Posting content files in ICON

What is Possible with ICON’s Content Tool?

• Post text documents, images, audio, video, Library reserve materials, and other course materials in a password-protected space.
• Upload multiple files to the file manager at one time.
• Add multiple links to the Content Menu (student display) at one time.
• Create and edit html documents from within ICON.
• Use WebDAV for convenient uploading, downloading, and revising of content files.
• Display links to external web sites.
• Display links to quizzes, discussions, self-assessments and other areas of your ICON course.
• Restrict access of content items based on group membership or completion of online tasks.
• Import content files from another ICON course.

27 May 2009

Overview

The student Course Content menu displays links to content files, to related areas of your ICON course (e.g., a quiz or discussion), and to external websites. These links, called "topics," are organized into folders, called "modules."

Your actual files are housed in your Manage Files area. Your students cannot see into your Manage Files area. In order for them to access course content files, you must create links in the student Content Menu (above). You create these links in your Manage Content area:

If you are posting multiple files, upload them to your Manage Files area first and then create the links from within your Manage Files area. This allows you to both upload multiple files at one time and create multiple links at one time..

If you are posting only one file at a time, you can upload it while you’re creating a link in your Manage Content area. Your actual file will reside in your Manage Files area, the same as if you uploaded it there to begin with.

12 May 2008

Acceptable File Types

ICON accepts the following file extensions:

Images: .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .png

HTML Files: .htm, .html, .mthml, .css (NOTE: If you use custom javascript code in your html files, make sure that you have a copy of your files on your computer before opening the files with the built-in ICON HTML editor. The editor will break and overwrite javascript code that it does not understand.)

ICON does not accept files with these extensions:

.asa .asax .ascx .ashx .asmx .asp .aspx .axd .bat .cdx .cer .com .config .cs .csproj .dll .exe .idc .ini .jsl .licx .rem .resources .resx .shtm .shtml .soap .stm .vb .vbproj .vjsproj .vsdisco .webinfo

About files types not listed here:

Some file types that are not on either of the the above lists are restricted, that is, they can be uploaded but not downloaded. Some other file types not on this list can be uploaded after we make an adjustment in the server. If the file you wish to upload is not listed above, contact ICON Support at icon-support@uiowa.edu.

Avoid long file names:

Regardless of the file type, its a good idea to keep your file names under 100 characters. Longer filenames have been known to cause problems with downloading.

30 January 2008

Adding a Content Module

Content Modules are folders (headings) in on the Course Content menu.  All content links must be inside a Content Module.

Your course can have one Content Module or several, and you can nest Content Modules inside other, “parent” Content Modules. You can also set the enumeration style (or omit the enumeration altogether) or modify other display settings.

Content modules and their contents are displayed by default in a sidebar menu left of the main Content Menu. You can modify this menu or eliminate it altogether.

To add a Content Module:

1. Click Content in the NavBar.
2. Click New Module (top).
3. If you want to nest the Content Module inside another Content Module, select the parent module from the dropdown menu.
4. Enter a title (e.g., About Your Instructor) to be displayed in the Content Module table of contents.
5. Enter a short title (e.g., Instructor) to be displayed in the sidebar menu.
6. If you don’t want contents to be numbered, click Hide enumeration for this module.
7. If you don't want to display this module to everyone beginning immediately, click the Restrictions tab.
   • To hide the module from students temporarily, click Hide. (You'll need to unclick this later.)
   • To display the module during a certain time period, enter start and stop dates.
   • To restrict display of this module to students who have met a certain course criteria or belong to a certain group or section, click Create and Attach and enter your conditions.
8. Click Save.

27 November 2007

Modifying the Content Menu and Sidebar

To modify or hide the enumerations in the Content menu:

1. Click Content in the NavBar.
2. Click Settings (left).
3. Click Enumerations (top).
4. For each level of enumeration, select the desired style—or select no enumeration—from the dropdown lists.
5. Click Save.

To show/hide the sidebar:

1. Click Content in the NavBar.
2. Click Settings (left).
   • To show/hide the sidebar on the main Content page, click lick Main Page (top) if necessary,
   • To show/hide the sidebar when viewing actual content, click Content Viewer.
3. Click Show the Sidebar when viewing content topics select or de-select it.
4. Click Save.

To change the heading for the table of contents or sidebar:

1. Click Content in the NavBar.
2. Click Settings (left).
3. Click Main Page (top) if necessary.
4. Enter a new name in the Heading textbox (under Table of Contents) or in the Box textbox (under Sidebar).
5. Click Save.

