Extension Modules for Content Manager


There are more than 50 different modules, i.e. extensions, available for the Ambientia Content Manager publication system. In addition to general purpose modules we have also developed several client-specific modules.

Content

The Content Manager features content and columnised content modules for creating, displaying and updating basic and divided content in a web service. Columns can be used to divide website contents into easy-to-follow sections. The amount of columns can be defined on a page-by-page basis, and columns can be added or removed when necessary.

Ambientia Content Editor makes editing content very easy. Content Editor can be used to e.g. do common text editing procedures, add images, attachments, and both internal and external hyperlinks.

The content pointer module can be used to show pre-existing content in another location of the web service’s content structure. Thus, text content can be managed and updated in a single location, automatically updating all instances of the text.

The content roundabout module allows you to randomise e.g. content on the front page of the web service from all of the desired content pages of the web service. This can be used to easily add freshness and vividness to the front page. The module can be used in other parts of the web service as well.

The directory listing module makes it easy to list files from desired attachment directories in a single view. Thus, you can automatically view e.g. meeting memos, the latest photographs and videos, or perhaps personnel CVs. Each directory can be given a separate title, e.g. notifications, product information or contracts.

The lengthy page module forms a navigation menu consisting of the page’s main headings at the top of the page. This makes shifting from a different heading or subject to another easy, especially if the page contains a large amount of text.

Live search is an extension for the search engine. It carries out the search in the background and limits results in real-time while the user is entering the search keywords.

The site map module automatically creates a site map of the web service. The site map lists all public pages and their sub-pages in the web service.

External Content

The CSV reader can be used easily to display content which has been saved in a CSV format e.g. in Microsoft Excel. The module allows you to define which fields of an Excel file are shown in the web service and how the information is sorted. The most common uses of the module are e.g. telephone directories, dockets and timetables.

The Iframe module enables you to show external content in the web service of an organisation, effectively making it possible to display the content of another web service in your own web service.

The RSS reader reads RSS feeds from selected web services and shows them in the form of a news listing inside your web service. By clicking one of the links in the list, the user is taken to the actual news item, i.e. to another web service. Module maintenance gives you the option of modifying the cache settings for the RSS reader.

Layout

Using the style changer, an administrator can change the whole theme of a web service with practically just one click. This is especially useful if you want to change the look and feel of your web service to match e.g. an event or a change of season. With the randomised style changer the theme can be changed e.g. from green to red or to something completely different every time the user visits the site.

Communication

The notification module provides a means for effortless and quick creation and publishing of news items and notifications in a web service. It is possible to form collections based on different news areas. Thus, you can e.g. set the front page of the web service to show the most recent news items published from all parts of the organisation. Newsletters and news items which have been added via the notification module are also available for use elsewhere on the Internet via RSS and the Mail Alert service.

The electronic magazine module makes it easy to create, publish and maintain different types of electronic magazines. A single service can include multiple electronic magazines at the same time. An electronic magazine can function on its own in a website structure, or it can be combined with a number of other modules, e.g. the image gallery module.

The event calendar module can be easily used to keep track of a company’s or organisation’s events. With the help of the event calendar module, you can divide data into sub-calendars and show suitable collections of these e.g. on the front page of the web service.

Media

The image gallery module enables you to create image galleries for your web service, and add pictures to them either one by one or in batches. A web service can contain multiple image gallery modules, which can sort the pictures e.g. based on their themes. Images can be divided into subfolders, they can be named descriptively, and captions can be added to them.

Image roundabout makes it possible to show an automatic slideshow consisting of desired images e.g. on the front page of a web service. Image roundabout does not require any web browser plug-ins.

The media gallery module lets you take images, music and videos, combine them easily, and show them online. Combined with Ambientia’s commentary module, users of a web service can comment and rate each other’s works. Administrators can define a number of settings: is commenting possible, does it require a user to log in, are comments published automatically, and can a subject be rated as well as commented on. The system automatically sends an e-mail to desired addresses when new comments appear.

