samSiteMap™ beta, Version .6

samSiteMap Documentation

Table of Contents

About samSiteMap

Features

License

Quick Setup

Advanced  Reference
The Control Panel:
Index Manager:
The Configuration Tab:
User Sort/Search Tab:
Root Items Tab:
Expand Tab (ALL):
Index Preview Tab:
Global Defaults:
Search/Rank Settings:
Clean samSiteMap Cache:

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Mail List for samSiteMap (pop up window)

samSiteMap creates complex document trees (Indexes) and lists, from standard Mambo/Joomla! content and Components.  Using Menus, Menu items, and Template positions, samSiteMap assembles a descendent document tree that includes all standard content and components, including content(articles), contacts, sections, categories, weblinks, and newsfeeds.  Each item is displayed according to the user\'s access privilege level (admin configurable - shownoauth etc..) ,  has an appropriate Itemid in the URL, is URL formed as it would be in the standard menus, and uses standard SEF if enabled in the CMS.

Users can opt to see this list as a document tree or a standard sorted list, and can additionally sort by rating, votes, or  hits.  Each item contains a small "description" (resembles a search engine's description) which can be set to varying sizes by the administrators. 

samSiteMap also includes a search engine which will look for "any", "all", or "phrase" search terms and includes a "*" wildcard character that can be used with any of the above, in any position.  Searches are full text, and search results will return a portion of the item's text that includes the first search hit(s) as well as density ratings.  Searches include all content contained within the document tree as setup by the administrators.  Searches are limited to Items in the descendent document tree, and will not return Items that the Front End users cannot access via the menu items included in the Indexes root configuration.

samSiteMap is highly configurable, and is completely language skinned for users who do not have English speaking patrons accessing their website.  As of this first release, only English (en_us) language files are included in samSiteMap's distribution, but both Front End and Admin language files can be copied, modified, renamed to have the appropriate local or language in the filename, and returned to their appropriate directories for use by samSiteMap.  samSiteMap will find any language files that match either the CMS language setting or Locale setting and use them before using the default language files.

Complex Directory Trees:
Sorted Document Lists:
Every WebPage Within Two Clicks:
Different Content Types: Same Page:
Advanced Search Engine:
Where's the Search Module?
Admin Editable Page Text:
samSiteMap is Dynamic:
Indexes are Cacheable:
Indexes can Use Global Settings:
Indexes are User Access Level Sensitive:
samSiteMap Uses the assigned Itemids:
Language Skin able:

Complex Directory Trees:

samSiteMap creates complex directory trees derived from Mambo/Joomla! Positions, Menus, and Menu Items.  Will search for content derived from all standard content (sections, categories, content, contacts, weblinks, newsfeeds).  Document trees are presented open explorer style and the CMS administrator can block any content by type to prevent its display (or choose not to include it in the corresponding Index at all).

Sorted Document Lists:

Front End users can select the option to view document trees as Alpha sorted document lists.  Administrators can set this as a default if they wish to.  Users can sort document lists by hits, votes, or rating, and enable/disable the short descriptions attached to each item.  Each of these options is admin configurable, and can be disabled/enabled from the admin utilities.

Every WebPage Within Two Clicks:

For search engines, and for Front End user convenience, no standard content has to be more than two clicks from your home page.  Search engines have an easier time finding all of your content and indexing your site, and Front End Users appreciate the easy access to all content when frustrated by complex menu systems.

Different Content Types: Same Page:

Indexes created by samSiteMap can be used to aggregate lists of different "types" of content that focus on a specific subject or interest.  For example, show an Index with all content types that relate to cars on one Index page (car content section, car weblinks category, car newsfeeds category, car contacts category) and horses on another (similar list - change car to horse).  This is the quickest way to create these types of Indexes and allow your front end users to search (using the search engine) different CMS content "types" that are of similar subject concentration.

