FAQ Overview

Armadillo » Getting Started

How do I complete online setup?

Before you can go through the online setup, you must first publish an Armadillo page to your website.

For Stacks users

  1. Create a new Stacks page in RapidWeaver, or select a pre-existing Stacks page in your project.
  2. Open the Stacks library, locate Armadillo, then drag and drop the Armadillo icon onto your Stacks page.
  3. Select the Armadillo stack on your page (if it isn't already selected), then enter your database details (more about this below), and choose the web hosting company where you will be publishing your site.
  4. Publish your website, then visit the page where you added Armadillo. A link will be displayed where you can complete the online setup process.

Online Setup

Armadillo uses a database to store your content. This database is created through your hosting company, via the hosting control panel they provide for you. Make a note of the connection details for your database (the details you'll need are listed below), as you'll need to either enter them in stack settings, or via the online setup process.

If the database details you entered via stack settings are incorrect, or if you didn't enter database details into the stack before publishing your site, then you'll need to follow a short, three step process on your website. A link to this online setup is automatically displayed on your Armadillo page, and helpful tooltips are provided during each step.

In order to complete setup, you will need the following information:

  • Database Hostname: This is the 'address' where your database is located. For many web hosts, the database is on the same server your website is published to, so 'localhost' should work just fine. But some hosts (GoDaddy, 1&1, NimbleHost, etc.) put the database on a separate server, so this value may be different from 'localhost'.
  • Database Name: This is the name of the database you've created (or that has been created for you) to use with Armadillo.
  • Database User: The username Armadillo should use when connecting to your database. Depending on your web hosting provider, this may be the same as your database name.
  • Database Password: This is the password needed to login to your database. Make sure this password is alphanumeric as MySQL has difficulty handling special characters such as %, $, #, &, etc. If you must use special characters for the database password, please limit them to ! and @.

Online Setup

If you entered database details into the stack, then Armadillo will try to connect to the database with these details. When successful Armadillo will display a single form for you to complete, to specify the admin password and email address, along with the timezone.

If the database details are incorrect or missing, then Armadillo will display a three-step process to collect the required information, which is described below:

Step 1

  • In this step you will be asked to enter your database details, as described above. If you do not know this information, contact your webmaster or web hosting company, and they should be able to help.

Step 2

  • Here you will be asked to create a password for the admin user, and enter your email address. Please double-check your email address for accuracy, as it is the only way to reset your login password.

Step 3

  • In this step you will need to select your timezone from a drop down list. If your exact location is not listed, please choose the closest option.

After finishing setup an email will be sent to the address you specified, and will include your login details.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-03 05:43


What are all the various Armadillo stacks for?

What are all the various Armadillo stacks for?

Answer

Great question! Here's a quick summary of the purpose behind each stack:

  • Armadillo: this is the main stack, and you must have one added to your project file in RapidWeaver. Enter the database details in stack settings, as the database is where your content will be stored.

  • Armadillo Blog: add this stack to a page in RapidWeaver to display a blog created in Armadillo.

  • Armadillo Blog Headlines: if you want to retrieve the latest posts from a blog, and display them somewhere else on your site (like on the homepage), use this stack.

  • Armadillo Blog Navigation: this will display all the category, tag, archive and RSS links for your blog, which are typically displayed in a sidebar for many sites.

  • Armadillo Login Link: add this to a page to display a login link to the Armadillo dashboard. If you've selected to hide the login link in the Settings tab of the online dashboard, the login link will be hidden, even if you have this stack added to a page.

  • Armadillo Menu: if you create Pages in Armadillo, then Armadillo can display a menu for you on your site to access those pages. Add this stack to a page in RW to display that menu.

  • Armadillo Page: use this if you want to display a Page created in Armadillo. In most case you probably won't need to use this stack much, it's mostly included for backwards compatibility with earlier versions of Armadillo.

  • Armadillo Sidebar: when you create a Page or Blog in Armadillo, you have the option to create sidebar content for that page or blog as well. Add this stack to your RapidWeaver project if you want to display sidebar content created in Armadillo.

  • Armadillo Solo Content: this is a multi-purpose CMS stack that can be added to a page in RapidWeaver many times. Each pieces of "Solo Content" in independent from the others, and can be edited directly on the live page of the site, if you are logged into the Armadillo dashboard.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-03 05:47


What do I need for Armadillo to work?

Armadillo is designed for use with RapidWeaver, a web design application created by Realmac Software for Macintosh computers.

In order to for Armadillo to work correctly, the following requirements must be met:

On Your Mac

  • RapidWeaver 5 or greater
  • Stacks 2.5 or greater

On Your Hosting Account

  • A web hosting account with PHP 5.2+ support
  • One (1) MySQL database

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-03 05:48


What hosting companies work with Armadillo?

Please note: This list is not comprehensive, and is constantly changing. Most web hosting companies that offer Linux-based hosting with PHP 5.2+ and MySQL support should be compatible with Armadillo. The companies listed below are simply those we have been able to verify work with Armadillo. This list is not an endorsement of any particular hosting company.

When choosing a web hosting plan, we highly recommend using Linux-based hosting, which should be available from all the companies listed below.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-03 05:48


How do I install and update Armadillo?

Download

Note: For our German users, please see this PDF - ArmadilloInstallation-German.pdf (courtesy of Alexander Schmidt, @Schmidta69 on Twitter)

Before installing Armadillo onto your computer, you must first download it from the NimbleHost website.

After completing a purchase on the NimbleHost website, we will provide two ways for you to download your items:

  • Immediately after the sale is completed, you will be redirected to a special page with a download link for each item you purchased. You can use those download links to download each item to your computer.
  • After the purchase is completed, we will send you an email to the address you specified during payment. That email contains download links where you can download each item to your computer.

Install

  1. Locate the file you downloaded to your computer. It will most likely be in your Downloads file, and will be called "Armadillo.dmg" or similar.
  2. Double-click on that file, and a new Finder window should appear displaying the contents of your download. If a new Finder window does not appear (if you're using Mac OS X Lion it may not automatically display), click on the Finder icon located in the Dock. The Finder window, once you've located it, should look similar to the image shown to the right here.
  3. In that new Finder window you will see a file called "Armadillo.stack", shown as a yellow stack icon. If the icon is a folder, rather than a yellow stack icon, see this article on the Yourhead Software support site for Stacks.
  4. Double-click on that file, and it will automatically be installed for you.
  5. Restart RapidWeaver.

After following these steps, the next time you start RapidWeaver Armadillo will be located in the Stacks library, which is accessible from any Stacks page.

Updating

In Stacks 2, update notifications are displayed with a small red symbol in the lower right corner of the Armadillo icon in the Stacks Library. Once that red symbol has appeared, select Armadillo, then apply the update by clicking on the small gear icon in the lower right corner of the Stacks Library, and selecting "Install Update".

In Stacks 3, click on the "Updates" button at the bottom of the Library window, then click on the "Check now" button in the window that appears.  

