To setup and use the Connector extension, you need to do the following:
Setup The Extension
Configure Options
Setup the Template
Create The Look For Your Page
Test Your Page
Know Administrator Functions
The following will take you through each step:
Install the extension – wec_connector – with the extension manager if it is not already installed. It is recommended to install the new extension in the "local" folder (typo3conf/ext/).
You can then create a new page to add this extension to. After the page is created, click on “Create New Record” and add a new PageContent type. On the new PageContent, choose “Insert Plugin” as the type of PageContent. Then select “WEC Connector” as the “Plugin”. You can then save this. If you want, you can put a “Header” text in there to describe this, and you may want to set the “type” for the Header as “Hidden”.
The following shows the options in the Flexform configuration. You will see the Flexform when you either add a new WEC_Connector Plugin or you edit an existing one.
The following is a description of each option:
FLEXFORM OPTION | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
Name of Connector Board | The “title” of the Connector Board. For example, “Prayer Connection”. This will be displayed where the ###TITLE### tag is in the template. |
Description of an Entry | What an individual entry is called. For example, a “Prayer Request”. Will be displayed in the header and in the entry form. |
Subject For Entry Form | The subject – what the entry is about -- for an entry form. This may be just “Subject” or it could be something like “Request Title”. [optional] |
Submit Button Text | The text for the submit button if you want it specialized otherwise it will be “Submit”. [optional] |
Template File | Select and choose the template file for this Connector. If you do not define one, the default template will be used. [optional] |
Startingpoint | Choose which Data Folder you want the data to be saved in and read from. If you do not choose a startingpoint data location, then it will store and pull data from the current page. |
View The Categories | This lets you select which of the categories you want to view in this Connector. You create these categories in the Data Folder by making a new “Connector Category”. Likely you will leave this alone but if you need this customization, then you can set the viewable categories here. |
FLEXFORM OPTION | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
Max 'message' field length (in chars) | The maximum number of characters allowed in the message field. If this is not set, there is no check against a maximum value. |
Max 'other' field length (in chars) | The maximum number of characters allowed in the other fields. If this is not set, then there is no check against a maximum value. |
# of days to keep | Number of days to keep this entry. Leave blank to keep forever. This allows you to have a board that does not get too large if there are many entries. Note that you have to eventually clean up the database if this is a very active connector because the old entries will not be deleted. |
# to display per page | How many entries to display per page. If left blank, all entries will be listed. |
Make popup for websiteURL link | If you want it so that when click on the website Url in a listing to go to a popup link, then set this. Otherwise, it will change the URL in the current browser window. |
The options allow you to set the login and subscribe features of the Connector.
FLEXFORM OPTION | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
Moderate all posts by administrator | If you want to moderate all posts, check this box. All posts will then be sent to the moderator for their approval before the public can see them. Set this only if you have active moderators. |
Moderate all responses by administrator | If you want to moderate all responses/replies, you can set this. While the Connector can catch spam, if you are concerned that people might be responding in a negative way, you can monitor it here. All responses will be sent to the given moderator(s) for approval before they are sent. |
Require Login For Posting New Request? | If you want to require the user to be logged into the system (so they can be tracked) before they can post a message, then enable this option. Otherwise, anyone can post. You may want to enable this feature if you get a lot of public traffic and a lot of the posts are spam. |
Require Login For Reply | If you want only logged-in users to be able to reply to a new request, enable this option. Otherwise, anyone can reply. |
Who can edit/delete messages? | This has three options: #1 “Administrator “ -- only those listed in the administrator list. #2 “User Who Posted + Administrator “ -- the user who posted + administrator(s) #3 “Anyone” -- if you want a self-policing connector board, you can choose this. |
Can subscribe to this forum? | If you want users to be able to subscribe to this connector, then enable this option. When we say “subscribe”, we mean to receive an email whenever a new post is added. |
Require login for subscribing? | If you want only logged-in front-end users to be able to subscribe, enable this option. Otherwise, any user can just give their email to subscribe to the page. |
Update Subscribe Button (so see unsubscribe)? | If you want the subscribe button to show whether they are subscribed or unsubscribed, then you can set this. This is just to limit processing, and on heavily used sites (> 200 users) with a weak server, you may want to turn this off. |
The following help control spam on your Connector.