To add a custom "Content Home" from an HTML file:

You can add a custom Content Home, such as a syllabus, that will display in lieu of the regular Content menu. (The Content menu will be available via a link.)

Note: If your Content Home is an html file, it should not contain any customized Java Script, or ICON may remove it—automatically and permanently! (Be sure to keep a backup copy on your computer.)

1. Create your homepage file on your desktop.
2. Click Content in the NavBar.
3. Click Settings (left).
4. Click Main Page (top) if necessary.
5. Click in the Create a custom 'Content Home' page from a file box to select it.
6. Browse for your file and click Save.

13 October 2008

Viewing Usage Statistics

1. Click Content in the NavBar.
2. Click Reports (left).
3. Click Statistics (top) if necessary.
4. Content files usage is displayed. If you want to view usage by students, click the Users tab.

27 November 2007

Uploading and Posting a Single Content File ("Topic")

Note: You’ll find Instructions for posting PowerPoint presentations in a separate section titled Posting a PowerPoint Presentation..

If you are uploading only one file at a time, you can upload the file at the same time you are creating a link on the Content Menu. ICON will store the file in your Manage Files area (which only you can see) and create a link for students on the Content Menu.

Before you begin: Check the filename of the file you wish to upload to make sure it does not contain more than 100 characters AND that it does not have a space at the beginning or contain one of the following illegal characters: " * / : < > ? \ | ' & ; #

1. If you haven't yet created a Content Module (folder) that will contain the link to your content file, do so now (see Adding a Content Module).
2. Click Content in the NavBar.
3. Click Manage Content (left) if necessary.
4. Click New Topic (top). (Note: ICON adds files as “Topics.")
5. Click Upload New File. (Note: The actual file will be uploaded to your Manage Files area, which your students cannot access.)
6. On the Properties tab, select the Parent Module (the Content Module that will contain the student link to your file).
7. Enter a Title to be displayed in the Content Module table of contents (e.g., Basic Elements of Rock Music).
8. Enter a Short Title to be displayed in the sidebar menu (e.g., Rock).
9. Click the top Browse (or Choose File) button and browse for the file on your desktop.
10. Click the bottom Browse button and choose the folder in your Files area where the actual file will be stored.
11. Click Save.

The link to the content file will appear on the Table of Contents. You can change a link name anytime by clicking Manage Content (left) and then clicking the the Edit icon next to the Topic (file) name.

13 October 2009

Uploading and Posting Multiple Content Files ("Topics")

Note: You’ll find instructions for posting PowerPoint presentations in a separate section titled Posting a PowerPoint Presentation..

If you have multiple files to upload at once, you can zip them together on your desktop, upload them to your Manage Files (not Content) area, and unzip them there. Your students cannot see into your Manage Files area, so once you have uploaded your files you will need to go to the Manage Content area and create links in the Table of Contents.

Uploading Multiple Files to Your Files Area

Before you begin: Check the filenames of the files you wish to upload to make sure they do not contain more than 100 characters AND make sure they do not have a space at the beginning or contain one of the following illegal characters: " * / : < > ? \ | ' & ; #

1. On your computer, zip the files you want to upload into a single archive:
   • Mac OS X users can select all the desired files and then CMD + click on the selected files and select Create Archive. The file saves as Archive.zip in the same location. You may wish to rename it before uploading it to ICON.
   • Windows users can select all the desired files and then right-click on the selected files and select Send to Compressed (zipped) Folder. The zip file saves in the same location. You may wish to rename it before uploading it to ICON.
2. Click Content.
3. Click Manage Files (left).
4. Click  Upload.
5. Browse your desktop for the zip file and click Upload again. You'll see the zip file in your Files area.
   • Note: If you wanted to keep the files altogether when you unzipped them, you would do the following:
   1. Click the New icon (top right) and create a folder to hold the files when they are unzipped.
   2. Move the zip file to the folder you just created. To move the file:
   3. Click in the checkbox by the filename.
   4. Click Cut (top). (The filename may not disappear even though the cut is successful.)
   5. Click the folder name to open it.
   6. Click Paste (top).
6. Click the  Unzip File icon to the right of the filename.

Once the files have been uploaded to the File Manager, you make them accessible to students by creating links in the Content area, inside folders called Content Modules. 

Note: There's an alternative method of uploading files that does not require zipping. See the Online Help section Adding/Editing Files with WebDAV.

