Online Guides

We have collated/created extensive online guides here for your perusal. Links with asterisks* refers to external site.

For Blog Admins

Blog admins are responsible for the content and management of blogs under their care.

Appearance and Themes

Go to Appearance and Themes* general page.

Themes:

Note:
You are not able to install themes.
Requests for custom themes will be declined.

Navigational Menus:

 

Plugins, Tools, Metrics

Go to Plugins and Tools* general page.

Plugins:

Note:
You are not able to install plugins.
Requests for custom plugins will be declined.

Additional info on plugins:

Tools:

About web metrics:

 

Settings, Privacy, Delete Site

Go to Settings and Privacy* general page.

Deleting your blog.

 

Widgets and Sidebars
For All Users

These guides are relevant to all blog users (including admins) except for users who are subscribers.

User Roles, Add/Remove User

Blog user roles are either Admins, Editors, Authors, Contributors or Subscribers.

For Blog Admins only:

 

User Profile

You must be registered as a Blogs@NTU user.

 

Images, Files, Media

Go to Files and Images* general page.

We don’t advise uploading videos to your blog.
For videos, please use the following.

 

Mobile Blogging

Go to Mobile Blogging* general page.

Mobile blogging using the WordPress app will not work due to our authentication requirements.

Delete Site

 

Only blog admins could delete their own blogs. The deletion process is automated and require an online request + confirmation. Back-up your blog (if needed) prior to deletion. Proceed with caution.

To delete, the user must ensure that the blog’s Administration Email Address (admin email) is accessible as a confirmation link will be sent to this email. The admin email could be found at Dashboard > Settings > General

 

Deleting your blog

Make an online deletion request:

  1. Go to your blog’s Dashboard > Tools > Delete Site.
  2. Tick on the box to proceed.
  3. Click on Delete My Site button.

Confirm the delete request:

  1. You will receive a confirmation email.
  2. Click on the link in the email to proceed. If you had changed your mind, do nothing.
  3. Once the link is clicked, your blog will be deactivated. 

 

Note:

  • As long as the confirmation link was not clicked, your blog will not be deleted.
  • Deletion means that your blog will no longer be viewable and accessible (including the dashboard).
  • If you are not a blog admin, please approach the blog admin.
  • For student project blogs, please make a request directly to the faculty.

 

Blog Users

 

A valid NTU network account is required to access private blogs or a blog’s dashboard. NTU alumni without a valid NTU network account would not be able to login. Current NIE staff and students who were pre-registered as a user may login using their own NIE network account.

Click here for info on external users who are not from NTU, NIE nor RSIS.

 

Blogs@NTU Roles

 

Click on the roles below to find out more.
 
Profile Edit own profile.
Media Library View all medias and delete all files.
Comments (Dashboard) View and moderate all comments.
Posts (Draft) Add new post and delete all drafts.
Posts Publish, edit and delete all posts.
Pages (Draft) Add new page and delete all drafts.
Pages Publish, edit and delete all pages.
Users View, add, remove, edit roles at own blog.
Appearance Access own blog's theme, menu and widgets.
Settings Access own blog settings.

 

Profile Edit own profile.
Media Library View all medias.
Comments (Dashboard) View and moderate all comments.
Posts (Draft) Add new post and delete all drafts.
Posts Publish, edit and delete all posts.
Pages (Draft) Add new page and delete all drafts.
Pages Publish, edit and delete all pages.
Users No access.
Appearance No access.
Settings No access.

 

Profile Edit own profile.
Media Library View all medias.
Comments (Dashboard) View all comments.
Posts (Draft) Add new post and delete own drafts.
Posts Publish, edit and delete own posts.
Pages (Draft) No access.
Pages No access.
Users No access.
Appearance No access.
Settings No access.

 

Profile Edit own profile.
Media Library View all medias.
Comments (Dashboard) View all comments.
Posts (Draft) Add new post and delete own drafts.
Posts No access.
Pages (Draft) No access.
Pages No access.
Users No access.
Appearance No access.
Settings No access.

 

Profile Edit own profile.
Media Library No access.
Comments (Dashboard) No access.
Posts (Draft) No access.
Posts No access.
Pages (Draft) No access.
Pages No access.
Users No access.
Appearance No access.
Settings No access.

Please note that this role is not the same with Email Subscribers.

 

 

There’s also a few roles that will be available only when certain plugins were activated. For example, activation of the MyClass plugin or Forum* plugin would automatically made additional MyClass roles or Forum roles available for selection.

 

Email Subscriber

Email Subscriber refers to a visitor who had voluntarily submitted their email at the blog for the purpose of being kept notified of any new posts or developments. These email subscribers could use any emails (official or personal) to subscribe.

 

Blog Admin

 

Administrators of the blog are also granted the following privileges:

  • Change the blog’s theme.
  • Access to Appearance options (menu, widgets and background).
  • View users registered to the blog.
  • Add user to the blog (user must already be registered to Blogs@NTU).
  • Change user’s role or remove the user.
  • Access the Settings options.
  • Export and import content to XML.

