How to Set Up Your Homepage

1. Click on the Homepages link to see a list of student homepages.
   
   If the Status column indicates that another student's homepage is Available, you can click on the student's name to view that homepage.
   
   
2. To return to the list of student homepages, click on Homepages in the breadcrumbs to the right of the Course Menu at the top of the page.
   
   Note: Homepages is the place for student homepages. Homepage is the course homepage.

3. To begin setting up your own homepage, click on your name in the list of students.
   
4. You will then see a page with the following at the top:
   
   The student has not created a homepage yet.
   
   On the right you will see an Actions panel that contains a number of buttons. You will use these buttons to set up your homepage.
   
   You will see the Actions panel only on your own Homepage.

1. To put a title or other text at the top of your homepage, click on Edit / Add upper textblock under Options: Textblocks in the Actions panel.
   
   The Edit / Add upper textblock screen appears.
   
   
2. You can enter your text as plain text (with no formatting) or as HTML.
3. For plain text, enter your text in the text box and click Update.

4. If you would like to use special formatting for the upper textblock, click on the HTML editor button below the textbox.
   
   The HTML editor appears. It allows you to
   • enter text
   • modify the text color and font type and make many other formatting changes
   • spell check your text
   • add tables, images, hyperlinks, and special characters to your textblock
5. When you have finished creating your textblock, click Update.
6. To put text or images at the bottom of your homepage, click on Edit / Add Lower Textblock and follow the same procedure.

Adding a Text Banner

1. From the Actions panel on the right side of your Homepage, under Customize, click Modify/Add banner image.
   
   The Modify/Add Banner Image for Page screen will appear.
   

2. On the Modify/Add Banner Image for Page screen, next to Banner options, select Use text.
3. In the Use Text text box, enter the text you want in your banner.
   
   WebCT will add a background color and a small image on the left edge of the banner.

4. Click Continue.
   
   Your Homepage will reappear with the new banner at the top.
   
   WebCT will also add a small image on the left edge of the banner.
   
   
   

Adding an Image Banner

See the note above on images.

1. From the Actions panel on the right side of your Homepage, under Customize, click Modify/Add banner image.
   
   The Modify/Add Banner Image for Page screen will appear.
   

2. On the Modify/Add Banner Image for Page screen, next to Banner options, select Upload a file.
   
   
3. Click Continue.
   
   The File Upload screen will appear.
   
   

4. When the File Upload screen appears, click Browse.
   
   Your computer's file browser will appear.
   
   
5. Locate and select the file you want to use as your banner. When you've completed this process, the path and filename of your banner file appears in the text box.
6. Click Continue. Your Homepage will reappear with your image added as a banner.

Adding a Background Image

1. From the Actions panel on the right side of your Homepage, under Customize, click Modify/Add background image.
   
   The Modify/Add Background Image for Page screen will appear.
   

2. On the Modify/Add Background Image for Page screen, next to Background options, select Upload a file.
   
   
3. Click Continue.
   
   The File Upload screen will appear.
   
   

4. When the File Upload screen appears, click Browse.
   
   Your computer's file browser will appear.
   
   
5. Locate and select the file you want to use as your background image.
   
   When you've completed this process, the path and filename of your banner file will appear in the text box.
   
   
6. Click Continue.
   
   Your Homepage will reappear with your image added as the background.

Adding a Link

1. From the Actions panel on the right side of your Homepage, under Options: Links, click Add link.
   
   The Add Link screen will appear.
   
   
2. In the Title text box, type a title for the link. The title should make clear what site the link is for.
   
   If you don't enter a title, only the icon for the link will be displayed.
3. In the URL text box, type the complete web address, including http://.

4. If you want to upload an icon to display with the link, instead of using the default URL icon :
   1. Click Upload Icon. The File Upload screen will appear.
   2. Click Browse. Your computer's file browser will appear.
   3. Locate and select the file you want to use as your background image.
      
      When you've completed this process, the path and filename of your icon file will appear in the text box on the File Upload screen.
   4. Click Continue. The Add Link screen will appear again, with a preview of the icon next to Current icon.

5. Click Add.
   
   Your Homepage will appear with the new link added.

