Exponential Layouts: course overview
Exponential Layouts lets editors and site builders arrange pages from blocks in the browser: front pages, landing and campaign pages, a shared header and footer. This course teaches it from the five ideas to a complete campaign page, on a training installation, with each learner working on a layout of their own.
Who it is for
- Editors who will build or change pages with the layouts editor.
- Site builders (website creators) who set up layouts, shared layouts and mappings.
- Designers who want to know how their theme's classes reach blocks.
Outcome
After the course, learners can explain layouts, zones, blocks, collections and rules; create layouts of the right type; add and configure blocks of every basic kind, containers and the Full view block; fill listing blocks with manual and dynamic collections, offset, limit and pins; link zones to shared layouts and change shared content safely; publish, keep and discard drafts; create and troubleshoot mappings; and plan and build a campaign page.
Format and length
| Lessons | 23 lessons in 8 modules |
| Lesson time | 17 hours 30 minutes (presenting and exercises) |
| With breaks | about 18 hours 30 minutes, as in the modules' timing plans |
| Format | Classroom with a projector, or online with screen sharing; every learner at their own computer, some pair work |
| Group size | Up to about 10 learners per trainer: the editor needs a big screen and close help |
| Level | Beginner to intermediate |
Prerequisites
- Learners: Editors 101 or experience as an editor (the tree, the edit form, publishing). Editors 201 helps but is not needed.
- Trainer: experience with the layouts editor on the version they teach, and administrator rights on the training installation to prepare roles, a shared layout and faults for the troubleshooting lesson (Train the trainer: course overview).
Lab setup
- A training installation with the layouts extensions active (
explayouts,explayouts_ui,explayouts_ui_apiand the standard blocks), a public front page built with a layout, a published shared header/footer layout, and some sample layouts and mappings. Build and reset: Module 2: Building the lab of Train the trainer, and 7. The console install. - One account per learner with read and edit on the three layouts modules, working in the administration (the Editor
siteaccess does not offer layouts); e-mail addresses at
example.invalid. - Per learner: a course folder with articles, a published test page and a campaign page (modules 7 and 8).
- A list of the theme's CSS classes, and a separate shared layout
Training footerfor module 5. - Screens of at least 1280 pixels width; the editor is cramped on small laptops.
Modules
| Module | Lessons | Duration | Topics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Module 1: Introducing Exponential Layouts | 3 | 1 h 45 min | The five ideas, the dashboard and editor, permissions |
| Module 2: Layouts and layout types | 3 | 2 h 10 min | Layout types and zones, creating, managing |
| Module 3: Blocks | 4 | 3 h 10 min | Adding and moving, text blocks, buttons and images, containers, Full view |
| Module 4: Collections | 3 | 2 h 40 min | Manual and dynamic collections, queries, offset, limit, pinning |
| Module 5: Shared layouts and zone linking | 3 | 2 h 10 min | Shared layouts, linking zones, changing shared content |
| Module 6: Drafts and publishing | 2 | 1 h 30 min | Publishing and alternatives, caches, preview and handover |
| Module 7: Mapping rules | 3 | 2 h 40 min | Reading, creating and troubleshooting mappings |
| Module 8: Capstone | 2 | 2 h 25 min | Planning and building a campaign page |
Reading path
For a trainer preparing the course, in this order:
- The layouts editor and the layouts part of A tour of the administration: what learners will see.
- Landing pages with the layouts editor and Layout types, zones and blocks.
- Shared layouts: header, footer and prefooter and Layout rules: which page gets which layout.
- explayouts_ui and explayouts_ui_api: the screens and the editor.
- Exponential Layouts: the complete reference; read at least the editor, layouts, zones, blocks, collections, pinning, rules, drafts, shared layouts and troubleshooting sections.
- Roles and policies: to prepare the course role.
- Then the modules in order: each module's overview first (its preparation list and timing plan), then its lessons. Build the capstone page yourself once before the course.
Suggested schedules
Lesson times add up to 17 hours 30 minutes; the schedules add breaks.
Three days
| Day | Morning | Afternoon |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Module 1, Module 2 | Module 3 |
| 2 | Module 4 | Module 5, Module 6 |
| 3 | Module 7 | Module 8 |
For editors who only fill existing layouts (one day)
Lessons 1.1, 1.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.3 and 6.1 (5 hours 45 minutes of lessons): adding and filling blocks and collections in layouts a site builder made, and publishing them. Leave mappings and shared layouts to site builders.
Weekly sessions
One module per week, in order; the capstone as the last session. Between sessions, learners improve their course layout.
Assessing learners
- Each lesson's quiz and expected result check understanding during the course.
- Lesson 8.2 (the capstone) has an eight-point checklist for a final practical check.
- The assessments course (Assessments and practical exercises, in this section of the help) has further material. All assessments are the trainer's own material, not an official certification; the partner program's certifications are separate and their details are not published (Certifications).
Related pages
- Trainers: start here
- Course catalogue
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
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