Schoolzine Knowledge Base
This guide will give you an overview of the different menu items and how to style your content or insert special elements and media items.
If you are copying content directly from an email or web page, to avoid errors it is recommended to clean the text. If you are copying pre-formatted content, such as from a Microsoft Word document, some formatting may be copied across from your document however it is still recommended to be cleaned first.
The easiest way to clean your content, is to paste the content into Notepad, and from Notepad into the Article Content box.
For Mac users, you are able to use TextEdit for this.
If you have cleaned your content you can then begin to format your content using the toolbar included within the Schoolzine Control Centre.
PLEASE NOTE: When viewed in different areas, not all features of the toolbar will be available.
Please click on the relevant tab below for more information:
Through this tab, you’ll be able to Undo (Ctrl+Z) and Redo changes (Ctrl+Y), Select All (Ctrl+A), and Find and replace text (Ctrl+F). You will be able to access options such as Cut, Copy & Paste via the common keyboard shortcuts: After selecting the Images option, you will either be able to Select From System to choose an existing image from the system, or Upload New to add a new image from your files. Please note: It is Important that you have reSZized images prior to uploading them into the Schoolzine System. Click on the video below for a run through of this process: After selecting the Gallery option, you will either be able to search and then Insert to choose an existing gallery folder from the system, or Create New to add a new gallery from your files. Please note: It is Important that you have reSZized images prior to uploading them into the Schoolzine System. If your gallery has already been uploaded into the Media Downloads section of your Control Centre then you will be able to use this popup to browse for the folder. If you have not yet uploaded the gallery, you can do so now by selecting the Create New button. After selecting the Video option, you will either be able to use the prompt window to insert a Youtube/Vimeo video, or pick the Embed Code tab to insert content from another source. The following steps can be used to insert a Youtube or Vimeo video: If you have been given an embed code for a video, such as a WISTIA video, this can be added into the content area through the Embed Code tab, and then selecting the OK button. It is also recommended if you are able to customise the sizing of your content that it matches around the 550px width in order to maintain correct size and ratios for your Schoolzine Content. NOTE: Some videos that are embedded from other sources such as Facebook or Panopto, will not render correctly in your PDF print version so may need to be hidden from your content. For more information on hiding elements of content from your print version, see the PDF Formatting Options section of this Knowledge Base Article. For an overview of inserting a video, see the video below: This option is used to add a PDF file to your newsletter. For a video guide on this process see below: This option is used to create an interactive button within your content to link to website pages, or download files. Special elements can be inserted into your content to either draw emphasis to certain elements of content, or can also be used to make certain minor formatting adjustments for the printable PDF version of your DIY eNewsletters. A Border Box is used to create a coloured border around your content. We suggest using these sparingly to draw attention to certain elements of your content you want your viewers to see. A Color Box is used to create colour filled box around your content. We suggest using these sparingly to draw attention to certain elements of your content you want your viewers to see. A Line Break is used to create a divider line between content. There are a few different ways you can format the printed view of your Newsletter. The options available are outlined below: PDF Break PDF Hide PDF Only This option is used to stop content such as floated images or buttons from effecting the content beneath them. They can be placed directly below content to avoid any overlap. You can add a table to your content by using the Table menu option. Tables are a great way to space out and organise your content (rather than using the 'Tab' key). Please note: it's not recommended to copy and paste tables from somewhere straight into your articles. When you click on your table, a little toolbar pops up which allows you to quickly make changes to your table. E.g. Adding in an additional rows and columns. You are able to adjust the size of your columns and rows by using Table Properties within Table from the drop down menu. You are then able to apply the appropriate Width and Height to your table. You can also alter the Cell spacing and padding here. Simply have your cursor placed within one of the cells, navigate to Table in the menu and then Table colour. Once you have clicked on your chosen colour, it should be applied to your table. If you would like to merge multiple cells together: By selecting this Tool you will turn on spellcheck for your content, allowing the Schoolzine System to show any spelling errors that may be found within your content. If you have copied content that has both text and images, if you have this Tool active it will only paste the text based content. Show Blocks will be used to show your content in blocks of formatting such as Headings and Paragraph styles, and can also be used to track down content that is carrying unwanted styles. You can use this option to hyperlink text within your content. If you are wishing to link your text to a PDF file you will be able to use this option. If you are wishing to link your text to a URL (web address) you will be able to use this option. If you are wanting to link a Webform that has been created in the Control Centre, you will be able to use this option. Please note: If you have an email within your content, placing your cursor at the end of the email and pressing the Space Bar will automatically link the text to the email. By default the formatting menu will display with the words Paragraph as this is the default style for your content. Please note that you will not need to apply colours to your headings, and this will be automatically added based on your account colours. These options allow you to change the styling applied to your text. From left to right these options are: It is important to note that the Alignment options are not limited to text based content. They can also be used to adjust the alignment of images to create floated images. The Wildcard menu will automatically and quickly populate with details from other areas of your account. If using wildcards, then you update in these other locations, this will automatically update system wide. This is commonly used for populating items like phone numbers, addresses, or even Principal’s names. Depending on the location in your account, the Wildcard menu will be separated into different sections; Contacts, Campaign, Date, Settings and Account. When inserting a Wildcard to your content this will show as a value such as %%__ VALUE HERE __%% and will render upon previewing or sending a test email (if placed into an EDM). It is important to note that certain wildcards will only work in certain sections. For example, the ‘Contact First Name’ will only be populated if you are sending EDM’s and will not populate correctly if someone is viewing an Article.Edit Menu
Insert Menu
Images
Select From System
Note: To maintain good image quality, we recommend that you don’t upscale your images.Upload New
Gallery
Select From System
Create New
As an alternative, you can also browse for the files by clicking Choose Files, navigating to where the files are saved on your computer, highlighting all images within the folder, and clicking Open.
Note: you can repeat this process as many times as necessary.Video
Youtube/Vimeo
Embed Code
PDF Flyer
EG: ‘Click here to download the Canteen Menu’Link Button
Please note: You can use this option to also link through to a PDF by using the upload or search buttons to the right of the window.
NOTE: We always recommend having a call to action for buttons, EG: ‘Click here to view the School Website’Special Elements
Border Box
Colour Box
Line Break
PDF Formatting Options
PDF Break is used to move all content underneath the Element to the next Column.
PDF Hide is used to hide a piece of content from the Print view of the newsletter.
PDF Only is used to show a piece of content only in the Print view of the newsletter.Clear
Table Menu
Adjusting Column and Row Widths
Applying Table or Cell Background
Merging Cells
Alternative Table Options
Tools Menu
Spellcheck
Paste as Text
Show Blocks
Link Icon - from the toolbar
Link to Document
Please note: You can use this option to also link through to a PDF by using the upload or search buttons.
EG: ‘Click here to download the Canteen Menu’ Link to URL (web address)
EG: ‘Click here to view the School’s Website’Link to Form
If you have the URL (web address) for the webform already, you will be able to place it directly into the Form URL field
EG: ‘Click here to complete the Camp Permission form’Link to Email
Format Menu - from the toolbar
Content Formatting
Text Based Formatting
Wildcard Menu