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Using Microsoft Word template as Bulletin template

Discussion in 'Website Customization' started by ClarkNK on Sep 8, 2021.

  1. ClarkNK

    By:ClarkNKSep 8, 2021
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    We are just beginning to set up our club website on ClubRunner. On our current website, we create our newsletter from a Microsoft Word document that we use as a template. Each week our newsletter editor opens that Word template document on their computer, and modifies the content to create the newsletter for that week.

    That Word document is then converted to a pdf document which is then uploaded to our current website where it is made available as the newsletter for the week.

    Now my question: Is there any way on ClubRunner to upload such a pdf file and use it as the Bulletin for that week?

    This would save us all the work of having to create a new Bulletin template on ClubRunner.
     
  2. Omar S.

    By:Omar S.Sep 8, 2021
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    Hello Clark,

    Thank you for posting on the ClubRunner Community!

    To include this newsletter document on the club website, you can upload the newsletter document as a .docx or .pdf file to the club 'Documents' module by using the 'Adding a Document' section of this article on the ClubRunner Knowledgebase:
    https://www.clubrunnersupport.com/kb/articles/how-do-i-manage-club-documents

    After the document has been uploaded to the club website, you can 'Link' the document into the club navigation menu, email from the club website, or any widget on the club bulletins or website.

    For a review of adding the Document link to the bulletin, email, or widget on the club website, please use this 'How do I add a link' article on the ClubRunner Knowledgebase:
    https://www.clubrunnersupport.com/kb/articles/how-do-i-add-a-link

    In 'Step 4' from the article, choose the 'Link Type' - 'Document', than choose the document from the 'Documents' drop-down in the 'Link' dialog. Click the green 'Ok' button to save the link to the high-lighted text or image in the widget on the bulletin, email, or website widget.

    For specific instruction to create the bulletin Preformatted widget with the link to the document, please use the below steps:

    1. In the top blue bar, click 'New Bulletin (Beta)'
    2. In the grey bar below, click 'Manage Bulletins'
    3. On the 'Bulletin Home' page, click the blue 'View Bulletins' button on the right-side of the page
    4. In the 'Active Bulletins' page, hover-over the bulletin and click the blue 'Open' button to open the bulletin, or create a new bulletin and select a template to begin from
    5. In the 'Live Bulletin Designer', click the 'Content' tab in the top-right of the bulletin live designer
    6. In the 'Preformatted Widget' section drag-and-drop a 'Image with Caption' widget onto the bulletin
    7. Hover-over the 'Text' portion of the widget and click the 'Pencil' icon
    8. Enter the text the reader should click to open the bulletin, for example 'Click here to read the Sept. 20th 2021 Newsletter'
    9. High-light the text 'Click here to read...' and click the 'Link' editor tool
    10. In the 'Link' dialog, choose the link type 'Document'
    11. In the 'Documents' drop-down below, select the newsletter document uploaded to the club website
    12. Click the green 'Ok' button

    This will save the preformatted widget with the link in the text, and when sent to the members or recipients, the recipient can click the link to access to the newsletter document on the club website.

    Please note, when opening the document on the club website, the readers device will format the pdf document to fit their screen. For mobile devices, this may shrink the newsletter to fit the device screen.

    I hope you find this information helpful with linking the newsletter document into the clubs Bulletins, to collect the bulletin statistics for the newsletter, while keeping the current work flow in using Word or Adobe pdf to create the newsletters.

    Please let me know how it goes when creating the Document link in the Preformatted widget, and if you have any questions.
     
  3. ClarkNK

    By:ClarkNKSep 9, 2021
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    Thank you for the response. I have successfully followed the steps to upload several of our previous pdf newsletters to the website, and show them in the :"Newsletter" section of the menu item I created. So we are positioned to use our previous process -- creating a pdf file that shows on the website and that can also be used by our printing company to print physical copies of the newsletter for those that do not use emails.

