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Description
Example of use
A drop box for each participant or student
Navigating the drop boxes
Browsing drop boxes
Viewing the contents of a drop box
Opening a drop box
Putting an item in a drop box
Revising information about a drop box or an item in a drop box
Moving an item to another drop box
Deleting a drop box or an item in a drop box
Chelonia mydas

Description

The Drop Box tool allows instructors and students to share documents in a private folder for each student. The Drop Box feature can also be used by participants in a project site. Note, however, that in project sites, drop boxes are not private.

The Drop Box works like Resources tool (see the section on Resources in this online help) to allow you to upload and create different types of files, and upload many files at a time. The Drop Box also allows for nested folders (folders within folders).

We use the term "Drop Box" to refer to the drop box folder that each student or participant has. Folders within the drop boxes are simply called folders.

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Example of use

Instructors can use the Drop Box tool to provide private progress reports to each student.

A drop box for each participant or student

When participants or students are added, either automatically or with the Add Participants tool, to a CTools site, they automatically have drop box folders. (If the drop box tool was specified when the site was first created.)

Navigating the drop boxes

To return to the higher level folder:

- Click the "breadcrumb" of the folder you would like to go to as follows:

Directly under the word Resources on the main drop box page, you will see a line of text and icons which may be short or long. For example:

Location: Sitename Drop Box / Soze, Keyser / Example Folder 3

This example of a string of breadcrumbs shows the top level folder Sitename Drop Box (which includes the name of the course or project site), the drop box for a student or participant named Keyser Soze, and a folder in that drop box called Example Folder 3.

Each section of a string of breadcrumbs is a link. Click on a link to return to that folder or drop box.

Alternate way to return to the top level:

- Click the small white triangle next to the words Drop Box on the main window.

To go to a lower level folder:

- To open a folder, click on the folder's name. You may need to click the names of folders within folders to reach certain items.

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Browsing all drop boxes

Click Drop Box in the menubar.

- You will see a list of the drop boxes.

For information on navigating through the drop boxes, see the section, "Navigating the Drop Boxes," above.

Viewing the contents of a drop box or other folder

- Click on the little folder icon next the folder (drop box) name or on the name, itself.

Opening a drop box

• To open a drop box, click on the little folder icon nex to the name of the drop box or on the name itself.

• To open an item in a drop box, click on the name of the item or the icon next to the name. If it's a folder, click the folder name or the little folder icon next to the name.

For information on navigating through the drop boxes, see the section, "Navigating the Drop Boxes," above.

Are you finding what you're looking for? Please send feedback about this online help guide to ctools-doc-comments@umich.edu Thanks! (For questions about using CTools, send email to ctools-support@umich.edu)

Putting an item in a drop box

Your site automatically has one top-level drop-box folder, which has the same name as your site, e.g., anthro 101 Drop Box. Within this folder are the drop boxes (actually folders) for students or participants.

To create a new resource within a drop box, you will use one of the buttons directly below the name of the drop box.

First Steps:

1...Click Drop Box in the left-hand menubar.

2...Hold the cursor over the "Add" command to the right of the folder you want the resource(s) to go in. A menu of resource types will appear.

3…Choose the type of resource you would like to create by moving the cursor down the menu and clicking it.

Resource: Uploaded Files

A...After you complete steps 1 through 3, under "First Steps," above, do the following:

B.,,Click the Choose File button, select a file to upload, and click Choose.

C...You can add a name for the file resource. (If you don't add a name, CTools will use the filename for the name.)

D...To upload more files, click the Add Another File link and repeat steps A and B.

(You can remove a file at this point by clicking the red X next to it.)

E....When you are ready to specify more details about a file, click Add details for this item:

1...If you want, add a description for the file resource.

2...Choose whether to use your copyright information or type in other copyright information you would like to have used.

3... Under "Availability and Access" (for project sites only -- not course sites): Choose whether to have the new resource viewable by only those who are members of the site or by anyone (publicly viewable).

Note that if the folder into which you're putting the new file resource already has access specified, the new resource will automatically have that same access.

4...Also under "Availability and Access": Choose whether you would like to show or hide your resource at this time. If you choose Show, you can specify when you want the resource to begin showing and when you would like it to be automatically hidden. If you choose Show but don't specify a beginning and end, the resource will show all the time.

