What is a Homepage?
A Homepage in Jadu is a customizable dashboard built using visual blocks called widgets. These widgets allow you to present both dynamic content (e.g., case lists) and static content (e.g., text, images, and navigation).
Widgets: The Building Blocks of Homepages
Widgets define the content and structure of your homepage. You can arrange them using a drag-and-drop interface in the Homepage Designer.
UMN Widget Library:
- Sign-in Button: Displays a prominent sign-in prompt if the user is not already signed in. If the user is already signed in, the button will be hidden.
- Note: Users must be signed in to view their case list information.
- Note: Users must be signed in to view their case list information.
- UMN Case List: Primary widget for dashboards. Displays a list of cases based on the logged in user's access from a Jadu Connect filter and optionally displays a link to the next form in the process.
- Note: If the user is not signed in, the case list table will not be displayed.
- Note: If the user is not signed in, the case list table will not be displayed.
- Content: Allows you to add formatted text using the standard Jadu rich text editor.
- Note: The Content widget displays even when a user is not signed in, so it is a good place to provide some instructions for end users.
- Note: The Content widget displays even when a user is not signed in, so it is a good place to provide some instructions for end users.
- Navigation: Creates a list of navigation links to other pages or resources.
Multiple Columns and Widget Visibility
Note above that some widgets are hidden depending on whether the user is logged in or not. If you create a multi-column layout with a widget that is currently hidden, any remaining visible widget(s) will expand to fill the empty space. It's important to check the appearance of your page in both states.
Test vs. Production Environments
- Test Environment: A safe space to explore, experiment, and refine your homepage layout without affecting live users.
- Production Environment: The live dashboard environment is used by actual users.
Note: Homepages cannot be migrated from Test to Production; you must recreate them manually.
Working with the Homepage Designer
The Homepage Designer is a visual tool that allows you to easily define the layout and configuration of your homepage.
- Widgets can be arranged on the page by dragging and dropping them.
- Important: The Homepage Designer view is not an accurate representation of the final page. To see how the page will appear, use the Preview option under the Actions menu. Be sure to test the view both when logged in and logged out, as the appearance may change.
Saving and Publishing
- Saving: You can save your changes using the Save button. It is critical to save regularly to avoid losing unsaved changes if you navigate away from the builder or your session times out.
- Saving does not change the live page, so you can work on your design without affecting users.
- Preview vs. View Live:
- Preview: Available after saving, this option (under Actions > Preview) allows you to see how your saved changes will appear on the dashboard before they are published.
- View Live: Appears after the homepage has been published. This allows you to view the live, published page.
- You can use both Preview and View Live to compare your current version with any unsaved changes before publishing.