Advanced Search Engine:

samSiteMap's Search Engine allows Front End Users to search for "any", "all" or "phrase" search terms.  Also includes a wildcard option ("*") that can be used in any position in any of the search terms.  Results are ranked by % of webmasters maximum density setting (set in back end) and can be configured to highlight (and bold) search terms in any color.  Search description lengths are independent of the settings for normal Document Trees and Document Lists, and can be set to any length desired by the administrators.  Searches are limited to Items accessible via the configured document tree, allowing for concentrations of subject matter by the administrator, or whole site searches if configured as a true Sitemap Index.

Where's the Search Module?

Coming....

Admin Editable Page Text:

Administrators can Include HTML text on any Index created with samSiteMap in a manner that resembles adding content to a normal article or news item (except the use of mosimage or any other mambots).  samSiteMap uses the CMS configured editor, allowing for normal entry of text in samSiteMap Indexes.  Text is displayed above the Document Tree/List and above the search/sort options.  Pages are styled as normal CMS content, with admin configurable Titles (sets browser title too) and normal Article titles as allowed for in the Template's CSS.  This allows for the creation of Indexes that look and feel like normal articles, with special options (Document Tree's/Map's and search/sort options appended to end of Text).  Page text is optional.

samSiteMap is Dynamic:

The only fixed items in an Index created with samSiteMap are its root Items.  If these are template positions, Indexes will always include all published Menus, Menu Items, and their descendent content derived from menus that are shown in that template position.  New menus, deleted menus, or changes made to any menu in that template position will be reflected in the Index.  If the Root Items are Menus, the Index will always include any published Menu Items for that menu, and if Menu Items, all published descendent content.

Indexes are Cacheable:

samSiteMap allows admins to turn on caching for any Index.  On larger Indexes, this markedly reduces server utilization, and lowers page load times.  Cache timeout is automatically set to be whatever the CMS cache timeout is set to, and to use the same directory for cache files.

Indexes can Use Global Settings:

samSiteMap maintains a Global Settings Index to make setup and creation of Indexes faster and easier.  Set the Global settings to your most used options, then just set any differences required in any new Index.

Indexes are User Access Level Sensitive:

samSiteMap has two access display settings that mirror the CMS's menu and content options.  Administrators can elect to not show any unauthorized content (Unauthorized items won't be displayed), or to show first level titles only for unauthorized items (samSiteMap won't show unauthorized descriptions).  If "Show Unauthorized" is selected, Document Tree assembly (Document Lists are derived from the Trees so same is true) will stop at the first unauthorized item showing only its title (unlinked - text only) with an appropriate remark (like "Members Only") and a crossed out Icon if admin has selected to show Icons.  Descendents of that specific Item will not be shown.

samSiteMap Uses the assigned Itemids:

We all know how important it has become to not have the same content accessible via two different URLs.  Search Engines are known to de-index websites that have duplicated content at different URLs.  samSiteMap uses the assigned Itemids for each menu item and all of its descendents, and forms the URLs as they are formed in the normal menuing system.  The inclusion of the Itemid URL parameter also ensures that content displays properly according to the Menu settings setup up by the site administrators.

Language Skin able:

Both the Front End, and Admin Utilities for samSiteMap are 100% language skinned via language files (we think we got it all, please let us know if we missed something).  To use samSiteMap in a language other than English (en_us), copy the two language files (or front end only if admins read English and Front End users don't) contained in the "lang" directories in each component directory, modify the language to reflect what is appropriate for the new language, change the file name to include either the CMS setting's Locale setting or Language setting, then copy the files back to the "lang" directories.  samSiteMap automatically searches for language files in these directories that match the Local setting first, the Language setting second, and if not found, the default en_us file included with samSiteMap.

Preview-able from the Admin Utilities:

When editing Indexes, administrators have a tab available that will load the Index for them to preview.  This allows for quick and easy review of changes and edits (after saving the Index) without having to keep a second browser window open or having to leave the back end.