Adding Multiple Links in the Table of Contents

Since students cannot see into your Manage Files area (where your files are stored), you must go to the Manage Content area and create links in the Table of Contents. Here's how:

1. If you haven't yet created the Content Module (folder) that will contain the links, do so now (see Adding a Content Module).
2. Click Content in the NavBar.
3. Click Manage Content (left) if necessary.
4. Click the Add Multiple Topics icon next to the Content Module name.
5. Click the checkboxes next to the files you would like to add.
6. Enter Topic Titles and Topic Short Titles.
7. Click Add.

13 October 2009

Posting a PowerPoint Presentation

Selecting a Format

A PowerPoint file can be saved in different formats; each has its advantages and disadvantages. See also table below:

1. Native PowerPoint file [.ppt, .pptx, or .pps (PowerPoint Show)]
• Requires the student to download a file and view it using PowerPoint or another viewer.
• Can display in color; good for showing small details.
• Students can set their own printing preferences (slides per page, color vs. black and white).
• Preserves animations and multimedia (embedded audio/video).
• Easiest option for the instructor.
2. .html slide show (web page)
• NOTE: Due to a bug in the current version of ICON, this method is NOT RECOMMENDED. Testing has shown that a blank screen may appear instead of the PowerPoint presentation.
• Can be viewed within ICON (in the web browser). Students don't need to download additional files or use any other software.
• Can display in color; good for showing small details.
• May be difficult or expensive to print (one slide per page).
• Animations and multimedia may be lost.
• Requires considerable work on the part of the instructor.
3. . pdf
• Easy and inexpensive to print (can be printed in black and white).
• Can be saved in outline form or as multiple slides on a page (good for note taking if made available prior to class).
• Animations and multimedia may be lost.
• Requires pdf-creation software (the full version of Adobe Acrobat) for Windows users; MacOS has built-in pdf creation capabilities.

Restriction on Number of Characters

Regardless of the file type, its a good idea to keep your file names under 100 characters. Longer filenames have been known to cause problems with downloading.

Posting a .ppt, .pptx, or .pps Show

1. Open the file in PowerPoint and save it as a PowerPoint Show (pps).
2. If you haven’t yet created the ICON Content Module that will contain your file, do so now. (See Adding a Content Module.)
3. Click Content in the NavBar.
4. Click New Topic (a “Topic” can be a PowerPoint presentation).
5. Click Upload New File.
6. Select the Parent Module (the Content Module that will contain your file).
7. Enter a link Title to be displayed in the Content Module table of contents (e.g., Basic Elements of Rock Music).
8. Enter a Short Title to be displayed in the sidebar menu (e.g., Rock).
9. Click the top Browse (or Choose File) button and browse for the file on your desktop.
10. Click Save.

Posting an HTML PowerPoint Presentation

First, you'll save your PowerPoint file as a web page. Here's how:

Windows users:

1. Open the file in PowerPoint.
2. From the File menu, select Save As > Web Page.
3. Click Publish.
4. Under Browser Support, select All browsers listed . . .
5. Click Publish.

Mac users:

1. Open the file in PowerPoint
2. Under the File Menu, select Save as Web Page. 

This creates:

• A folder containing the individual PowerPoint slides
• An .htm file that calls up the individual slides

You will need both.

Next, zip together the .htm file and the folder containing the individual slides. 

Then upload the zipped file to ICON:

1. Click Edit Course in the course homepage Course Tools widget or in the far-right NavBar.
2. Click the Manage Files link.
3. Click Upload (top right).
4. Browse your desktop for the zip file and click Upload again.
5. Click the New icon (top right) and create a folder to hold the files when they are unzipped. Name it anything you like, but avoid spaces or non-alphanumeric characters (e.g., !@#$%^&*). An example of a good filename is Unit1_ppt.

Next, move the zip file to the folder you just created and unzip the files:

1. Click in the checkbox by the filename
   
2. Click Cut (top left). (The filename may not disappear even though the cut is successful.)
   
3. Click the name of the folder you just created to open it.
   
4. Click Paste (top).
   
5. Click the Unzip File icon to the right of the filename.
   

Finally, add a link to the .htm file in the Table of Contents:

1. If you haven’t yet added the Content Module that will contain your file, do so now. (See Adding a Content Module.)
2. Click Manage Content (upper right).
3. Click on the Add Topic icon (right) for the module that will contain your file.
4. Click on QuickLink and enter a title students will click on.
5. Click the Insert Quicklink icon to the right of the URL textbox.
6. Select Course File from the Category pull-down menu and click Add a File.
7. Navigate to the folder you just uploaded, open it, and click the checkbox next to the .htm file. Don't click on the link itself. Then click Select File.
8. Click Insert and then click Save.
9. Click Manage Content (upper left) to return to the Content area.

