Getting Started
Getting Started provides a step-by-step guide to the first 26 cool things that you can do with YouReport. Jump in and enjoy!
1. Add Pre-Made Pages of Content to Your Report - In order to add a pre-made Page filled with information to your report, simply click on any of the blue “plus” buttons for any of the pages listed in the Pages Tool on the left side of the screen - and an entire page of information will be added to your report! You can have as many pages as you like within your report, so feel free to add lots of pre-made pages from the Pages Tool.
2. Click on any Page’s tab at the top of Your Report to view that Page - As you add multiple Pages to your report, you will notice that each Page’s tab is visible at the top of your report. To view any page within your report, simply click on the tab for that page and it will come into view and become the current active page.
3. Create a New Blank Page in Your Report - To create a new blank Page within your report, simply click on the “Click Here to Create a New Page” button within the Pages Tool. Enter a name for the new page, and a new blank page will be created with three columns. You can now start adding blocks of content to your new page!
4. Add a News Feed Block to your Page - In order to add a News Feed block to your page, first click on the “Feeds” button in the main toolbar to display the Feeds tool within the left tool panel, then simply click on a checkbox for any of the news feeds shown on the left side of the screen, and information from that feed will appear within a block on your YouReport page.
5. Hover the Mouse over a headline to see its description - To see more information about a particular headline within a feed block, hover your mouse over that headline, and a window will appear showing the description for that article. When you move the mouse off of the headline, the description window will automatically dissapear.
6. Click on the arrow to the left of a headline to expand the headline and see its description within the block - To see a headline's description within the block itself, click on the arrow to the left of the headline, and that headline's cell will be expanded to include its description. To collapse the description, simply click on the arrow again and the description will collapse.
7. Click on a headline to link through to the original article - To see a headline's original full story, simply click on the headline itself, and a new browser window will open showing the headline's full story. You can easily return to your YouReport page which will still be available in its original browser window.
8. Click Next and Prev to see more headlines on your Feed Block - To see more headlines available for a specific Feed block, click on the Next and Prev links at the bottom of the block to scroll through additional headlines.
9. Move your News Feed Block to a new position on your Page - To move a block to a new position on your page, click and drag on the header title bar of the block, and position it to a new location on the page. Each block is smart, and will automatically snap into place in whichever column you put it in - and the other blocks around it will automatically move down to make room for it.
10. View the Options Menu for your Feed Block - Every block that you add to your page can be customized to look however you like. Many of these customization settings are available through the Options Menu on each block. To view the Options Menu for a block, click on the button containing the downward triangle located within the block header. When you click on this button, the Options Menu for that block will appear showing a variety of settings that can be updated for that block. We’ll adjust some of these settings in subsequent steps of this Getting Started section, so for now you can select “(close this menu)” at the bottom of the Options Menu and it will close.
11. Change the number of headlines displayed in a block - Each block originally shows 5 headlines within the block. However, you can change the number of headlines shown within a block to any number from 1 to 100. To change the number of headlines shown within a block, click on the button that contains the downward pointing arrow withnin the block header. This button will display the Options Menu for that block. From within the Options Menu, select the option "Set Number of Items Displayed in this Block". A dialog window will appear allowing you to set the number of items displayed within the block to any number from 1 to 100. Once as new number of items is set for that block, then that number of items will also appear on a new page whenever you select the Next or Prev links on that block to scroll to a new page of headlines.
12. Minimize/Maximize a Block - Sometimes you may want to temporarily minimize a block's space that it takes up on a page (so that you can view other items) while still maintaining that blocks position on the page. This can be easily accomplished by clicking on the Minimize button in the block's header to quickly minimize the block, leaving only the block's header visible, and hiding its body. The Minimize button is located in the block's header and contains an image of a thin horizontal line. To once again view the body of the block, simply click on the same button on the block's header (which has now turned into a Maximize button), and the body of the block will re-appear.
