Lesson 1: Getting Started: Access, Navigation, and Getting Help

FOR CURRENT UI:
To access Workspace, type https://workspace.wcer.wisc.edu into the address bar. This is the Workspace login page – bookmark this page for easy access.  When you click the yellow login button, you will be prompted to enter you user name and password. When you have entered your user name and password, click OK. This space shows you the project resources, announcements and upcoming events, and folder titles. 

This horizontal bar shows you which workspaces you can access. This horizontal bar also gives you access to My Page, your personal space in Workspace. My Page comprises your private folder where you can store information that only you can see, your public folder, where you can store information you need to share with others, and your task list – which shows all of the tasks assigned to you. From this page, you can also access your profile. Your profile contains information about yourself and a picture. To update your profile, click My Profile. Then, click Edit Properties. Fill in as much information as possible.  When you’re finished, click OK. Then upload a picture. You can change your profile or update your picture anytime.

To see information for your project, click one of the buttons in the horizontal navigation bar.  The information you see depends on your project and your level of access. In Workspace, access policies control who may read, access, and edit files. If you don’t have access to certain files, you will not be able to see them. Let’s look in a folder:

This is the command bar. The items in the command bar allow you to control the objects or files within the workspace. For example, clicking Document in the Add section of the command bar allows you to add a document.  Clicking Order Contents in the Manage section of the command bar allows you to reorganize the contents of the workspace. Depending on your access rights, you might see fewer links in this area.

Near the top of the screen are the so-called breadcrumbs. Just like Hansel and Gretl used breadcrumbs to find their way back home, you can use breadcrumbs to retrace your steps within Workspace. Workspace has a hierarchical structure. The breadcrumbs show you that structure. To move around within workspace, you can navigate by clicking links in the breadcrumbs. You can also navigate by using your browser’s back or forward buttons.

Underneath the breadcrumbs are a few checkboxes. These checkboxes control the amount of information you see. For example, if you want to know who has access to a particular workspace, check the People & Policies box. If you’d like to read information about the items in the workspace, check the Descriptions box.

This section show the folder’s content. This is where the information is stored! To view the content of a folder, click the folder’s title. To simply read a document, click the document’s title.  If you’d like to do more to a document, like edit the content, add a new version, or add a comment, use the icons over on the right side. The “I” will take you to the document’s information page. The information page features lots of important information. It tells you who created the document and when, it features a short description of the document, and shows which version you are viewing.  For more information on versioning, view the appropriate tutorial.

To get help anytime you’re using Workspace, simply click on the Help button near the upper right corner.  This opens Workspace Help.  From here you can view frequently asked questions, the workspace workshop calendar, the development blog, the online manual, or simply email the help desk.

Now that you know how to access, navigate, and get help, view other Workspace tutorials.