Welcome to Features of GVC.SiteMaker

What sets GVC.SiteMaker apart from other web-publishing tools?

Few (if any) universities have implemented web-publishing systems on a significant scale. Existing products are either too rigid to meet the diverse requirements of academic users or too complicated for ordinary people to handle. GVC.SiteMaker was designed by a University of Michigan Professor(Jonathan Maybaum) who understands the needs and capabilities of university faculty and staff.

GVC.SiteMaker is extremely flexible yet requires no training or experience with HTML. In addition, GVC.SiteMaker is designed to overcome the practical difficulties that people face when trying to put their pages into production. It transparently handles finding the right directory to deposit files, designing layouts and navigation widgets, and making pages and files accessible to selected visitors. GVC.SiteMaker also allows either distributed or central administrative control of websites (such as creating and naming them) depending on the needs of the organization. With the latest version, GVC.SiteMaker now allows users to create virtual Database Tables for use in their websites.

In addition to universities and school boards, small businesses and non-profit organizations would also benefit from GVC.SiteMaker's ease of use and flexibility.

Important Features

Use of templates for entering page contents: GVC.SiteMaker templates enable users to create pages by filling in text fields, checking boxes, etc., without knowing HTML code. However, those who are comfortable using HTML editing tools can simply include HTML code to add further customization.

Database Tables: The Database Table feature within GVC.SiteMaker allows the user to create a data table right in their website. This way they can collect, store, manage and share structured information on their own web-site. Multiple pages can be created within the site all accessing the same data table. However, each page can be configured differently to allow differing data display, permissions, record selection, etc. Also, the layout of the data can be determined by using a standard layout or by creating a customized one.

Consistent website appearance, structure and navigation: An institution can create an unlimited number of "styles" (i.e., layouts that include graphics and color schemes) for users to choose from. This relieves them of the burden of designing their own graphics and helps to achieve a sense of consistency among a unit's websites, while preserving the unit's identity within the organization. A self-configuring navigation bar ensures consistent navigational links.

Site styles: GVC.SiteMaker allows users to determine a site's visual "style" by merely making a selection from a given list. The chosen style will result in color scheme and graphic design elements included on every page of the site. Changes in styles can be made without affecting the content or the organization of the site. As well, each unit within an organization can have its own style or styles, helping to achieve organizational control over its organization's websites without managing the sites' contents.

Delegation of website management: Configuration and maintenance of the website may be shared or delegated to other users merely by granting the necessary permissions to the corresponding user(s) using the GVC.SiteMaker web interface. This does not require an understanding of UNIX permissions, as is often the case in conventional deployment schemes.

Ability to restrict access: With the exception of the Home page (which is viewable by everyone), access can be restricted to any other part of a GVC.SiteMaker website. Restricted areas could be pages or individual files. Any restricted area will be available only to those users who are members of specified access group(s) created and managed by the site owner. Access group members may include both users within and outside of the organization.

Sending files to other people: Files stored in GVC.SiteMaker may be accessed as ordinary web links. Viewing of files is optionally available to everyone or can be restricted using access groups. Files can also be sent to a specific user by clicking a button sending an email directly from GVC.SiteMaker, which contains a URL from which the file can be downloaded. In addition, files that have been 'access restricted' can be sent to individuals who are not members of the defined access group. These individuals will then be granted a 'time limited' access to the emailed file.

Embedded Sites or Pages: By using either of the "Embedded" features, websites can combine information from a number of individual websites in a rich, hierarchical structure. However, the owners of the individual website maintain the control, context, and access for their own site. In this manner, users can embed, or 'nest', the content of another site or an individual page from another site within their own, while maintaining the website's look and feel.