Copyright © 2005, Steve Graham, SAM Code Team

samSiteMap™ is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the license, or (at your option) any later version, subject to our requirements listed here.  Any derivative work must comply with our "Credit Requirements for Derivative Works" section below.

In the event that there is a conflict between any current or future release of the GNU GPL, and any of our requirements stated here, Our requirements will take precedence and void the conflicting sections, or subsections only of the GNU GPL license.

The Copyright holders (Steve Graham, SAM Code Team) specifically exclude any add-on scripts, or add-on APIs written by other individuals (or groups, companies, etc...) and designed to be incorporated into samSiteMap via our normal external script and component API inclusion methodologies from any provisions of, or requirements to also be, GNU GPL licensed.  To qualify for this exclusion, the scripts must not modify or change in any way,  the original code, classes, functions, methodologies, output (except as provided for in the base code of samSiteMap's inclusion methods and functions), or files included in samSiteMap and must not duplicate any copyright protected code from samSiteMap which is licensed under the GNU GPL. 

Please note that the GPL states (and we require, in the event that the GNU GPL changes) that any headers in files, and Copyright notices, as well as credits in headers, source files and output (screens, prints, etc.) can not be removed.  You can however, extend them with your own credits.  Make sure you understand our conditions for this, in the section below, if you choose to create a derivative work based on samSiteMap.

Crediting Requirements for Derivative Works:

samSiteMap uses a unique credit rendering system that renders credits for Front End pages on two lines, and Admin (back end) pages on one line. 

The first line of the Front End page's credit section is the samSiteMap name and version, linked to the SAM Code Team's website.  The second line will alternate between two different credit lines that link back to the websites that underwrote the costs for developing samSiteMap, participated in its development, and made it possible to release samSiteMap under GNU GPL licensing. 

The rendering of these links (credit lines) in the front end must not be modified, except in the following manner:  If you modify samSiteMap, and distribute your modified version, you may add an equal weight second credit line, to the function responsible for creating it, that links back to your website (the original lines must still render two times out of three page loads), and you may replace the first line that links back to the SAM Code Team's website with a line linking back to yours (and has the name you are assigning to your project as a link title).  Whether you replace the first line or not, in accordance with the GNU GPL you must indicate in that line that your project is derived from this one (samSiteMap), although it does not have to link back to the SAM Code Team's website. 

The credit line in the Admin (back end) section is at the bottom of each page, and links back to the SAM Code Team website.  This line may be modified in the same manner as the first credit line in the Front End.

All credit and copyright sections in all source files must be left Intact and unmodified, although you may add your own on to them in a manner that indicates that you have modified the files, in accordance with, and per requirements of the GNU GPL guidelines.

Per GNU GPL guidelines your derivative product must also be released under, and conform to, GNU GPL Licensing.

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS  FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program;  if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place - Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.

The "GNU General Public License" (GNU GPL) is available at:
http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/gpl.html

samSiteMap will run immediately upon installation, and does not require configuration to provide a basic sitemap.  samSiteMap comes with a "Default Index" preconfigured to provide this Index (or site map).  It can be called via a menu link, or simply by the url (i.e. http://yoursite.com/index.php?option=com_samsitemap ).  samSiteMap uses this "Default Index" whenever it is called without a menu assigned Itemid  in the URL (called without a menu item).  If you plan to use samSiteMap primarily as a "whole site" Sitemap only, the default Index is the one to use.  It will automatically include all menus and menu items found in all template positions, unless you change the Root Mode setting for the Default Index.  Menu's will be ordered in the same order that they are listed in for each template in the module manager for that menu.

If you want to change the display order of the template positions (remember, menus will be ordered relative to the template positions), use the instructions that follow.  If the menu ordering is not correct for your Index (and you can't change the display order for that menu module's display within that template position), you will need to create a custom "Root Items" definition for the default Index.  To see how to change the "Root Items" definition, look for "Root Items" in the Advanced Usage section of this document, under the "Configuration Tab" options.  Its very easy to do.