    Now I have a second question: If we go to the trouble of using your Live Designer to create a bulletin template that our newsletter authors could use to create their bulletin on-line (thus availing us of your bulletin management and email capabilities), is there a way the author could then create a pdf file of that bulletin that could be given to our printer company to make printed copies?
     
  4. ClarkNK

    By:ClarkNKSep 11, 2021
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    I have figured out one way to answer the second question above, but I don't know that it is the best way? What I could do is archive the bulletin, and then go into the bulletins list, preview the bulletin (which opens it in a browser window), and then use the browser print capability to print, being careful to chose to "Save as PDF" as my printer choice instead of my actual printer. The does create a pdf file of the bulletin.
     
  5. ClarkNK

    By:ClarkNKSep 11, 2021
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    OK Omar, I have also completed a test using your suggestion of just putting a link on a bulletin to the actual pdf newsletter that is stored in documents.

    Thank you for providing a very clear set of instructions. I now have succeeded with both that technique which, as you mentioned, puts the bulletin into your overall bulletin management system, and I have also added just a separate Newsletter link in the main site menu. I think the latter is more how I would like to make the newsletter available, but that doesn't get it into your bulletin management system. So we have some decisions to make.

    But at least, due to your fine explanation, I know how to explain the options to others. Thank you very much.
     
  6. Omar S.

    By:Omar S.Sep 13, 2021
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    Hello Clark,

    Thank you for following up with me, and you are very welcome!

    I would like to confirm the information you have shared to download the bulletins as a '.PDF' file is correct. Using the clubs 'Bulletin Archive' list, you can click the actions 'Drop-down' arrow for any archived bulletin, then click the 'View' option. A new page will open on the browser, where the page can be printed using the browser's 'Print' function, to print the page as an .PDF file.

    Taking a look at the club website, I do see the new 'Newsletter' navigation menu folder, with links to each of the bulletins posted as 'Navigation Menu' items.

    I would like to share, you can also link your clubs built-in 'Bulletins' list page, which will list any of the clubs bulletins with the 'Visible on Website' bulletin setting, sorted by the 'Year' the bulletins were sent from the club.

    To add this built-in 'Bulletin List' page to your website, please use the steps in this 'How do I build the navigation menu' article on the ClubRunner Knowledgebase:
    https://www.clubrunnersupport.com/kb/articles/how-do-i-build-the-navigation-menu

    In 'Step 2' of the 'Adding or Editing a Menu Item' section, choose the 'Link Type' - 'Built-in Page', then from the 'Pages' drop-down, select 'Bulletin List'.

    Once the navigation menu item is saved, and published you will be able to view the bulletins for each year using the clubs built-in 'Bulletin List' page from the home page navigation menu.

    I hope information helps with confirming your steps to download a .PDF version of the bulletin, and with linking the clubs built-in 'Bulletin' list, to the website, to list all of the bulletins with the 'Visible on Website' bulletin property.

    Please let us know if you have any questions, and if I can be of further assistance.
     
  7. ClarkNK

    By:ClarkNKSep 13, 2021
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    Omar, thank you for the instructive reply. As it happens, you described exactly what I was going to look into next -- how to bring up bulletins using the navigation menu. I am in the middle of fiddling with the menus and trying to figure out the best way to set up the site so that I can provide clear explanations to newsletter editors on how to do things relative to getting the newsletter / bulletin online

    And, while it looks nice, I did not really like all the steps involved in setting up the "Newsletter" menu, particularly because it means I would have to give every newsletter editor (we have quite a few, it's a shared task) the highest level administrative authority, since that process involves editing the menu itself. Much better, I think, to have them go through the new bulletin process, including sending a member-wide email that the bulletin is available, which will automatically populate the bulletin list in the Navigation menu.

    I'm going to fiddle with it more, but I think I will remove the current "Newsletter" menu item, populate the Bulletin list with previous Peal Newsletters, and rename the current "Bulletin Archive" menu item to "Newsletters" as that is what we tend to call our Peal newsletter.

    Thank you for checking in on us.
     
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