Managing Articles

To add, edit, and delete articles from the User organization's Knowledgebase, Users need to access the remaining three sections of the Knowledgebase function. While the Article Management Grid serves as the User's primary management platform, the Categories and Topics Grids represent critical steps in the process of adding a new article.

Adding a New Article

Navigate to the Knowledgebase Article Management Grid by selecting the Knowledgebase icon in the 'Main' tab and clicking the node labeled 'Article Management'.

Click the Add button located on the Grid Toolbar above the grid.

In the Article data entry form, the User is presented with a number of input fields where several of which are required to save the new article.

First among the required fields is the article's Title. Though not required, the User can also define a Start Date and an End Date. This specifies the limited period of time that the article appears in the Knowledgebase.

Next, the form's first tab is Classification. This tab contains the form's remaining required fields: Category, Description, and Keywords. In the 'Classification' tab, the User must select a Category and at least one Topic from the drop-down lists. Select each appropriate category and topic to apply to the new article from the drop down menus.

Note: These drop-down lists are populated with items from the Knowledgebase Categories and Knowledgebase Topics grids. If these Grids do not contain any items, the User needs to add them to the appropriate Grid. For more information on the Categories and Topics grids.

Users can also specify a Role from a drop-down list of default user roles. Here, the User can specify which roles or groups of employees can access the article. From 'Backoffice People' to 'SysAdmin', the User can select a broad or narrow range of users whose work is relevant to the new article.

The last remaining required fields compel the user to input a general Description of the article and to associate Keywords to assist in searches for the article.

The tab marked Content provides Users with the text platform needed to publish the body of the article. In this form, Users can compose text, cut and paste text and images from documents, and edit the article's font, margins, and general appearance with ease.

Note: the ability to paste images only works with small file sizes (5 kb).  For larger image sizes, PCR can upload files to your Organization's Public Directory so that it can be accessed by the article.

Those Users who wish to create an article strictly in HTML or view the HTML auto created through general creation can click on the 'Source' option. This disables all other buttons and displays the content in its HTML format for direct editing.

Finally, the Attachments tab allows Users to attach files (including .pdf, .jpg, .doc, and more) of interest or relevance to the article by upload. To attach one or more files, navigate to the 'Attachments' tab and click the 'Upload File(s)' button located on the Grid Toolbar above the 'Attachments' Grid.

The User will be prompted to select a file from their hard drive to upload. Upon selection of a file, the upload will begin automatically.

Once all required fields have been satisfied, click the Save New button at the bottom of the Articles data entry form. The new article will appear on the Knowledgebase Articles Management Grid, as well as on the Knowledgebase Articles Grid for those Users whose roles have been granted access to the new article.

Once the new article is saved, the article will be listed with a status of 'Pending.' An Admin must review the article and change the status to 'Approved' before the article will be viewable in the 'Articles' section. If an Admin is adding an article, the status is automatically set to 'Approved.'

Use of HTML Tags

Some fields within PCR-360 allow Users to input HTML tags to make displaying that information a richer experience for those that are expected to consume it. For more information on HTML tag usage, please see the wiki entry for it.

Editing an Existing Article

Double-click any item on the Knowledgebase Article Management Grid to open its Articles data entry form. Assuming that all required fields have been satisfied, click the 'Save' button at the bottom of the form. All edits will be reflected in the Article Management grid as well as the Articles Grid.

If an article has been marked as having errors, the original author or an Admin must edit and deselect the 'Errors' checkbox once corrections have been made. Until the 'Errors' checkbox is unchecked, the article will remain flagged as having an error in 'Articles.' Keep in mind that the 'Errors' field only shows up on existing article forms.