Training
Even though the eZ publish admin interface is simple and easy to use, we knew from
previous implementations that training was very important on two levels. Firstly, we
found it was useful for people using the CMS to understand how it worked, how a CMS
wasn't just a normal website, and to think of content as separate from how it was
presented on the website. Secondly, it was important to familiarize people with the main
functions provided by the admin screens.
We conducted two training sessions based on a training manual we had written for a
previous project, which we then customized for this project. The training manual was
broken down into five main areas:
• What is a CMS: The key message for this section was to explain that a CMS
is made up of different layers that combine to produce the site. These layers,
the content, the display templates, and the rules for how the content and
templates combine, together create the website.
• General functions: The purpose of this section was to help familiarize
people with the main areas of the eZ publish admin interface and how to
navigate.
• Folders: This part of the manual talked about how the content was structured
in the same way that files are stored in folders on computer. It also explained
that there were rules that meant only certain content types could be put in
certain folders.
• Managing content: This was the largest part of the manual and covered all
of the functions that people would need to enter, preview, and manage
content, including reverting to a previous version of an article.
• Formatting: Most of the formatting was covered by the templates but
formatting could be applied to some areas. This part of the manual explained
how to use the online editor or to use the standard formatting tags allowed by
the CMS.