Rich Text Editor

The Rich Text Editor element (RTE) is essentially a miniature word processor for building web pages. Most functions of the RTE will be obvious to even the most casual user of word processors such as Word or WordPad. This page covers functions of the RTE that require a bit of explanation and includes a list of useful keyboard shortcuts.

Note: Safari 4 and 5.0 users will see an older version of the RTE with different icons, but most of the functionality is the same.

Embed Video

Use this button to embed videos from sites like YouTube and Khan Academy. Simply paste the web address (URL) for the video.

Source

Use this button to toggle between the WYSIWYG ("what you see is what you get") and source code modes. Source code mode shows the HMTL behind the editor and is intended for advanced users only. Please note that HTML not strictly support by the RTE will be stripped out.

Styles

Using this drop-down menu, highlighted text can be formatted in one of three predefined "block styles," including: Secondary Header, Subheader, or Preformated Text. Text can also be formatting in one of three "inline styles," including Yellow Marker (i.e. highlighter), Green Marker, and Big.

Optional Styles

Use this drop-down menu to choose preset styles based on the Quicklinks or three other container designs.

Special Characters

When symbols/special or accented characters are required, use this button on the toolbar. Using other techniques to enter symbols such as © or accented characters such as é are unreliable.

Links

To create a link, first highlight the linking text or select an image by clicking it once, then click the Links button on the toolbar. The pop-up window allows you to link to other pages on the site, a URL of your choosing, any item in any of your lockers, or any staff member’s personal page. You can also choose to open the link in a new window or have it open in the same window. You can also create mailto links using this tool by entering  the person's name@email address in the mailto hyperlink field.

Insert Image

Add images from your computer, locker, or image albums to your pages using this tool. After selecting your image, the preview window gives you an idea of how your image will look on your page. By default the image will size to 100% of the column width. Adjust the size of your image by changing either the Width or Height – the other adjusts automatically to maintain the correct aspect ratio of your image. Use the Rotate button to fix orientation issues. The Align drop-down menu determines the placement of the image and wraps the text around the image.

Table Editor

Click the Table button on the toolbar. Choose the number of rows and columns, define whether you want a border and choose a width or height for your table cells – though this can expand as you type more information in the cell. Several other settings, such as table alignment, are also available.

After adding your table, right clicking over the table will bring up a contextual menu where you can access the more advanced settings for table properties.

To add Rows to a  table, right-click in the table and select Row > Insert Row Before or Insert Row After. There is a similar menu to insert columns.