Start by creating a menu item in one of your menus to samSiteMap ("component" Menu Item Type), so that it will be available for assignment to an Index while you are in the samSiteMap admin utilities.

If you would like to change the template order (i.e.: display order), you will need to know the id numbers of your template positions in the mos_template_positions database.  In the admin/back end, under Site>Template Manager>Module Positions, there will be a list displayed of all your template positions, in their normal order.  Make a note of the id numbers listed to the left side of each template position that you want to change the Index order for (you won't need all the id numbers, just the ones for the template positions you want to move to the top of your Index), and the order you want them to appear in, in your Index.

In samSiteMap admin Control Panel, select the option "Index Manager", then the "Default Index", go to the "Configuration" tab (the default tab) and look for the "Template Position Order" option field on the upper right side.  In that box, enter the Template Positions you want listed first, in the order you want them to be listed (first to last goes left to right), separated by commas.  There is a help Icon to the right with more detail.

Under the "Configuration" tab, there is a drop down selection box labeled "Menu Item Assignment".  You should see the menu item you created in the drop down box.  Select that menu item to assign this Index to that menu item.  If you only need samSiteMap for a singular "whole site" type site map and use the Default Index for that, you do not have to assign the menu item.  However, doing so reduces the amount of work that samSiteMap has to do since it will look first for an Index assigned to the Itemid it sees in the URL before loading the Default Index.  Assigning the Default Index to a Menu Item will not prevent it from loading if called via a URL without an Itemid in it, it will just reduce the amount work samSiteMap has to do before loading the Index for this specific menu item.

While you are there, take a moment to look around at all the options available to you.  The "User Sort/Search" tab has all the options for displaying the front end sort and search options as you want them to (including turning them off so that they don't display). 

The "Root Items" is for Custom Indexes, and allows you to add any Template Position, Menu, or Menu Item available on your site to the Index.  This list can be as narrow or as broad as you would like it to be.  For use as a Site Map Index, you probably will not need it, unless using the Template Position Order does not provide the Content/Document Tree you want your visitors to see. 

The "Expand Options" tab is where you select what types of content you want samSiteMap to find (Menu Item Descendents) and display. 

The "Index Preview" allows you to preview your Index from the back end, but it can only show saved Indexes.  If you haven't saved your changes, they won't show up in the preview.

We have included fairly detailed "help" icons for almost all of the options available while editing an Index, So you should be able to go through it without looking back here too much.

It All Starts with the Document Tree:
What samSiteMap Wont Find:
How does it work

It All Starts with the Document Tree:

samSiteMap Finds Site Content while mapping out its Document Tree.  This allows it to make decisions with regard to content type display (is that content in a blog, or a category table??  Does that category belong to the weblinks component, newsfeeds, contacts, or normal content??) and appropriate access levels.  It also creates a very accurate map of the documents available to any given user via the included Menus or Menu Items, filtered through their user access level.  If an item is available to them (access privilege), and it is a descendent of a Menu Item (in other words, they have a way to get there) it will display in samSiteMap.  Items (published or not, right access level or not) that are not accessible via a menu will not display. 

This is real handy for certain types of content that do not belong on this type of list.  For example, we use several content items as "site content" that specifically pertain to the use of our websites (like special pages to respond to certain inquiries etc..).  They just don't belong on any of our Indexes, so we make sure they are in sections and/or categories that have no menu item links.  That way they don't show up in our Indexes.

What samSiteMap Won't Find:

samSiteMap will not attempt to find any content that derives from a Link URL type menu item, a non-core (3pd) component, or a menu spacer.  In fact, although you can include a Menu Spacer in an Index as a Root Item, it won't display.  Link URL Menu item's and non-core component links will display, but samSiteMap does not know how to search for their descendent content, so won't.  Link URL menu items and non-core components show only as a Link (title only) with no description.

Menu Items will always display (except spacers), even if only as a Linked Title.  In these cases, samSiteMap will still respect the users access level, it just does not search for descendents.

