The Layouts application is located in your admin panel at yoursite.com/admin/layouts/.

Create a Layout Object

Click “Add layout” (a) next to the Layouts application or "+" (b) from the application home screen.

Add general information including a headline, subhead, description and photo which will appear in the layout’s list view, visible at yoursite.com/layouts/list

Create endpoints for your layout. Endpoints determine the url a layout will be located at. For example: an endpoint of “/test/” will appear on your site at yoursite.com/test/. You can then link a layout into stories as a special feature, or add layouts to your top navigation bar to bring users to your page. A Layout may have many Endpoints, or no Endpoints. Having no endpoints usually signifies that a Layout is designed to be placed within other Layouts, and is not to be used stand-alone.

Create a version: Add the date and time this layout will become public on your site.

Click “Save and continue editing”

Add content to a Layout Version

Once you’ve initially saved your layout, you will see an “Edit layout” button next to your layout version.

Clicking on this button will take you to the layout editor, where you can add and organize your content.

Your initial layouts will look like this (below).

• The left and right arrows, as well as the clock icon track your changes to the layout, see Layout Versioning for more info.
• The Add rows button allows you to add content-housing rows to your layout. See Add Rows for more info.
• Versions allows you to view all existing versions of a Layout and track how they have been updated over time.
• Document Allows you to control how your layout displays on your page. See Document Type for more detail.
• Preview displays the content as it would appear on the public side of the site. Preview Your Layout
• The final button is the View on Site button, Clicking this button will allow you to see the public page from any endpoint you’d like.

The Document type allows you to control the appearance of your layout with regards to your right rail content. Layouts can include right rail content, or override such content to fit your needs.

• Inherit: This document format will display the right rail content and adds from your base template.
• Override: This format will override the right rail and allow you to place stories, photos or any other object in that area.
• Fullscreen: This format will simply remove the right rail and spread your layout content across the page.

Adding rows creates a framework for your layout. Rows can be added and moved at will to change a page’s appearance.

• Click “Add rows” and select the type of row you wish too add.

Rows will be added to the top of your page, and can be placed in the order you desire by using the drag-and drop tabs to the left of each row.

Rows can be labeled to assist in maintaining order and easy identification within the newsroom.

The “Content Picker” is anchored at the bottom of your browser and floats above the layout page and rows. This allows you to always have a palette of content ready to load into your respective rows.

Select content by clicking on the Content button and then the type of content you wish to add.

Once you’ve selected your content, you can scroll through the layout and drag and drop content in your desired rows

The appearance of content can be changed by clicking on the icon next to each content object.

At any time, you can see a mock-up of how your layout will appear on the public side by clicking the Preview button. Content can still be placed and moved using drag-and-drop while you are previewing a layout. This feature is not guaranteed to exactly match your on-site styles – however it will do the best it can. Preview is only available in Firefox 4.0+, Chrome, and Safari. You can also view the live version of a layout at any time by clicking the view on site button.

Layouts have two forms of content versioning to track changes.

• The first tracks changes made in your individual session with this Layout. Any movements or changes you’ve made since opening that layout in your browser will be tracked here. You can back up change-by-change using the arrows, or review changes and revert back to the way the layout looked 4 steps ago by clicking the clock.

• The second form of versioning works off of the “Save New” button. The “Save New” button creates a completely separate version of your layout which will be stored alongside previous versions of your layout. The layout with the most recent date assigned will appear on the public side. This allows a newsroom to review previous versions of a layout, and revert to those if they choose by simply re-saving.