Edit a Message

A system for managing information - like Conversant - wouldn't be very useful if it didn't allow you to edit that information. Most of the information in Conversant is stored in messages, so to edit it you edit the message.

As mentioned in the last section ("Examine the Message Page"), you can only edit a message if you have the right privileges. So, one of the following must be true: you wrote the message, you are one of the administrators of the site, or the message was assigned to you by an administrator. If none of those are true, then you won't be allowed to edit the message.

The URL for editing a message is simple: just add "/edit" to the message's URL. However, usually you won't even need to do that, because if you're looking at the message, and if you have editing privileges, then there will be a link for editing.

Let's edit one of the messages that we created earlier. In case you've forgotten, we were working in a site called guide practice. Go there now, and find your message, or just create and submit another new message. Doesn't matter, just make sure you're looking at any message that you're allowed to edit.

1. Log On
   

   If you're not logged on, then Conversant has no way of knowing who you are, so it can't let you edit the message. So, the first step is to make sure that it knows who you are. Look at the Members box on the left side of the page. If it has your name or email address, then you're logged on. If it doesn't, then go to the logon page and enter your email address and password.

2. Open a Message Page
   

   It doesn't matter what message, as long as it's one that you created. So, find a message that you created earlier, or make a new one. (If you make a new one, just make sure that you've submitted it before going on to the next step.)

3. Click the Edit Link
   

   In the message's navigation area (as described in the last section), there's a link that just says "Edit". Click it, and the form will open for editing your message.

4. Edit the Message
   

   Now that the editing form is open in your browser, you can edit the subject or main "body text" of the message.

5. Submit Your Changes
   

   Click on the Submit Changes button, and your modifications are saved into the message.

After you submit the form, the message page reloads (not the edit form) and you should be able to see your changes immediately. If your changes aren't there, click on the "Reload" (or "Refresh") button in your browser. (Sometimes - to save time - your browser will show you the old version of the message because it doesn't realize that it's changed.)

What Are Those Other Buttons?

When you're viewing a message, there's an a set of links that we've labelled "Navigation" (for this guide). When you're editing or creating a message, those navigation links are replaced with four form submission buttons.

• Submit Changes
  

  This submits the message form. Use it to save the message. After the message is saved, your browser will display the message as a web page.

• Preview Msg
  

  Conversant allows your messages to contain HTML tags. Clicking on this button opens a new window and shows you exactly what your message would look like if you clicked the Submit Changes button.

• Delete Msg
  

  This button's fairly self explanatory. Clicking on it will open an alert window which asks you to confirm that you do, in fact, want to delete the message. Clicking on OK will immediately delete the message, clicking on Cancel will cause nothing to happen. You'll only see the confirmation if your browser supports JavaScript. Otherwise, the message will be deleted immediately.

  If you're replying to a message or creating a new message (with the __NewThread__ page), this button acts like the Cancel Changes button.

• Cancel Changes
  

  If you're editing a message (rather than creating a new one or replying to an existing one), clicking this button will return you to the original message, with no changes.

  Click on this button when you're replying to a message and you'll be returned to the original message. The reply will not be posted.

  Click on this button when you're creating a new message (with __NewThread__), and you'll be returned to the site's home page.

Remember what we said at the beginning of the guide: this is the default look of a Conversant site. We're using this to help you get started, but later we'll show you how to completely change the look of your site, including the buttons on the message editing form.