Community and Interaction

The Questions & Answers section provides a channel where users of a web service can ask experts questions on previously defined subjects. When a question is posted, a notification is relayed to the corresponding expert, who can then respond to the question in the administrative section of the web service. Questions can be edited in the administrative section before publishing the question-answer combination. After publication, the question-answer combination is visible to all users of the web service. Questions and answers are divided into subsections based on topics.

The discussion forum supports common features of discussion forums, e.g. multiple forums, categories and topics, HTML formatting, smileys, attachments, e-mail notifications, RSS and message previewing. Using JForum, it’s easy and simple to moderate and lock discussions and transfer them from one forum or category to another. When necessary, administrators can also lock and remove discussions and discontinue accounts.

The poll module allows you to post e.g. a question of the week on the front page of an intranet or public web service as a refreshing feature. The poll module allows you to restrict the amount of votes per user to one.

The commentary module enables you to add a commentary option to any part of Content Manager, e.g. to public pages, images, newsletters or administrative sections of Content Manager. Comments can be managed in a centralised manner from a single module, or you can attach the administrative view of a commentary module to some other module.

The diary module enables a user to maintain either a private or a public diary in the web service. A private diary can be accessed only be the user. In order to be able to write a diary, the user has to first register as a diary writer. If the diary has been made public, entries are shown in the web service normally and other users can comment on them. Like with blogs, comments are visible in the context of the entries. An administrator can edit and remove comments and update information on writers.

The test module allows an administrator to construct different types of tests to be used on the web service. These tests allow a user to e.g. test his/her exercise, consumption or dietary habits. After completing a test, the user can be shown different types of summaries based on his/her score.


The club module can be used to gather mailing list recipients and their areas of interest. A list of recipients can be maintained, and recipients can be sent e.g. a joining-related gift. Using the club module, you can also send html/text-formatted e-mails to members of a selected recipient list.

Webshop and Information Management

The flea market module gives users the option to post classified ads under various categories. Editing and removing classified ads is also supported, as is adding images in connection with an ad. Ads can be sorted based on their name, price, date or advertiser. Old classified ads surpassing the defined time limit are removed automatically.

The webshop module enables categorising and showing items that are for sale. This basic application is suitable for managing approximately 200 products. Shopping is done by adding products to the shopping cart, and then paying for them using online bank identification.

Product database is a web application for flexible managing and displaying of different types of product data. Different types of product information can be displayed based on product groups, keywords or collections which have been created with a greater level of detail. Ambientia Product Database can be integrated fully with Ambientia Content Manager, and it can be used as a solid part of the web service of an organisation or a company.

Course database can be used to display different of types of courses based on the domain, type and location of the training. The system allows you to add and remove courses and update course-related information. All courses can be printed out in Microsoft Word format for the purpose of e.g. producing a course guide. Enrolling in courses is also possible. The system automatically keeps track of how many people have enrolled in a specific course and hides the enrolment option once the maximum student limit is reached.

User Management

The login module can be used in an environment where a user of a public web service is required to log in. Typically, these include various types of extranet services. Using this module, the user can modify his or her own login and personal data, e.g. username, password and personal information, in the web service.

The registration module is an application for user management where users of a public web service can register to use a password-protected section of the service.

The user information browser lets the web service administrator view the information of users who have registered to use the password-protected section of the service. The information shown in the user information browser can be defined service-specifically. The listing can also be exported to an Excel file for future use.

Displaying Information

A personnel database can be used to display an organisation’s contact information in a web service. In addition to basic personal data, an unlimited number of fields can be assigned to facilitate additional information. This makes the module extremely flexible, and it is capable of displaying any kind of information structure.

The phonebook module makes it easy to list e.g. an organisation’s offices and different areas of responsibility along with the related personnel. Listings can be done based on either offices or areas of responsibility. A person can be linked to a number of offices or areas of responsibility. In addition to basic personal information, it is possible to add a photograph and additional information.

The menu module allows you to list restaurants and other eateries and their menus. The menus are shown on a weekly basis, and it is possible to receive them via RSS feeds.
The name day module shows name days according to the Finnish calendar. Permission for displaying name days can be applied for from the Almanac Office at the University of Helsinki.