ID&D KB How-to Guide
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This article provides step by step guides on how to reimagine this page using the interactive components below (scroll down or click on the link to view a specific section):
Tip!
You can click on the images in this article to see them larger and with more detail.
Using an Accordion or Expander for Content Display
An Accordion or Expander display allows you to save space on the page. An Accordion only allows the student to view one "chunk" of content at a time and an Expander allows the student to have more than one open. To use either option follow these steps:
Create or open a page that has a page banner and introductory content. Open the DesignPLUS Sidebar.
To add an Accordion or Expander element to the page:
- Place your cursor at the end of the content block which holds the introductory content. (where the additional content will be placed)
- Scroll down in the Sidebar and locate the “Interactive” category.
- Click the Accordion tool or the Expander tool based on your desired option.
- Place your cursor at the end of the content block which holds the introductory content. (where the additional content will be placed)
The Sidebar will display the Accordion Tool (or Expander) in the Edit (target) tab. The Accordion/Expander content area will appear on your page. It will have two panels as a default.
To add additional panels, either:
- Click on the “+” next to the number displayed for Panels under the Content panel, or
- Click on the “+Panel” button next to it.
- Click on the “+” next to the number displayed for Panels under the Content panel, or
The additional panels will be added at the bottom of the page and indicated in the Content panel in the Sidebar.
The next step is to create the headings for each of the panels. It is important to create the headers of the panels within the Content Panel, rather than entering them into the page. Enter the title for each panel. They will be displayed on your page.
Open the Style Panel and select the style you want for the panel when it opens:
- Accordion or Expander – this displays an up arrow to open the panel next to the panel heading, and a down arrow to close it
- Accordion Plus/Minus or Expander Plus/Minus – this displays a plus to open the panel and a minus to close it
- You can demonstrate how the style will look and act in the “Preview” panel
- Accordion or Expander – this displays an up arrow to open the panel next to the panel heading, and a down arrow to close it
To draw attention to the panels you can select colors for the status of the headings. The color selected will apply to all panels in a given accordion or expander.
- Click on color you want in the pop-up to select your display color from the options provided
- Default Color – will display this color of the panel when the page is viewed
- Active – this will change the color of the heading when the panel is opened
- Hover – this will change the color of the heading when the mouse is hovered over the panel
- You can demonstrate how the colors will work in the Preview panel
- Click on color you want in the pop-up to select your display color from the options provided
Cut and paste or enter the content for each panel. Save your page. In this example an Accordion is used with a default color as maroon, and a yellow color selected for an active panel.
Display when page is opened
Display when a panel is open
Using Tabs for Content Display
DesignPLUS also has a feature that allows you to use horizontal or vertical tabs to switch between panels of content.
Create or open a page that has a page banner and introductory content. Open the DesignPLUS Sidebar. Place your cursor at the end of the content block which holds the introductory content.
- Scroll down in the Sidebar and locate the “Interactive” category.
- Click the Tabs tool.
- Scroll down in the Sidebar and locate the “Interactive” category.
The Sidebar will display the Tabs Tool in the Edit (target) tab. The Tabs content area will appear on your page. It will have two panels as a default.
To add additional panels, either:
click on the “+” next to the number displayed for Panels under the Content panel, or
- click on the “+Panel” button next to it.
The additional panels will be added at the bottom of the page and indicated in the Content panel in the Sidebar.
The next step is to create the headings for each of the panels. It is important to create the headers of the accordion within the Content Panel, rather than entering it into the page. Enter the titles of the sections for each panel. They will be displayed on your page.
Open the Style Panel to select the style and direction you want to have the Tabs displayed. You have several options:
Basic Tabs – these tabs appear horizontally across the page and are outlined when selected
- Underlined Tabs – these tabs are displayed horizontally and the headings are underlined when selected
- Pill tabs – the tabs are displayed horizontally and appear as solid colored blocks when selected
- Pill Tabs Vertical – the tabs are displayed horizontally and appear as colored blocs when selected
- Pill Tabs Vertical Outlined – the tabs are displayed horizontally and appear as outlined colored blocks when selected
- You can demonstrate how the style will look and act in the “Preview” panel
To draw attention to the panels you can select colors for the status of the headings. Click on button in the Style panel to select your display color from the options provided. The combinations vary based on the Tab type you have selected. You can demonstrate how the colors will work in the Preview panel.