IMPORTANT - Recommended Steps After Updating

  1. After you have installed the update in RapidWeaver, use the "Re-Publish All Files" option from RapidWeaver's File menu, to ensure that all the new and required files are uploaded to your website.
  2. Depending on the nature of the update, you may also need to login to Armadillo's online interface, and apply the update there as well. If this additional step is necessary, a prominent notification and "Install Update" button will be displayed at the top of the page after you have logged into the admin dashboard area.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-03 05:49


Armadillo » Troubleshooting

Fatal Error Appears after Updating Armadillo

This error may appear if you have updated to the latest version of Armadillo through RapidWeaver, and have uploaded the new files to your website, but have not yet logged into the online interface and applied the update.

To fix this error, follow the "Recommended Steps after Updating" which are explained in the Installation & Updatingarticle.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:48


403 Forbidden Errors

This type of error can happen for a number of reasons, but when using Armadillo usually occurs in two situations:

  1. The permissions of the folder where Armadillo's files are stored need to be changed. See the article we've provided for directions on changing permissions.
  2. Your hosting company does not enable .htaccess files by default, and a setting must be changed in your hosting control panel to turn this on.

For Situation 2 mentioned above, a .htaccess file can be used to control and re-direct traffic to your website. Armadillo uses such a file for the admin interface where you create content and change settings.

The process of enabling .htaccess files for your hosting account (if necessary) will vary depending on your hosting company. If you don't see an option to turn this on in your hosting control panel, you may need to contact your hosting company directly for more information.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:48


I've updated to v2.6 and now no content shows up. What's wrong?

With the v2.6 update you must now add an Armadillo Blog stack to your RapidWeaver project file, in order to display a blog created in Armadillo.

Prior to v2.6, the main Armadillo stack could display a Blog for you, but this is no longer the case.

If you have already added an Armadillo Blog stack to the page in RapidWeaver, and content is still not appearing, be sure you do not have the main Armadillo stack on the same page. This particular combination of stacks will prevent content from appearing on the page.

As such, move the main Armadillo stack to a different page in your project, and republish.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:48


Comments are not showing up correctly when there is a Armadillo Page stack next to the Armadillo Blog stack. What's wrong?

Be sure you do not have an Armadillo Page stack on the same RW page where the Armadillo Blog stack is located, as this can prevent the Disqus comments from being correctly associated with the post.

Instead, use the Solo Content stack in place of an Armadillo Page stack when you need separate content next to the Armadillo Blog.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:52


I can't access the dashboard for Armadillo v2.0, the page is blank. What's wrong?

This can happen for a couple of reasons:

  1. The "File Links Are:" option in RapidWeaver's Advanced Settings tab is set to "relative to website address". If this is the case, you will need to change this to "relative to page".

    The "relative to website address" option creates a complete URL (including the http:// portion) for certain file paths to Armadillo's PHP files, and complete URLs are usually not allowed in such file paths for security reasons.

    Once you've made this change be sure to use the "Re-Publish All Files" option from RapidWeaver's File menu.

  2. If your web hosting company uses a certain PHP configuration (CGI or FastCGI) you may need to add a php.ini file to the root directory of your website.

    In that php.ini file, add this line:

    cgi.fix_pathinfo = 1

    If you already have a php.ini file, simply add the above snippet to a new line, by itself, in that same file.

    Some hosting companies, like GoDaddy, may require that the php.ini file be named php5.ini. Other companies, like Aruba.it, provide this as an option in the hosting control panel, instead of via a php.ini file.

    Once you've made this change, save the php.ini file (or the relevant setting in your hosting control panel), then try visiting the Armadillo Dashboard in your web browser. You may need to refresh the page, and possibly wait a few minutes (depending on your hosting configuration) for the change to take effect.

If neither of these solutions fix the problem, please contact us for assistance.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:52


I don't see the login link to the admin panel. How do I find it?

Armadillo v2.0 and Above

The dashboard can be directly accessed at this URL at any time:

your-domain.com/rw_common/plugins/stacks/armadillo/index.php/

Just replace your-domain.com with the domain of your website, and be sure to include the last forward slash / at the end.

Armadillo v1.7.5 and Earlier

You can always access the login page by visiting the "files/armadillo" sub-folder of whatever page you've added Armadillo to.

For example, if your Armadillo page is here:

your-domain.com/armadillo

The login page would be here:

your-domain.com/armadillo/files/armadillo

If you structure your site a certain way in RapidWeaver, and rename certain files/folders, RapidWeaver may rename the "files" folder to something else, like:

your-domain.com/armadillo/pagename_files/armadillo

The pagename portion will be the page name as specified in the Page Inspector.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:53


I'm self-hosting on Mac OS X and run into problems during setup. Help!

When self-hosting on Mac OS X you'll need to keep in mind that there is a default setting in the my.cnf configuration file for MySQL, which is not present in most (all?) of the shared hosting environments for which Armadillo was designed.

This default setting in the my.cnf config file is as follows:

sql_mode=NO_ENGINE_SUBSTITUTION,STRICT_TRANS_TABLES

The effect of the second setting (STRICT_TRANS_TABLES) is such that, in case the type of a submitted value is not strictly what it is "supposed" to be, the transaction will be aborted.

That particular setting affects Armadillo, preventing the creation of options in the database during the initial online setup.

In short, you'll need to remove that setting so that the sql_mode is as follows:

sql_mode=NO_ENGINE_SUBSTITUTION

Once you've done that, Armadillo should function correctly and successfully complete online setup.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:53


Nothing shows up when I visit the Armadillo page, or I'm seeing a 'ZipExtract' error. What's wrong?

When you first visit the Armadillo page on your website, Armadillo does a lot of work behind the scenes to prepare for the initial online setup. This includes extracting files, displaying the correct language, and various other tasks.

However, in order to perform these tasks Armadillo must have sufficient "permissions" on your hosting account. Most large hosting companies have these "permissions" setup so that everything "just works" without you having to do anything special.

Sometimes, smaller hosting companies, particularly those serving a particular region, can have very strict security measures in place that prevent Armadillo from doing this work for you. Oftentimes you can solve this problem by changing the "permissions" for Armadillo on your web hosting account. Below are directions on how to do so.

Note to Chillidog Hosting users: Do not change permissions on the files in your account. Greg at Chillidog has stated that this is not necessary for Armadillo with their hosting configuration, and can cause security issues with their setup.

Changing Permissions

  1. Use a FTP program (like CyberDuck, which is free and available for both Mac and Windows) to login to your hosting account.
  2. Depending on your hosting company, your website files might be in a directory called www or public_html. Open such a folder if it exists, then navigate to the rw_common/plugins/stacks folder.
  3. Use your mouse to select (do not open) that folder.
  4. Right-click on that folder and a contextual menu will appear. Select the option that says "Info" or "Get Info".
  5. A new window will appear with information about that folder. If you are using Cyberduck, click on the "Permissions" tab. If you are using Transmit (a Mac FTP program) the Permissions information will already be displayed.
  6. To change "permissions" for the folder you will want to make the "UNIX Permissions" (Cyberduck) or "Octal" code (Transmit) either 755 or 775 ( or 777 as a last resort). Then click on the button that says "Apply changes recursively" (Cyberduck) or "Apply to Enclosed" (Transmit).
  • NOTE:First try using 755, followed by 775 before trying 777. If you need to use 777 be sure to switch it back to 755 or 775 when you have finished Armadillo's online setup, as using 777 is a security risk.
  1. Once you have changed the "permissions" for that folder visit the Armadillo page on your site from any web browser, and you should then be able go through the initial online setup process.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:54


I'm getting a Not Found or 404 Error when trying to finish the online setup. Help!