To view the html PowerPoint presentation in ICON:

1. Click Content in the NavBar.
2. Under Content Areas, click View Content (if you want to make more changes you will need to click Manage Content).
3. Click the link in the Table of Contents.

Posting a .pdf Presentation

Note: In order to create a .pdf presentation, Windows users must have Adobe Acrobat Professional (available in the ITC's). Mac OS 10 machines have this capability built-in.

You’ll begin by “printing” the file to pdf format:

1. Open the file in PowerPoint and select Print from the File menu.
2. In the Print window, select Slides, Handouts (# slides per page), Notes, or Outline from the Print What: dropdown menu. 
3. Click OK.
4. Mac users: click Save as PDF. Windows users: Select Print under the File menu; select Adobe PDF from the Name drop list; click OK; then save to your computer.

Next, you’ll add the file to a Content Module:

5. If don’t already have the Content Module that will contain your file, add it now. (See Adding a Content Module.)
6. From the course homepage, click Content in the NavBar.
7. From the menu at right, click Add Topic (individual files are referred to as “Topics”).
8. Click Upload New File.
9. Select the Parent Module (the Content Module that will contain your file).
10. Enter a link Title to be displayed in the Content Module table of contents (e.g., BasicElements of Rock Music).
11. Enter a Short Title to be displayed in the sidebar menu (e.g., Rock).
12. Click the top Browse (or Choose File) button and browse for the file on your desktop.
13. Click Save.

14 May 2008

Posting a Flash Movie

You can upload and post Flash movie files you have created, but be sure to follow the steps below in order, or ICON may break and overwrite important javascript code created by Flash.

1. After you export your movie from Flash, you will see three files with the following extensions: .html, .js, and .swf. Place these files in a folder and create a zipped archive of the folder. Now you are ready to upload and post your file in ICON.
2. Click Edit Course in the right NavBar and then click Manage Files.
3. Click on Upload (top left) and browse to locate your zipped file on your computer.
4. Select the zipped file and click the Upload button.
5. Once uploaded, the zip file will be displayed in the list. Click on the Unzip file icon (right). The folder with your flash files will appear in the list.
6. Click Manage Content (upper right).
7. Click on the Add Topic icon (right) for the module that will contain your Flash file.
8. Click on QuickLink and enter a title students will click on.
9. Under Content, click the Insert Quicklink icon to the right of the URL textbox.
10. Select Course File from the Category pull-down menu and click Add a File.
11. Navigate to the folder you just uploaded, open it, and click the checkbox next to the .html file. Don't click on the link itself. Then click Select File.
12. Click Insert and then click Save.
13. Click Manage Content (upper left) to return to the Content area.

26 May 2008

Composing a Content File in ICON

You can easily create a file in ICON.  The HTML editor allows you to format your document and insert images, tables, links, and more. (Important: If you plan to use custom javascript code in your html files, make sure that you have a copy of your files on your computer before opening the files with the built-in ICON HTML editor. The editor will break and overwrite javascript code that it does not understand.)

1. If you haven’t yet created the Content Module that will contain your file, do it now.  See Adding a Content Module.
2. From the course homepage, click Content in the NavBar.
3. From the menu at left, click Manage Content (if necessary).
4. Click New Topic (top). (Note: ICON adds files as "Topics.")
5. Click Create New File.
6. Select the Parent Module (your content file will appear under this heading).
7. Enter a title to be displayed in the Content Menu (e.g., About Your Instructor). Students will click this link in order to open your file.
8. Enter a short title to be displayed in the sidebar menu (e.g., Instructor).
9. Create your content. In Firefox and Internet Explorer, you can switch between the Basic and Advanced tabs for different formatting options. The Basic tab includes text formatting options. The Advanced tab includes the options from the Basic tab, plus additional options for formatting images, inserting links and equations. For example:
   • - Insert object
•  - Insert image
•  - Insert table
•  - Insert QuickLink (to course tool or content or to outside url)
•   - Insert symbol (in Safari)
•  - Insert equation

Note that in Safari, some of these buttons look slightly different and may be all on one tab.

10. Click Save.

Note: To toggle the HTML editor to full-screen mode, click (this option is not available in Safari).