FLEXFORM OPTION | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
HTML Tags Allowed (0=none, 1=all, or list- <b><i>) | You can allow only certain HTML tags in a post, allow NO HTML tags in a post, or allow all HTML tags in a post. If you do allow All, the <script> tag will still be stripped. We would recommend to either allow none or a limited list. You can add whatever tags you want by entering in here all the tags together like “<b><i><span>...”. |
Use Image Captcha? (need sr_freecap installed) | If you want to use an Image Captcha, then just install the sr_freecap extension and check this box. A field will appear before the submit with the image and a field where they have to enter the text. Note that you can customize the sr_freecap so the captcha image is easier or harder to read. This form of spam protection will eliminate most, if not all, of spam postings. |
Use Text Captcha? (field: "Are you a person?") | If you just want a text captcha – which is a field that a user has to click on – then you can enable this option. The default text field says “Are you a person?” and they have to check this. A spammer will not know or likely understand it with their automated bots, so this effectively prevents spam. It is less troublesome than Image captcha because even those with disabilities can read it through a screen reader and sometimes the Image Captcha is hard to read for older or less technical audiences. |
Number of links allowed in post (0 = none)? | Many spammers will put multiple links in their posts, and you can limit the number of links in a post by setting this. If you set it to 0, then no links will be allowed. A link is considered to be either <a href=”...”>...</a> or any text beginning with http:// |
Filter word list (comma-delimited) use * for default | A list of words to filter. Use * for the default ones which include 40+. Otherwise you can enter your own here. Or you can add * followed by ones that you want. Just separate them by commas. If you do not want to process or care about handling bad words, leave this blank.EXAMPLE: *,casino,viagra, free slots, (this would filter out the “bad” words plus any that contain casino, viagra and free slots (often spam postings).Note that you can use this with the moderator (see below) to filter out spam postings. |
What to do if filter words are found? | You are given options concerning what you want to do with any filter words. If no filter words are listed, then the filter is turned off and this option is ignored:#1 FILTER: This will put * (or whatever you define in the locallang file) where the bad words are. #2 SEND TO ADMINISTRATOR: This will send the post to the administrator(s) and let them either keep it or delete it.#3 DISCARD THE POST: This will delete the post if any bad words are found. Note that this will discard any posts with the bad words found. The shorter bad words may be found within words (it is rare, but possible) so use this with some caution. |
Check Response Messages for Spam? | If you want the response messages checked for spam, you can allow this here. The default is to allow it. The spam check consists of checking links – using the number of links allowed (as set above) – and the filter words. We added this feature because we found some spam-bots were submitting spam on some of our Connectors. |
Spam checker/receiver email/user(s); otherwise sends to Admin | If you have selected Send to Administrator set for filter words, the Administrator may be overwhelmed if your site gets hit by spam. If you want to process or look at the spam, then you can send it to a given email(s) or user(s). Separate by commas. If you do get overwhelmed with spam, you may want to have a spam email account for your site that you can go through daily/weekly/monthly. Note that if you just put an email here and there is no corresponding fe_user, then you will have to moderate in other ways. |
The following allow you to set which forms to display in your post form, and which ones are required to be filled in to post.
FLEXFORM OPTION | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
Display Fields on Form | Choose which fields that will be shown on the main entry form. If none are selected, the message field will always be set (and that is why it is not listed). This gives you the option to customize the fields as you would like without having to edit the template. |
Required Fields on Form | Choose the fields which you want required. This means that the user will have to enter something valid for the field. Valid means a 2 character or more string. Emails will be checked to see if they are in the proper format. If you accidentally add a field or want to remove a field, then you can delete it by selecting the field on the left and then hitting the Trash icon button. |
Required Fields On Response Form | Choose the fields which you want required on the response form. This is the form that is shown when someone chooses to respond to a request/post. The default, if left blank, is to require the message field. |
The following allow you to set parameters for a Preview.