When you first visit the Armadillo page on your website, Armadillo does a lot of work behind the scenes to prepare for the initial online setup. This includes extracting files, displaying the correct language, and various other tasks.

However, in order to perform these tasks Armadillo must have sufficient "permissions" on your hosting account. Most large hosting companies have these "permissions" setup so that everything "just works" without you having to do anything special.

Sometimes, smaller hosting companies, particularly those serving a particular region, can have very strict security measures in place that prevent Armadillo from doing this work for you. Oftentimes you can solve this problem by changing the "permissions" for Armadillo on your web hosting account. Below are directions on how to do so.

Note to Chillidog Hosting users: Do not change permissions on the files in your account. Greg at Chillidog has stated that this is not necessary for Armadillo with their hosting configuration, and can cause security issues with their setup.

Changing Permissions

  1. Use a FTP program (like CyberDuck, which is free and available for both Mac and Windows) to login to your hosting account.
  2. Depending on your hosting company, your website files might be in a directory called www or public_html. Open such a folder if it exists, then navigate to the rw_common/plugins/stacks folder.
  3. Use your mouse to select (do not open) that folder.
  4. Right-click on that folder and a contextual menu will appear. Select the option that says "Info" or "Get Info".
  5. A new window will appear with information about that folder. If you are using Cyberduck, click on the "Permissions" tab. If you are using Transmit (a Mac FTP program) the Permissions information will already be displayed.
  6. To change "permissions" for the folder you will want to make the "UNIX Permissions" (Cyberduck) or "Octal" code (Transmit) either 755 or 775 ( or 777 as a last resort). Then click on the button that says "Apply changes recursively" (Cyberduck) or "Apply to Enclosed" (Transmit).
  • NOTE:First try using 755, followed by 775 before trying 777. If you need to use 777 be sure to switch it back to 755 or 775 when you have finished Armadillo's online setup, as using 777 is a security risk.
  1. Once you have changed the "permissions" for that folder visit the Armadillo page on your site from any web browser, and you should then be able go through the initial online setup process.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:54


I am seeing a 'RSS feed filename not specified' error when trying to save settings. What is this?

This warning is displayed if you have RSS enabled for a blog, but do not have the RSS filename specified for that blog. Until this is fixed, settings will not get saved, and this error message will continue to be displayed.

To fix this, open the "Blog Settings" area in the Settings tab, and expand the "Blog RSS" section. If RSS is enabled there, be sure you have specified a filename in the "RSS Feed Link Details" section.

If you have more than one blog, select another blog from the "Select Blog" dropdown list, and repeat the process until you have found the blog which has RSS enabled, but no filename specified.

If you do not want to use RSS for a certain blog, simply disable it, and this will also resole the error message and allow settings to be saved.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:54


I have a problem with the login to the online armadillo panel. The first setup in going well. But when i want to log me in a second time there is a "Slim Application Error" - and nothing works.

Access denied

Author: Ulrich Winkler
Last update: 2021-02-03 16:28


Armadillo » Settings & Configuration

Admin/Login Link

Please note: Only admin users can access the Settings tabs described below. If you do not see the Settings tab when logging in that means you do not have admin-level access.

The Admin/Login link is shown by default on your website, so that you have easy access to the "backend" where you can create and edit content. Armadillo gives you the ability to control the text and color of the Admin/Login link, as well as whether it should be displayed on the page.

After you've logged into Armadillo and navigated to the Settings tab, click on the plus sign ( + ) next to the section labeled Admin/Login Link. By default a link to the admin interface is displayed on your Armadillo page. Use the options here to control its appearance.

Display Options

  • Show Admin/Login Link- This will show the link on your Armadillo page.
  • Hide Admin/Login link - This will hide the link on your Armadillo page.
  • Link Text - Use this text field to customize the text displayed as your admin link. Non-English languages can be used.
  • Color Options - If you hide the admin link these color options will have no affect.

After making your changes, be sure to click the large, green Save Settings button near the top of the page.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:55


Backups & Dropbox Integration

Please note:Onlyadminusers can access the Settings tabs described below. If you do not see the Settings tab when logging in that means you do not have admin-level access.

Hosting Requirement: Your hosting account must have PHP 5.3.1 or greater installed for the Dropbox Integration feature to be available.

After you've logged into Armadillo's online interface and navigated to the Settings tab, click on the plus sign ( + ) next to the section labeledDropbox Integration.

Armadillo Backups

Armadillo has a backup feature which is accessed from the Settings tab, near the bottom of the page. If your hosting account is compatible with Armadillo's backup functionality, then you will see a "Backup Now" link (or similar). Use this link to create a backup of your site's content. Please note, only the content you have created in Armadillo will be saved. Media files (like images and video) are not saved in this backup.

When a previous backup has already been made, information about the latest backup will be displayed, and will look something like this:

9236

The backup file is stored on your hosting account, but it is considered best practice to also store backup files "offsite", so that if your hosting account is ever compromised or unavailable, you still have access to your site's data.

What is Dropbox?

Dropbox is a "cloud-based" online backup and syncing service. It allows you to add/edit/delete files in a certain folder on your computer, and those changes are then automatically synced with and saved to your Dropbox account (and any other computers that you have installed Dropbox onto). Certain applications, like Armadillo, can also connect to your online Dropbox account to store files and perform other functions.

Saving Backups to Dropbox

After making a backup file, expand the Dropbox Integration section by clicking on the plus sign ( + ) next to that label. If your hosting account has PHP 5.3.1 or greater installed, a green "Sync Latest Backup" button will be displayed. Click that green button to start the authorization and syncing process.

If your hosting account does not have PHP 5.3.1 or greater installed, a message will be displayed indicating that your hosting account is not compatible with this feature.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:56


Blog & RSS Options

Please note: Only admin users can access the Settings tabs described below. If you do not see the Settings tab when logging in that means you do not have admin-level access.

After you've logged into Armadillo's online interface and navigated to the Settings tab, click on the Blog Options button to display the relevant settings.

One of Armadillo's greatest strengths is its ability to work as a remote blogging platform, independent of RapidWeaver. You can create, edit, and delete posts from any browser with an internet connection. Settings for your Armadillo Blog are controlled in the Blog Options, Blog RSS, Blog Categories and **Blog Tags*** sections.

Blog Options

Pagination

This option controls the number of posts you would like displayed at one time on the public facing page where the Blog is shown.

  • By default Armadillo will display five (5) posts on the main Blog page. If there are more than five posts, a "Show more posts" button is displayed, which, when clicked, will load more posts onto the page dynamically, with fancy animation. You can control how many posts are displayed at a time in this section.