24 April 2008

Restricting Access to Content Modules or Topics (Files)

You can restrict file availability to certain time periods or to individuals, based on group membership or completion of a certain online task. (Important: If you use custom javascript code in your html files, make sure that you have a copy of your files on your computer before opening the files with the built-in ICON HTML editor. The editor will break and overwrite javascript code that it does not understand. The Restricting Access tools cause the HTML editor to edit and save your html files automatically.)

If you plan to restrict access based on group membership and you haven’t yet created the group, create it now, before you proceed with step 1 (see Creating Groups).

1. Click Content in the Navbar.
2. Click Manage Content (left) if necessary.
3. Click the Edit icon to the right of the module or topic (file) you wish to restrict.
4. Click the Restrictions tab.
   • To hide the module from students temporarily, click Hide this topic . (You'll need to unclick this later.)
   • To display the module during a certain time period, enter start and end dates.
   • To restrict display of this module to students who have met a certain course criteria or belong to a certain group or section, click Create and Attach and enter your conditions.

Note: If you enter more than one selective release condition, students will need to satisfy each of the conditions (not just one) in order to access the content module or topic.

5. Click Save.

21 April 2008

Revising or Replacing Content Files

You can revise a syllabus or other content file in one of two ways:

1. Edit the file on your desktop and then upload the revised version to the ICON Files area, replacing the original file.
2. Open the file in ICON and make the edits there (this works only if you have saved or created the file in HTML format; Windows users should save Word files as filtered web pages).  

Provided you don’t change the filename or save the file to a different folder in the Files area, the original link(s) in the Content area will remain intact, and students will be able to access the revised version.

Note: The following instructions are for revising files using ICON's built-in html editor. For an alternative method, see Adding/Editing Files with WebDAV.

Revising an HTML File from within ICON

Important: If you use custom javascript code in your html files, make sure that you have a copy of your files on your computer before opening the files with the built-in ICON HTML editor. The editor will break and overwrite javascript code that it does not understand.

1. Click Content in the NavBar.
2. From the menu at left, click Manage Content.
3. Click the Edit File icon to the right of the file (Topic). 
4. Make your changes and click Save.

Students accessing the file from a Content Module will see the modified version.

Revising the HTML File on Your Desktop

1. From your desktop, make the desired changes to the file and save it in HTML format with the same filename.
2. From the ICON course homepage, click Content in the NavBar.
3. Click Manage Files.
4. Click Upload icon.
5. In the Upload File popup window, click Choose File (or Browse).
6. Browse your desktop for the file and click Open (or Choose).
7. In the Upload File popup window, click Upload.  You will be asked if you want to replace the existing file with that name.  Click Ok.

The revised file will appear in your File Manager.  Provided you have kept the same filename, the link in the Content area will remain intact.

21 April 2008

Linking to a Discussion, Quiz, Self Assessment or Other Course Component

You can give your students convenient access to ICON tools from within a Content Module.

To post a QuickLink to a course tool:

1. Click Content in the NavBar.
2. From the menu at right, click Manage Content (if necessary).
3. Click New Topic (top). Note: QuickLinks, like files, are added as “Topics."
4. Click Quick Link (the link name, not the icon).
5. Select the Parent Module (the Content Module that will contain your file).
6. Enter a title to be displayed in the Content Menu (e.g., Bach’s Life and Works - Discussion).
7. Enter a short title to be displayed in the Content Module sidebar (e.g., Bach Discussion).
8. Next to the URL box, click the Quicklink icon.
9. Choose the category you wish to link to (e.g., Discussions).
10. Choose the item in the category (e.g., Bach's Life and Works).
11. Click Save.

24 April 2008

Organizing Content Modules

You can delete, re-order, and rename Content Modules and Topics, or move them to different folders (moving, renaming, etc., won’t break links).

1. Click Content in the NavBar.
2. Click Manage Content in the menu at left, if necessary.
3. Move or delete items:
• To move an item to a different Content Module (directory), click the checkbox for that item and then click the  Move selected items icon (top, just above the listing of modules and topics). In the popup window, select the module (or add a new one) and click Move.
• To re-order a content module, click Re-Order (top or beside the content module name), select the desired placement from the Sort Order dropdown menus, and click Save. Click the plus sign next to the module name to display the topics in a module.
• To delete an item, click in the checkbox next to the item you want to delete and click Delete (top, just above the listing of modules and topics).

