Editing the Public Website (Wiki)

This article will explain how to log in, edit pages, add links, images, and more to your public website using the Wiki editor. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Guidance Notes 
• Logging into the Website
• General Keyboard Shortcuts
• Editing an Existing Page
• Adding a Hyperlink
  • Link to another website 
  • Link to another page on the current website
  • Link to a PDF/Word document
  • Link an email address
  • Creating or Finding a New Page 
  • Adding Headings
  • Adding Images
  • Adding a Table

Guidance Notes 

This guide is generic for all schemes so the images may not match your scheme. 

It is advisable to use the Test site first to ensure all links etc. work before working on the Live site. 

We recommend that editing the website is restricted to one or two people, otherwise this can lead to duplication of information on the website.

Tip - If you are bringing in new text onto the site, it is best to copy the text into Notepad first to clear all the formatting that the text may have. Copy and paste from Notepad to the wiki. This will keep all the fonts, sizes and colour etc. uniform.

Logging into the Website

Before editing your public site, you need to log into the Wiki editor. 

1. Go to your public site and change the end of the URL to wikilogin.aspx.

   • Example (Live site):
     https://www.idealchoicehomes.co.uk/choice/wikilogin.aspx

   • Example (Test site):
     https://www.sectortest.co.uk/PublicSite/lancaster/Choice/wikilogin.aspx

2. Enter your unique Wiki password. Only one or two authorised officers should have this.

3. Once logged in, navigate to the page you wish to edit. Editable pages will show the toolbar across the top.  
   
   

Note: Any saved changes appear instantly on the live site. Use the Test site first to check formatting and links.

General Keyboard Shortcuts

Note: Select the Help tab to show all the toolbar functionalities. 

Editing an Existing Page

As long as you are logged into the Wiki, every editable page should display.

1. Navigate to the page you want to edit.
2. Make your changes — you can type, highlight, copy, and paste text.
3. Click the Save icon frequently to avoid losing work.
4. Select Preview to see how the page will look without the editing toolbar.
5. Click Edit to make further changes, or Stop Editing to log out. Stop Editing will log you out of wiki and you will need to log back in to make any changes. Any that you did not save will not appear.
6. Try to avoid using Bold, Italic, underline and height functions where possible due to accessibility.

Note: Always press Save before clicking Preview, otherwise you will lose your changes. 

Note: The Wiki times out if left idle. Save regularly to avoid losing changes.

Did you know: When editing your public website, follow these Accessibility Tips best practices:
- Use Descriptive Links: Instead of “click here”, write “View the Housing Application Form”.
- Add Alternative Text to Images: Describe the image content so screen readers can read it aloud.
- Structure Content with Headings: Use heading styles (H1, H2, H3) to create a logical reading order.
- Avoid Excessive Formatting: Use bold and italics sparingly to ensure good readability.
- Check Colour Contrast: Make sure text is easy to read against its background colour.

Adding a Hyperlink

You can link to external sites, other pages on your site, documents, or email addresses. Any object on the page can be turned into a link (text and images). Wherever possible, you should avoid using the words “click here” and the URL should be the link e.g. ‘Go to Google Search’.

Once a link has been created, it can be amended by right clicking on the text to bring up a menu with the following options:

Link to another website 

1. Highlight the text or image to turn into a link.

2. Click the Create Link icon.

3. Set Protocol to http:// or https:// and enter the full URL.

4. In the Target tab, select New Window for external links.

5. Click OK and save.

Frame: this option is not valid for the public website
Popup window: open the page in a new window
New Window: will open the new page in a new tab (normally used for opening pages on external websites)
Topmost Window: this option is not valid for the public website
Same Window: will load the new page in the current tab (normally used for opening pages on the current public site)
Parent Window: this option is not valid for the public website

Link to another page on the current website

1. Highlight the text or image.

2. Set Protocol to other and enter only the pageid (e.g., content.aspx?pageid=1).

3. Leave Target blank or select Same Window.

4. Click OK.

Note: Do not put in the full URL for an internal page.

Link to a PDF/Word document

Firstly you need to upload the document to the server and then select it for the link.

1. Highlight the text you wish to link from. 

2. Click the Link icon. 

3. Select the Upload tab.

4. Click Choose File.  

5. Click Send it to the Server.

6. After that, go to the Link Info tab. 

7. Set Protocol to other.

8. Click Browse Server and find the document. 

9. You may want to set the Target to New Window.

10. Click OK and remember to Save. 

Link an email address

1. Highlight the text.

2. Click the Link icon.

3. Select E-mail under Link Type.

4. Enter the email address, and optionally add a subject or body text.

5. Click OK, then Save.

6. To change the displayed text, but keep the link, highlight the entire link then type the new text required.  Click Save then see the change in Preview.

7. To remove the link and change back to normal text, highlight the link and click Unlink. 

Creating or Finding a New Page 

You can create a blank page by changing the page ID in the URL.

1. Go to any existing page, find the 'pageid=' in the URL, and replace it with an unused number (e.g. it might have been 'pageid=1' on the original page, so you change it to 'pageid=150' and it shows a new page).

2. If a page with that ID is not being used than a blank page will show so you can use it: Make a note of that page ID as going forward you may be able to use that number onwards for new pages when required.

3. Click Edit Page Title, enter a page name, and click OK.

4. Save your changes.

Did you know: Each page has to have a page title.

Did you know:
Protocol - The way the link is read by browsers, e.g. https:// for secure sites.
Page ID - A unique number for each page in your site's system, used to link internally.
Target - Where the links open, e.g. in the same tab or a new one.

Adding Headings

Use headings to structure your content clearly.

1. Use Heading 1 for main section titles. Multiple can be used within a section if necessary. 

2. Use Heading 2 for subsections. Multiple can be used within a section.

3. Heading 3 and 4 are not usually defined, so if they are required, please let us know so we can correct the styling. 

4. Keep headings in Title Case (e.g., “How to Log In”), not all capitals.

5. The main body of text should be in Normal.

Did you know: To find the Paragraph Format, click the dropdown in the toolbar, it should already prepopulate with Normal at the start. 

Adding Images

Images must be uploaded before you can insert them.

1. Click on Image. 

2. Then the Upload tab. 

3. Click Choose File. Then once you have selected your image, click Send it to the Server and click OK.

4. Go to the Image Info tab. 

5. Click Browse Server to select your uploaded image.

6. Use the Upload tab to add your image to the server.

7. When editing, click Browse Server to select your uploaded image.

8. Add alternative text describing the image for accessibility.

9. Click OK. 

10. Save your changes. 

Did you know: To edit the image afterwards, you can right click the image and select Image Properties.

Adding a Table

Tables can help display structured data neatly.

1. Click the Table icon.

2. Set the number of rows and columns.

3. Click OK to insert the table.

4. Right-click inside the table to reformat as needed.

Troubleshooting

Problem: I can’t log in.  

Solution: Check you are on the correct login page and using the assigned username and password. If you’ve forgotten your details, contact your manager or relevant colleague.

Problem: My changes didn’t save.  

Solution: Make sure you click Save before leaving the page. If you lose connection mid-edit, log in again and reapply your changes.

Problem: My link doesn’t work.  

Solution: Double-check the full web address, including https:// at the start, and ensure there are no spaces.