13. Close a Block - To close a block, simply click the [X] in the upper right corner of the Block, or you can uncheck the corresponding feed within the Feeds Tool in the left panel. To re-add this block to your page after it has been closed, simply check the corresponding feed within the Feeds Tool in the left panel.
14. Add a Search Block to your page - To add a Search block to your page, simply enter a search term into the search box on the top menu bar, and click the "Search News" button. A new Search block will be added to your page containing matching results from all of the feeds that are active within the YouReport.com system. The result is a pure collection of news articles and information from trusted sources, all nicely displayed within a block showing the most recent articles first, and with the ability to click on the Next and Prev links at the bottom of the block to scroll through as many articles as you like. Every Search block contains the same full set of features as a Feed block, so that you can set the number of items displayed in the block, minimize and maximize the block, and even drag and drop the block to a new location on your page!
15. Display the Searches Tool, which allows you to view and manage all of your Search Blocks - The initial tool that is displayed within YouReport is the Feeds tool, which allows you to add Feed blocks to your page. Another tool, the Searches Tool, allows you to add, view and manage all of the Search blocks across all of your YouReport pages. To display the Searches Tool, click on the Searches Tool button in the top tool bar. Within the Searches Tool, all of the Search Blocks that you have added will appear under the My Searches folder, and other popular searches will appear under various category folders. You can easily add or remove an existing Search from your page by simply checking or unchecking any of the searches displayed within the Searches Tool. To add a brand new search using the Searches Tool, simply enter a search term into the search box at the top of the Searches Tool, and click the "Add New Search" button. This will add a new Search block to your current page, and will also add a new entry into the My Searches folder of the Searches Tool. This performs exactly the same way as the search box and the Search News button on the top menu bar.
16. Add a Clip Block to your page - YouReport allows you to save your favorite articles as Clips within a Clip block. Articles can be “clipped” from a News Feed block or from a Search block. To clip an article, simply click on the paperclip icon that appears to the right of any article within a block – and a small menu will appear – then click on the “Clip to NEW CLIP BLOCK” option within that menu. A new Clip Block will be created on your page, containing a clip of your saved article. Multiple clips can be added to a Clip block, and each clip can be dragged and dropped to a new position inside of its Clip block. You can hover over and expand a headline within a clip. Also, every Clip Block can be manipulated just like a Feed and Search Block, so that you can minimize and maximize the block, and drag and drop the Clip block to a new location on your page.
17. Add a second Clip into your Clip Block - To clip a second article to your Clip block, simply click on the paperclip icon next to another article, and now when the menu appears select “Clip to [blockname]” where [blockname] is the name of the previous Clip block that was created. Now two clips will appear inside of your Clip block.
18. Move a Clip to a new position within the Clip Block - To move a clip to a new position within your Clip block, click and drag on the left side panel of the clip, and position it to a new location within the Clip block. Each clip is smart, and will automatically snap into place within the block - and the other clips around it will automatically move down to make room for it. Additionally, you can also drag and drop clips across different Clip blocks!
19. Display the Clips Tool, which allows you to view and manage all of your Clip Blocks - The Clips Tool allows you to add, view and manage all of the Clip blocks across all of your YouReport pages. To display the Clips Tool, click on the Clips Tool button in the top tool bar. Within the Clips Tool, all of the Clip Blocks that you have added will appear under the My Clips folder, and other popular Clip blocks will appear under various category folders. You can easily add or remove an existing Clip block from your page by simply checking or unchecking any of the Clip blocks displayed within the Clips Tool. To add a brand new Clip block using the Clips Tool, simply enter a title for your new Clip block into the text box at the top of the Clips Tool, and click the "Add New Clip Block" button. This will add a new Clip block to your current page, and will also add a new entry into the My Clips folder of the Clips Tool. Once you have created a new Clip block, you will be able to add clips into it. Your newly created Clip block will automatically appear as an available destination Clip block whenever you click on a paperclip icon to the right of a headline. This process of creating a new Clip block using the Clips Tool is a second way of creating a new Clip Block, in addition to selecting the “Clip to NEW CLIP BLOCK” option after clicking on a paperclip icon.
