The Janet Systems DotNetNuke Guestbook module allows visitors to a website to leave a message for other visitors and the site owners. The module saves the guestbook entries as XML files. Archives are created at the end of each month or year, a configurable option.

Features

• Uses XML files to save the guestbook entries.
• Administrators may edit the messages for content, or delete an entry. A modified entry is marked as modified.
• The archive period may be set to either monthly or yearly. The current guestbook is then archived and a fresh guestbook is started.
• Links to archived guestbooks are automatically made available.
• Set fonts and colours using stylesheet classes.

Details

Visitors to the website see a paged table of messages, beginning with the most recent. Below this is a list of the archived guestbooks. Presented above the listing is a link to add a new entry to the guestbook. To help guard against e-mail abuse we obfuscate the presented e-mail addresses, adding spaces and replacing some characters.

The current guestbook is archived at the end of either a month or a year. If the gustbook is particularly active then we would recommend saving on a monthly basis.

janet.Guestbook module
View of current entries

Shown below is the settings configuration page for the guestbook module.

• By entering an e-mail address, when a new entry is added to the guestbook an e-mail will be received, with alink to the guestbook page, and a copy of the new entry, to save you having to visit the website.
• You will obviously want to encourage entries in the guestbook to be of a fair nature, not inciting too much anger. We therefore offer the option to add guestbook rules. These are presented when adding a new entry.
• No doubt the entries in the guestbook will not be aligned with your own views. So here we have an option for a disclaimer, to be shown below the guestbook entries.
• You are able to define how long the current guestbook should run for before it is archived. For a busy guestbook a month is probably preferable. At the end of the marked period, a month or a year, the current guestbook is archived and a new one started. Archived guestbooks are listed after the current entries.
• The last item, only partially showing in the iamge below, is notification of when the current guestbook started.

Guestbook Settings

It is possible that an entry in the guestbook is undesirable. To emend this entry the current guestbook may be edited. Allowing the entry to either be removed or its content amended.

Maintain guestbook entries

The image below illustrates adding a new entry to the guestbook. The entrants name and message are required fields. As mentioned above, the guestbook rules can be seen below the form entry fields. A new entry comprises name, e-mail address, location and message. The name and message are required fields. A date is automatically saved along with the message.

Add a new guestbook entry

Editing and Configuration

There are two configuration options, selected from the usual drop down list on the module container. These enable the entries to be edited and the settings of the guestbook to be configured.

To edit an entry in the guestbook select the Edit Items option from the drop down options. A paged table of the guestbook entries is then presented. From here we can select an individual entry for editing or deletion. We can delete entries which do not agree with the website content policy, or which have, perhaps, no content. by clicking on the Delete text to the right of an entry. Clicking on the Edit text will change our view of the row to be edited. Make your changes as required and click on either the Cancel or Update options at the right hand end of the row. Further pages of guestbook entries may be selected via the page numbers at the bottom of the table.

An initial entry in the guestbook is included by default. The message in this entry acts as an introduction. This message may be amended following the methods described in the paragraph above.

By selecting the Edit Settings from the drop down list we are able to configure the life span of the guestbook. We can choose the guestbook to last for either 1 month or 1 year. At the end of this period the current guestbook is archived and a new one started. By default the life span of the guestbook is one year.

The presentation of the guestbook may be changed using stylesheets. It is anticipated that these configurations will be added to the stylesheet of the skin. However, it is possible to add them via the stylesheet option under the admin settings page. The following items are wrapped in tables: each listing item; add new entry form; guestbook settings form. These tables, together with their name and value table cells maybe configured. Included at the bottom of this guide is a sample stylesheet.

Sample Stylesheet

/* ====== CSS STYLES FOR janet.Guestbook === ====== */

/* Table containing guestbook entry - Listing mode */
.janetGuestbook_listingTable {
  border-right: navy 1px solid;
  border-top: navy 1px solid;
  border-left: navy 1px solid;
  width: 100%;
  border-bottom: navy 1px solid;
  background-color: lavender;
}

/* Definition for row entry ident - Listing mode */
.janetGuestbook_listingName {
  font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica;
  font-size: 11px;
  font-weight: bold;
  color: #003366;
  width:10%;
}

/* Definition for row entry value - Listing mode */
.janetGuestbook_listingValue {
  FONT-SIZE: 11px;
  COLOR: #003366;
  FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica;
  width:90%;
}

/* Table containing dialogue- new entry */
.janetGuestbook_newEntryTable {
  border-right: navy 1px solid;
  border-top: navy 1px solid;
  border-left: navy 1px solid;
  width: 100%;
  border-bottom: navy 1px solid;
  background-color: lavender;
}

/* Definition for item ident - new entry*/
.janetGuestbook_newEntryName {
  font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica;
  font-size: 11px;
  font-weight: bold;
  color: #003366;
  width:100px;
}

/* Definition for item value - New entry */
.janetGuestbook_newEntryValue {
  FONT-SIZE: 11px;
  COLOR: #003366;
  FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica;
}

/* Table containing dialogue - Guestbook settings */
.janetGuestbook_settingsTable {
  border-right: navy 1px solid;
  border-top: navy 1px solid;
  border-left: navy 1px solid;
  width: 400px;
  border-bottom: navy 1px solid;
  background-color: lavender;
}

/* Definition for item ident - Guestbook settings */ 
.janetGuestbook_settingsName {
  font-family: Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica;
  font-size: 11px;
  font-weight: bold; color: #003366; width:10%;
}

/* Definition for item value - Guestbook settings */
.janetGuestbook_settingsValue {
  FONT-SIZE: 11px;
  COLOR: #003366;
  FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma, Arial, Helvetica;
  width:90%;
}

Alternatively the stylesheet may be applied by editing the stylesheet settings ion the admin site setting page.

Setting style sheet values
in Admin>Site Settings

Support

For support issues please follow the discussions at the forum.

If there are other alterations or additions which you feel would benefit the module then we would like to hear about it. Please follow the instructions on the Contact page of our website www.janetsystems.co.uk