Editing an Existing Link

1. On your Homepage, select the link you want to modify by clicking the radio button next to it.
2. Then from the Actions panel on the right side of the screen, under Options: Links, click Edit.
   
   The Update URL screen will appear.
   

3. If you want to change the title of the link, edit the title in the Title text box on the Update URL screen.
4. If you want to change the web address, edit the URL in the URL text box .

5. If you want to upload a different icon to display with the link:
   
   1. Click Upload Icon. The File Upload screen will appear.
   2. Click Browse. Your computer's file browser will appear.
   3. Locate and select the file you want to use as your background image.
      
      When you've completed this process, the path and filename of your icon file will appear in the text box on the File Upload screen.
      
      
   4. Click Continue. The Update URL screen will appear with a preview of the icon next to Current icon.
      
6. Click Add.
   
   Your Homepage will appear with the changes you made to the link.

Deleting a Link

1. On your Homepage, select the link you want to modify by clicking the radio button next to it.
2. Then from the Actions panel on the right side of the screen, under Options: Links, click Delete.
   
   
3. Your browser will display a window, warning that the link will be deleted.
   
   If you don't want to delete that link, you can click Cancel.
   
   If you do want to delete the link, click OK.
   
4. After you confirm the deletion, your Homepage will reappear, with the link (and its icon) deleted.
   
   
   

Modifying the Layout of Links on a Page

You can choose to display links in one column or in two columns on your Homepage. To change the link layout, do the following:

1. From the Actions panel on the right side of your Homepage, under Customize, click Modify layout.
   
   The Modify Layout of Links on Page screen will appear.
   
   

2. On the Modify Layout window, select the radio button corresponding to the number of columns you want by clicking on it.
   
3. Click Update.
   
   Your Homepage will reappear with the layout of links (the number of columns) changed.

Moving a Link Forward or Backward

1. On your Homepage, select the link you want to move by clicking the radio button next to it.
   
2. Then from the Actions panel on the right side of the screen, under Options: Links, click Move Forward or Move Backward.
   
   • For a one-column layout: Move forward moves the link down by one position. Move backward moves it up by one position.
   • For a two-column layout: Move forward moves the link one position to the right, or if it's already on the right, down to the next row and on the left.
     Move backward moves the link either one position to the left or up one row and on the right.
     
   Note: If the link is the last item on your Homepage, Move forward does not move it. And if it is the first item on your Homepage, Move backward does not move it.

1. On your Homepage, in the Actions panel under Customize, click Customize page colors.
   
   The Customize Page Colors screen will appear.
   
   
   There are four predefined color sets, each with a different combination of text color, link color, and visited link color.
   
   
2. In the Color Set column, choose one of the predefined color schemes by selecting the radio button for that set.
   
   
3. Click Update. Your Homepage will appear in the selected color scheme.
   
   
   

Creating a Backup

You can create a backup file of your Homepage and download it, so that you have a copy of it after you have completed your course.

1. On your Homepage under Options: Homepage, click Backup a homepage.
   
   Your browser's file download screen will appear.
   
2. Follow the onscreen instructions to save the file. Be sure to note where on your computer you are saving it.
   
   When you complete this process, you will have a backup of your Homepage on your computer. You cannot, however, view the backup unless it is in WebCT.
   
   Warning: Once the back up file is downloaded, do not modify it. The file is encoded by WebCT; any change will permanently destroy the file.

Reusing Your Course Backup

You can upload your Homepage backup to another course, or to the same course, if you want to revert to an earlier version. This process is called Restoring your backup.

Warning: Restoring a backup of a Homepage will delete everything on the Homepage you are working on.

1. On your Homepage under Options: Homepage, click Restore homepage.
   
   The File Upload screen will appear.
   
   
2. Click Browse. Your computer's file browser will appear.
   
3. Locate and select your backup file.
   
   When you have completed this process, the path and filename of the backup file will appear in the File Upload text box.
   
4. Click Continue.
   
   The restored Homepage will appear.

Clearing Your Homepage

Warning: This feature will delete everything on your Homepage.

1. On your Homepage under Options: Homepage, click Clear the page.
   
   A warning message will appear.
   
   
2. Click OK.
   
   Your Homepage will be completely cleared.