Posting an Announcement







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To post an agency announcement, complete the following steps from the AWARDS Home screen:

    1. Click FootholdConnect from the left-hand menu bar.  The FootholdConnect pop-up menu is displayed.

This pop-up contains an option to add/edit announcements, as well as a list of any active announcements posted by either your agency or Foothold Technology.

    1. Click Add/Edit Announcement at the top of the pop-up window.  The Announcements index page is displayed.

This page contains a list of any existing agency announcements, as well as the option to add a new one.

    1. Click Add New Announcement.  The Announcement Detail page is displayed.

By default, the first of the three announcement detail tabs, "Content," is open on this page.  It is used to identify the announcement and enter its content.

    1. In the Title field, type a name for the announcement.  The title specified here will identify the announcement to all users on the FootholdConnect pop-up menu.
    2. In the Text box, enter the content of your announcement.  Above the text box are formatting options that can be used to adjust the appearance of your text as needed.

  TIP: For a brief description of what each formatting option does, hover your mouse over its icon in AWARDS.

    1. Click the Settings tab.  The announcement setting options are displayed.

    1. Click the Type drop-down arrow and make a selection to indicate where the announcement is to display:

  Agency Announcement - When selected, the announcement is listed on the announcements pop-up displayed when FootholdConnect is clicked from the Home screen's left-hand menu. 

  Home Screen - When selected, the announcement can be set to display as a link on the Home screen's left-hand menu, or as a pop-up message users see upon logging into AWARDS.  If this type is selected, click the "Display Type" radio button (beneath the Status options referenced in step 8) that corresponds to your preferred announcement location - Side Link or Pop-up, respectively.

    1. Indicate the status of the announcement by clicking one of the following radio buttons:

  Active - When selected the announcement is available for viewing as of the start date entered in step 9, or immediately if no start date is specified.

  Disabled - When selected the announcement is NOT available for viewing, regardless of any start or end dates entered in steps 9 or 10.

    1. In the Start Date field, type the date on which the announcement should first be available for viewing (using mm/dd/yyyy format).  If a start date is not specified, the announcement will be available as soon as the status has been set to "Active."
    2. In the End Date field, type the date on which the announcement should no longer be available for viewing (using mm/dd/yyyy format).  If an end date is not specified, the announcement will be available until the status has been set to "Disabled."
    3. Announcements can be posted for all staff with access to the FootholdConnect feature, or for staff assigned to specific user groups. 

If this announcement is to be available for all staff, continue with step 13

If the announcement's availability should be limited to staff members assigned to specific user groups, click Target User Group.  The Target User Group List pop-up is displayed.

  NOTE: The user groups available for selection in this list are those configured for the database using the System Setup module, Permissions Maintenance, Configure User Groups feature.  For more information see Configuring User Groups.

    1. Click the checkbox next to each user group for which the announcement should be available, and then click Close.  If no user groups are selected, the announcement will be available to all user groups by default.
    2. Each announcement can have up to four attachments. 

To skip the process of attaching files to this announcement, continue with step 18.

To attach one or more files to this announcement, click the Attachments tab.  The Announcement Details attachment selection page is displayed.

    1. In first the Display Name field, type a name for the attachment.  The name entered here will be displayed as a link to the attached file on the announcement.
    2. Click the corresponding Browse button.  The File Upload dialog box is displayed.
    3. Select the file to be attached to the announcement, and then click Open.

  NOTE: The total size of all files attached to the announcement cannot exceed 2MB. 

  NOTE: The total number of all files attached cannot exceed four. 

  NOTE: Accepted file types are .DOC, .XLS, .PDF, .JPG, and .BMP.

    1. Repeat steps 14 through 16 as needed, or until the four attachment limit is reached.
    2. Click CONTINUE.  The announcement is saved and the updated Announcements index page is displayed with your new announcement included in the list. 

  NOTE: Agency Announcements and Home Screen messages are displayed separately in this index.

Additionally, if you indicated in step 8 that the announcement should be active immediately, it is added to the FootholdConnect pop-up menu at this time.  Otherwise, it will become active as of the specified start date, or when the status is manually changed from "Disabled" to "Active."

  TIP: To preview your announcement now or at any time in the future, click the magnifying glass icon for that announcement in the index. 

  TIP: To confirm that a new active announcement is now available, first refresh your Home screen by clicking your browser's Refresh button, or pressing <Ctrl+R>.  Next, click FootholdConnect from the left-hand menu bar.  Your announcement will be listed as an "Agency Announcement" in the pop-up menu.

The process of posting an announcement is now complete.

  https://demodb.footholdtechnology.com/help/?10115