We are currently working on a 3pd"s API for non-core components.  Although still a work in progress, it is showing great promise and will require little time from 3pd"s to include themselves in Indexes (if the administrator enables their scripts).  We do not have a projected release date yet, this is falling behind a couple of other projects right now.  We hope to have it completed by the end of the year.

We have no idea what/or if any 3PD menu systems will work with samSiteMap.  If they use the normal Mambo/Joomla! menu tables for their menu items and menus, they will probably work.  If not, they won't for sure.

How does it work?

samSiteMap uses three major internal indexes to assemble document trees, from which it displays either document trees or sorted lists.  The first is for all items and their attributes, the second for the true document tree, and the third holds references to the first and second and is ordered based on type of display (list or map).  The primary index allows for parent-child relationships that cross database tables and interpolates their relationships to assist the document tree Index.  The document tree Index uses special values and keys to "remember" the relationships and uses them to assemble the front end user's accessible document tree.  The third (the rendering index) is  a list of all the accessible items, sorted based on display type (List, Map, Search etc...) and used to render the page.

It all starts with the "Root Items", which if you are using Auto Config root mode includes all the available Template Positions, and the Itemid in the URL, from which samSiteMap makes a decision as to what Index to load.  Indexes contain all the admin configurable options, and a special "Root Items" category which dictates the point from which samSiteMap starts the process of creating the document tree.

The code is a  little messy, but it works very well and as we get closer to a final release for this Version of samSiteMap, it will get refactored continuously until it is a little easier to read.  If you like to hack, you might want to wait until this Version is released as stable.

The Control Panel:

As of this writing, there are five options available under the "Control Panel", all pretty self explanatory.  "Global Defaults" allows you to edit samSiteMap's global defaults for all Indexes.  "Index Manager" is the tool used to configure and setup Indexes (site maps), "Search/Rank Settings" holds the settings used for searches and search rankings, "Clean samSiteMap Cache" cleans all files out of samSiteMap's cache, and "Documentation" brings you to this screen.

Index Manager:

Index Manager will list all available Index (site map) configurations, and allow you to Edit and/or Delete any one of them except the "Default Index".  The Default Index can only be edited, it can not be deleted.

After Installation, you will only have one Index, and that will be the Default Index.  Others will show up as you create them.

Edit Index:

The Configuration Tab:
User Sort/Search Tab:
Root Items Tab:
Expand Tab (ALL):
Index Preview Tab:

Clicking on any Index in the Index Manager brings you to the Edit Index screen.  This is where you can configure and or change your Index configuration.  The standard Admin Menus will disappear if you are using a version of Mambo later than or equal to 4.5.2.3, or Joomla! version 1.0.  The Edit Index utility has to load an incredible amount of data, and ran very slow when the page also had to load the standard Java Menu.  We disabled it to speed the page up.

Notice that you have two save options!  "Save" will save the configuration, and return you to this same screen.  This is handy for quick changes, followed by previews in the "Index Preview" tab.  If you want to save, and exit, pick the "Save&Exit" option, which will save the Index configuration and return you to the Control Panel.

"Cancel" will cancel the Edit session and return you to the Index Manager.

"New", " Edit", and "Delete" will only show up when you are editing a saved configuration, and not when you are creating a new one.  They apply specifically to the "Root Item" entries, and will allow you to add, edit, and or delete Root Items.  As of this writing, the "Edit" option has no function yet, and we are trying to determine if it can contribute anything really useful.  If not, we will delete it from future releases.

If you are creating a new configuration, and want to add Root Items, save the configuration and the Root Item menu options will appear.

