When you log into the system for the first time, you are automatically taken to the System preferences screen.
The System preferences screen allows you to select the most relevant content for your circumstances, using the metadata found in the system. This screen also enables you to select your preferred language as long as that language pack is installed.
Users are able to multi-select or bulk select metadata, which tailors their journey through the system, to show the most relevant information for that user.
Ordering of system and email preferences
As of version 5.7, we have introduced the ability to re-order system and email preferences, allowing users to reduce errors when setting up their preferences by defining the importance of the metadata, e.g. topics and countries, they are choosing from.
To do this, within your profile drop-down, navigate to System admin. Within the System admin screen, navigate to System & email preference order:
The preference order screen is displayed:
Here, you can drag and drop the metadata into your preferred positions. Below is an example of the completed re-ordering:
System users and user preferences
System rules govern the logic used to pre-filter content displayed in panels, where either of the following two checkboxes are selected on a content panel (Content list, Masonry, Slider, etc.):
User preferences
System rules for user preferences are only available on a dashboard; such as channels, module dashboards and the home dashboard etc., and the rules are only applied when the Respect user dashboard preferences checkbox is has been selected. If the checkbox is not selected, the rules will be ignored.
User preferences work just like system rules for channels, except instead of the administrator selecting the metadata labels (which is done via Channel settings > Metadata tab), a user is able to select their own selection within the System preferences screen.
There is a second field available called Dashboard Preference message. This field is designed to facilitate the administrators, providing guidance text to the user via the System preferences page.
Additionally, using variables in the dashboard preference message, (if any metadata node's number is placed in this field within braces, for example, {1} or {2}), the end-user will be shown the name of this node in place of the number. For example where the above metadata nodes and labels exist, and again we use the rule: 1 AND (2 OR 3) - but this time for Dashboard preferences; the user will then need to select at least one metadata label from 'Country' AND one metadata label from 'Area of law' OR 'Sector'.
In this case, a system admin might want to use an instruction text as follows:
Please select one label from {1} and then either an {2} or a {3}
This would then translate to the user as:
Please select one label from Country and then either an Area of law or a Sector
Providing them adequate instructions to ensure they select the right options.
Channels
The following statements apply for the system rules of channels:
- They are only available on channel dashboards
- They are only applied when the Respect channel settings checkbox is selected on a panel
System rules are composed of two parts. Firstly, a rule and secondly a selection of metadata (selected in the Metadata tab of the channel configuration).
The rule (a logic expression) sets which metadata nodes must have a selection made (i.e. any node referenced in the rule will need to have one or more labels selected within it). If a selection is not made from each referenced node, it will prevent any content from being shown. The logic in the rule between the selected nodes then defines how the selected metadata labels work to build a filter.
For example, if we had the following nodes, with the following labels in them:
- Country
- Area of law
- Sector
A rule set up as: 1 AND 2
This would mean that the selection in the Metadata tab of the channel would need to have at least one country selected and at least one area of law selected; because both 1 and 2 are referenced in the rule.
If we then made the follow selection in the channel Metadata tab:
- Country
- Area of law
This rule and selection combination would mean that in any panel on this channel dashboard with the Respect channel settings checkbox selected; only content which met the requirement of being tagged with both UK (from Country) AND Finance (from Area of law) would be available for display.
Further filtering of this content could then be done using the panel metadata filtering. However, it should be noted that the Channel rules (channel settings) will always be applied before any other filtering (either in the panel configuration or the user using drop-down filters) as long as the checkbox is selected.
If we changed the rule to: 1 OR 2 but kept the same selection, only content which met the requirement of being tagged with either the UK (from Country) OR Finance (from Area of law) would be available to for display.
If we were to use the following rule and selection:
Rule: 1 AND 2
Selection:
- Country
- Area of law
In this case, only content which met the requirement of being tagged with both UK (from Country) AND one of Civil OR Finance (from Area of law) would be available for display. This is because the same node always has an OR between labels.
For another example:
Rule: 1 AND (2 OR 3)
Selection:
- Country
- Area of law
- Sector
In this case, only content which met the requirement of being tagged with both UK (from Country) AND one of Civil OR Finance (from Area of law) OR Oil & Gas (from Sector) would be available for display.