Post Author

  • Show author - This will display the author of a particular blog post.
  • Hide author - The author of a blog post will not be displayed.
  • Display Author's Username - If the "Show Author" option is selected, this will display the username of the post author.
  • Display Author's Full Name - This will display the full name of the author, as entered in his/her profile.

Post Summary

  • When creating or editing a post, you have the option to display a summary of the post on the main Blog page, rather than the full post content. When that option is selected, a "Read more" link will be displayed after the summary. You can customize the text of that link here.

Blog Comments

Control the appearance of blog comments. This will affect all posts, and will override individual post settings.

  • Show comments - This will turn comments on for all posts.
  • Hide comments - This will hide comments on all posts.
  • Disqus Shortname - Blog comments are served via Disqus, the same platform used by RapidWeaver. Enter your Disqus Shortname in this field, and also be sure to register your site with Disqus to ensure comments display correctly. Please note:After you select the "Show comments" option you will also need to enable comments for each individual post, which is done when editing the post itself.

Customize the "Show more posts" Button

  • Use the text field in this section to customize the text displayed as the "Show more posts" button. Non-English languages can be used.
  • Color options are also provided for the background and text color.

Blog RSS

RSS Feed Settings

  • Enable RSS Feed - When selecting this option Armadillo will create a RSS feed for your Blog.
  • Disable RSS Feed - RSS will be disabled, and no feed will be generated for your Blog.
  • Feed title - The title of your RSS feed, as it will appear in the feed itself.
  • Description - The description of your RSS feed, as it will appear in the feed itself.
  • Copyright - The copyright information of your RSS feed, which will also appear in the feed.

RSS Feed Link Details

  • Link name - The text of the RSS link that appears on your website, if you have enabled the RSS Feed, and are using the Armadillo Sidebar snippet
  • File name - The actual file name of the RSS feed itself. The default is "feed.rss" (minus the quotation marks). Make sure there are no spaces in the filename, e.g. myfeed.rss is okay, but my feed.rss is not.

RSS Feed Customization

  • Use custom feed - Select this option if you use a third party RSS feed service, such as Feedburner.
  • Custom RSS URL - Enter the URL of your custom RSS feed here.

After making your changes, be sure to click the large, green Save Settings button near the top of the page.

Blog Categories

  • Show categories - This will display categories in individual posts on your Blog, as well as display a list of all category terms in the sidebar, if you are using the Armadillo Sidebar snippet.
  • Hide categories - This will hide categories in individual posts, and in the sidebar..
  • Categories Title - This text is displayed on each Blog post, immediately before categories are listed.
  • Categories Separator - This item is inserted between individual category terms.

Blog Tags

  • Show tags - This will display tags in individual Blog posts, as well as display a list of all tags in the sidebar, if you are using the Armadillo Sidebar snippet.
  • Hide tags - This will hide tags in individual posts, and in the sidebar.
  • Tags Title - This text will be displayed before the tags listed in each individual post.
  • Tags Separator - This item is inserted between individual tags.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:56


Default Content

Please note: Only admin users can access the Settings tabs described below. If you do not see the Settings tab when logging in that means you do not have admin-level access.

With Armadillo you can create a wide selection of content. This content is split into three different types, Blogs, Posts and Pages. Posts are only shown on a Blog page (if you have chosen to use the Blog), and do not appear in the navigation menu.

Pages, on the other hand, do appear in your navigation menu, and are similar to other pages in your RapidWeaver website.

When a visitor to your website first navigates to the Armadillo portion of your site, Armadillo needs to know what Page you want displayed by default. This is called the Default Content, and it can be changed through Armadillo's online interface. Here is how to do so:

  1. After you've logged into Armadillo's online interface and navigated to the Settings tab, click on the section labeled Default Content.
  2. Using the drop-down menu in that section, select the Page you want displayed to visitors by default (note, only Pages can be selected, not Posts or Blogs, as dedicated stacks are used for display those types of content).
  3. Click the green Save Settings button, to apply and save your changes. Please note: Only published Pages you have created in Armadillo will be listed in the drop down menu in this section.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:56


Custom Styles

Please note: Only admin users can access the Settings tabs described below. If you do not see the Settings tab when logging in that means you do not have admin-level access.

After you've logged into Armadillo's online interface and navigated to the Settings tab, click on the section labeled Custom Styles.

This section allows you to enter CSS code to customize the appearance of content you've created in Armadillo, or to override the styles applied by your theme.

Code entered here is added to the main stylesheet, and as such can also be used to alter the appearance of any element on the page (not just Armadillo-specific areas).

For example, if you would like to change how tags are displayed in the Blog sidebar (an area which is usually styled by the theme you are using) you can entered something like this:

ul.blog-tag-cloud li { display: inline-block; font-weight: bold; }

For more information about CSS code and how to use it with RapidWeaver, see the free tutorial videos at http://rapidweaver.pro.

After making your changes, be sure to click the large, green Save Settings button near the top of the page.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:56


Primary Navigation Menu

Please note: Only admin users can access the Settings tabs described below. If you do not see the Settings tab when logging in that means you do not have admin-level access.

After you've logged into Armadillo and navigated to the Settings tab, click on the plus sign ( + ) next to the section labeled: Primary Navigation Menu. The settings listed here control the appearance of the menu created for you by Armadillo. This menu is made up of the pages you've created in Armadillo, in the Pages tab.

Display Options

Here you can choose how you would like the menu to be shown. See the video below for a tutorial on how to add your Armadillo menu to the main site navigation.

  • Show Standard Menu- This will display the menu as a horizontal bar above the main content area where your content is displayed.
  • Hide Menu - This, quite simply, hides the menu. It will not be visible on the page.
  • Attach Menu to Site Navigation- If you would like the pages you create in Armadillo to be attached to the main site navigation (instead of displayed separately), choose one of these two options.
    • Before Other Items - This will insert the menu before other items that are already listed in the main site navigation.
    • After Other Items - This will insert the menu after other items that are already listed in the main site navigation.
    • Main Navigation Container- If you choose one of the Attach Menu to Site Navigation options, you must enter the id or class name of the HTML container where your main site navigation is located. For stock RapidWeaver themes, this is often #navcontainer, but many third party theme developers may use a different id or class name.
  • Secondary Navigation Container- (Optional) If you choose one of the Attach Menu to Site Navigation options, you can enter the id or class name of the HTML container where your secondary site navigation is located. This field is intended for use with RapidWeaver themes that use split navigation to display the sub pages of a main menu item in a separate area (like a sidebar menu, for example).
  • Other Navigation Container- (Optional) This text field option is similar to the Secondary Navigation Container explained above, except that it is designed for third level menu items (and below) that are displayed separately from both the main and secondary navigation areas.

Menu Hierarchy

Here you can change the order and hierarchy of the items listed in your menu.

  • This section is a list of the items that will be shown in your navigation menu. You can use your mouse to drag and drop them into whatever order you need.
  • To create a sub-page, drag a menu item below and to the right of the page you want it to appear under. Its placement should become indented slightly, indicating it is a sub-page of its parent.

Color Options

Use these color wells to customize the appearance of the standard navigation menu.

  • If you hide the menu, or choose to attach it to the main site navigation, these color options will have no affect.