FLEXFORM OPTION | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
Is A Preview? | If this is checked, then the Connector will be a preview. A preview means it will show another connector's information in a short/abbreviated format. |
Connector to link to | This is the Connector page that you are previewing. If a user clicks on a the preview or link in the preview, they will be taken to this page. You can also set the Connector to link to by setting the Starting point. |
Number of items to show | How many items to show. The default is 5. |
Character length of a preview item | For each previewed item, how many characters to show. The default is 255. |
FLEXFORM OPTION | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
Administrator(s) -- UID or username (separate by comma) | You can list the administrators here by UID (get from the FrontEnd User list) or by their username(s). To test if they are valid, you should see the Moderate and Edit/Delete button appear on the Connector Board when they are logged in and go to the Connector board. |
Contact Name (for email) | The name or title of the person who will be in the email From field. Example: “Prayer Connection Administrator” |
Contact Email (for email) | The email address that should be in the email From field (i.e., support@yourwebsite.com). The person who receives an email may reply to this. If you don't want to receive replies (but for good customer service you should), then put at least a noreply@yourwebsite.com. |
Email admin all posts (not moderated) | If you want your administrator(s) to receive all emails, you can check this. Note that if you moderate posts, they will not be sent double posts. Use this instead of the option below if it is important for an admin to see all traffic. |
Email to notify for all posts & responses | If you want to see every email and response, this is a back door way to see all traffic – both posts and people responding to posts. |
FLEXFORM OPTION | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
Instructions For Posting [HTML ok] | This has the instructions for posting. Make this brief, as it will appear at the top of the posting form. You can include a link in here (with <a href=”link.html”>click here to read instructions</a>). Note that the instructions may just be legalese to protect you. Think about adding rules of etiquette and most importantly make it clear what the Connector is about. |
Response Form Header Text [HTML ok] | What should be at the top of the Respond Form. You can use HTML here. Ok to leave blank. |
Subscribe/Unsubscribe Form Header Text [HTML ok] | What should be at the top of the Subscribe Form. You can use HTML here. Ok to leave blank. |
New Post - Email Header Text (optional) | What will be at the top of an email sent. Just use text. You may want to introduce your web community and let them know why they are receiving an email. |
New Post - Email Footer Text (optional) | You can have whatever you want here. You may want to have a link for them to unsubscribe. |
After you are done setting the options, then you need to Save the plugin and data by clicking on the Save or Save & Close button.
In general we recommend installing an extension template record to the Connector page. This extension template will store the Template constants. To install an extension template record, see the How-To at: http://webempoweredchurch.com/support/howtos/single/add_an_extension_template_record.
The static template contains the information used by the web browser to display the Connector. The Connector static template can be installed in your site's main Template Record. The name of the Static Templates required by the Connector is WEC Connector template.
Internet Link: Instructions for adding the Static Templates can be found in the how at http://webempoweredchurch.com/support/howtos/single/add_a_static_template.
The Connector system allows you to create a new look for the overall page, or for the sections within each section page. You do this by changing the template and by setting the color, font, and CSS constants. The default template is called wecconnector.tmpl and is in the extensions folder under /pi1 (typically typo3conf/ext/wec_connector/pi1). You can edit and create your own template file, and then upload it using the Flexform configuration when you setup your page.
