Getting Started with Zuse

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Last updated: Jun 14, 2023 by Jessica Coda (Unlicensed)
9 min read

Welcome to Zuse! Thank you for taking time to keep the UW System Website a useful place to visit. Review the below information as you begin to work with the system.

Before you get access to Zuse

Before you get access to Zuse you will need to know the basics necessary to maintain an author role on a community site. You must receive web editor training to get access to Zuse. Please Submit a Web Request to schedule training.

Basic resources for getting started with Zuse

How Zuse works

Zuse stores all the content you publish into a database. When a site visitor navigates to a page, the server delivers the content from the database associated with the page. 

The content model

Different kinds of content in Zuse are created individually and then come together on a page. The basic principle is that each unit of content should be given individual attention. Content is information that has a URL on the page - it is what visitors are coming to the site to look at. Collections are used when building content - they add functionality to content, for example, a menu or a form. Collection items must be built before they are added to the page.

The different types of content include:

  • Content: pages, posts, news stories, events

  • Collections: menus, media, documents, forms, reusable content

How publishing new content works

How you publish new content works differently depending on the type of content. For example, you can upload an image and fill out information related to that image, or you can create an event. You can create a page and type written content into that page as well as link to other types of content from the page.

Authors and Editors work together to build content for the website. Authors can save drafts of pages, but only editors can publish pages. Editors have access to build some types of content that authors cannot. Learn more about templates in Creating a Dynamic Site with Templates, Zuse Create and Reusable Content.

Building a Site

You are working on building a new community site. Here is where to start.

Putting some thought into your site before you get started will save you time in the long run. As you begin to think about how you want to build your site, consider the following:

  • Audience: Who you are writing for will make a difference in how you frame your content.

  • Content: What information do you need to include on your website?

As you begin to define the above two parameters, you can continue to plan your site. Think about the following things you need to plan for:

  • Pages: How will your content be organized into pages? When planning this, think about your audience and what visitors to your site will be looking for. It may be useful to create a list of pages (content outline) you will include on your site.

  • Navigation: What is your menu structure going to look like? How are visitors to your site going to find the information they need?

    • How do you want to organize your site-wide navigation bar?

    • What links would you like to appear in the footer?

    • Are there parent-child page relationships that would make sense to create?

  • Layout: Try to define the layout of your pages now in order to have a consistent look throughout your site. Consider if using templates would make doing this easier. A little thought about the layout, before you begin working, can make all the difference.

Take a look at some of the resources on this site to learn about expectations for your site, and to get guidance about best practices.

Get started building your site:

Tips for refining your site to make it better

  • Know your audience: you can't create a useful site unless you know who it should be useful for.

  • Update your site frequently. Out-of-date content reflects badly on UW System.

    • Keep an editorial calendar for when pages will become out of date.

    • Set reminders for yourself to update the pages.

    • Develop a plan for what happens after your content is outdated. For example, what goes up next or how should it change?

  • Break up text-heavy pages with photos, pull quotes, callouts, and supplementary menus.

Building a page

Choosing a method for building your page

You have planned your site and now you are ready to add content. First, review the three ways to make pages to figure out which method you will use for the page. If the page is fairly simple or you are an author, then you can use the Classic Editor. If you are an author but need to make a more complicated page, work with your editor to set up templates so you can create a page with a more complicated layout using the Classic Editor. If you are an editor and making a page that will have a complicated layout that is unique (so that it doesn’t make sense to use a template), you can use Zuse Create.

For example, you may want to use Zuse Create for your home page because it has a unique layout not shared with any other pages. You could use the Classic Editor for a page describing policies because the content is the focus of the page and you don’t need multiple columns, so an author can create the page. You could use a template for a set of Staff Bio pages so they can easily all share the same layout, perhaps with a menu on the left side, and the content can be created by an author.

Building Collections to support your pages

Many things in Zuse require you to first upload or build a piece of content for the page, and then insert it into the page. For example, before you insert a form onto your page, you must first build the page. Below are some links to tutorials for help uploading and building content.

Adding content to your pages

Build simple pages with the Classic Editor. See Using the Classic Editor for a basic explanation of the buttons available in the Classic Editor. See Three Ways to Create Content for a complete list of tutorials applicable to both Zuse Create and the Classic Editor. Listed below are some of the most useful things you can include in your Classic Editor pages.