After making your changes, be sure to click the large, green Save Settings button near the top of the page.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:57


Timezone

Please note: Only admin users can access the Settings tabs described below. If you do not see the Settings tab when logging in that means you do not have admin-level access.

After you've logged into Armadillo and navigated to the Settings tab, click on the plus sign ( + ) next to the section labeled Timezone. The Timezone setting affects the dates associated with the posts and pages you create in Armadillo. In this section you can change the timezone to match your current location.

Timezone

  • From the drop down list choose the closest option to your current location.

After making your changes, be sure to click the large, green Save Settings button near the top of the page.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:57


Armadillo » General Questions

Does Armadillo work with any RW theme?

Yes, it should. Armadillo doesn't use any special markup or styling of its own, specifically so that it can take advantage of the styling of the theme you are using.

That being said, you can use the Custom Styles section of the Settings tab (in the online interface) to use css code to override the styles of your theme, if necessary.

Please Note: If you use the Forward theme from Nick Cates you may need to do the following in order for Armadillo to function correctly:

  1. Add a HTML stack above Armadillo
  2. Enter this snippet in the HTML stack: %plugin_header%
  3. Re-publish your files

This may be necessary because the Forward theme places several header-specific macros at the bottom of the page, which, while not "wrong", is very unusual among RapidWeaver themes. As such, there may be other third party stacks and plugins which do not work in the Forward theme.

In brief testing the method described above allowed Armadillo to work correctly in the Forward theme. This approach may also allow other stacks and plugins, which currently do not work in Forward, to function as expected.

Keep in mind, by taking this approach, there will be duplicate content (link and script tags) on the page, and it may affect page loading speed for the Forward theme.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 04:59


Armadillo Roadmap - What's next?

Here's a list of the features we plan on adding to Armadillo in future updates:

  • Image-only content
  • Galleries
  • Import tool to bring in content from WordPress and Blogger
  • 2-Factor Authentication
  • Additional user roles
  • Multiple blog support Done! v2.5
  • Content "groups", so you can specify which content to display in a particular area. Think of this like "pinned" or "solo" content, which can be displayed anywhere on your RW site. Done! v2.0
  • Responsive interface for the admin dashboard Done! v2.0
  • Ability to search Done! and organize the Media Library
  • Archiving Blog posts Done!
  • Edit/Delete Categories and Tags Done!
  • Dropbox integration (for backups) Done!
  • Localizations Done!
  • Tags/Categories for Posts Done!
  • Editing the publish date for Posts Done!
  • RSS feed for the Blog page Done!
  • A preview option for Saved Drafts Done!
  • Online backups Done!

This list will change over time as features are implemented. If you'd like to request a feature, please email us.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:00


How do I add my Armadillo menu to other RapidWeaver pages?

As you may already know, Armadillo has the ability to add pages you create online (though the Armadillo web interface) to the main site navigation. However, for this to work on other pages you've created in RapidWeaver, such as Styled Text, Contact Form, etc., you will need to follow these directions:

  1. Download the Armadillo Extras from the NimbleHost website.
  2. Locate the "ImportArmadilloMenu.rwsnippet" file in the Armadillo Extras folder you downloaded in Step 1.
  3. Install the RWsnippet by double-clicking on it.
  4. Restart RapidWeaver, then open the project you are using with Armadillo.
  5. For each non-Armadillo page, open the Page Inspector, and navigate to the Header --> Header --> Custom Header field.
  6. Open the RWsnippets browser (select "Show Snippets" from the RapidWeaver View menu).
  7. Drag and drop the "Import Armadillo Menu" snippet into the Custom Header field of the Page Inspector.
  8. Type in the URL (web address) of the Armadillo page on your website, into the two locations specified in the snippet.
  9. Repeat this process for each non-Armadillo page of your website.

Please Note: For Step 8 above, the URL of your Armadillo page should be in a format like this:

www.yourdomainname.com/armadilloPage

Do not include the "http://" portion, as that is already included in the snippet for you. Likewise, do not include the filename and extension of the page itself, such as "index.php".

Finally, do not add this snippet to your actual Armadillo page, as it will result in duplicate items being added to your site's main navigation.

See the video below for a tutorial on how to use the code snippet with your RapidWeaver website. You can also download a high-quality version of the video directly (116MB).

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:00


Can Armadillo work with Windows hosting?

The short answer is, technically, yes. However, Armadillo uses certain technology that is designed for Linux and Unix hosting plans.

Therefore, although it is theoretically possible to use Armadillo on a Windows hosting account, we do not recommend doing so, and do not provide support for Armadillo when it is used on Windows hosting.

For a list of hosting companies that provide hosting plans compatible with Armadillo, visit our list of verified hosting providers. This list is being updated on a regular basis, and is not exhaustive, but is a good starting point when looking for web hosting that is compatible with Armadillo.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:00


I'd like to add text to the sections displayed by the Blog Navigation Links stack. Is this possible?

Yes, it certainly is. In most cases styles will be dictated by the theme you are using, but if your theme does not provide such styles you can add them yourself to the Custom Styles section in Armadillo's Settings tab.

To add text for the relevant sections in the Blog Navigation Links stack, try using the following snippet as a starting point.

#armadilloBlogNav #blog-archives::before { 

    content: "Archives"; 

    display: block; 

    text-decoration: underline; 

}

#armadilloBlogNav #blog-categories::before { 

    content: "Categories"; 

    display: block; 

    text-decoration: underline;

 }

#armadilloBlogNav ul.blog-tag-cloud::before { 

    content: "Tags"; 

    display: block; 

    text-decoration: underline; 

}

#armadilloBlogNav #blog-rss-feeds::before { 

    content: "RSS"; 

    display: block; 

    text-decoration: underline; 

}

Please keep in mind that we are unable to provide assistance with custom coding, and suggest posting questions to the RapidWeaver Forums for further assistance with custom styling.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:00


Can I change the URLs that Armadillo creates for posts and pages?

The short answer to this question, is no. Armadillo creates dynamic URLs for your posts and pages. One portion of the URL is unchangeable (the post/post ID), but the second portion is based upon the title you enter for each post/page. In short, you do have control over this portion of the URL.

According to Google, sites that create dynamic URLs (like Armadillo) should not change them to a different format — see this post on the official Google Webmaster blog for more info:

http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.com/2008/09/dynamic-urls-vs-static-urls.html

Because Google has specifically mentioned this, we’ve decided not to add the ability to customize URLs to a different format than what they currently are. If you are concerned about SEO and have been told by "experts" that having "SEO friendly URLs" is important, please understand that this is a myth. Pretty URLs can help users understand about the contents of the page they are visiting, but are irrelevant for SEO.

As mentioned in the Google article linked to above, dynamically generated URLs (like Armadillo's) should not be changed to a different format, as it can prevent Google from correctly crawling your website.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:00


Can Armadillo edit pages I create in RapidWeaver?

No. RapidWeaver saves the content for your site in a file on your computer, whereas Armadillo saves your content in an online database (which is then accessible from any web browser).