If you do edit the template file or create your own CSS file, we would recommend that you put it in a location outside the extension directory. You can edit it and then upload it using the Filelist utility. We would recommend to put it in a location like fileadmin/wec_connector/template. You have to create the wec_connector and template folders. You can then upload the files and put them there. To let the extension know about this new location, you need to set the templateFile variable. You can do this in one of two ways:
a. TyposcriptIn the template's Typoscript Constants section, set
page.templateFile = fileadmin/wec_connector/templates/my_wecconnector.tmpl
b. Constant Editor
See below in 1.4.2 of the Configuration section to see how to change the templateFile constant.
You can also just edit the constants to change the color and text font and size for much of the connector. The constants that can be changed are listed in the 1.4.2 Configuration section. You can set these in the Constants Editor or directly in Typoscript.
You can test your Connector page after everything is set up. Just go to the page and click on the View action icon. The new page will popup in a window. You can then go back to the Constants or Options and change anything to see how it works. You can post a few “dummy” posts to the Connector and see how it works then delete them after everything looks good. You can delete them in the Frontend (FE) if you are an Administrator, or you can delete them in Backend (BE) in the SysFolder that they are created in.
Before you are set to run, you should be aware of the administrator functions. If you do not set an administrator, you will have to process things in the Backend(BE). If you do set one or more users as an administrator, you can let them process and handle the support for the Connector.
To set someone as administrator, you just add their TYPO3 Frontend User ID (or their Frontend User Name) to the Administrator field in the Flexform. You can have a list of administrators if you want.
The main functions an administrator can do are:
a) Delete a message
The administrator can go to the Connector and choose to delete any messages. Please note that once a message is deleted it cannot be retrieved.
b) Edit a message
The administrator can go to the Connector and edit any message. We would strongly caution an administrator editing a user's message unless it is absolutely necessary. However, if someone posted personal information and the instructions say not to, the administrator may want to keep the post but edit out the personal information.
c) Process moderated messages (only if moderated)
If the Connector is moderated, all entries posted to the Connector will be sent to all the administrators. The emails will be sent for the moderated messages, and the administrator will have to click on the link to access the moderated message list. Once there, he or she can then choose to approve or discard the messages that are posted. If approved, the message will be shown immediately on the Connector. If any messages are discarded, they will be deleted. Once the moderated messages are processed, no one else is notified unless they subscribe to the Connector; those users will see the ones that are approved.
d) List Subscribers
The administrator will see an “Admin” button that they can click on and see options. Right now, the only option is to List subscribers. This will show all people who are subscribed to the connector who will receive emails. If you want to edit or delete them, you need to go to the backend. Possibly, in future updates, we will allow editing of this list in the Frontend.
The following are questions that may help you better understand and use this extension:
Q: Why is email field required? or Why is email (or subject) field displayed? How do I change that?
A: If in the Flexform, you do not choose any fields in the Fields tab, the default fields displayed are: message, email, subject. The default required fields are: message and email. If you want to override these or change these, you need to select the fields you want to show and/or require. If you do not want to use the email field, then you need to select both the fields you do want to display and require because email is set to both required and displayed.
Q: Do I have to change the template to use this extension?
A: No, the only reason you would want to change the template is if you want to significantly alter the look. For the E-Candle extension, to make the three rows work, the template had to be altered. However, to change the look for most instances, we would recommend just changing the colors and fonts through the Constants Editor.
If you do want to change the look, though, you can grab the CSS and/or template and put it in its own file and reference it externally. Please see the Configuration section below for more info on this.
Q: Can I use the Prayer Connector for _________?
A: This extension is very open-ended and you can likely use it for whatever purposes you want. It connects people's needs and allows the contacts to be private. Prayer is just one great way to use this.
Q: How do I change the date / time format for European time?
A: We have added a TypoScript configuration so you can easily set it. Please see the Configuration->TypoScript Configuration section of this manual.
Q: I upgraded to the latest version and now it does not look right – what happened?
A: If you upgraded from a version before v1.6.4 to one later, then you may need to take into account and set contentMaxWidth TS constant. If you set contentWidth to a given value, then contentMaxWidth needs to reflect this too. You can set this value by going to Template->Constant Editor.
