Book Image

Building Websites with Microsoft Content Management Server

Book Image

Building Websites with Microsoft Content Management Server

Overview of this book

Microsoft Content Management Server 2002 is a dynamic web publishing system with which you can build websites quickly and cost-efficiently. MCMS provides the administration, authoring, and data management functionality, and you provide the website interface, logic, and workflow. Once your website is up and running, your content contributors can add and edit content on their own, without the need to work with developers or the IT department. First time developers of Microsoft Content Management Server 2002 face a relatively steep learning curve. Not only are they expected to be conversant in the Microsoft .NET Framework, they are also required to be familiar with the concepts of MCMS 2002. Many beginners to MCMS start out by looking at the example site that ships with the product; tweaking it, dissecting it and turning it inside out using the obscure code comments as markers. However, when it comes to starting their own website from scratch, many are baffled ? where do they begin? This book exists to answer that question; teaching the essential concepts of MCMS 2002 in a clear, straightforward and practical manner. Containing answers to some of the most asked questions in developer newsgroups, this book is a treasure trove of tricks and tips for solving the problems faced by MCMS developers. This is a unique resource focused exclusively on the needs of developers using MCMS. It doesn?t waste time and pages on user or administrator level information that is well covered in other documentation. It?s a distillation of practical experience that developers need to get results, fast. The authors carefully structured example project complements and extends the knowledge gained from an initial look at the examples that ship with MCMS.
Table of Contents (28 chapters)
Building Websites with Microsoft Content Management Server
Credits
About the Authors
Introduction

Managing Workflow


Earlier in the chapter we briefly reviewed two options in the Web Author Console: the Production Manager and the Approval Assistant. Now we will try out both of those features so you can get a feel for how they work.

Using the Production Manager

To begin, navigate to the PlantCatalog channel at http://localhost/tropicalgreen/plantcatalog/ and click the Switch To Edit Site link. Then click the link to the Production Manager. Earlier, we created five new plant fact sheets. Since we didn't submit or approve them, they are still in the production line. You should see each posting listed in the Production Manager.

There are two options you have from this dialog:

  • Preview Page opens a new browser window with a preview of the posting.

  • Go To Page opens the posting in the parent browser window.

These options make it easy to find postings you need to finish. Let's continue work on the Banana Tree posting and submit it to the workflow:

  1. Click the Go To Page icon for the Banana Tree...