25 April 2008

Organizing the File Manager

If you wish to organize your File Manager into folders (for your benefit only, since only you can see into your File Manager), you should add the folders and move the files now, before you create student links in the Course Content listing. If you move File Manager files into folders after you create student links in the Course Content menu, you may cause those links to break. (ICON will notify you if a link becomes broken, but it will not fix the link. You must do that yourself.)

To create a folder in the File Manager:

1. Click Edit Course in the far right NavBar or in the Course Tools box on your course homepage.
2. Then click Manage Files.
3. Click the New icon (top middle).
4. Enter a folder name and click OK.

To move a file into a folder:

1. Click the checkbox by the filename.
2. Click Cut (top).
3. Open the folder you want to move the file to by clicking on its name.
4. Click Paste (top).

25 April 2008

Copying Content/Components from Another ICON Course

New feature: Unlike with earlier versions of ICON, NavBars and homepage widgets will now copy. However, they will not show until you activate the new homepage. To do so, click Edit Course (far-right NavBar or in the Course Tools widget on the course homepage). Then click Homepages (left) and click the Set box beside the new homepage name to make it active.

Copying content and most other components from one ICON course to another is a fairly easy process. However, not all components will copy.

• Student data will not copy (this includes student names, grades, discussion postings, assignment postings, quiz submissions and statistics, etc.).
• Most gradebook items (columns) will copy, but the following will not copy and will need to be manually recreated:
  • Formula grade items
  • Grade display settings
  • Grade calculation settings
  • Final grade formula in a Formula System grade book
  • Final grade display options
  • Student data
• If you have a lot of quizzes, or if your quizzes include media, you may wish to request help from ICON Support at icon-support@uiowa.edu or 335-6139.

To copy content or components from one of your other ICON courses:

1. Navigate to your new (empty) course site.
2. Click Edit Course in the far-right NavBar or in the Course Tools widget on the homepage.
3. Click Import/Export/Copy Components.
4. Make sure Copy Components from another Org Unit is checked and click Next.
5. If you would like to view a component you already have in this course, click Show the Current Course Components.
6. Scroll down the page, and from the Select Offering dropdown list, select the course you want to copy from.
7. Click the box next to each course component you wish to copy (or click Select All Components). For each component type, you can copy all items or select individual items to copy.

If you are importing content, select Content and Course Files (or else nothing will appear when students click the content links). You can also select Content Display Settings if you want to keep the original formatting of the content modules.
8. Click Next at the end of the list.
9. Confirm the components you wish to copy (click the Modify links to make changes). When you click Next, ICON will copy the components into your course.
10. When ICON informs you that the component(s) have been copied, click Done.
11. If you have copied a custom homepage (one on which you have made changes), go to your course homepage (which will still look like the default) and click Edit Course in the Course Tools widget. Then click Homepages and click the Set button in the Active column to display a checkmark next to the custom homepage name. Finally, click Go to Course.

To return to your course homepage, click Course Home in the left NavBar .

26 February 2009

Adding Library Reserve Materials

You can post links to electronic library reserve materials in your course Content area. Upon request, selected reserve staff will add the files to your Manage Files area. Then, because your students cannot see into your Manage Files area, you create links in your Content Menu.

Begin by giving selected library reserve staff the right to add electronic materials to your ICON course File Manager and letting them know which materials you want to post:

• Click Library Reserves in the Course Tools widget on your course homepage.
• Click the (add staff) link next to the library in which the materials reside.
• Contact that library immediately and let reserve staff know which materials you want posted on your ICON site.

Once these materials are in your File Manager, you will need to add student links in the Course Menu:

• If you haven't yet created the Content Module (folder) that will contain the link(s), do so now (see Adding a Content Module).
• Click Content in the NavBar.
• Click Manage Content in the menu at right.
• If you're adding a single link, click the Add Topic icon next to the Content Module name.
• If you're adding multiple links at one time, click the Add Multiple Topics icon next to the Content Module name. For each file you wish to add, click the checkbox and enter a title students can click on.
• Click Create.

13 October 2009

Adding RSS Feeds

You can put RSS feed links in a Widget on your course homepage or on an HTML page in your Content Menu. First you will need to generate a Javascript code. To do this, copy the feed address (this appears in the url field when you click the feed's hyperlink). Next, you will go to a websites that will generate the code. One popular site is http://www.rss-to-javascript.com. If you need help with this, contact ICON Support at 338-4357 or icon-support@uiowa.edu.

Once you have generated the Javascript code, you will copy it and insert it into a new widget or an HTML page.

