How to Use the Soapbox Section

Revision as of 21:23, 30 December 2011

The Soapboxes 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.

Install the Soapbox Section

To give you some experience on using some of the new features in PageLines 2.0, we've moved the Soapbox section to the new PageLines Store. In order to use Soapboxes, you must first download, install & activate the Soapbox Section.
From your WordPress Administration Panel:

1. Select the "PageLines" panel, then "Store"
2. Select the "Sections" tab, then "Add Sections"
3. Select the "Top Free" tab
4. Locate the "Pagelines Soapbox" section and click "Install"
5. If it doesn't do it for you, select the "Added" tab, where you will now find the newly installed section
   • It should already be activated

Add Soapboxes to a Page

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

Enabling Soapboxes

Adding Soapboxes 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 Soapboxes below the Page Content in a Default Page. I'll use this example to demonstrate how to enable the Soapboxes 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 Soapboxes to
3. Click and hold on the PageLines Soapboxes and drag it below the Content

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

Create a New Soapbox

Add New Soapbox Setup

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

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

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

Overview of the Soapbox Editor

Soapbox Editor Overview

Soapbox Editor Overview Refer to the image "Soapbox Editor Overview"

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

Adding Soapbox Content

Soapbox Editor Content Setup

Adding the text content to your Soapbox 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 Soapbox
2. Use the text editor to add content that will go in the text content area of your Soapbox

Adding Your Soapbox to a Soapbox Set

Adding Soapbox to an Existing Soapbox Set

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

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

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

Adding a Soapbox Image and Soapbox Link

Adding a Soapbox Image and Soapbox Link

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

1. Click "Upload Image" and select the image you want for the Soapbox 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 Soapbox image and Soapbox title link
4. Click "Save Meta Settings"

Saving and Publishing Your Soapbox

Saving and Publishing Your Soapbox

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

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

Create Soapbox Sets

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

Overview of the Soapbox Sets Page

Access the Soapbox Sets by clicking on "Soapbox Sets" under the Soapboxes tab in your WordPress Administration Panel.

Soapbox Sets Overview

Soapbox Sets Overview Refer to the image "Soapbox Sets Overview"

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

Create a New Soapbox Set

Soapbox Sets Setup

Creating a new Soapbox 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 Soapboxes can be added to it later on.

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

Adding Existing Soapboxes to a Set

Add Soapboxes to a Soapbox Set

Add Soapboxes to a Soapbox Set (Continued)

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

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

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