The "Configuration" Tab:

Auto Config Root Mode:
Manual Config Root Mode:
Page Title: Index Name: Search Title:
Menu Item Assignment:
Use Cache:
Show/Hide Unauthorized:
Include Self:
Show Menu Titles:
Item Descriptions:
Icons:
Show Empty Containers:
Show Duplicates:
Default View:
Default Sort:

Auto Config Root Mode:

Auto Config Root Mode is a special superset of all published content of your website, accessed via all template positions.  All template positions will be included in the Document Tree creation (as Root Items), although you will not see them.  This a great way to ensure that any new Menus or Menu Items created or altered after you create this Index are included in the Document Tree.  This mode is fairly automatic, requiring little more than adjustments to the Template Position Order if needed.  If your Items are not displaying as you would like them to, make note of your Template Position's id fields in the mos_template_positions database and the order you would like to display them in. Alternatively, you can use the numbers shown to the left of each template position in the Module Template Positions manager window (admin utilities>site>template manager>module positions).

Go into samSiteMap, click on "Edit Indexes", then select the Index you are modifying (default should be used for your "whole site" site map), then look for the "Configuration" tab (the default Tab).  On the right hand side, two fields down is "Template Position Order".  Enter the ids of the Template positions you want to move to the top of the Index only, in the order you want them to display in, separated by commas.

Save the Index, then check to see if it is ordering correctly in the Preview Index Tab.

Manual Config Root Mode:

If you are using Manual Config for your Root Mode, you will need to manually add the Items you want to include as Root Items into your Index configuration.  You can do this from the "Root Items" tab.  Fairly easy, just follow the prompts to include any template position, menu, or menu item.  Once you have added all the appropriate Items, take a moment to order them as you want them to display. 

Only these specific entries are static, and then only their id's are.  If you change a menu item's title for example, or any of the descendent content it points to, samSiteMap will find the correct title and content.  The same is true for template positions and for menus.  Remember that a template position includes all the published menus that display within that position, and a menu includes all menu items that are published in it.

Page Title: Index Name: Search Title:

Name is used only within the samSiteMap utilities, it will never be displayed in the Front End.  Page Title will be displayed just as an Article title would be (it also becomes the page title for the browser), and Search Title is a reference we are reserving for future use.  Search Title will be used to display search options for different Indexes within a search module.

Menu Item Assignment:

samSiteMap will always look for an Itemid in its calling URL.  If it does not find one, it will load the default Index.  If it does find one, it will look for an Index that has been assigned to that Menu Item and if it is able to find one, it will load it.  If it can't find an Index assigned to the Itemid in the URL, it loads the default Index

In order to assign an Itemid to samSiteMap, you must first create a menu link to samSiteMap (menu item type "Component")  in one of your menus.  Then it will automatically be included in the drop down box for Menu Item Assignment while you are in the Edit Index window.  Menu Item Assignments are exclusive to Indexes, no two can have the same.  If you assign a Menu Item to an Index that another Index is already using, the other Index will be changed to "not assigned".

Use Cache:

If you select this option, samSiteMap will cache its non-search pages.  Cache timeout will be the same as is set for the CMS under the site>global settings menu selection.  samSiteMap also uses the same directory, and the same requirements apply as the directory must be writable.

Show/Hide Unauthorized:

This is almost the same option as you find under Joomla!/Mambo for Menu Items and Content.  It will allow front end users to see Items that they are not Authorized to access.  In addition, there will be an explanation to the right of the title (it will not be a link, or have a description) explaining, i.e.:(Members Only).

Any Descendents of that Unauthorized Item will not be displayed.  Document Tree rendering stops at an unauthorized Item.

Include Self:

Your option.  If your Index includes the Menu Item that called samSiteMap, this will give you the option not to render it.

Show Menu Titles:

Menu's are not links, they are titles only.  If including them makes your Index make more sense, you can opt for that here.

Item Descriptions:

Descriptions are an "admin set" number of characters stripped from the beginning of the content text for the Items Displayed.  It is not complete, and its really not a description.  It resembles what you would see returned by a search engine like Google.  This option will turn them on or off, whichever you prefer.  Admins can set the length for descriptions in Global Settings only.

Icons:

samSiteMap has a very primitive, but useful set of Icons it can Include in your Indexes.  They are essentially a folder, and a page.  This will improve with the next few releases as we have time to set something better up.