Here’s how to insert the code into a widget:

1. Click Edit Course in the lower-right NavBar.
2. Click Widgets (left) .
3. Click New Widget (top).
4. Name the widget and click Save.
5. Click the Content tab.
6. In the Widget Content window, click Edit HTML Source (lower left corner).
7. Paste the RSS javascript code into the html window and then click Update.
8. Click Save.
9. Click Homepages (left).
10. Click the hyperlinked homepage name.
11. Click the Content/Layout tab.
12. Choose the region in which the widget will be displayed and then click Add Widget.
13. Click in the checkbox of the widget you just created and click Save.

25 April 2008

Adding / Editing Files with WebDAV

***NOTE: WebDAV is not currently working with ICON. We are working with the software vendor to resolve this problem. These instructions are left here for reference only.

- The ICON Support Team (1/20/2009)

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ICON supports WebDAV, a web protocol that allows you to easily move files into or out of your course's Manage Files area without having to log in to ICON.

You can use WebDAV to create a direct connection from your Windows or Mac computer to your ICON course's Manage Files area. Then, when you select this connection, a window displaying your ICON course files will open, and you can you can upload or download files by simply moving them into or out of this folder. You can even move multiple files without having to zip them first.

Setting up WebDav on your computer takes a couple of minutes, but it can save you time in the long run, especially if you post a lot of files over the course of a semester.

Attention Windows Vista Users: You will not be able to create a WebDAV folder by mapping a network drive, but you can use WebDAV through a third-party application such as Dreamweaver. See the Online Help section Setting up Dreamweaver 8 and WebDAV for Use with ICON. Advanced users may be able to alter their registry editor to enable WebDAV in Vista, but this solution is not recommended for most users because altering the registry editor incorrectly can cause serious problems to the operating system. The Microsoft document Troubleshooting Web Folders describes how to enable WebDAV in Vista.

Setting up WebDAV in Windows XP

Begin by going to your ICON course and copying the path to the Manage Files area:

1. Open your ICON course and click Edit Course in the NavBar.
2. Click Files.
3. In the grey bar above the list of files, copy the path to your ICON Manage Files area. This is almost always "/content/enforced/" followed by the unique identifer for your course site and a final trailing slash (/).

   The text that should be highlighted looks something like this, including the trailing slash.

   /content/enforced/63818-BUSN_06T134_SECEXW_20068/

Next, you'll go to My Network Places on your computer and enter the complete path to your ICON course Manage Files area:

1. From the Start menu in Windows, open My Computer.
2. Click on My Network Places.
3. Click Add a Network Place. The Add Network Place Wizard will appear.
4. Click Next.
5. Select Choose another network location and click Next.
6. Enter the locaton: https://icon.uiowa.edu followed by the course path you copied earlier.
7. Click Next.
8. You will be prompted to authenticate. Enter your Hawk ID and password. Click OK.
9. You will be prompted to enter a name for this connection. Enter any name you like.
10. Click Next.
11. You will be prompted to enter your Hawk ID and password again if you have not selected Remember my password in the password entry window.
12. Click Finish.
13. Your course site's files are now available the same as if they were on a network drive.

Note: Your students cannot see into your Manage Files area. After you have uploaded your files, you must create links on the Content Menu. For instructions, see the Online Help section Uploading and Posting a Single Content File ("Topic") or Uploading and Posting Multiple Content Files ("Topics"). Skip the part about uploading the files.

Setting up WebDAV in Mac OS X Tiger

WebDAV is built in to Mac OS X Tiger (version 4) or higher.

To create a direct connection to your ICON course files, begin by going to your ICON course and copying the path to your Manage Files area.

1. Open your ICON course and click Edit Course in the NavBar.
2. Click Files.
3. In the grey bar, copy the path to your course files. This is almost always "/content/enforced/" followed by the unique indentifier for your course site and a final trailing slash (/). Do not copy the final trailing slash.

In the following example, the text that should be copied is highlighted in yellow. Note that the final trailing slash is not highlighted.

/content/enforced/63818-BUSN_06T134_SECEXW_20068

1. In the Finder, select Go > Connect to Server... from the Go menu at the top of the screen.
2. In the Server Address text field, enter https://icon.uiowa.edu followed by the course path you copied earlier—without a final trailing slash (/).
3. Click Connect.
4. You will be prompted to authenticate. Enter your Hawk ID and password and click OK.
5. Your course site's files are now listed in the Shared are of the Finder window and are also available from the Go menu, the same as if they were on a network drive.