Cut and paste or enter the content for each panel. Save your page. These examples show (1) the Style Pill Tabs, with Red as the default outline color and yellow for the active panel, and the Pill Tabs Vertical, with the same color selections.
Pill Tabs selected (horizontal) with default maroon; active yellow
Pill tabs Vertical selected with maroon default, active yellow
Using Tool Tips for Content Clarification
Sometimes students need a quick hint or definition to understand terminology or concepts the content presents. A Tool Tip allows you to provide simple text content when a student hovers over a specific word or set of words in the content.
To add a Tool Tip:
- Open the DesignPLUS Sidebar to the Add New element tab.
- Highlight the word or phrase in the content (Trigger Text) needing the clarification.
- Search for "tooltip" in the Sidebar search field.
- Click on the ToolTip Icon.
- Open the DesignPLUS Sidebar to the Add New element tab.
The Edit (target) tab will open.
- The highlighted text will appear in the Trigger Text field
- Enter the text you want to appear in the Content Text field
- The information will appear in the RCE window
- The highlighted text will appear in the Trigger Text field
Save your page
The Trigger Text is outlined with a broken line. When the student hovers over or clicks on the Trigger Text a popup will appear with the Content Text. If the student clicks on the Trigger Text the content will stay until it is clicked again.
Using Popovers for Content Clarification
Similar to the Tool Tip, a Popover can give students a quick hint or definition to help them clarify terminology or concepts presented in the content. A Popover allows you to provide simple text content or links to help students when they hover over a specific word or set of words in the content.
To add a Popover:
- Open the DesignPLUS Sidebar to the Add New element tab.
- Highlight the word or phrase in the content (Trigger Text) needing the clarification.
- Search for "popover" in the Sidebar search field.
- Click on the Popover Icon.
- Open the DesignPLUS Sidebar to the Add New element tab.
The Edit (target) tab will open.
- The highlighted text will appear in the Trigger Text field
- The Trigger text will be identified in the RCE window
- The Content Text field will appear in the RCE window
- The highlighted text will appear in the Trigger Text field
Enter your content into the Content Text field. This can contain links and text.
Save your page
The Trigger Text is outlined with a broken line. When the student hovers over or clicks on the Trigger Text a popup will appear with the Content Text. If the student clicks on the Trigger Text the content will stay until it is clicked again. If a link is included in the Popover, the linked content will open in a new tab.
Using A Dialog Box for Content Clarification
Similar to the Tool Tip and Popover, the Dialog Box also helps provide additional information to the student to clarify content concepts. However, this type of element requires the student to interact with the dialog box in order to move on.
To add a Dialog Box:
- Open the DesignPLUS Sidebar to the Add New element tab.
- Highlight the word or phrase in the content (Trigger Text) needing the clarification.
- Search for "dialog" in the Sidebar search field.
- Click on the Dialog Box Icon.
- Open the DesignPLUS Sidebar to the Add New element tab.
The Edit (target) tab will open.
- The highlighted text will appear in the Trigger Text field
- The Trigger text will be identified in the RCE window
- The Dialog Box will appear in the RCE window
- The highlighted text will appear in the Trigger Text field
Change the Title of the Dialog Box. You can enter this either in the Content panel in the Sidebar, or in the Dialog Box in the RCE on your page.
Enter your content into the Content Text field. This can contain images, links and text.
Set the size of your Dialog Box in the Content panel in the Sidebar. You can use pixel or %, however, pixel is recommended.
Save your page
The Trigger Text is presented as a link (underlined). When the student clicks on the Trigger Text, the Dialog Box appears as a pop-up. The student must either visit the link or close the Dialog Box to return to the page. If the student visits the link, it will open a new browser window.
Summary of Steps
Related articles
- Advanced Styling and Design Techniques
- Conflicts between the Rich Content Editor and Cidi Design Tools
- The DesignPLUS Content Editor Sidebar
- DesignPLUS Multi-Tool
- Creating Content Pages with DesignPLUS
- DesignPLUS Upload/Embed Image Tool
Visit the DesignPLUS Training Series Tutorials for more videos. For more step-by-step guides, visit the DesignPLUS User Guide. (These links will overwrite this page.)