FAQ

Gato is the name of Texas State's web content management system that enables users to quickly and easily create, manage and maintain sophisticated web sites without having to know complex web technologies or programming languages.

As the size and complexity of web sites increase, well delivered and managed content is essential to ensuring that the process of updating, revising and redesigning does not become an obstacle to maintaining an up-to-date and relevant web site.

There are several advantages that using the CMS provides:

• You can manage your website without having to know HTML, CSS, Javascript, ASP, PHP, etc.
• You get the Texas State look and feel without any extra effort.
• Your website will be hosted on our high-availability servers.
• It's easier to have multiple people contributing to your site without stepping on each other's toes.
• The CMS helps minimize the chance of "page not found" and other errors.

• A user-friendly and Microsoft Word-like environment for content editing.
• Support for photo galleries.
• A self-updating department directory.
• Support for streaming media (video and sound).
• On-the-fly editable navigation.
• A standard information architecture which can be modified to suit your needs.
• Valid HTML, which helps make your site accessible for people using screen readers or other assistive technologies.
• Secure, redundant hosting for consistent public display of your website.
• A document management system to allow online management and display of website files (pdf, word, excel, etc)
• And much more...

We've designed the system to create sites compatible with the latest versions of the modern web browsers: Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Safari. Further, the sites should be usable with many older browsers as well, though the display of data may not always be optimal.

Currently, the Gato system is only for college, academic department, center, institute and non-academic service and administrative department's web sites. At the present time we are not able to accommodate student organizations, personal or instructional sites in Gato. 

Chartered Student Organizations can host sites in Gato, although the request must come from the Charter's sponsor organization.

WP Personal Websites can be used to create and maintain websites that cannot be hosted in Gato.

Yes, absolutely. Gato training doesn't teach you to do HTML or CSS. It teaches you how to use the specific content management system we've installed. You'll learn what the different interfaces allow you to do, what options are available (and what are not), as well as "gotchas" to keep in mind when developing in the system in order to avoid problems and delays.

There are several resources to help you with the CMS:

• The first place to go for information is this site, where we'll be providing documentation and other information on how to best utilize the CMS.
• Next, consider reviewing our online training course.
• You can always send a request for help to gato@txstate.edu, where one of our support team will tend to it promptly.
• You can also call 245-5566, our support line, and Live chat support is also available.

Owners:

A site owner is usually the head of an organization who oversees the website and may be contacted with site governance questions. This person is responsible for assigning and keeping track of site managers. Site owners do not require Gato training unless they participate in editing websites. They can additionally request that new editors be added once training has been completed.

Managers:

A site manager is ultimately responsible for site maintenance, approving user access requests and keeping track of who currently has edit access to a site - including notifying us if an editor needs to be removed. In addition, listed site managers receive nightly Link Checker reports. Site managers must have completed Gato training.

Owners and managers are limited to current faculty and staff. Students and TXST guests are not allowed to be site managers.

Editors:

Editors must complete training before access can be granted, and work under the direction of site managers and owners. They have all the same editing privileges in Gato as managers, however they are not able to approve user access requests for additional editors. This authority is limited to the owner and managers.

The top navigation bar has a fixed width background area. If your top navigation gets too long for this area, it will wrap to the next line, but without the background color. The menu still works, but most find this unappealing to look at.

To fix this situation, there are two strategies:

1. Shorten the titles of your top navigation pages.

   • For example, if you one of your level 1 pages was called Cate Blanchett Film Grant, you may wish to shorten this Title to Film Grant for the sake of space.

2. Consolidate menu items.

   • For example, if you have items about upcoming film courses in both Student Resources and Upcoming Courses, you may wish to move the sub pages all under one of those two pages and eliminate the other one.

You can combine both these strategies as needed. If you're not sure which direction to go in, contact us at gato@txstate.edu and we will be happy to provide suggestions for your site. Include your the name of the website in your email.