This options turns then on and off.

Show Empty Containers:

At its core, samSiteMap recognizes two types of entities.  Containers (Items that have children or descendents) and Items.  This option allows you to turn off the display of  containers (like sections and categories) which have no descendents in the internal document tree.

Show Duplicates:

This is a very helpful option, if you find that one Of your Indexes is displaying certain Items more than once. Setting this to "hide" will prevent the second instance of that item from rendering in your Index.  It will also keep any descendents below that item from displaying on the second instance.

 WATCH OUT, this means you have two different menu items pointed at the same content.  That could lead to a black mark with some of the search engines.  If you are having this problem, see if you can determine why, and really try to eliminate the second menu item to that same content section,  category, or item.  If you have to have two menu items to that content, see if you can't make the second one a URL Link instead of any kind of internal Mambo/Joomla! link (category table, section table, blog, etc...). 

Copy the URL you get in your browser when you access it via the first menu item, and use that to create the second menu item, of type link URL.  Since linkURL menu types do not get Itemid assignments, the second link will be identical to the first, except for perhaps a different title, and being located on a different menu.

Since samSiteMap will not search for descendents of a linkURL type menu item, it will also solve the problem of duplicate items showing in your Index.

Default View:

Set the default view (map or list) here.  Pages will be rendered first in this view, after which the Front End user can elect to change it if the "Show Menu" option is enabled under the "User Sort/Search" tab.

Default Sort:

Same as above, but for the sort options.

User Sort/Search Tab:

Show Menu:
View Selection:
Sort Options:
Show Rating Sort Option:
Descriptions Selection:
Allow Searching:
Show/Hide Search Options:

Show Menu:

Turn on/off the rendering of the User menu that allows them to change View, Sort, and Description options.

View Selection:

Turn off the View option only, rest of menu remains.

Sort Options:

Turn off the Sort option only, rest of menu remains.

Show Rating Sort Option:

If you do not have Ratings enabled for your content, having a sort option for them does not make a lot of sense.  This will allow you to turn that specific sort option off.

Descriptions Selection:

Turns off the Descriptions user selection, rest of menu remains.

Allow Searching:

Disabling the Search Menu will not enable the functions.  Some folks don't want that menu active unless a search is executed, like from a module or external link.  This option turns off the search features altogether.

Show/Hide Search Options:

Turns off the display of the search options (all of them).  Search features will still work, and if a search is executed from an external source (just has to be in the URL) the menu will activate and display.  Only turns off the search menu when an Index is loaded in non-search mode.

Root Items Tab:

Root Items dictate where samSiteMap begins its process of creating the internal document tree.  In Auto Config mode, the Root Items will automatically include all template module positions found in the CMS's database (mos_template_positions database).  This inclusion is done internally and is not reflected in the "Root Items" tab. 

In Manual Config mode, samSiteMap will only use the items that you add to this list to create the document tree.  Items that can be included are: template positions, menus, or menu items.

To add Root Items, from the Root Items tab, Select the "new" icon from the upper right action icons.  At the select item type screen, select the item type you wish to add and click on the "Select Item" icon.  You will then be taken to the Select Item screen where you can make your selection.  After making your selection, click on the "Save" icon at the top.  The new item will be added to the Index's Root Item list and you will be returned to the Root Items tab in the Edit Index screen.

NOTE:  Some wysiwyg editors do not recover from this process (TinyMCE in our testing).  Although the "Configuration" tab may not show your text for this Index it is still there.  If you need to edit the text for the Index after adding or deleting a Root Item, you will need to save your Index.  After saving the Index, the normal wysiwyg field in the "Configuration" tab will return.

Expand Tab (ALL):

Pretty self explanatory, each option allows you to turn on , or off, the rendering of that specific content type.  Remember that turning off a parent type (section or category) stops the Document Tree from rendering its descendents.  Menu Item links that link below that level will still render, this only effects discovery options.

