Setting Up a Discussion Component

Feature Description: A Discussion Component allows you to add a discussion that can be viewed or completed while completing a Product. Users can post a new item to the discussion and/or can reply to other discussion posts made by other registrants of the Product. The Discussion Component is not the same as a Discussion Tab or Discussion Widget.

To add a new Discussion Component:

1. From the Administrative Control Panel navigate to Products > Product Listing, then find the Product you would like to add the Discussion Component to.
2. Click on "Components" from within the Product editor
3. Click "Create New Component" and select "Discussion" from the Component Type dropdown menu
   

   FIG. 1 - Creating a new component

4. Input the name of your Discussion Component, as well as a brief description if you would like, and click the "Next Step" button to continue setting up the Discussion.
5. Update the text in the "Button Text" field if you would like to change the text. This is the text that will display for end-users when they click to view and/or complete the Component.
6. Input the start and end dates for the discussion. If your discussion should remain open, select the "No End Date" checkbox. If no dates are entered in these fields, the discussion will not be available for users to interact with.
   

   FIG. 2 - Setting the start and end date

7. Input any "Intro Text" that should appear for end-users when they first view the Discussion Component. This Intro Text field is a limited WYSIWYG editor where the admin can enter additional information about the Discussion. This text will then appear immediately above the discussion area and show while the learner is entering their post. This text can be used to help guide the learner in what types of information or questions you wish them to comment on in their posting.
   
   
   

   FIG. 3 - Admin view for the intro text 

   

   FIG. 4 - Learner view 

8. Input when this Component should be marked as "Complete" for a user. If "After User First Opens Discussion" is selected, the end-user will be able to move on to the next Component as soon as they open the Discussion Component, regardless of whether any posts have been made. If "After User Posts __ Comments" is selected, you can input the number of posts an end-user must make in order for this Component to be marked as completed.
   

   FIG. 5 - Edit the notifications

9. Optionally select to send a notification email when a comment has been posted to the Discussion Component. When selected, you have the ability to input an email address of where the email notification should be sent.
   
   

   

   FIG. 6 - Notification editor 

10. Once all information has been completed, click the "Update" button to return to your listing of Components, or click "Update and Stay" to continue editing the Component.