To find the public URL for a page hidden from navigation, you replace the first part of its path in Gato-edit with the public URL for your website's homepage. Here's how to do that step-by-step:

1. Start by opening the page for editing in Gato-edit. Find the URL your browser shows in the address bar. Example:

      https://gato-edit.its.txstate.edu/gato/demopage.html

   (If there are additional characters in the URL, close the tab the page is open in, then open it again from AdminCentral. This will give you a clean URL.)
2. Remove https://gato-edit.its.txstate.edu from the beginning of the URL. Example:

      /gato/demopage.html

3. Open the public home page of your website in your browser. Find the URL for the page in the address bar.
   Example:

      http://gato.its.txstate.edu/

4. Replace the first part of your hidden page's address with the URL for your home page. The result is the public URL for your hidden page.
   Example:

      http://gato.its.txstate.edu/demopage.html

To Copy

Highlight the content directly on the page, then right-click and select [copy].

To Paste

Open the paragraph in editing mode.
There are 3 different paste options available:

1. Use [Paste as Plain text], located in the rich content editor.
   Use ctrl+v for pc and cmd+v on mac to paste the content into the small pop-up window and press [OK].

NOTE: This is always the best option to ensure that the formatting and underlying code is formed correctly. Most formatting can be easily recreated within the editor.

2. Use [Paste from Word], located in the rich content editor.
   Use ctrl+v for pc and cmd+v on mac to paste the content into the small pop-up window and press [OK].

NOTE: This should be used when it is necessary to retain links or special formatting that cannot be recreated in the editor. Either Paste as plain text or Paste from Word MUST be used when pasting content from Word, Outlook, or other similar programs to prevent issues caused by incompatible code.

3. Use [Paste], located in the rich content editor.
   Use ctrl+v for pc and cmd+v on mac to paste the content into the small pop-up window and press [OK].

NOTE: This will remove some, but not all underlying code that may be incompatible and is the least recommended method.

To Cut

1. Highlight the content.
2. Right click the content and then select [cut].
3. Use a paste option described above.

There are two areas that expand different portions of the text editor window.

1. The two arrows in the upper right hand corner of the the text box expand the height of the editor.
2. The two arrows in the dark gray area (between [?] and [X]) expand the width of the editor.

To return from full screen mode, click on the arrows again.

WARNING: Gato is principally designed to distribute public information. While password-protecting a page in Gato will guard the information there from normal viewing, it's possible that the information can be intercepted on the network when an authorized user views the page. We therefore recommend that any information that needs foolproof security not be stored in Gato.

In Gato-edit navigate to the page you would like to have password protected. Open the page by clicking [Edit Page]. In the [Page] Menu on the right hand side of the page-editing window, you find [Page Properties] in the upper right corner. Click [Page Properties].

Click the [Advanced] tab. Check these boxes to require log-in to access your web page. Choose between faculty, staff and students. Alternatively, if you have an LDAP group, you can enter it in the text area [Find/Add Group]. To request a security group, click the [?] and use the link to the form.

Click [Save Changes].

Users will need to use their Texas State user ID and password to access your web page.

Password protect pages using the Page Properties button.

The authentication for password protected pages in Gato is based on the University's conscribed lists, such as staff@txstate.edu, faculty@txstate.edu and students@txstate.edu. These lists are automatically maintained based on employment and/or enrollment status. An individual can have multiple designations, for example:

• A staff member who is registered for classes will have the designations of both staff and student.
• A graduate student who is also registered as teaching a course will have the designations of both student and faculty.
• A staff member, such as a coach, who is also registered as teaching a course, will have the designations of both staff and faculty.
• Student workers, both undergraduate and graduate, have the designation of student only.

These designations are automatically assigned and only change with enrollment or employment changes.

First, you need to visit http://www.google.com/analytics/ and create a free user account.

Once you create the account you can create different web accounts for each site you want to track. Google walks you through the process. All they will need is the URL (web address) of the Gato site you want to track.

Each site will be assigned a unique website domain ID. It looks like UA-1234567-1.

Enter that code in the [Page Properties] of your Homepage under the [Advanced] tab to enable Google Analytics for this page and all subpages of your website.

Due to recent upgrades made to Microsoft Word, Gato is no longer able to strip out excess code added by Word when using the "Paste From Word" option. The embedded code contains invalid links which display as broken in your nightly Link Checker Report. Additionally, the excess code will cause the web page to not display properly in Firefox and Explorer, and not display at all in Safari.