Armadillo does not have access to the files on your computer, so any content that you would like to edit with Armadillo must be created via Armadillo's online interface.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:01


I can't create an online backup. What's wrong?

Without getting too technical, here's a brief overview on how this works in Armadillo. Online backups of your data are performed using the “mysqldump” command, which outputs all the content in your database to a file, which Armadillo then compresses into a zip file for easy downloading.

This means that your hosting needs to allow PHP scripts to run the “mysqldump” command, which is usually done via the “exec” or “system” function which is built into PHP itself. There are, however, a limited number of hosting companies that turn off “exec” and “system” for PHP, in which case Armadillo cannot perform an online backup for you.

If you’re unable to make an online backup, I would suggest contacting your hosting provider to see if they allow the system commands described above. Most major hosting companies do allow this.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:01


Why doesn't clicking on the 'Visit Site' link work?

Armadillo uses and relies upon what's called "best web practices". One aspect of this is what's referred to as cruftless links. A regular link to a specific web page would look something like this:

http://www.your-website.com/page-name.html

However, a cruftless link is much simpler, and doesn't need you to enter the filename, so it looks like this:

http://www.your-website.com/page-name

The reason this works is because the page is put into a folder with a unique name (in the above example, "page-name"), and the actual page filename is called "index.php" or "index.html" (or "index" plus any file extension). Web browsers will automatically load an "index" file if there is one in a folder, so there's no need to include it in the actual link -- hence the name, cruftless links.

Armadillo was designed to work with cruftless links, and RapidWeaver uses this type of structure by default. If you have renamed your page filename to something other than "index.php", then the "Visit Site" link will not display your Armadillo page correctly. As such, and because it is best practice, we highly recommend using cruftless links with your Armadillo site.

For more informations see the video explanation of cruftless links on the NimbleHost Blog.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:01


How do I move my content to a new database?

Armadillo has a built-in backup feature that performs a complete export of your content, compresses it into a zip file, and then stores that zip file on your hosting account. You can use that backup file when moving your content to a new database.

Instructions for Moving Armadillo Content to a New Database

To complete this process you will need the latest backup file created by Armadillo, and access to phpMyAdmin (a web interface for managing MySQL databases). If your web hosting does not support Armadillo's backup feature, you will need to use the phpMyAdmin online interface of your hosting account to create the backup file.

WARNING: Make sure the new database is empty, otherwise there is a risk that any content already in the new database may be overwritten.

  1. Backup your Armadillo content via the online interface (in the Settings tab, click the "Backup Now" link near the bottom of the page to create a new backup).
  2. Use the "Download Latest" link in the Settings tab (near the bottom of the page, next to the "Backup Now" link mentioned in Step 1 above) to download the latest backup to your computer, then unzip the file.
  3. Login to the phpMyAdmin web interface where the new database is located.
  4. From the list of databases in the sidebar on the left, selected the database you want to use with Armadillo.
  5. Click on the "Import" tab.
  6. In the "File to Import" section, click on the "Choose File" button, then locate and select the backup file on your computer that you unzipped in Step 2 above.
  7. The character set of the file is UTF-8, so be sure that UTF-8 is selected as the "Character Set".
  8. In the Format section, make sure that "SQL" is selected.
  9. Click on the "Go" button, and it should read the backup file and import all your content.

You can then published your website to your hosting account, and visit the Armadillo page from a web browser. You'll be prompted to go through the online setup, so enter the new database details, and Armadillo will create the config file so that it can connect and display the content you've imported.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:02


How do I add an RSS button to web browsers?

In order for the RSS button to appear in the browser itself, a special link tag must be added to the <head> section of the page.

This is something that Armadillo isn’t currently capable of doing, but you can add such a link tag in RapidWeaver itself.

The tag should follow this format, and you’ll need to edit it to suit your specific website info:

<link rel="alternate" title="My RSS Feed" href="http://www.yourwebsite.com/armadilloPage/files/armadillo/yourFeed.rss" />

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:04


Why not just use WordPress and WP-Blog?

That's a great question, and the answer is simply "ease of use".

Once you've run though the setup process a few times, getting WordPress up and running with RapidWeaver using the WP-Blog plugin is probably fairly easy.

However, it is a daunting prospect for novice users. They have to first install WordPress on their hosting account, then configure both it and WP-Blog correctly, and (down the road) possibly run into problems when WordPress is updated to a new version -- which means waiting for an update to the WP-Blog plugin itself (or trying to downgrade WordPress to a previous version).

Setup with Armadillo, on the other hand, is much, much easier. Just drag Armadillo onto a Stacks page, publish, and run through online setup (once the database is created, of course).

If you're someone used to the WordPress/WP-Blog solution, Armadillo probably won't appeal to you.

Armadillo is designed for RapidWeaver users who looked at the process needed to get WordPress integrated into RapidWeaver, and just abandoned the idea because of its difficulty.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:05


Armadillo » User Guide

How do I create a blog?

There are two ways to do this in Armadillo:

  • Use the "Auto Create" feature in the dedicated Armadillo Blog stack
  • Login to the online Armadillo dashboard, and create one via the "Posts" tab

If you use the "Auto Create" feature, be sure to enter a unique number for the "Content ID" in stack settings. Armadillo will then create a blog with the ID that you specify - assuming there is not already a blog (or other piece of content) with that ID in the Armadillo database.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:08


How do I create and edit pages?

After you've logged into Armadillo navigate to the Pages tab. This is where you can create, edit, and delete pages. Pages created here are displayed in the navigation menu that visitors to your site will see.

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  • To create a new Page, click on the green "Add New Page" button in the upper right corner of this section.
  • To edit a Page, click on the blue "Edit" button in the Actions column, or click on the Page title itself.
  • To delete a Page, click on the red "Delete" button in the Actions column. You'll be shown a confirmation page with a preview of the selected Page, where you can either confirm the deletion, or cancel and return to the Pages tab.
  • Please note, the Blog page is a special page, and cannot be deleted. If you would like to prevent it from being displayed on your website, change its status to Draft.

Creating & Editing Pages

Once you've clicked on the "Add New Page" button, or the "Edit" button next to an existing page, you'll be shown a screen similar to that below. If you're editing a page, the title and content areas will display the relevant content for that page.

9231  * The text field along the top is the Page title. * The large content area below that, with one row of editing tools, is the Page content. Both the title and content areas will accept non-English languages.

Meta Content

Pages in Armadillo can have their own meta content, such as descriptions, keywords and Facebook OpenGraph tags.

To display the Meta Content editor, click on the "Meta Content" button displayed at the top of the page.

9252

The "Plus" button at the top left, just above the meta content editor, can be used to insert commonly used meta tags. Click on the "Plus" and select the meta tag you wish to use, then change the necessary portions in the meta content editor.

9253

Sidebar Editing

Pages can also contain "Sidebar" content, which will be displayed in the sidebar area of your website (if available). To edit the Sidebar, click on the Edit Sidebar button which is displayed at the top of the page, between the "Meta Content" and "Internal Links" button.

  9232 

Once clicked the Edit Sidebar button will become active and the text of the button will change to "Edit Main Content", which you can use to switch back to edit the main content area.