 

Add User to Blog

 

If you need to access a blog’s dashboard, please make a direct request to the blog admin. Blog admins could only add pre-registered users to their own blog. You will need the user’s NTU username or NTU email address to add.

To add users to your blog:

  1. Go to your blog’s Dashboard > Users > Add Existing.
  2. Key in user’s NTU username or NTU email and select the appropriate role.
  3. Click on Add Existing User button.

 

If you are not able to add the user, please do the following:

  1. Ask the user to login first. This will auto-register the user to Blogs@NTU.
  2. Once the login is successful, you should be able to add the user to your blog.

 

If the login was unsuccessful, please contact us with these details:

  • Your blog’s URL.
  • User’s NTU email.
  • Assigned role (admin, editor, author, contributor or subscriber).

 

If you wish to change the user’s role, please click here. To remove the user, please click here.

To add NIE users, please contact us for assistance.

Requests to add users to a blog without prior authorisation from one of the blog admins will be declined. In the event that blog admins were no longer contactable, please provide documentary proof to transfer the blog. For example, if no proper handover from previous committee was done, user may submit evidence of current membership.

 

Adding Many Users to a Blog

 

If you need to add many users (>10 users), the blog admin may send us a request for batch update. Please email us an excel file in the following format or use our template. All columns must be filled. Please use a valid NTU email address.

Blog Address Username Email Role Official Name
alpha-lab turner.paige turner.paige@ntu.edu.sg Administrator Paige Turner
alpha-lab parra123 parra123@e.ntu.edu.sg Contributor Libby Parra

 

Change User’s Role

 

Only blog admins may change the role of users that were added to their own blog.

To change user’s role:

  1. Go to your blog’s Dashboard > Users > All Users.
  2. Left-click on the tick box next to column “Username”. You can select multiple users to change their roles.
  3. At the top of the list, click on the box with the text “Change role to…” and select the user’s new role. 
  4. Click on the Change button.

 

If you want to remove the user, please click here.

 

Remove User

 

Only blog admins may remove users from their own blog. If you wish to change the user’s role, please click here.

To remove user(s) from a blog:

  1. Go to your blog’s Dashboard > Users > All Users.
  2. Left-click on the tick box next to column “Username”. You can select multiple users to change their roles.
  3. At the top of the list, click on the box with the text “Bulk Actions” and select “Remove”.
  4. Click on the Apply button.

Note:
Removing the user from your blog means that the user will no longer be able to access your blog’s dashboard. If your blog’s privacy setting was set to “Only registered users of this blogs can have access”, the user will not be able to view it. Removal of user by blog admins will not delete nor de-register the user from our Blogs@NTU platform.

If you had mistakenly removed a user, you may add the user back again. Click here to know how.

 

My Class User Roles

 

There are 2 additional roles when MyClass plugin is activated. 

  • Teacher
  • Student

 

Teacher

Users added with ‘Teacher’ role will have access to all student project blogs attached to the main course blog. Only course blog admin may assign ‘Teacher’ role to users. Blog admin must first add the user as blog admin to the main course blog. 

To assign Teacher role:

  1. First add user as blog admin via Dashboard > Users > Add Existing.
  2. Go to the main course blog Dashboard > My Class > Settings.
  3. Scroll down to section for Teachers and tick on the checkbox before the user’s name.
  4. Click Save button and wait until new ‘Teacher’ is being added to all associated student project blogs.

The ‘Teacher’ should be able to access all student project blogs via main course blog’s Dashboard > My Class > Student Blogs.

 

Student

The ‘Student’ role permissions are pre-determined by the course blog admin. The course blog admin may decide to allow or disallow the following rights for ‘Student’ role:

  • Switch themes.
  • Add/edit pages.
  • Add/edit posts.
  • Activate plugins.
  • Edit Settings, Theme Options, Widgets and Menus.

At the end of the project due date, course blog admin may wish to remove all the above ‘Student’ role permissions to stop further alteration in order to grade their work.

 

For more information, please click here.

 

Forum User Roles

 

There are 5 additional roles when Forum plugin is activated. 

  1. Keymaster
  2. Moderator
  3. Participant
  4. Spectator
  5. Blocked

 

Keymaster

  • Create/edit all forums.
  • Delete any forums.
  • Create/edit all topics and replies.
  • Delete any topics and replies.
  • Manage tags.
  • Moderate forum with moderation tools.
  • Access to global forum settings, tools, and importer.

Moderator

  • Create/edit own forums.
  • Create/edit all topics and replies.
  • Delete any topics and replies.
  • Manage tags.
  • Moderate forum with moderation tools.

Participant

  • Create/edit own topics and replies.

Spectator

  • Can only read topics and replies.

Blocked

  • All capabilities are explicitly blocked.

 

For more information, please click here.

 

Your Profile

 

Once registered as a blog user, you may edit your profile either via the top menu display name or via the dashboard.

Via top menu display name.

  1. Login to the blog.
  2. Move your mouse pointer to the top right corner (usually where your name is displayed).
  3. Click on the Edit My Profile link.

Via dashboard.

  1. Login to the blog.
  2. Go to Dashboard > Users.
  3. Click on the Your Profile link.

 

Display Name

You may edit the Nickname field and select the appropriate display name via the Display Name dropdown list.

