Websites

How to Create a New Website

New website can be created from the Dashboard (Websites section) or from the right menu where are all modules and websites available. There is also a button which allows you to create a new website. The process of creation is always the same.

There are several prerequisites you have to fulfil in order to create a new website. You are able to create some of them in a separated applications in the Administration module, but every of them can be also created as a part of the website development. The most important that defines the website itself are:

  • Languages can be created in the Administration module or directly in the new window which appears after you click the New Website button.

  • Countries (and Regions for multilingual Websites) can be created in the Administration module or direcly in the new window which appears after you click the New Website button

  • Cultures (and Culture Trees for multilingual websites) are created directly in the new window used to create a new website. There is no central application used to manage Cultures or Culture Trees).

You need languages and countries to which you want to localize your website. These are subsequently used to create Cultures. Culture is the thing which defines for which Zone (Country or Region - a group of Countries) is your website created. If you want to have more than one Country (you want a multilingual website), you need to create a Culture Tree. Culture Tree is a hierarchy of Cultures.

Other prerequisites include the following settings and records you will probably need to use:

  • Website Template (it is a normal template - the visual wrap of the content. It is not necessary, but is highly recommended)

  • Culture Detection Schema (it defines how will be the Culture of a visitor defined. It is important in case you have a multilingual Website because it decides what language should be displayed according to visitors geo IP, browser header or session)

  • User Permissions (in case you want to have a zone only for registered users)

If you want to have an online store, there are far more prerequisites you will need:

  • Products (the goods or services you want to sell)

  • Pricelists (the prices for which can be your products bought on the store)

  • Branch (this is most likely your company. A subject that answers for the product dispatch)

  • Delivery Methods (define all delivery methods your customers can use to get your products)

  • Payment Methods (define all methods which can be used by your customers to make a payment. Bank transfers, credit cards, cash on delivery and more)

  • Checkouts (checkout is a combination of delivery method and payment method. It defines which ones can be used together)

  • Taxes (taxes are important. And not only for your accounting. In fact, without taxes you are not able to define pricelists)

  • E-Shop Settings (this big setting unites all the checkouts, taxes and branches defined previously - this is the main setting of your online store)

  1. Create a new website by clicking the New button which is available in the dashboard and in the right menu.

  2. A new window appers and you have to fill in all required fields:

    • Name is used only in BizBox Admin, it is not displayed to this website visitors.

    • Description is used to provide a short info about this website. It is used only in BizBox Admin and it is never displayed to this website visitors.

    • Instant Domain is a third-level domain hosted on bizboxlive.com. It has to be unique and you have to insert this domain name even in case you want to use your own domain in the field below. Your website will be accessible for your visitors on this URL.

    • Custom Domain is a field for your own domain. You must have already bought a domain, BizBox is not a domain registrar. For the proper function of your own domain, you have to configure your DNS. In the website settings can be added more alternate domains.

    • Culture are combinations of Zones (Country or Region) and Languages for which you are creating content.

    • Culture Tree is a hierarchy of Cultures used for multilingual Websites. Every Culture in the Tree represents one Zone (Country or Region) and Language.

  3. Click the Add button and a new website will be opened automatically. This is the Website Editor.

  4. Set up your website and add particlar pages (more info below).

  5. Approve your project and the website will be available for your visitors.

Website Editor is a huge application which allows you to create your website completely. Here you code its pages and also set all the settings. Page Manager is a place where you can completely create and set individual pages of the website. Pages are made up together of the website itself - without them you will not be able to create a website. There are several types of Pages with different purposes which you can create. Their selection depends on how you intend to use it because they differ in their functions and possibilities.

The Page Manager is divided into two parts. On the left side the page tree is located - here you manage all pages, add new and edit or delete the existing ones. The right side displays the page selected in the page tree and all settings connected to it. It is used for editing the selected page. Page opened here is displayed like every other record in BizBox - a bar with particular tabs. Displayed tabs (their quantity and content) can be a little bit different for the page types you can create. Just click a page and it will be opened on the right side and you can edit it.

