How to Use the Features Section

Revision as of 23:17, 14 September 2011

The Feature Slider 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.

Create a new page

Activate the Feature Slider

There are different ways to set up the Feature Slider.

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. Under "Page Attributes" click the "Template" dropdown
4. Select "Feature Page"
5. Click "Publish"
6. Click "View Page"

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

Activate the Feature Slider on existing pages
From your WordPress Administration Panel:

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

You will now see the Feature Slider on every page that it is active on.

Hide the Feature Slider on individual pages
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 Feature Slider.
3. On the "Meta Panel," click the "Page Setup" tab.
4. Under "Individual Page Section Control," click "Hide PageLines Features."
5. Click "Save Meta Settings."

Because the Feature Slider is displayed by default when you activate it, you will need to use this method for every page that you do not want the Feature Slider displayed.
Show the Feature Slider on individual pages
You can also hide the Feature Slider by default, and choose the pages you want to show it on. From your WordPress Administration Panel:

1. Select the "PageLines" panel, then "Settings."
2. Select the "Template Setup" tab.
3. Make sure you have the correct Template Area selected for the type of pages you want to hide.
4. On the "Meta Panel," click the "Page Setup" tab.
5. Under the "Displayed Default Page Sections," click "Pagelines Features Options."
6. Click "Hide This By Default."
7. Click "Save Options."

Now the Feature Slider 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 Feature Slider.
3. Under "Individual Page Section Control," click "Show PageLines Features."
4. Click "Save Meta Settings."
   

Add New Features

From your WordPress Administration Panel:

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 Slider.
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 Feature Slider 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 Feature Slider.
           • If the total "Content Area" width is 960 pixels, the width of the Feature Slider will be 930 pixels.
           • If the image you created is wider than the Feature Slider, the ends of the image will cropped, not squished.
           • To change the height of the Feature Slider, go to the MetaPanel settings for the page that will display the Feature Slider & 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...)
      1. Choose from the Drop Down options
         • 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."

Feature Sets

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

Create New Feature Sets
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."
   
   

Assign Features to a Feature 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 new Feature to a Feature Set as soon as you create it.
  
  

Assign a Feature Set to the Feature Slider
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 to a page that has an active Feature Slider, the Feature Slider will display all of your Features.

Feature Meta

These settings will further customize the Feature Slider.

From your WordPress Administration Panel:

1. Select the "Pages" panel, then "All Pages."
2. Click to edit the Page that you want to update.
3. On the MetaPanel, click "Feature Meta."
   
   

Number of Feature Slides
This will limit the number of Features that will appear in the Feature Slider, regardless of the number of Features assigned to the Feature Set.

Select Feature Set To Show
Click the drop down to select a Feature Set.

Feature Navigation Mode
This controls what the buttons for each Feature slide will look like.

• If you select "No Navigation," you must set the Feature Slider to "auto mode." (using the Feature Viewing Time setting.)Otherwise your users will have no way to go to the next Feature and the Feature Slider will stay parked on the first one.
  
  

Feature Viewing Time (Timeout)
This controls whether or not the Feature Slider will be manual or automatic.

• By default, the Feature Slider 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.
  
  

Feature Transition Time (Timeout)
This controls the amount of time in milliseconds that it takes for a Feature to transition to the next one.

Transition Effect
Click the drop down to choose from 28 different transition effects.

Show Play/Pause Button
When the Feature Slider is set to Automatic Mode, check this box to add a play/pause button to the Feature Slider. That way users can pause the automatic transitioning in order to watch a video, read a feature, etc..

Feature Post Source
The Feature Slider 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.

• Click the drop down menu to select "Use Post Category"
  
  

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.

Feature Area Height
To change the height of the Feature Slider, enter the height (in pixels) into the text box.

• The default height of the Feature Slider is 380 pixels.
  
  

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.

Feature Sort Order

By default, the Feature Slider will display the Features chronologically, with the newest Features displayed first. To change the order of the Features, or any post type for that matter (features, banners, or boxes), you must install the Post Types Order plugin. It will allow you drag and drop control over the order.

Download the Post Types Order plugin
From your WordPress Administration Panel:

1. Select the "Plugins" panel, then "Add New."
2. Click "Upload," then "Choose File."
3. Locate the "post-types-order.zip" file that you downloaded and click "Open"
4. Click "Install Now."
5. After the plugin successfully installs, click "Activate Plugin."
6. Select the "Features" panel, then "Re-Order."
7. Click and drag to rearrange the order of the Features.
8. Click "Update."

• 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 settings you desire. If you are unsure what these setting mean, leave them alone.
  3. Click "Save Settings."