F....You can click Hide details for this item (up by the file's name) to hide all the details.

G...Choose whether you would like to have members of the site notified automatically via email when the file(s) are uploaded to the site.

H...Click the Upload Files Now button to complete the process.

Resource: Web Links (URLs)

After you complete steps 1 through 3, "First Steps," above, do the following:

A...Type the Web Address (URL) in the box.

You do not have to include the http:// For example, simply type umich.edu (You may need to include the www in some URLs.)

B...Add a name for the website. If you don't add a name, the URL will be used as the title of the resource.

C...To create another URL resource, click the Add Another Web Link and repeat steps A and B.

(You can remove a URL resource at this point by clicking the red X next to it.)

D....When you are ready to specify more details about a file, click Add details for this item:

1...If you want, add a description for the URL resource.

2... Under "Availability and Access" (for project sites only -- not course sites): Choose whether to have the new uRL resource viewable by only those who are members of the site or by anyone (publicly viewable).

Note that if the folder into which you're putting the new file resource already has access specified, the new resource will automatically have that same access.

3...Also under "Availability and Access": Choose whether you would like to show or hide your URL resource at this time. If you choose Show, you can specify when you want the resource to begin showing and when you would like it to be automatically hidden. If you choose Show but don't specify a beginning and end, the resource will show all the time.

F....You can click Hide details for this item (up by the file's name) to hide all the details.

G...Choose whether you would like to have members of the site notified automatically via email when the file(s) are uploaded to the site.

H...Click the Upload Files Now button to complete the process.

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Resource: HTML Page

You can create html resources using the WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get) editor. The WYSIWYG editor does not work with Internet Explorer or Safari on the Macintosh.

After you complete steps 1 through 3, "First Steps," above, do the following:

A...Type the content of your html document.

B... Click Continue

C...Type a Name for your html page.

D...Type a description (optional)

E...Specify the copyright information.

F...For project sites only (not course sites): Choose whether to have the new resource viewable by only those who are members of the site, or by anyone (Public View).

Note that if the folder into which you're putting the new file resource already has access specified, the new resource will automatically have that same access.

G...Under Availability, choose whether you would like to show or hide your resource at this time. If you choose Show, you can specify when you want the resource to automatically begin showing and when you would like it to be automatically hidden. If you choose Show but don't specify a beginning and end, the resource will show all the time.

H...Choose whether you would like to have members of the site notified automatically via email when the resource is posted.

I...Click Finish.

Resource: Text Document

After you complete steps 1 through 3, "First Steps," above, do the following:

A...Type the content of your document.

B... Click Continue

C...Type a Name for your text document.

D...Type a description (optional)

E...Specify the copyright information.

F...For project sites only (not course sites): Choose whether to have the new resource viewable by only those who are members of the site, or by anyone (Public View).

Note that if the folder into which you're putting the new file resource already has access specified, the new resource will automatically have that same access.

G...Under Availability, choose whether you would like to show or hide your resource at this time. If you choose Show, you can specify when you want the resource to automatically begin showing and when you would like it to be automatically hidden. If you choose Show but don't specify a beginning and end, the resource will show all the time.

H...Choose whether you would like to have members of the site notified automatically via email when the resource is posted.

I...Click Finish.

Revising information about a drop box or an item in a drop box

Note: With the exception of Simple Text and HTML document resources, the revise option only allows you to revise the information about the resource, such as the description or copyright information, and not the contents of the actual resource itself.

1... Hold the cursor over "Actions" to the right of the resource, move the cursor down the menu, and click the Revise details.

2... In the window that opens, make the changes you want.

3... Click Update.

For information on navigating through the drop boxes, see the section, "Navigating the Drop Boxes," above.

Moving an item to another drop box

1... Click the Cut button directly under the name of the item you want to move.

2... Locate the folder you would like to put the resource in.

3... Click the Paste Cut Item button directly under the name of that folder.

For information on navigating through the drop boxes, see the section, "Navigating the Drop Boxes," above.

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Deleting a drop box or an item in a drop box

1... Click the Delete button directly under the name of the item you want to delete.

You will see a message asking if you are sure you want to delete the following item.

2... Click Delete.

Green Turtle

Chelonia mydas