In the page tree part you are always working with the tree as a whole - not with particular pages. For example if you select a page here and click the Delete button, the page will be deleted from all Cultures and not only from the currently displayed one. If you want to remove the page only from the selected Culture, you have to do this in the right side of the Website Editor.

Add Page button serves for adding a new page to the page tree. After you click this button, you will select the particular page type you want to create together with the main settings of this page.

Note

When adding a new page, don’t forget that the page tree is a hierarchical structure. It means that the given order can affect the website appearance and behaviour.

Culture field is displayed only for multilingual websites - if you are not using the Culture Tree but only a single Culture, this button is not displayed. Otherwise it serves for switching between particular Cultures from the tree, because you are able to define different content for different Cultures. After clicking it you can see the whole Culture Tree connected to this website. Select the culture to which you want to switch by mouse-click. For more info about Cultures and Culture Trees visit this help-site. Preview button is used to display the preview mode in a new tab. In preview mode you can see the current version of your website with all the changes from the project you are currently working on included.

Preview mode is a crucial tool for any changes you have made to your website, because this is the only way how you can test and see the changes before the approval of the Project (it means that all the changes will be placed on the live version).

Delete button allows you to delete the selected Page from your Page Tree. If you have only one Culture, it will just delete the selected Page. If you use Culture Tree, you will delete the Page from all Cultures at once. It means that you are not working only with the a single Page from the Culture selected above, but with the Page Tree as a whole regardless of the selected Culture.

Page Manager Features

  • New Pages can be also added by a right-mouse button click. Locate the place in the hierarchy where you want to add a new Page and use the right-mouse button to create it.

  • Right-mouse button allows you also to edit the selected Page, display it directly in a selected Culture (in case of a multilingual website), and preview starting from the selected Page and also its deletion. The deletion is applied to all Cultures globally.

  • If you want to change the hierarchy, you can just drag and drop particular Pages.

How to Change the Hierarchy of Pages

Run the Website Editor and locate the Page which location you want to change. Now drag and drop this Page to the required location. This change will be saved automatically.

How to Add a New Page

Adding a new Page is common for all types of Pages. You need to go to the Website Editor to Page Manager and here click the Add Page button. From this point it can be a little bit different for particular Page Types which BizBox allows you to create.

Content Page Type is probably the Page type you will be using the most. It is a normal blank HTML page and you will code its content. This is one of the two Page types where you use the code editor.

Name of this Page can be displayed to visitors as a label in navigation in case you do not fill in its Navigation Title.

Internal Name can be visible to visitors in case you will not use an Alias for this Page.

The Type field displays the type of this Page. You are able to change it and select another type. Reminder: If you change the Page type, all changes and settings connected to the former Page type will be lost for all Cultures.

After you click the Add button the Page will be automatically opened on the right side of the Website Editor.

How to Disable a Page on Website

If you want to temporarily disable a Page, just go to the Website Editor and edit the particular Page you want to hide. On the first General tab use the Temporary Disabled setting (set it to YES option) and save this change. Selected Page will be not displayed on the Website and in case a visitor tries to access it (he/she uses a direct URL address of this Page) a Page Not Found Special Page will be displayed instead, such as this Page never existed.

If you want to disable the Page permanently without the possibility of recovering it, you can delete it. Remember that in case you are using a multilingual Website, there is a difference between the delete button on the left side (where you delete the Page from all Cultures) and on the right side (where you delete the Page only in the particular Culture).

How to Disable a Page from Indexing

There are two ways how this can be done. The first one is located directly in the particular Page settings on the General tab. Here is a Search Indexing flag. Set it to YES and this Page won’t be indexed.

The second option is located in the Tools and Settings in the Sitemap application. All the Pages from your Page Tree in a table form are displayed here. You can locate the particular Page and click the red minus or green check mark to allow/disallow indexing. In this application you can do it for all Pages at once, without the need to edit every Page separately.