Navigating the DesignPLUS Sidebar

To activate the DesignPLUS Content Editor Sidebar you must be in a page where you have selected Edit or have opened a new page. If you have already set the Sidebar to automatically launch, you will not need to follow these steps.

1. Locate the red rocket ship icon in the upper right corner of the page.
   
   

   Open

   

    

2. When you hover your mouse over the rocket a red bar saying "Open DesignPLUS Sidebar" will appear. Click on the bar to open the Sidebar.
   
   

   Open

   

    
   
   

3. The sidebar will appear on the right side of your screen.

    

1. When the Sidebar appears, there are two rows of buttons at the top that help you manage your work:
   
   

   1. In the first row these buttons perform the following actions:  
      
      

      1. Fullscreen Toggle: This allows you to change between a full screen editing window and the formatted window you normally use in the editing process. This gives you more room to work with as you are working with your content.

      2. Undo Button: This allows you to remove the last item or activity you performed. The number next to the button identifies how many edits you have already made to your page.

      3. Redo Button: This allows you to restore to the previous view of your work area, in case you decided not to Undo an action you took. 

      4. Close Sidebar: by clicking on the "X" you can close the Sidebar. The rocket ship icon will reappear in the upper right corner for you to access it again when you want to resume editing.
         
         

   2. In the second row, which is the main navigation bar, the buttons relate to the actual editing activities:
      
      

      1. Edit Current Element: This button looks like a target. After you have selected the type of content you will be adding, you are switched to the Edit Current Element button. Depending on the type of content you are working with, the options under this button will vary.

      2. Add New Element: This button looks like a plus sign, This is the place you will immediately be taken to when the Sidebar opens. This button is used to identify the kind of content you will be adding to your page,

      3. Accessibility / Usability Checker: This button has an icon of a person with outstretched arms. This button allows you to check for issues relating to usability and accessibility. Whether you use this while making choices for color or contrast, or wait until after you have completed all of your editing on a page, this tool is important to become familiar with.

      4. Help/Tutorials: This button uses a question mark icon. If you need help while editing, using this button will let you access tutorials or help guides while not forcing you to leave the page you are editing.

      5. More Options: This uses the "three dot" icon. This button gives you access to administrative functions, such as User Settings where you can enable Advanced tools and set options for whether the tool bar will automatically launch.

Advanced Tools: If you have enabled Advanced Tools, you will have an additional button on your main navigation bar. This area has a button using an icon of tools (Wrench/chisel). This enables you to access the Advanced Tools you have enabled for your toolbar, For More information on how to activate the advanced tools, see the KB article "Enabling Advanced Tools in the Sidebar". 

1. When you first open the Sidebar in a course, you will see a notification that appears at the bottom of the sidebar, which provides you some additional information about navigating the Sidebar.
   
   

   
   You have several options with respect to this notification:
   
   

1. You can hide the notification by clicking on the minimize arrow
   
   

2. You can click on the link to watch the "New User Intro Video" 
   
   

3. You can click on the green button for a Walkthrough of the tabs and elements in the sidebar.
   
   

4. You can dismiss the notification by selecting the tick box at the bottom and clicking the Dismiss button