 

About Profile Photo

 

Unless stipulated by the faculty or admin staff, you may upload photos of your own choosing. Please ensure that your profile photo does not infringe on any copyright or public decency laws. 

Preferred:

  • Recent clear photo of yourself.
  • Professionally taken.
  • Cropped tightly in a square.

Prohibited:

  • Photo of young children or infants.
  • Obscene or profane photos.
  • Copyright or trademark photos.

Please refer to our copyright guide to learn more. We reserved the right to remove the profile photo without consulting the user if it was found to violate any University policies and guidelines.

 

Adding a Profile Photo

 

It is best to edit the photo prior to upload. Ensure that the photo is right-side up, preferably square and 400×400 pixels maximum. 

 

Edit Photo

For Windows:

  1. Save the image on your desktop.
  2. Find the file and double left click on it. It should open using the app Photos.
  3. To rotate:
    1. At the top of the Photos window, you will see Rotate icon (next to the heart icon).
    2. Click on the rotate icon until it is the right side up.
  4. To crop:
    1. At the top of the Photos window, you will see the Crop icon (next to to the rotate icon).
    2. At the right panel, select the Aspect ratio to “Square”.
  5. Adjust the image accordingly.
  6. Click on the Save a copy button at the right panel (at the bottom) to save.
  7. Go to your Blogs@NTU profile and upload the image.

 

Upload File

You may only have 1 profile photo. To upload an avatar photo:

  1. Go to Dashboard > Users > Your Avatar.
  2. Click on the Choose File button and select the image file from your computer to upload. Only jpeg, gif and png file are accepted.
  3. Click Upload button.
  4. You will asked to resize the uploaded image. 
  5. Click on Crop Image button.

Uploaded image file will delete the previous photo. The system will not retain previous image files. 

 

Guest Authors

 

Guest Authors are not registered Blogs@NTU users. These are profiles that does not have access to the dashboard – meaning, they are unable to add any posts. For example, if you are posting on behalf of non-NTU users and would like to attribute it to the external author. In order to enable Guest Authors, the Co-Authors Plus* plugin must be activated.

 

Add new Guest Author

  1. Go to Dashboard > Users > Guest Authors.
  2. Click on Add New button.
  3. Insert First Name, Last Name and Display Name.
  4. Click on Add New Guest Author button.

 

Insert existing Guest Author to post

You may insert as many authors to a post as needed.

  1. Edit the post.
  2. At the Authors panel, use the box to search for existing author.
  3. Click on the author’s name to add.
  4. Click on Update button at the Publish panel.

 

Add Tooltip to Media

 

We have a Simple Tooltip plugin* which are used primarily for text. However, this could also be use for images. In order to use this feature, activate this plugin.

 

Using Simple Tooltip plugin

  1. Simple Tooltip plugin must be activated.
  2. Insert image.
  3. Click on image and go to the format toolbar.
  4. Find the chat icon usually on the right of the Toolbar Toggle icon.
  5. Key in the text at Tooltip Content.
  6. Click OK button.
  7. You will see the following shortcode between the image/video:

Demo: Hover your mouse cursor over the ‘line’ below the image and wait for a few seconds without moving.



 

Using Image Title Attribute

Here’s how to have text to appear when you mouse over the image.

  1. Click on the image then click on the edit pencil icon. A window will open.
  2. Under Display Settings, select Link To to “None”.
  3. Under Advanced Options, key in the text at Image Title Attribute.
  4. Click Update button.

This does not apply to embedded videos like YouTube.

Demo: Hover your mouse cursor over the image below and wait for a few seconds without moving.

 

Auto-Play Videos

 

Usually, videos will not auto-play upon page load. Some visitors find it intrusive or annoying when a video auto-play itself. Furthermore, visitor may need to restart the video from the beginning; which is counter-productive. 

Regardless, there are 3 ways to auto-play videos. 

 

Using Add Media

  1. Click on the Add Media button (above the content box).
  2. Select the video and click on the Select button.
  3. The content box will have a black rectangle with an play icon in the middle.
  4. Click on the rectangle box. 2 icons (pencil and an “x”) will appear at the top centre. Click on the pencil icon.
  5. At the Video Details, tick on the box for Autoplay.
  6. Click the Update button.
  7. If required, adjust height/width accordingly.

 

Using Divi’s Code module

Divi Builder must be activated.

  1. Add new module.
  2. Select the Code module.
  3. Copy the code below and paste it into the Content tab > Text section > Code box.
  4. Change the URL at “src” accordingly.
  5. If required, adjust height/width accordingly.
<video controls autoplay>
<source type="video/mp4" src="https://www.blogs.ntu.edu.sg/video.mp4">
</video>

 

Using Background Video

Not suitable for videos with audio or videos that would allow user control. Best suited for displaying a ‘moving’ background. Divi Builder must be activated.

  1. Click on Row Settings.
  2. At the Content tab > Background section > Video tab > click plus icon to Add Background Video.
  3. Locate the video and select it.
  4. Click on Upload A Video button.
  5. At the Design tab > Sizing section > Min Height > enter height of video.