Help + User Guide

We STRONGLY recommend using the Firefox browser when adding content to thepulse.ca. There is a bug in Internet Explorer 6 that causes odd things to happen in some text areas in the forms. I'm trying to find a fix, but it eludes me at this moment.

As you can see, this Help+User Guide is under construction.

If you need help, however, please describe your difficulty in the comment form below, or use the feedback page.

Here's some info to get you started:

It's easy to create an event on thepulse.ca (but it sure would be easier if I finished the help + user guide!)

Step 1:

Create an account:
http://thepulse.ca/user/register

Step 2:

Verify your e-mail address - check your e-mail and click on the verification link sent to you by sitemail (make sure it didn't go into your junk e-mail folder)

Step 3:

Go to the top red menu and click on "Create Content."

Step 4:

Scroll down and click on "Event"

Step 5:

Fill in the info on the form. (follow the hints outlined on each field. See note below about recurring events / long date ranges / cloning)

Step 6:

When you're done, click on "submit" at the bottom of the form.

Step 7:

E-mail the link to everyone you know! (copy and paste into your e-mail client, or use the "e-mail this event" feature)

Other tips:

Re: Dates and Times:

"To" dates and times are optional.

It's best to use "From" and "To" dates for an all-day event.

For shows where the end time isn't really crucial (like a hockey game or theatre presentation) just use the "From" date fields.

To create "Repeat" events, you'll use the "Clone" feature. This copies all the information from the current event, and places "Clone of" in front of the Event Name.

You'll need to edit that, and make any other edits you'll need (date & time or other info) and then submit.

It's that easy.

Re: Teaser

Put an impactful summary of the event here - The "Event Details" show when the entire event "node" is looked at, but in a teaser view (http://thepulse.ca/events/upcoming) the teaser is used. If it is not filled in it will be blank.

How to deal with recurring events
I have to explain the best way to input recurring events (like weekly events / monthly meetings) as large date ranges causes problems (it's completely my fault / coding and usability issues).

The background: Website code regarding "repeating events" caused more problems than it solved from a technical perspective, and at other sites that allow it, the feature is abused. Furthermore, thepulse.ca was built more for discrete events (hockey games, shows, presentations) than it was for recurring items like weekly/monthly meetings.

As much as possible I try to avoid having the database list events on days they don't happen. Consider a weekly event. With a range of dates, the event is listed on every day within the range, the result being 6 days of the week the lists showing events for the day are wrong. It's a frustration from a coding perspective, so the best solution I've found is allow events (like theatre north west plays that run 6 days a week) to keep ranges, but recurring events should have individual listings for each instance.

The solution: Create multiple events easily by using the "Clone" tool. If nothing much about your event changes except the date, here are the steps:

1) go to an event that has the information you wish to clone with a new date.

2) click on the "Clone" tab (you must be logged in to see this).

3) An edit form will appear with the information already filled in with the exception of "Clone of..." added to the event title so you know you're working on a clone, not editing the original.

4) Edit the title to remove the "Clone of..." notation.

5) Change the date and make other edits as required

6) click submit at the bottom of the form.

Note: DO NOT delete an event picture - it will delete in all events, not just the clone. Just upload a new picture.