• Introduction
• Create a new document and select a template:
  • Above the editor: 
  • Below the editor:
• Editing the document
• Publishing a document
• Additional Help

Introduction

This is a VERY SIMPLE guide to creating KB documents from a template.  You can find more in-depth help in the KB User's guide. 

• KB Training:  https://kbadmin.apps.uillinois.edu/kbGuide/search.php?cat=1867
• KB User's Guide Table of Contents:  https://kbadmin.apps.uillinois.edu/kbGuide/page.php?id=5233#Documents

Templates are a simple way to start a new document with many of the options below pre-selected for you such as topics, owner, viewing restrictions, etc..

If you plan to make several KB documents and do not see an appropriate template, let us know at scs-help@illinois.edu and we can create a template for you. 

Create a new document and select a template:

1. Click on Create a Doc in the left navigation
   
   
   
   
2. Select the template you wish to use.  You'll see some instructions appear in the "Body", and many options will be pre-set. 
   
   
   
   

Above the editor: 

1. Change the title
   • Remove the word "TEMPLATE" and add a meaningful title
     
     • If the document is for internal use, leave the word "INTERNAL" prepended to the subject
     • For CORES labs, be sure to use the Lab name or acronym in the title, preferably at the beginning (NMR, Mass Spec, etc)
     • If the document will be used on the SCS website, add (web) to the title
       • Example:  NMR - NMR Student training (web)
         
         
2. Add keywords - use as many as you can think of that someone might use to try to find this document
   
   • NOTE: You do not need to repeat words in the title
     
     
3. Add a summary - this will appear on the KB article, right below the title

Below the editor:

1. Topics:
   • Check the topics to be sure that the correct topics are selected, and select any additional topics that seem relevant
   • Topics are used to fill out the "Topic Tree" on the KB's homepage (https://answers.uillinois.edu/scs and https://answers.uillinois.edu/scs/internal) which can make documents easier to find
     
     • Many topics will have sub-topics, so be sure to expand the top level and select the appropriate sub-topics
       
       
2. Write Access:
   • The default option for write access is "Owner".  Do not change this.
   • Each template also has some default groups already selected - Change these carefully!
   • If other people should also have access to edit a document:
     • Click on the [+] next to Show other write access (see red arrow)
     • Select the appropriate group(s)
     • If the correct group doesn't exist, email scs-help@illinois.edu and we'll add it
   • If the document will be used on the Web, be sure to select the group "SCS Webmasters"
     
     
     
     
3. Read access:
   • For publicly available documents, no "read access" groups will be selected
     For private/internal documents, some default groups will already selected.  Add other groups that should have read access to the document
     • Click on the [+] Show all read access next to "Read access" (or Show other read access if some read access groups are already selected)
     • You can see who is in a group by hovering your mouse over the group name - see the green circle above for an example
       
       
4. Site access:
   • Publicly available documents should have both "UillinoisSCS-External" and "UillinoisSCS-internal" selected.  This allows a document to be read publicly without any authentication while also making it available to the internal KB site.
   • Internal only documents should ONLY have "UillinoisSCS-internal" selected
     
     
5. Owner:
   • Click [+] Show Additional Fields (this is directly above the blue "Submit" button at the bottom of the page)
   • Change the owner to whoever should be responsible for the document.  The document owner will be notified when the document's expiration is approaching.

Editing the document

1. Save the document. 
   • Click blue Submit button.  This will save the document, and the status will be "In Progress". 
     • NOTE: The document will not be available on the KB (internally or externally) until the status is changed to "Active"
       
       
2. Click Edit document
   • See https://answers.uillinois.edu/scs/107048 for additional help with editing a document
     
     
3. Add your content to the "Body" section. Links are below to KB help guides: 
   • Using the TinyMCE Editor:  https://kbadmin.apps.uillinois.edu/kbGuide/114570
     • NOTE:  You can paste Microsoft Office and Google Docs content directly into the KB editor (TinyMCE). When you paste, you will be asked if you would like to keep or remove formatting. Please choose Remove formatting. Please note that this only applies to extra formatting and styling; basic formatting, such as bolded text, will always be retained.
   • See the KB FAQ at:  https://kbadmin.apps.uillinois.edu/kbGuide/page.php?id=5233#FAQ 

Publishing a document

1. Submit the document
   • The default status when editing a document is "In Progress"
     • Documents can have dual-status, such as "In Progress / Active" - this means that there is a version of the document that is available on the KB, and a version that is currently being edited.  
   • When you're ready for the document to be live, change the status to "Active" and click on the blue Submit button. 
     
     
     
     
   • The "Accessibility Checker" will appear if there are any accessibility issues. Please review the issues to determine if changes are needed.  
     • This can be triggered by:
       • Tables that do not have a caption
       • Non-black text 
       • Images that do not have alternate (descriptive) text
     • See https://kbadmin.apps.uillinois.edu/kbGuide/116740 for more guidance on the Accessibility checker
       
       
       
       
   • Once the document has been successfully set to "Active" and the "Submit" button selected, you'll see the following screen.
     • Note that the progress bar shows that it's active. 
     • To extend the expiration, click on the Extend expiration button (see the red arrow, below). 
       
       

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• If you do not change the status to Active after making changes:
  • If the document was previously made Active, then the "Active" version (the version shown on the KB) will be the old version and your changes will be kept in an "In Progress" state. If that happens, you'll see that the document has a status of "Active / In Progress"
  • If the document was saved after creating it in the "In Progress" state, then no document is available on the KB.  

Additional Help

If you need additional help, have questions, or want to make advanced edits, contact SCS Computing staff at scs-help@illinois.edu.