One of the special features of any Content Management System is that it allows users to gain access to special areas where they may edit content and administer their website. In Mambo, two interfaces exist whereby users are given the opportunity enter in a user name and password to gain entry into the registered areas.
The two interfaces(or sides) of Mambo are:
- The back-end interface (Administrator Login)
- The front-end interface (User Login)
In order to effectively administer your website, firms understanding of both user interfaces are necessary.
The Backend Interface - Administrator Login
Mambo provides an administration side to every website. The administration side is called, perhaps not surprisingly, the Admin System, and it contains a wide variety of tools for managing site content, users and configuration
The Administrator Login is accessible by entering the URL of your site followed by the path to the administrator folder. For example, http://www.example.com/administrator
will take you to the Administrator login page. After successfully installing Mambo on your server, your user name and password should already be setup, so all that you must now do is enter these into the appropriate field to gain entry into the Administration Control Panel of Mambo.
What do I do in the Backend (Administrator) Interface?
As a site administrator, you will access the Administator System to use the content management tools that allow you to add new content to your website and to edit that content. You may also use the User Manager inside the Admin System to create and maintain user accounts for the various people who have access to your site. Other tools inside the Administrator System will allow you to manage the various functions on your site, like Polls. You can also extend your Mambo site to add new functionality through the Administrator System. Using a simple automated installer located inside the Administrator System, you can add a wide variety of new components, modules and templates which expand the site and make it more powerful and useful for your site visitors.
The Frontend Interface - User Login
Aside from the administrator side to Mambo, the second interface or side of Mambo is the front-end interface. This interfce is the portion of your site where registered users of your site can login and gain access to content and features that you control access to via the Admin System.
Why do I Need the Frontend Login?
If you are maintaining a very large website where content is added on a regular basis, having a front-end side enables registered users to login and submit news content, weblinks as well as view content that is restricted solely to registered users. This reduces the burden on you as the Administrator as you do not have to be constantly updating your website to keep content fresh, but can rely on the help of others to do so. This might also be a useful feature if you are part of a company and want to restrict access of certain documents and ensure it is not viewable to the general public.
Where is the Frontend Login?
By default, Mambo enables the front end login after a new installation. It is located on the Home page of your website and is easily identified by the two fields "User name" and "Password".
Super Administrator
A fresh installation of Mambo will have one user installed. This user is known as the Super Administrator. The Super Administrator has the login name of 'admin'. You will create a password during the Mambo installation for the Super Administrator. For security, you should rename the Super Administrator's login and password.
The Super Administrator Group has access to all of the Back-end (Administrator) functions. Your site must have at least one user designated as a Super Administrator to perform the site's Global Configuration. Users in this group cannot be deleted and cannot be switched to another group.
Each Mambo user is assigned to a group. There are currently three (3) groups of users with login privileges to the Administrator Back-end: Super Administrator, Administrator, and Manager.
User Groups and Access Control
Mambo has two main hierarchies for User Groups: one for access to the Front-end (so users can log in to the web site and view designated sections and pages) and one for Back-end Administration access.
The default groups provided are, from lowest level (most restricted) to highest (least restricted access):
Public Front-end
- Registered
- - Author
- - - Editor
- - - - Publisher
Public Back-end
- Manager
- - Administrator
- - - Super Administrator
For more information about user groups, please see User Group Access Levels, and User Group Hierarchy in Mambo.
Menubar
The Menubar is divided into ten sections: Home, Site, Menu, Content, Components, Modules, Mambots, Installers, Messages, System and Help. Each section has an associated drop down menu. The menu bar is your navigation centre within the Administrator Section.
NOTE: To exit without saving an edit, you must use the Cancel button and not back button of your browser when editing items. If you use the browser back button, the item will not be checked back into the system and a lock sign will prevent other users from being able to edit the item. To remove the check-out lock, simply edit the item and save it properly or perform a global checkin using the Global Checkin button under the System menu.
Infobar
The Infobar (information bar) displays the following information (in order):
- the name of your Web site
- your current location within the Admin Section
- the name of the user logged in, i.e.'Logged in as Admin'
- the number of outstanding messages that you have from other Administrators, using the messaging function in My Admin
- the number of users currently online
The site name and your location are shown on the Pathway, a textbox on the upper left side of the Administrator page. Messages, number of users online, and your username appear in the upper right.
Workspace
The Workspace is the area immediately below the Menubar and Toolbar that displays the controls for the menu item currently selected. The workspace updates when you make a menu selection or use a tool from the toolbar. The default setting is to the Control Panel
Control Panel
The left side of the Control Panel presents icons for the primary content management items.
The right side of the Control Panel presents tabs for access to the installed components' menus, a list of popular content items, information about the latest items added to the system (including the title, date, and author), and menu statistics.
All icons and text lines on the Control Panel are clickable and will bring the selected item's controls into the Workspace.
Toolbar Icons
Publish: This icon is to publish your category or items. The visitors of your web can view these items on your web site.
Unpublish: This icon is to unpublish a category or item. Unpublishing removes the item from public view, but does not delete the category or item. To delete an item, select it and click the 'Delete' icon.
Archive: This icon moves an item to the Archive.
New: This icon adds a new item, section, link, etc.
Edit: This icon edits a previously created item. Be sure to select an item before clicking this icon.
Delete or Remove: This icon deletes a category or item from your Web site. Note that this process is not reversible. To remove an item or category temporarily, click the "Unpublish" icon.
Trash: This icon removes an item and places it in the Trash Manager. Note: You can restore trashed items to their previous states. Simply go to the Trash Manager under the Site menu.
Move: This icon moves an item to a new Section or Category.
Apply: This icon is to save your new content or changes with the page remaining open to continue editing
Save: This icon is to save your new content or configuration changes and be returned to the previous page.
Cancel: This icon is to cancel page creation or to cancel any unsaved modifications.
NOTE: If you want to cancel creation or editing you must use this button and not the back button on your browser as this will lock the item and other content manager will be unable to modify the page.
Preview: This icon is used to show, in a pop-up window, a preview of any changes you have made. If your web browser is set up to block pop-up windows or you are using pop-up blocking software, you will need to change that setting or disable that software in order to see the preview.
Upload: This icon is to upload a file or image to your Web site.
NOTE: When using 3rd-Party components alternative behaviours may be assigned to some of these icons.
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