Index Preview Tab:

We put this in, because we always wish for it when we are playing with other components.  This tab is a frame pointed at your website, to the URL for the Index you are editing.  If the Index you are editing does not have a Menu Assignment, you will need to log in to see the correct Index.  Also, the Index will always render as the correctly logged in user (you - in the front end) unless you are logged in as a Super Administrator.  Each link will show you what the Index will look like, and what it will render like for each listed access level (Public, Registered, or  Special).

Global Defaults:

Sublevel Padding:
Description Lengths:

Most Global Settings are the same as available in the Edit Index window.  Some are unique and not duplicated under the Edit Index option.  They are:

Sublevel Padding:

samSiteMap pads the left side of Items in its displays.  In list mode, its 1x pad value, in map mode its sublevel x pad value.  This number is integer, only, do not include quotes, pct, px, % or anything non integer.  It is applied as px.

Description Lengths:

Character Length for Descriptions.  Applies to List and Map View modes only, as Search result description lengths are set under the "Search/Rank Settings" tab.  This will trim the content text for each Item, starting from the beginning, so that it does not exceed this number (plus 15 chars).  If it can find a period, or a space within the next 15 characters following this cut off point, it will extend the description to that point.

Search/Rank Settings:

Highlight Search Terms:
Highlight Titles:
Description Lengths:
Show Search Item Ranks:
CSS highlight color (HEX):
Bold Highlight Font
Show Wildcard Line:

Highlight Search Terms:

Turn all search term highlighting off or on.

Highlight Titles:

Turn search term highlighting for item titles off or on.

Description Lengths:

Same as for Global Settings, but applies only to descriptions for returned search items.  Character length maximum for that description.

Show Search Item Ranks:

If you don't want to see the Rank column on a search return, turn it off here.

CSS highlight color (HEX):

Will be added into a span tag that surrounds a found search term in an Item.  Will be applied as style="font-color: #FF0000".  Although we are expecting a HEX number, you can also use a recognized CSS color name (like red, blue, green etc...).

Bold Highlight Font?

Turn bold attribute off or on for highlighted search terms.  Applied as style="font-weight:bold".

Show Wildcard Line:

Turn off or on the display below the search box that says "*"=wildcard.

Clean samSiteMap Cache:

Deletes any existing cache files stored by samSiteMap.  samSiteMap will automatically clean the cache whenever you save an Index configuration, or when saving Root Items within an Index.  If we missed something, you can clean it manually here.

We have made an honest attempt to make samSiteMap 100% language skin able.  All language is contained in two language files, one for the front end, and one for the admin utilities.  Each is contained in a lang directory, which is inside each respective component directory for samSiteMap.  samSiteMap will look first in those directories for files that match the Mambo/Joomla! Local setting, then if it fails it will look for a file that matches the Language setting.  If both fail, it loads the default en_us file.  We tested this part, and know it works.

If you translate a language file (or both), please send us a copy of your translation. 

As of now, samSiteMap is about 99% certain not to work with unicode, although we hope to add that option later.  ASCII English will work for sure, ANSII may.  We suggest trying it out on your site before trying to edit the Language files.  In particular, check the List sort options, and the search function.

If you find that it does not work in your language, there are some tweaks we are hoping to do before the next beta release.  We just need some non-English websites, and folks who speak something other than English to test with.  We will not be focusing on unicode until we are very close to, or perhaps even after the first stable release.

If you are a coder/hacker who wants to assist in this effort. please contact us through the contact us options on our website at http://coders.mlshomequest.com .

 

 

Although not real comprehensive, we hope that this documentation, along with the documentation we provide in the form of ? buttons throughout samSiteMap's admin component will be sufficient.  If you have additional questions, or need support, please contact us through the contact forms on our website at http://coders.mlshomequest.com .  We also maintain a simpleboard forum there for folks who wish to join the site and participate directly on the forum.

Free support is provided on an "as available" basis only.