Overview

The banner is a graphical element located at the right of the homepage (for Feature Shortcuts and News and Reminders) that displays information, images, or messages. It can be a static image or a dynamic element that rotates through a series of images.

The banner can be configured to be used for a variety of purposes:

Promotion: used to promote products, services, or events to Users
Call-to-Action: used to encourage Users to take a specific action. For example, a banner might prompt Users to sign up for a newsletter, follow a social media account, or download an app.
Branding: used to help reinforce brand identity by displaying logos, taglines, or other brand elements.
Navigation: used for navigation, such as providing links to different websites or systems.
Announcements: used to announce important information, such as changes to a business, website updates, or holiday closures.

The banner is an effective way to communicate important information to Users in a visually appealing way.

Configuration

Configuration of the home page banner can only be done by Users with either an Admin or Sadmin role.

There are two parts to the configuration of the home page banner:

Image - only GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) image types are supported and the size should be 160px x 600px.
Configuration file - uses the XML format and banner specific configuration parameters

Image

The image to display on the banner is uploaded into the Meshed Platform.

Navigate to Admin > Document Repository
Navigate to the Advert folder
Choose the required image file on your computer using Choose File. (GIF image type, size 160px x 600px)
Click Upload

Animated GIF

An animated GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is a type of image file that contains a series of frames or images that are displayed in sequence, creating the illusion of motion or animation. Each frame of the animation is stored as a separate image within the file, and the frames are played back in a loop to create the animation effect.

Animated GIFs are often used to add visual interest and are supported by most browsers.

The GIF image format supports both animated and static graphics.

Configuration File

The configuration file used to customise the banner is managed in the Meshed Platform.

Navigate to Admin > Document Repository
Navigate to the Advert folder
Download Ad.xml file
Edit using any text editor and save the file with the same filename Ad.xml (see below for configuration parameters information)
Navigate to Admin > Document Repository
Navigate to the Advert folder
Choose the edited Ad.xml file on your computer using Choose File.
Click Upload
Choose to overwrite existing Ad.xml file

Configuration Parameter	Description
<ImageUrl>	The full name (including file extension) of the image file to display on the banner. The image must be uploaded into the Meshed Platform.
<NavigateUrl>	The URL of the location a User will be redirected to when they click on the banner.
<AlternateText>	The text to display when the User hovers the mouse over the banner (browser dependant).
<Impressions>	Leave unchanged
<Keyword>	Leave unchanged

XML configuration file

An XML configuration file is a file that contains structured data in XML format, which is used to specify settings, parameters, and other configuration details for software applications or systems.

The XML configuration file contains a set of tags, attributes, and values that define the configuration parameters. These tags and attributes are organized hierarchically to reflect the structure of the configuration.

When the software application or system reads the XML configuration file, it interprets the data and applies the configuration settings as specified in the file.

An XML configuration file provides a flexible and standardized way to configure software applications or systems, allowing for easier maintenance, and customization.

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Related topics

Higher-Ed Homepage Overview

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