Internal Links

When creating your content you may want to link to other pages and posts you've made in Armadillo. To easily find the link to those pieces of content click on the "Internal Links" button at the top of the page.

9254

This will reveal the search field which you can type in text to find the content you are looking for. Once you've selected the desired content, its URL will be displayed in the text field below the search field, which you can then highlight and copy for use in the content editor.

9255

Publishing Options

  • To publish a Page, so that it is immediately visible on your website, click the green Publish button.
  • To save a draft, which will not be visible on your website, click the blue Save Draft button.
  • If you do not want to create a Page, or do not want to save the changes you have made to a pre-existing Page, click the red Cancel button.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:14


How do I display a blog created in Armadillo?

There is a dedicated Armadillo Blog stack which you must add to any Stacks page in your RapidWeaver project.

In stack settings, be sure to enter the correct ID for the blog you want displayed. The ID for the blog is shown for you in the Armadillo dashboard, via the "Pages" tab under the "ID" column. Blog pages are indicated by a special icon which looks like a small list. This icon is display next to the blog title.

If you specify an ID which does not exist in the database, and have the "Auto Create" option enabled in stack settings, then Armadillo will create a new blog for you with the ID you have entered.

Please note: The ID is always a number. Do not enter letters, special characters or spaces as part of the ID.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:13


How do I create and edit posts?

After you've logged into Armadillo navigate to the Posts tab. This is where you can create, edit, and delete posts. Posts created here are displayed on your Blog page.

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  • To create a new Post, click on the green "Add New Post" button in the upper right corner of this section.
  • To edit a Post, click on the blue "Edit" button in the Actions column, or click on the Post title itself.
  • To delete a Post, click on the red "Delete" button in the Actions column. You'll be shown a confirmation page with a preview of the selected Post, where you can either confirm the deletion, or cancel and return to the Posts tab.

Creating & Editing Posts

Once you've clicked on the "Add New Post" button, or the "Edit" button for an existing post, you'll be shown a screen similar to that below. If you're editing a post, the title and content areas will display the relevant content for that post.

9228

  • The text field along the top is the Post title.
  • The large content area below that, with one row of editing tools, is the Post content. Both the title and content areas will accept non-English languages.
  • Below the content area are the comment display options. This controls whether comments for this specific Post will be shown. Please note, to display comments for Blog posts you must also turn comments on in Armadillo's Settings tab. The option shown here allows you finer control over specific posts. NOTE: Be sure you do not have an Armadillo Page stack on the same RW page where the Armadillo Blog stack is located, as this can prevent the Disqus comments from being correctly associated with the post.
  • The "Display Summary" checkbox controls if a summary of the Post will be shown instead of the full Post. If checking this box, be sure to also specify content in the "Post Summary" content editor (click the "Post Summary" button located between the "Meta Content" and "Internal Links" buttons near the top of the page).
  • Categories and Tags: You can enter new terms here, separated by commas. If you have already specified categories or tags in other posts, those terms will appear in a drop down menu when you click on either of categories or tags fields.  

Publishing Options

  • To publish a Post, so that it is immediately visible on your website, click the green "Publish" button.
  • To save a draft, which will not be visible on your website, click the blue "Save Draft" button.
  • If you do not want to create a Post, or do not want to save the changes you have made to a pre-existing Post, click the red "Cancel" button.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2021-01-18 15:02


How do I display blog links for tags, categories and similar?

As of Armadillo v1.7 and later there is a separate "Armadillo Blog Navigation" stack and code snippet available for your use.

You can place this stack or code snippet wherever you would like the blog navigation links displayed.

These blog navigation links include tags, categories, archives, the RSS feed, and authors and are displayed using the same HTML markup generated by RapidWeaver's built-in Blog page. This way, Armadillo will take advantage of your theme's built-in styles for blog links.

If you have added the stack or code snippet to your page and re-published you site, yet do not see links for tags or categories, etc. that means you need to enable tags and categories in Armadillo Settings via the online admin panel.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:17


How do I display the sidebar?

Armadillo has the ability to display sidebar content for each page you've created through the online interface. However, this requires adding a code snippet to RapidWeaver in the Page Inspector --> Sidebar --> Page Sidebar field. Alternatively, you can use the Armadillo Sidebar stack, and more details about this stack follows the numbered directions below.

The code snippet required is included with your original download file when you purchased Armadillo. The snippet is located in the "Extras" folder (you can also download the Armadillo Extras directly from the NimbleHost website), and is a file called "ArmadilloSidebar.rwsnippet". Double-click that file to install it, then restart RapidWeaver.

Follow these directions for adding the code snippet to your Armadillo page.

  1. In RapidWeaver, select your Armadillo page, and make sure you are in Edit mode.
  2. Open the Page Inspector for that page, and navigate to the Sidebar --> Page Sidebar field.
  3. Open the Snippets Browser by selecting "Show Snippets" from RapidWeaver's View menu.
  4. Locate the Armadillo Sidebar snippet you installed previously.
  5. Drag and drop the snippet into the Sidebar area of the Page Inspector.
  6. Highlight the entire code snippet, then select the "Ignore Formatting" option from RapidWeaver's Format menu.
  7. Publish your site. Once you have finished Armadillo's online setup, any sidebar content you create through the online interface will now be displayed on your website.

When no sidebar content appears

The sidebar snippet is used to display sidebar content you create in Armadillo for a page, and does not include things like the nav links to categories, tags, archives and RSS feed for blog pages.

In other words, if you don't specifically add sidebar content when editing a page (not Posts or Solo Content, but Pages as listed in the Pages tab), then the sidebar snippet won't show anything.

Assuming you have added such content, then the snippet you are using might be out of date. In that case, replace it with the following snippet:

 

$assetPath = '%resource()%' . '/../rw_common/plugins/stacks'; include_once $assetPath . "/armadillo/core/displayContent.php";

echo displaySidebarContent( $dbLink, FALSE, ENTER_BLOG_PAGE_ID, 'page', $assetPath ); }

Be sure to replace the "ENTER_BLOG_PAGE_ID" portion above with the Blog ID (a number, displayed for you in the "ID" column of the Pages tab next to your blog page).

If you'd like to display nav links for categories, tags, archives and RSS for a Blog page, you'll need to use the ArmadilloBlogNavigationLinks snippet or stack.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:21


How do I manage users?

After you've logged into Armadillo navigate to the Users tab. This is where you can create, edit, and delete users. Please note, only admin users will be able to access the Users tab.

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To create a new User, click on the green "Add New User" button in the upper right corner of this section.

To edit a User, click on the blue "Edit" button in the Actions column, or click on the Login ID of the User.

To delete a User, click on the red "Delete" button in the Actions column. You'll be shown a confirmation page with a preview of the selected User, where you can either confirm the deletion, or cancel and return to the Users tab.

User Roles Explained

Blogger” user accounts can only access and edit Blog posts which they personally created.

Contributor” user accounts can only access and edit the content that they have personally created. They cannot edit or delete the content created by others, nor can they view, edit, or delete other user accounts.

Editor” user accounts can access and edit any content created by anyone, including "Admin" users. However, they cannot view, edit, or delete other user accounts.

