The series of articles that will follow this one will outline the features and functionality of your Stacks site, primarily from an administrative point of view. As such, we'll take a quick look at how to navigate around the dashboard, and explain the different components you may see.
Header
Your Stacks site has 2 header areas that contain various buttons and links that are used to navigate to content and other areas of your site.
Top Header
The top header contains the location & hours bar, an option to resize the font, language selector, and icons that link to database listings, events, and bookings. Each of these elements can be turned on or off by administrators depending on the functionality you plan to use.
When logged in as a user with staff permissions, a toolbar will appear at the very top of the page. From here you can navigate between the Dashboard and possibly other front-facing Stacks pages (if they have been created). This is also where you will see links to the Stacks Hub, EBSCO connect, and your user profile, where there is the option to Logout of your Stacks site.
Header
The second header area is where you will see your logo, site name, slogan, call-to-action buttons, the main navigation menu, and the primary search bar.
Various theme options are available which can be used to change the background color or displayed image; as well, a style editor allows you to determine the placement of the different elements in this header.
Content Area
The main content area is where you will see your content displayed, this can include text, images, videos, and other forms of media that provide information or engage your users. Also available in this area are additional filtering options or search functionality related to the different core features available with Stacks.
Footer
The footer area at the bottom of your Stacks site provides users additional important information that can include copyright notices, branding or contact details, and links to various social media accounts. Much like the other functionality briefly discussed, this content is managed from the Dashboard area of your site.
Pages
There are 2 types of pages that your Stacks site may be composed of, Landing Pages and Pages.
Landing Pages
Landing pages are dynamic, visually appealing pages that direct users to specific content on your website. These are typically homepages, pages wth multiple types of content for specific audiences, or pages that are rapidly updated.
Pages
Pages are typically used to create additional pages, other than Landing Pages, to display content, these support rich media and attachments, as well as other site features.