This is a critical problem for Safari users.

HOW TO AVOID THIS PROBLEM:

To avoid this problem you MUST use the "Paste as Plain Text" button in the Gato editor when pasting in content from Microsoft products. We hope the next version of the Gato page editor will address this problem.

HOW TO RECOGNIZE IT:

Link checker reports that display a message similar to the one below, indicating missing XML and THML files, have this offending Microsoft Code.

Link Text:
     This link has no text. While it may not appear visually, it's still on the page and should be addressed.
Link URL (as it appears on your page):
     file:///C%7C/DOCUME~1/gt10/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml
Link URL (as your browser interprets it):
     file:///C%7C/DOCUME~1/gt10/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml
Error:
     [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/C|/DOCUME~1/gt10/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml' [This URL references a file on a machine, rather than a web page on the Internet. You'll need to upload the file to Gato to link to it.]

HOW TO REMOVE IT

The code can only be removed in the "Source" view of your pages. If you are not familiar with HTML please email Gato support at gato@txstate.edu and we will remove the code for you.

WHAT TO REMOVE

If you are comfortable working in HTML you will need to strip out the
code similar to the following:

<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12">
<meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12">
<link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Cgt10%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" />
<link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Cgt10%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" />
<link rel="colorSchemeMapping" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5Cgt10%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>  <w:WordDocument>   <w:View>Normal</w:View>   <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>   <w:TrackMoves/>   <w:TrackFormatting/ >   <w:PunctuationKerning/>   <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>  
</meta>
</meta>
</meta>
</meta>

In the page properties, there is a new check box labeled "Do Not Display Navigation Sidebar." This will disable the side navigation bar and the content area will increase to the entire width of the page.

The form data tool stores all of the form data in one location where it can be viewed and exported at any time.

How to access the form data tool

When editing the form page in Gato, there is now a link in the box at the top that says "You can also download the data from this form using the form data tool".

Clicking on the link will take you to the form database where you can view individual submissions or download them all as an Excel (XLS) file. This XLS file can be opened by spreadsheet programs like Excel and Open Office Calc.

The URL provided by the "form data tool" link is only valid for 10 minutes and cannot be bookmarked. You will need to click on the link again directly from the form page to access it in the future. Anyone with access to view the form page on Gato edit can click on the link to view submission information.

The columns are each of the fields you defined in the form, while the rows are individual submissions.

How to view more submissions

If you have many submissions, there will be "Prev Page" and "Next Page" links to view more results. This ensures that the data loads quickly, no matter how many submissions you receive.

How to download attachments

If you included a file field on your form, you will need to download the attachments from the form data tool. Any attachments will be URLs in blue text with underline as seen below. Click on the link to download the attachment.

How to delete submissions and fields from the form data tool

To delete submissions from testing, spam, or other reasons there is a delete button located to the left of each entry.

As time goes by you may find that the fields of your form changes. If at least 4 submissions have been made with a blank field, a delete button for that column will appear. Press the delete button to remove the field from all of the submissions. If you have not already done so, this does not remove the field from your Gato page.

A deleted column can be restored by submitting a form with the specified field filled in. If the field was deleted from the page, create a new field with the exact same name. Then submit the form with the specified field filled in.

How to see only new submissions

To see only the newest submissions from when you last checked, enter the confirmation number of the last submission you received into the field labeled "Oldest confirmation number to include". If the last submission you received had a confirmation number of 03-150-031, enter that number into the field and press "Go". Now only submissions since then will be displayed.

How to export submissions

To export the data into an XLS file to use in Excel or other programs, press the Export link located at the lower right. Only the data in your current view will be downloaded. This means that if you entered an oldest confirmation number, it will only download the new submissions. If you want to download all of the data and have entered an oldest confirmation number, erase the oldest confirmation number from the field and press "Go". Now it will download all of the data.

Can I use the form data tool only and no longer receive emails?

Yes, you can remove the email address(es) from the form properties and the data will still be stored in the form data tool. The box will turn red and no one will receive each submission via email.

The Digital Assets Manager (DAM), also referred to as Gato's Document Management System (DMS) will allow you to easily upload, manage and share documents throughout your Gato website. The assets manager is designed to be easy to use and works very much like the Pages view of Gato.