Build more complex pages with Zuse Create including all of the things above plus:

Setting up your page options

Before you finish you page, make sure that you have configured your page to your liking. Here are some of your options:

  • Hide breadcrumbs on pages to remove the page’s path from below the main red menu.

  • Edit Page Attributes to set the template and parent/ child relationships for a page

  • Use the Post Expirator to automatically expire pages on a certain date/ time.

  • If the page should not be published immediately, use the Publish Box to schedule a publish date or set page statuses to communicate to other site administrators about the situation.

  • If you have made an error, you can restore a previously saved version of the page.

Using Templates and Reusable Content

Reusable content and templates are a tool to save you time and effort in building and maintaining your site. They allow you to create and maintain a page layout (template) or a piece of content (reusable content) once and then use it multiple times. 

Templates

For example, if you want most of your pages to have a supplemental links menu in the left column, you can create a template that includes the menu. Then, you can build the pages using the Classic Editor, and the menu will be included from the template. This is also useful if you decide to change your layout. Say you want to also add a list of events under the menu. Because you used the template, you only need to add the list of events to the template. If you hadn’t used the template you would have to update every page individually.  Using templates also helps keep all of your pages using the same layout which makes it easier for visitors to the site to find what they want.

Reusable Content

Reusable content are pieces of Zuse Create content that you want to display multiple times on your site. This could be a disclaimer or a “need help” message. They can also be combinations of modules, like a recent post list and an upcoming event list. You can add your piece of reusable content to multiple pages. If you need to change it in the future, you only need to edit it in one place (your block of reusable content) and the update will filter down to all of the pages where it has been included.

Reusable Content Placeholders in Templates

Reusable content and templates can also work together. Templates can include reusable content placeholders. This allows you to make a template more flexible. When a template has a reusable content placeholder, you can specify a different reusable content block to include on each page assigned the template. Thus, pages that are using the same template can display different pieces of reusable content. This may be the way to go if you want some pages to include a menu in the left column and others to include a list of upcoming events. You can create one template with a reusable content placeholder in the left column, and two reusable content blocks- one with a menu and one with an upcoming event list. When you create your page, you can specify which reusable content block you would like to display on the left column.

Templates and Reusable Content with the Author-Editor Workflow

Using reusable content, templates, and content placeholders allow authors to create more complicated pages than they could by using the Classic Editor. Editors can set up templates and reusable content blocks for authors to use so they can build more complex pages without having to use Zuse Create.

Resources for Templates and Reusable Content

Using the Editor-Author Workflow

Compared to editors, authors have access to fewer activities in Zuse. Authors are responsible for writing content. The content they write is then submitted to a site editor for review. The editors ensure the new content is consistent with website, departmental, University Relations, system-wide, and federal policies that apply to your content. Editors can also provide authors with templates and content blocks that can be combined with your content pages to create pages consistent with the rest of the look-and-feel of your community site.

Author and editor roles are a tool for creating a business workflow for your work area: the usage of author and editor roles within your department, the relationship those roles have with each other, and other publishing policies are to be managed at the department, office, program or community site level. Editors and Web Governance Committee representatives are responsible for defining publishing procedures and policies within their area.

Here are some features that can help streamline the editor-author collaboration.

  • Editorial comments and notifications allow people who are collaborating on a page to leave comments for each other that won’t be posted on the site.

  • Each page has a page status. Draft and In Review statuses both mean that the content is not yet viewable on the internet. Work with your team to come up with an agreement about how you will use each status.

Stakeholders

If you have someone who will not be making updates to pages but needs to be able to view pages before they are published, they can become a stakeholder. Becoming a stakeholder doesn't require any training, but stakeholders can login to view unpublished content.

Finding Resources

You have already found the sites that hosts the documentation for Zuse. Our guides have high-level information about getting started with Zuse, explain concepts, and suggest recommend strategies. Our tutorials provide step-by-step instructions for completing common tasks. Our technical references are for people who like the details.

Trying to figure out how to complete a certain task? Try searching, or browsing our list of tutorials.

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If you can't find what you are looking for, please reach out to the web team at webteam@uwss.wisconsin.edu.