20. Set the Number of Columns on your Page - Each YouReport page originally displays 3 columns within the page. However, you can change the number of columns displayed within a page to any number from 1 to 10. To change the number of columns displayed within a page, click on the button labeled "Set Columns per Page" in the top main tool bar. A dialog window will appear allowing you to set the number of columns displayed within that page to any number from 1 to 10. Once a new number of columns is set for that page, you will be able to move your blocks into any of the columns displayed on the page.
21. Hide Tools to allow more room for displaying blocks on your page - When the YouReport site is launched, the left side of the screen automatically displays the Feeds Tool which allows you to add Feed blocks to your page. In order to hide the Feeds tool, thereby allowing more room to display blocks on your page, simply click on the button labeled "Show/Hide Tools" in the top main tool bar. This is a toggle button, so that clicking the "Show/Hide Tools" button once will hide the currently displayed Tool, clicking the "Show/Hide Tools" button again will re-show the Tool.
22. Set the Header Color for a Block - To set the header color for a block, click on the Options menu for the desired block (the Options menu is the button containing the downward triangle within the block header). From within the Options menu, select “Set Header Color for this Block”. A dialog window will appear which will allow you to choose the new color for the block header. To select a color, first click a main color on the right vertical color bar, then click a gradient of that color on the left gradient panel. In this way you can select any possible color/gradient. Alternatively, you can enter a numeric color value directly into the bottom right text box. The currently selected color will appear in the lower left preview box. To restore the color to the original default color, simply click on the button “Set to Original Default Color”. Once you have selected the desired color, click on “Ok”. For best results when setting a block header color, there should be a nice contrast between the header color and the header text color. If the header text color is dark, then the header color should be light. If the header text color is light, then the header color should be dark. (Here’s another hint: If you’d like to copy the color from one block to another, you can copy the numeric color value from the color text box of one block, and then paste it into the color text box of another block. To copy a numeric color value from a color text box, highlight it with the mouse, right click, and select Copy. To paste the color value into a target color text box, clear out the current value, click the right mouse button inside the text box, and select Paste.)
23. Set the Header Text Color for a Block - To set the header text color for a block, click on the Options menu for the desired block (the Options menu is the button containing the downward triangle within the block header). From within the Options menu, select “Set Header Text Color for this Block”. A dialog window will appear which will allow you to choose the new color for the block header text. To select a color, first click a main color on the right vertical color bar, then click a gradient of that color on the left gradient panel. In this way you can select any possible color/gradient. Alternatively, you can enter a numeric color value directly into the bottom right text box. The currently selected color will appear in the lower left preview box. To restore the color to the original default color, simply click on the button “Set to Original Default Color”. Once you have selected the desired color, click on “Ok”. For best results when setting a block header text color, there should be a nice contrast between the header color and the header text color. If the header text color is dark, then the header color should be light. If the header text color is light, then the header color should be dark. (Here’s another hint: If you’d like to copy the color from one block to another, you can copy the numeric color value from the color text box of one block, and then paste it into the color text box of another block. To copy a numeric color value from a color text box, highlight it with the mouse, right click, and select Copy. To paste the color value into a target color text box, clear out the current value, click the right mouse button inside the text box, and select Paste.)
24. Add a New Page - YouReport.com allows you to have an unlimited number of pages, with an unlimited number of blocks on each page. With this multiple page architecture, you can create many YouReport pages, each dedicated to a specific category, subject, or news source. When you first login to YouReport.com, you will have one page labeled as your Home Page. In order to add a new page, click on the dimmed tab labeled (add page). You’ll then see a dialog window prompting you to enter a unique name for your new page. You can add as many pages as you like (i.e one for Entertainment, one for Politics, one for Sports, etc.). Each page can contain as many blocks as you like. Switching between pages is easily done by simply clicking on the tab for that page.