"Admin" user accounts have full and complete access to all content and user accounts. They can view, edit, and delete any content and any user accounts.

Editing Users

Once you've clicked on the "Add New User" button, you'll be shown a screen similar to that below. If you're editing a user, the Username, Name, Email, and Role fields will display the relevant information for that user.

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  • The Username and Password fields are used when a person wants to log into Armadillo's content creation interface so he/she can create and edit Posts and Pages, and to upload new Media files.
  • The Name field is used to identify the content created by specific Users in the Posts and Pages tabs.
  • The Email field is used to reset login information when a User forgets their password or username. Please make sure the email address is correctly entered when adding a new User.
  • The Language field is used to set the language that Armadillo will show to that user when he/she logs in. The default setting is "auto-detect", which will determine the language to use based upon the language of the user's web browser.
  • When editing a pre-exisiting User, the Password and Confirm Password fields will be left blank. To keep the current password leave these fields blank when submitting other changes (such as updating a new email address). For current Users, only enter a password into these fields if you want to change the existing password. For new Users the Password fields are required.
  • If you do not want to create a User, or do not want to save the changes you have made to a pre-existing User, click the red Cancel button.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:22


How do I use the built-in lightbox?

Please note: As of v2.0 Armadillo will automatically display a lightbox for links that point to an image file. There is no need for you to do anything to take advantage of this feature.

Keep in mind, this is different from directly embedding an image on the page, surrounded by text. Only links which point to an image will have that image displayed in the lightbox.

For v1.7.5 and Earlier Only

The instructions described below only apply to Armadillo v1.7.5 and earlier.

Armadillo includes a built-in lightbox called fancyBox. NimbleHost has integrated the "unlimited" usage license into Armadillo so that you can use fancyBox on any type of site, including commercial projects. You can use fancyBox to display individual images (and other file types), as well as to show related images together in a gallery.

Follow these directions to display linked files using fancyBox.

  1. Create a new Page/Post, or open an existing Page/Post.
  2. In the content editor select the text/image you'd like to turn into a link, then click the Link button in the toolbar.
  3. A dialog window will appear. Enter the URL to the file you want displayed. If you do not know the URL, scroll down to the Media Library, hover over the file you want displayed, then right-click on the link provided to copy the URL.
  4. After entering the URL, click the "Insert" button to create the link.
  5. In the toolbar click on the </> button to the far right.
  6. Locate the link you created in Step 4 above and add a class of "fancybox". The code should look similar to the following: <a href="http://link-to-your-image-here.com" class="fancybox">Link text here</a>.
  7. Optional: If you would like fancyBox to group related images together to create a gallery, so that you can navigate to the next image from within fancyBox itself, add a "rel" attribute to the link code as well. The value for each link's "rel" attribute should be the same, so that they appear together as a gallery. For example: <a href="http://link-to-your-image-here.com" class="fancybox" rel="gallery1">Link text here</a>.

Armadillo supports an unlimited number of galleries.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:24


How do I use Solo Content?

Solo Content is a new type of content in v2.0 with its own dedicated stack that can be displayed anywhere on your RapidWeaver site.

You can add as many Solo Content stacks to a page as you want, anywhere on your RapidWeaver site, and editing these areas on your website is super easy! The only "requirement" is that you must have the main Armadillo stack added to your site somewhere (it doesn't matter on which page).

Using Solo Content

  1. Open the Stacks Library.
  2. Locate the Armadillo Solo Content stack.
  3. Drag one onto your Stacks page.
  4. Make sure you have the main Armadillo stack added somewhere on your site (it doesn't need to be on the same page as the Solo Content stack).

In order for Armadillo to know which piece of content you want to display, you'll need to enter the content ID in stack settings. The ID is easy to find in the Armadillo Dashboard.

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Once you've entered the content ID, publish your site to see the changes in action.

Editing Solo Content

There are two ways to edit Solo Content. Once you've logged into the Armadillo dashboard, you can either:

  • Edit it from within the dashboard, OR
  • Visit the live page on your website and edit it there!

When you're logged in, Armadillo will display a light gray edit icon in the top right corner of the Solo Content area.

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If you have multiple Solo Content areas on a page, you'll be able to edit each one, individually.

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This edit icon will only be visible to you; website visitors will not see this icon and cannot edit the Solo Content areas.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:25


How do I add social sharing buttons or links?

As of Armadillo v1.7 you can specify a social sharing code snippet via the Settings panel of the online dashboard.

This social sharing snippet is for use with services like AddThis, ShareThis and similar services which will create social sharing links or buttons for your website.

Once you have the required code snippet, simply paste it into the "Social Sharing Code" field of the "Social Sharing" section of Armadillo's Settings tab. Then be sure to select the "Show social sharing links" option and save your settings by clicking on the green save button.

When this is complete, Armadillo will automatically add this code snippet to the bottom of every page and post you create in Armadillo.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:26


Uploading Media Files

After you've logged into Armadillo navigate to the Media tab. This is where you can upload, preview, and delete various media files.

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To upload new media files, click on the green "Upload New Media" button in the upper right corner of this section.

To preview a particular media file, click on the purple "Preview" button in the Actions column.

To delete a media file, click on the red "Delete" button in the Actions column. You'll be shown a confirmation page with the ability to preview the selected file, and can either confirm the deletion, or cancel and return to the Media tab.

Uploading Files via the Media Tab

Once you've clicked on the "Upload New Media" button, you'll be shown a screen similar to that below.

  • To upload media files, click the Add Files button and choose the select the files from your computer. If your browser is HTML5 compatible, you may also drag and drop the files into the area labeled "Drag files here."
  • When you have selected all the media files you want uploaded click the green Confirm Uploaded Files button
  • If you do not want to upload selected media files, and have not yet clicked the Start upload button, you may click the red Cancel button, and no files will be uploaded. If you have already clicked the Start upload button, clicking the red Cancel button will not cancel the upload.

Additionally, you can upload files directly when editing or creating your content.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:30


What is a 'blog' in Armadillo?

A Blog is a special type of page which will display a collection of posts. As of v2.5 Armadillo supports the creation of multiple blogs.

Each blog will be independent and completely separate from other blogs you create.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:33


What is a 'post' in Armadillo?

Posts are a special type of content, which are only displayed on a Blog page.

The Blog page is created for you automatically during the initial online setup process. As of v2.5 you can create multiple Blog pages, which will be separate from each other, with their own unique posts.

If you do not use the Blog functionality (by disabling it in the Settings tab of the admin dashboard), posts will not be displayed on your website.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:34


What is a 'page' in Armadillo?

A page is a individual piece of content similar to a page on your website. Armadillo pages are separate from the pages created in RapidWeaver, since they are stored in an online database, rather than in the RapidWeaver project file on your computer.

Armadillo creates a dedicated menu for all of the pages you create in its online interface. You can choose to display these pages in that dedicated menu, or have Armadillo move the menu items to your site's native navigation area, so that they appear to be just like other menu items in the site navigation. For more information about how to do this, see the Primary Navigation menu article.

Author: Jonathan Head
Last update: 2020-07-04 05:36