Once a document is contained in the DAM, you can display it on various web pages throughout your website. When you update the document, your web pages will be updated automatically. Using the Documents content type you will be able to choose a folder in your DMS and display all, or selected files, contained therein.

When logging in to Gato, you will see a green page with two options: Pages and Assets. This screen is also available by selecting the ellipsis (...) located within the solid green bar at the top of the screen. If you click on Assets, it will display your department's document folder. This is where you can add, remove and update files.

To upload a single document, click on "New Document" at the bottom of the page. This option is also on the right-click (control-click on Mac) menu. A new window will open. The "browse" button will allow you to choose the file on your computer to upload. Directly below that, you can change the file name if you so desire. The "Subject" line will be displayed on your page, so you may want to enter a short title. The "Description" field is not currently displayed on the page, but may be used for internal information.

To upload multiple documents, see "Can I upload multiple files at once to the DMS?"

Yes, you can upload multiple files by putting them into a compressed .zip file. The hierarchy of your folders will be maintained once uploaded. To upload your .zip file, choose a folder to right-click (control-click for a Mac) and choose "Upload Zipfile".

By double-clicking the document or choosing "Edit Document", you will see an "Upload a New Version" button. This removes the current file, the window refreshes and you can upload the new version by choosing "browse".

To remove a document from being displayed on your page, but keep it in the DMS you can De-activate it. There is a deactivate button located on the bottom of the screen and also in the right-click (control-click on Mac) menu.
To delete a document entirely, you can use the delete option instead of deactivate. Make sure that the correct document or folder is highlighted when you do this.

We recommend keeping individual files under 50mb. Files over 50mb often have timeout problems and do not upload/download successfully. Gato websites have no size restrictions. If you need to display files over 50mb please email gato@txstate.edu for assistance.

Yes, you have to activate documents to make them available on your website, just like you do for pages. There is an activate button at the bottom of the screen and also in the right-click (control-click on Mac) menu.

While in edit mode of a page, choose "New Paragraph" and then from the list of paragraph types choose "Documents". Click on the "Internal Link" button and you will be able to select files from the DMS. To display a single document, highlight that document and click OK. To display an entire folder of documents, highlight the folder and click OK.

Yes, you can display all files of one particular type. While editing the Document paragraph, in the "File Type" field, type the extension of the files you would like to display. For example, to display all PDF files, enter "pdf". This is currently case sensitive.  If you had files named file1.PDF, file2.pdf and file3.PdF, if you entered "PDF" in this field, only file1.PDF would display. You cannot currently show multiple specific file types. To display files of more than one file type, you have to display the entire folder.

First, make sure that you have activated all pages and documents properly. If there is a yellow circle instead of a green triangle for the status of your document or page, changes have been made that have not been activated. There is also about a 5 minute delay between any changes in AdminCentral and the DMS Central and your public website.

To link to an item in Document Management without putting it on a page, you append the public URL for DMS to the beginning of the document's path. Here's how to do this step by step:

1. Locate the file in the Document Management System. Ensure that it is activated.
2. Determine the path of the document. This means listing the hierarchy of folders the document is contained in, followed by the file name. Example:
   
   would be found at the path

     /gato/test/dms-link.txt

3. Add the URL

     http://gato-docs.its.txstate.edu

   to the front of the path. Example:

   http://gato-docs.its.txstate.edu/gato/test/dms-link.txt 

You can then use that URL in your communications, such as email or chat, to share the document.

The Gato interface provides a set of colors that have been tested to comply with ADA standards. These colors follow the University guidelines and conform to the Texas State brand. You can see all of the approved colors on the Color Palette provided by University Marketing.

If you decide to pick your own color you need to make sure the color contrast is accessible.

Use the following link to text the background and text HEX colors*, to insure your choices are accessible: Contrast Ratio

*Where to find the HEX number on the rich editor

In order for Texas State websites to be cohesive, the design team has tested and chosen specific font styles and sizes that comply with accessibility and that will look consistent on a variety of devices.

The official university sans-serif font and primary font used is Univers. The secondary font is Adobe Garamond Pro.