25. View the Options Menu for your Page - Every YouReport Page that you add can be customized to look however you like. Many of these customization settings are available through the Options Menu for each Page. The Page Options Menu may be accessed for your currently active Page by clicking on the button containing the downward triangle located within the tab for that page. When you click on this button, the Options Menu for that Page will appear showing a variety of settings that can be updated. Some of these page options include Editing the Page Name, and Setting the number of Columns on the Page. Additionally, some of the options on the Page Options Menu allow you to apply a new block setting to all of the blocks on that page, including Setting the number of items, Setting the header color, and Setting the header text color for all of the blocks on that page. You can experiment with adjusting all of these settings to customize the look of your page!
26. Add an entirely New Feed to YouReport.com - To add a new Feed to YouReport, enter the web address (URL) for a new feed into the text box at the top of the Feeds Tool (typically in the form of http://site.com/rss) and click the Add New Feed button. This will open a Feeds Block within your YouReport page, it will create a new node for that feed in the My Feeds folder of the Feeds Tool, and it will also create a new node in the New Feeds folder of the Feeds Tool. A more detailed explanation of adding a New Feed is included in the six steps below:
Adding a new feed to YouReport.com is very easy, once you’ve found the web address containing the new feed that you would like to add. Finding the web address for a new feed can be a little bit tricky, but here are some tips:
(1) The home page of a website will often have a link on it that says RSS, or will have an orange RSS symbol, or an orange Feed symbol. This link may be at the bottom of the home page, or within the main navigation menu for the site. For example, the CNN.com home page has an RSS Feeds link near the bottom, on the left side of the home page. When you find this link, click on it.
(2) After clicking on the RSS link from a site’s home page, you’re typically taken to another page that lists all of the feeds available for that site. For example, the CNN.com site lists multiple feeds that are available from the site. Next to each feed, there is typically another link that may display the web address of the feed, or may say “XML” or “Subscribe” or even “RSS” once again. On The CNN site, they have the web address (in the form of http://...) listed next to each feed. When you find this link next to the desired feed, click on it.
(3) After clicking on the feed link, you will be taken to the web page for the actual feed. This is the precise page that you want to find – it’s the actual feed page. You can always tell when you’ve arrived at an actual feed page within Internet Explorer 7 or in Firefox 2 because it will be a standard format feed page with a yellow paragraph at the top telling you that you are viewing a feed page, and the body of the page will display the items within the feed. If you view a feed page within an older browser (like Internet Explorer 6 or earlier), the feed page may be displayed as a series of lines of code. This is OK, it is still a standard feed page, and its web address can still be used to add a New Feed to YouReport.
(4) Once you have found the feed page, you can add that feed to YouReport.com by copying the web address for that feed page from the top address bar of your browser, and pasting it into YouReport.com. This web address will typically be in a form similar to http://site.com/rss.
(5) To copy the web address from your browser, first highlight it within the top address bar of your browser by double clicking on it. Once it is highlighted, you can copy the address by right clicking on the highlighted text, then select Copy from the menu that appears. You now have the address copied. To paste it into YouReport, open up the YouReport Feeds Tool, and right click the mouse within the text box that appears at the top of the Feeds Tool, and select Paste from the menu that appears. This will paste the web address for the feed into YouReport. You can then click on the Add New Feed button, and the Feed will be added to YouReport! A new block will be created on your current YouReport page, a new node for this feed will be added to the My Feeds section of your Feeds Tool, and a new node for this feed will also be added to the New Feeds section of the feeds tool.
(6) Once a new feed has been added to YouReport, it will remain part of the YouReport system so that you will never have to add it again. You’ll be able access the feed through the node in you’re My Feeds section of the Feeds Tool, or from within the New Feeds section of the Feeds Tool, or eventually from one of the categories of the Feeds Tool (once the feed has been properly categorized). Once it is part of the main YouReport system, ongoing items from your new Feed will continue to be added to that Feed’s history. Also, items from that Feed will also be included in any Searches, and may be clipped to your clip blocks.