • The width of the Features section is determined by the "Content Area" width in the "Layout Editor" settings
           • There is a padding of 15 pixels on the right & left side of the Features section
           • If the total "Content Area" width is 960 pixels, the width of the Features section will be 930 pixels
           • If the image you created is wider than the Features section, the ends of the image will cropped, not squished
           • To change the height of the Features section, go to the MetaPanel settings for the page that will display the Features section & enter the new height in pixels
           • Supports .png, .jpg, & .gif
   3. Feature Design Style
      • Select the design style you would like this feature to have (e.g. default background color, text color, overlay? etc...)
      • The Background Color will appear behind any background image you use
      • Using the default "Transparent Text Overlay" will help distinguish your text if there is a background image behind it
   4. Feature Media Image
      • Upload an image of the appropriate size for the feature media area
      1. Click "Upload Image"
      2. Browse your computer for your image & click "Open"
         • If you already uploaded an image to your server, simply type the full URL of the image & click "Save Meta Settings"
         • The position of the Feature Media Image will depend on the "Feature Text Position" setting
         • Supports .png, .jpg, & .gif
   5. Feature Media HTML
      • Insert HTML, Embed Code From YouTube, Flash, etc...
      • To use this you must not use a Feature Page Image
      • If you are embedding an iframe and are having issues with drop-down menus dropping behind your video, try adding "?wmode=opaque" to the end of your embed code
   6. Feature Thumb
      • When your Feature Navigation Mode is set to "Thumb Navigation," create an image 50px wide by 30px tall and upload here
      • Supports .png, .jpg, & .gif
   7. Feature Link URL
      • Adding a URL here will add a link to your feature slide
   8. Link Text
      • Enter the text you would like in your Feature Link URL
   9. Navigation Label
      • When your Feature Navigation Mode is set to "Feature Names," enter the title you would like to appear
5. Click "Publish"

[edit] Feature Sets

A Feature Set is what controls which Features are displayed on individual pages

[edit] Create Feature Set

Create Feature Set

From your WordPress Administration Panel:

1. Select the "Features" panel, then "Feature Sets"
2. Type a Name for the Feature Set
   • This name is how it will appear on your site
3. Type a Slug for the Feature Set
   • The “Slug” is the URL-friendly version of the Feature Set Name. It is usually all lowercase and contains only letters, numbers, and hyphens
4. Click "Add New Category."

[edit] Assign Features to a Feature Set

Assign Features to Set

From your WordPress Administration Panel:

1. Select the "Features" panel, then "Features"
2. Click to edit the Feature that you want to assign
   • You can also select multiple Features by checking the box next to the Title and under "Bulk Action," select "Edit," then click "Apply"
3. Check the box next to the Feature Set that you want to assign the Feature to.
4. Click "Update"

• You can assign a Feature to more than one Feature Set
• You can also assign a Feature to a Feature Set while you are creating the Feature

[edit] Assign Feature Set to Features

Assign Feature Set to Features Section

From your WordPress Administration Panel:

1. Select the "Pages" panel, then "All Pages"
2. Click to edit the Page that you want to assign the Feature Set to
3. On the MetaPanel, click "Feature Meta"
4. Under "Select Feature Set To Show," click the drop down to select a Feature Set
5. Click "Save Meta Settings"

• If you do not assign a Feature Set, the Features section will display all of your Features

[edit] Feature Meta

Feature Meta

From your WordPress Administration Panel:

1. Select the "Pages" panel, then "All Pages"
2. Click to edit the Page that will display the Features section
3. On the MetaPanel, click "Features"
   1. Feature Area Height
      • To change the height of the Features section, enter the height (in pixels) into the text box
      • The default height of the Features section is 380 pixels
   2. Number of Feature Slides
      • This will limit the number of Features that will appear in the Features section, regardless of the number of Features assigned to the Feature Set
   3. Feature Post Sort Order
      • Choose from different options for sorting your feature slides
   4. Feature Post Sort Order
      • Based on the sort order chosen above, choose either "Descending" or "Ascending"
   5. Select Feature Set To Show
      • Click the drop down to select a Feature Set
   6. Feature Navigation Mode
      • This controls what the buttons for each Feature slide will look like
      • If you select "No Navigation," you must set the Features section to "auto mode." (using the Feature Viewing Time setting) Otherwise your users will have no way to go to the next Feature and the Features section will stay parked on the first Feature
   7. Feature Viewing Time (Timeout)
      • This controls whether or not the Features section will be manual or automatic
      • By default, the Features section is set to manual mode and has a Timeout value of 0. To change to automatic, enter a value in milliseconds to control how long each Feature slide will appear before transitioning to the next one
   8. Feature Transition Time (Timeout)
      • This controls the amount of time in milliseconds that it takes for a Feature to transition to the next one
   9. Transition Effect
      • Click the drop down to choose from 28 different transition effects
   10. Show Play/Pause Button
       • When the Features section is set to Automatic Mode, check this box to add a play/pause button to the Features section. That way users can pause the automatic transitioning in order to watch a video, read a feature, etc..
   11. Feature Post Source
       • The Features section will by default use "Feature Post (custom post type)" slides that you create. As an alternative, you can set the Feature Post Source to show a category of regular Blog Posts instead of Feature Posts, or you can choose AllPosts
       • Click the drop down menu to select your Post Source
       • See below for more information
   12. Post Category
       • If your Feature Post Source is set to "Use Post Category," click the drop down to select the post category that you want to use
   13. Remove Transition Syncing
       • This controls whether features can move on to the screen while another is transitioning off. If checked, features will have to leave the screen before the next can transition on to it
4. Click "Save Meta Settings"

[edit] Feature Post Source

[edit] Background Image

If you set your Feature Post Source to "Use Post Category," the post's "Featured Image" will be used as the background image. If your post does not have a "Featured Image", the background will be black.

If you do not want your background image to be the "Featured Image", you can easily change it by adding the following custom CSS:

Where ### = the div id of that particular Feature Slider. Use a CSS Inspections tool such as Firebug to find the id number.

[edit] Text Position

By default, your blog excerpts will be displayed on the left side of the Feature Slider. To move the excerpts to the right side, add the following custom CSS:

Remember that ### = the div id of that particular Feature Slider.

[edit] Feature Sort Order

You can use the Features Meta to control the sort order of the features either descending or ascending using the following methods:

• Post ID
• Title
• Date
• Last Modified
• Random

If you are unable to achieve your desired sort order using these options, you can alternatively use the Post Types Order plugin. It will allow you drag and drop control over the order however you want.

Download, install, & activate the Post Types Order plugin

Feature Sort Order

From your WordPress Administration Panel:

1. Select the "Features" panel, then "Re-Order"
2. Click and drag to rearrange the order of the Features
3. Click "Update"

Post Types Order Setup

• When you first install & activate the Post Types Order Plugin, you will see a message that the plugin must be configured.
  1. Select the "Settings" panel, then "Post Types Order"
  2. Choose the General settings you desire. If you are unsure what these setting mean, leave them alone
  3. Click "Save Settings"