Connect v5: What's New: Buttons

March 01, 2010

If Connect version 4 had a shortcoming, it was the confusion some users initially feel regarding the differentiation between page content and navigation items. Although navigation items and page items are treated differently by Connect, the simple outline view of the site content didn't visually depict the difference. Connect v5 addresses this point fully. Replacing the categories and sections are buttons. Buttons are children of either nav panels or other buttons, and pages become children of buttons. In this way, buttons clearly connect pages to navigation, and give the user a logically spot to customize characteristics such as:

• formatting and ordering of the pages that are it's children
• formatting automatically generated sitemaps of content contained in its children
• selecting from a variety of sitemap options, including page lists, calendar grids, gallery views, and more
• incorporating custom sitemap designs
• controlling menu behavior, by allowing or disabling pop-up menus
• managing permissions, allowing specific roles access to the button and its children
• reviewing and managing children right from the button detail view
  

Yet, buttons do not impact Connect v5's ability to provide signature Connect services, not found in other CMSs:

• Automated sitemaps throughout
• Perfect SEO tagging and internal linking, helping visitors to find what they want, and to gain high Search Engine placement

Buttons are a major enhancement in Connect v5. They significantly impact the user experience, and provide powerful formatting and customization controls, while maintaining Connect's signature strengths.