How to Use the Boxes Section

Latest revision as of 04:33, 2 April 2012

The Boxes feature is a great way to create segmented spaces for content that requires special attention. This guide will show you how to create a box and customize it.

To view some examples of Boxes, click on our Core demo site.

Create a New Box

Add New Box Setup

Access Boxes by clicking the "Boxes" tab in your WordPress administration panel. You can create a new box using two ways.

Add New Box Setup Refer to the image "Add New Box Setup"

1. Click on "Add New Box" under the Boxes tab in your WordPress administration panel
2. Click on the Boxes tab in your WordPress administration panel and click the "Add New Box" link (next to the settings title) at the top of the page

Overview of the Box Editor

Box Editor Overview

Box Editor Overview Refer to the image "Box Editor Overview"

1. Enter a title for your new box
2. Enter content for your new box
3. Select a Box Set to put your new box in
4. The MetaPanel settings are where you can customize your box
   1. Upload an image for your new box
   2. Enter a link for your box image and box title

Adding Box Content

Box Editor Content Setup

Adding the text content to your box is as simple as creating a new post or regular page since it uses the same visual editor.

1. Enter a short and descriptive title for your new box
2. Use the text editor to add content that will go in the text content area of your box

Adding Your Box to a Box Set

Adding Box to an Existing Box Set

Adding a box to a box set allows you to categorize boxes into sets for better organization. You can add a box to a set by selecting one category or more.

Let's say that you want to add your new box to an existing set called "default-boxes".

1. Check the box next to "default-boxes"
2. If you want to create a new category, click the "+ Add New Category" link at the bottom, enter a new box set name (in this example, it's "another-box-set"), then click the "Add New Category" button

Adding a Box Image and Box Link

Adding a Box Image and Box Link

The Box MetaPanel includes settings for adding an image and entering a link for your box image and box title.

1. Click "Upload Image" and select the image you want for the box image
2. If you don't like the image, click the "Remove" button and upload another
3. Optionally, you can enter the full URL for the box image and box title link
4. Click "Save Meta Settings"

Saving and Publishing Your Box

Saving and Publishing Your Box

The last step in creating your new box is saving and publishing it.

1. Click "Save Draft" to save your box as a draft that you can change later on
2. Click "Publish" to publish your box so that it can be used on a page

Create Box Sets

One of the best things about Boxes is that they can be grouped in different sets to keep them organized. This guide will show you how to create Box Sets.

Overview of the Box Sets Page

Access the Box Sets by clicking on "Box Sets" under the Boxes tab in your WordPress Administration Panel.

Box Sets Overview

Box Sets Overview Refer to the image "Box Sets Overview"

1. This is where you can create a new Box Set
   1. Create a name for the Box Set
   2. You can create a Slug for the Box Set
2. This is a list of the Box Sets you created

Create a New Box Set

Box Sets Setup

Creating a new Box Set is as simple as creating a new post category since it utilizes the same settings format. The set can be created first and the desired boxes can be added to it later on.

1. Enter a brief and specific name for your new Box Set
2. Enter a matching slug name
3. Optionally, you can add a description to identify what kind of Boxes are inside the set
4. Click "Add New Category" to add the set to your list of Box Sets

Adding Existing Boxes to a Set

Add Boxes to a Box Set

Add Boxes to a Box Set (Continued)

Now that you have your new Box Set, it's time to add boxes to it. I'm going to add an existing box (called "Add-On Marketplace") as an example.

1. Access the existing Boxes by clicking on the "Boxes" tab in the WordPress administration panel
2. Mouse over the Box title link then click on the "Quick Edit" that displays
3. Check the box next to the Box Set you want to add your Box to
4. Click on "Update" to save the setting

Alternatively, you can open the editor for an existing Box, select the Box Set on the right side of the editor in the "Box Sets" section, and click on "Update" to save the box.

Add Boxes to a Page

PageLines gives you the freedom to add Boxes to specific page types. This guide will show you how to enable Boxes on a page.

Enabling Boxes

Adding Boxes to a Page Overview

Access the Template Setup by clicking on "Templates" under the PageLines Tab in your WordPress administration panel.

Let's say that you want to add Boxes below the Page Content in a Default Page. I'll use this example to demonstrate how to enable the Boxes using Template Setup.

1. Select the "Page Templates" area in the "Select Template Area" section
2. Select the Page Type you want to add your Boxes to
3. Click and hold on the PageLines Boxes and drag it below the Content

Once the Boxes section is enabled in the "Active Sections" area, the template will save automatically and you're all set.

Box Meta Settings Overview

Box Meta

Refer to the image "Box Meta Settings Overview"

The Box Meta Settings allow you to customize how Boxes are displayed on an individual page. You can access them by selecting a page to edit and clicking the "Boxes Section" tab in the PageLines Meta Settings.

1. Select the Box Set you'd like to display on the page
2. Select the number of boxes you want displayed in a row on the page (this will only work on individual pages, not the blog page)
3. Select the placement of Box Thumb images in the boxes
4. Enter the size (in pixels) you want for the box icons
5. Enter the maximum number of boxes to display on the page (this number will override the default number)

Click "Save Meta Settings" to save your options.