Smart object overview

In WebPlus, Smart objects are used to create and manage a range of powerful and popular web features (e.g., forums, blogs, access control, resource booker, and more). These objects don't require programming expertise to configure them, so using and managing them is within the capabilities of every WebPlus user.

By now you'll have discovered the My Smart Object Library accessed via WebPlus's Smart Object Tool. Empty by default, the Library is populated with each Smart object you've configured.

Here's a full list of Smart objects available to you from within WebPlus. Click on a Smart object name to find out how to configure the object.

To add an object to the library:

1. Select the New... button at the bottom of the My Smart Objects Library pane.
2. In the Create Smart Object dialog, use the scroll bar to navigate the list of Smart objects, hover over an object of interest and select it.
3. Click OK.
4. Depending on the type of object selected, a different Create dialog will be displayed. For example, creating a Blog will show a Create New Blog dialog. This reflects the difference in each object's characteristics. See the dialog's Help button for more details.
5. Click Create.

The named object will be shown in a list in the My Smart objects Library left-hand pane, i.e.

For example, the currently selected Visitor Count object has just been added to an existing list of Smart objects.

To add a Smart object to your web page:

• From the Smart Objects dialog, select the chosen object from the left-hand pane and click the Insert button.

•  To insert the object at a default size, position the cursor where you want the object to appear on the page, then simply click the mouse.

Editing Smart objects

Once an object is created it can be edited either in the My Smart object Library or directly on the page. Typically, you might want to alter the appearance of the object from its the originally settings, maybe to edit a Poll question.

Editing an object only affects the object itself and does not alter any collected data.

The dialog options for editing and creating a Smart object are the same, except that the object's Name is read only in the object edit dialogs.

To edit a Smart object in your library:

1. Select a Smart object for edit from the My Smart Objects Library pane.
2. Select the Edit button under the pane.

The selected object's edit dialog is displayed.

To edit a Smart object on your page:

• Double-click the object to reveal the object's Edit dialog.
  OR

• Right-click the object and select Edit Smart Object.

If you edit an object on the web page the change is also reflected in the Objects library and vice versa.

Managing Smart objects

While editing Smart objects affects only the object as a "container", managing Smart objects can be used to manage the object's data, e.g. to reset a Hit counter.  Blogs, CMS, Mailing lists, Polls, and Shout boxes will contain user articles, email addresses, poll results, chat messaging logs which can all be managed while the website is live.

To manage a Smart object from your library:

1. Select the object from the My Smart Objects Library pane.
2. Select the Manage button under the pane.

Tip: You can manage Smart objects via the Internet at any time by visiting www.serifwebresources.com.