Note: Your students cannot see into your Manage Files area. After you have uploaded your files, you must create links on the Content Menu. For instructions, see the Online Help section Uploading and Posting a Single Content File ("Topic") or Uploading and Posting Multiple Content Files ("Topics"). Skip the part about uploading the files.

Setting up WebDAV in Mac OS X versions 10.3.9 or lower (before Tiger)

Mac OS X versions 10.3.9 or lower need a third-party application to use WebDAV. To get a free utility called Goliath, go to http://www.webdav.org/goliath/#download and follow the instructions under Downloads, Mac OS X. Once you have installed this utility, you're ready to create a direct connection to the Manage Files area of your ICON course. (Note: It's a good idea to read the documentation that comes bundled with the Goliath application.)

Begin by going to your ICON course and copying the internal path to your Manage Files area:

1. Open your ICON course and click Edit Course in the NavBar.
2. Click Files.
3. In the grey bar, copy the path to your course files. This is almost always "/content/enforced/" followed by the unique indentifier for your course site and a final trailing slash (/). Do not copy the final trailing slash.

In the following example, the text that should be copied is highlighted in yellow. Note that the final trailing slash is not highlighted.

/content/enforced/63818-BUSN_06T134_SECEXW_20068

Now you're ready open Goliath and enter the complete path to your ICON course Manage Files area.

1. Open Goliath.
2. When Goliath launches for the first time, a New WebDAV Connection window will appear. If this window does not appear, select New Connection... from the Goliath File menu.
3. In the url text field, enter https://icon.uiowa.edu followed by the course path you copied earlier—without a final trailing slash (/).
4. Enter your Hawk ID and password for the username and password and click OK.
5. From the Goliath file menu, Select Save Connection... Enter a name location for your connection (if you select Desktop, Goliath will create a handy icon right on your Desktop).

Note: Your students cannot see into your Manage Files area. After you have uploaded your files, you must create links on the Content Menu. For instructions, see the Online Help section Uploading and Posting a Single Content File ("Topic") or Uploading and Posting Multiple Content Files ("Topics"). Skip the part about uploading the files.

13 July 2007

Setting up Dreamweaver and WebDAV for use with ICON

***NOTE: WebDAV is not currently working with ICON. We are working with the software vendor to resolve this problem. These instructions are left here for reference only.

- The ICON Support Team (1/20/2009)

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This section is aimed at those who are already comfortable using Dreamweaver and have experience settings up site definitions. If this describes you, the following may be a good way to upload Dreamweaver files to your ICON course site.

The following procedure works best with the most current versions of Dreamweaver (Dreamweaver 8 and CS3).

ICON supports WebDAV, a protocol that simplifies uploading and downloading files via the web. Dreamweaver also supports WebDAV. Using WebDAV, Dreamweaver can treat your ICON course site like a remote web server. But first you need to tell Dreamweaver where to find the files in your ICON course.

Finding the Path to your ICON files

You'll begin by going to your ICON course and copying the internal path to the File Manager:

1. Open your ICON course and click Content the NavBar.
2. Click on Manage Files on the right.
3. In the grey bar above the list of files, copy the path to your course files. This is usually "/content/enforced/" followed by the unique identifier for your course site.
   

Configuring Dreamweaver to connect to your ICON course File Manager

Next, you'll tell Dreamweaver the complete path to your ICON file manager:

1. In Dreamweaver, select New site... from the Site menu.
2. Select the Advanced tab in the resulting window.
3. With the Local Info category selected, give your Dreamweaver site definition an arbitrary name in the Site name field and then click on the little folder icon next to the Local root folder field. This will allow you to set a location on your local computer for the files you will manage via Dreamweaver.
4. Click the Remote Info category.
5. Select WebDAV from the Access pulldown menu.
6. In the URL field, type exactly https://icon.uiowa.edu (The "s" in "https" is important).
7. Also in the URL field, paste the course path you copied earlier at the end (e.g., https://icon.uiowa.edu/content/enforced/12263-BIOL_SEC004).
8. Type your Hawk ID into the Login field.
9. Type your Hawk ID password into the Password field.
10. If this is your private computer, you can click the Save checkbox so that Dreamweaver will remember your password in the future.
11. Click OK.

Now you should be able to use Dreamweaver to upload files into your ICON course site the same as it would to a regular web site.

Important Note: Your students cannot see into your ICON course File Manager. Once you have uploaded your files, you will need to go to the Content Menu and post links links there. For instructions, see Uploading and Posting a Single Content File ("Topic") or Uploading and Posting Multiple Content Files ("Topics").

15 May 2008