Body
Articles can be created and edited by TeamDynamix technicians with access to the knowledge base (KB). If you need access, click the Schedule a Time for TDX Service Catalog Development button on the right.
NOTE: This information in general, excluding instructions for specific editors, applies to all university public documentation.
Before creating a new article
Confirm there is a need for the new article
Before creating a new knowledge base article, first check to see if another similar article that covers the same topic already exists. An existing article might need to be updated instead of creating a new article. Use the search to look for similar, existing articles, and look through the category where you intend to locate the new article. Typically, any new information should be added to the existing article and outdated information should be removed. You might need to contact the owner of the article to discuss updating the article.
Make sure the article content is ADA accessible
Knowledge articles and service descriptions should follow accessibility guidelines to allow people with disabilities to access them in various ways, such as with screen readers and voice recognition software. Ensuring web accessibility for people with disabilities is a priority for university documentation.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), is an international standard for web content accessibility. There are three levels of conformance to the guidelines, Levels A, AA, and AAA. We strive to meet Level AAA, the highest level. Follow the W3C guidance to maintain compliance in knowledge articles and service descriptions that you create or edit.
Use correct grammar and consistent style
Correct word usage, spelling, grammar, and consistency is important in TeamDynamix (TDX) knowledge base articles and service descriptions to ensure clarity and understanding of the information.
Styles for Commonly Used Words and Phrases
Create a new article
To create a new knowledge base article, log into TeamDynamix, navigate to the category into which the article should be placed, and click the New Article button.
Note: If you do not see the New Article button, make sure you are signed in (check the top, right corner) and have permissions to create articles.
Category
On the New Article screen, the Category field will be completed with the category where you started; this can be changed by clicking the Look Up Category button and selecting a different category.
See our article on Categories for more information.
Order
The Order number that you select will determine the order in which the article is listed in the category.
The Pin Article checkbox allows you to pin that article to the top of the category’s article list.
Subject
Complete the Subject field with the title or main heading for the article.
Body
The Body field will contain the content of the article.
Follow accessibility guidelines and standard styles for:
Paste content from Word
You can write articles in the TDX editor or write articles using Microsoft Word and paste the content from Word into the TDX editor using the Paste from Word button.
- Do not paste content directly from Word or from web pages, GitLab wiki pages, OneNote, etc. as the styles will be pasted along with the text.
- Text formatting including bolding, links, and bullet and numbered lists will be copied when using the Paste from Word button.
- You can create the links in the Word document or in the TDX editor.
- Insert images after copy/pasting text. Pasting images can cause issues.
- The Paste as Plain Text button will allow you to paste from anything, but you will lose any formatting, including links.
Summary
All articles should have an Article Summary. The Article Summary will be displayed with the article name in a category's listing of articles. The summary should contain information that will let the reader know if that article is what they’re looking for.
Tags
Use the Tags field to add search tags.
Learn more about Search Optimization for knowledge base articles.
Status
Use the Status dropdown to indicate whether the article is Not Submitted, Submitted, Approved, Rejected, or Archived.
If the article has a status of Approved and is ready to be public in the knowledge base, check the Published to KB checkbox.
Next Review Date
Next Review Date is useful as a reminder for article reviews.
The Notify Owner of Review Date checkbox will email the article owner with a reminder for article review to see if information has changed and needs to be updated.
Owner
All articles must have an Owner. The article owner should be someone who works with and understands the article content and can update the information in the article. The Owner will default to the person who is creating the article.
Check the Notify Owner on Feedback checkbox so that the owner will know when feedback has been left on the article.
Audience
Complete the Audience field. Examples: “University faculty, staff, and students”, “University graduate students”, “TeamDynamix technicians”
Responsible Group/SME
Begin typing a TDX technician’s name in the Responsible Group/SME field or click the Search button to see the listing of technicians.
Note: SME is Subject Matter Expert.
- The Responsible Group field can be used for additional entities besides those in the Responsible Group/SME field.
- The Technician Notes field can be used for information for technicians. This field’s content will only be visible to TDX technicians.
After completing all required fields, click the Save button at the bottom.
Proof the new article
After saving, click the article title in the breadcrumbs at the top to view the article. You will want to check the article to make sure it looks as intended. Content can appear as formatted differently when viewed as the published article than it does when editing.
- All the links in the article should be checked to make sure the URLs entered are correct.
- Read through all the sections and determine if any of the information belongs in a different section or if the sections should be in a different, more logical order.
- Does the article make sense out of context from other articles?
- Are there links to a main/hub article and to other related articles both in the content and in related articles?
It is good practice to have someone else (or multiple people) on your team to proofread the article. It can be especially helpful if the proofreader is unfamiliar with the material to determine if the article is clear and easily understood.
Editing articles
To create related services and related articles, set shortcuts , or attach a file to the article, you must edit the new article after it has been saved.
To edit an existing knowledge base article, log into the knowledge base, navigate to the article, and click Edit Article on the right.
If the Edit Article button is not on the right, make sure you are signed in (check the top, right corner) and have permissions to edit articles.
The article will open in the editor under the Content tab where the article body can be edited.
Draft Summary
The Draft Summary field, located below the Body field (main content field) when editing an article, is available to add notes and details (a brief summary) about the changes and edits that were made in the current draft of the article. If the edit includes major changes, it is advisable to include notes in the Draft Summary. Minor edits may also be recorded in the Draft Summary if desired. Each Draft Summary will be displayed in the article's Feed and only visible to content authors. The Draft Summary should not be confused with the article's Summary.
Settings
Click the Settings tab to make changes to the article’s Subject, Category, Order, Summary, Tags, Status, Review Date, Owner, Audience, Responsible Group/SME, or Technician Notes.
Saving
When editing an article or service description in the TDX editor, save by clicking the Update Article button at the bottom of the page. A new version of the article will be created. You can view previous versions when in edit mode by clicking the Revisions tab at the top.