Through the communication area, you can directly reach out with relevant information that concerns the entire organization or specific parts of it within the organization.
General information
General and product-specific communication area.
The communication area exists in two variants: the general communication area displayed on the homepage under "My Work," and a product-specific communication area for each product.
The general communication area is suitable for information that is relevant to all users.
In the product-specific communication area, you can gather relevant information specific to that particular product.
The general communication area is always accessible to all users in the organization. The displayed content may vary based on the user's permissions and the department they are in.
The product-specific communication area requires activation per product and is displayed when working within that specific product. The content then switches from the general content to the product-specific content. Again, permissions and department can control the content displayed.
Display the communication area
The user has control over how the communication area is displayed.
The communication area is accessed by clicking on the megaphone icon located in the top right corner of the menu header. This icon is available from anywhere within the Stratsys platform, allowing users to easily access the communication area.
When you switch to a product that has its own communication area (i.e., a product where the product dashboard feature is enabled), the content in the communication area will change to reflect the specific information related to that product. This ensures that users can view and interact with relevant communications specific to the selected product.
To hide the area, click on the cross at the top of the area.
Compact and expanded mode.
The communication area has two display modes depending on whether you have content on the dashboard in the form of gadgets or not.
If there is no content on the dashboard for a user, the communication area expands and is displayed across the entire page. If there is content in the form of gadgets, the area is displayed in a narrow mode.
Below is an example of the general communication area in narrow mode when there is content on the dashboard.
Below is an example of a product-specific communication area in expanded mode. In this case, there is no content on the dashboard.
Limitations in functionality for general communication area
To access all the features in the general communication area, the product-specific communication area must be activated for at least one product.
When the product-specific communication area is activated, the general communication area gains access to the "Instructions" tab, and users also have the ability to embed rich media in posts, such as images and videos.
Activation of product dashboard / product-specific communication area
When you activate the product dashboard for a product, the product-specific communication area is also activated.
The product dashboard functions as a landing page similar to the dashboard under "My work".
It is not possible to activate the product dashboard and the product-specific communication area separately.
Activation requirements
To activate the product dashboard, you need to have Full Administrator permissions.
Steps to activate
Activation is done from the product page, located to the right of the Administration section per product, as shown in the image below. Click on the house icon to navigate to the product page if you are in a different section of the administration.
To activate, drag the toggle switch for "Activate dashboard" to the right.
In the example below,The product communication area is activated for Risk & Control (1) and it is not yet activated for Operational planning (2).
What happens after activation?
After activation, the following features are added to Stratsys:
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A new menu tab called "Start" is added to the product menu. This page is where users will land when the product/product menu is selected in the left menu after activation.
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A product-specific dashboard becomes available. This dashboard functions similarly to the dashboard under "My Work".
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The product-specific communication area becomes accessible. The area has a default text that introduces the product.
The following new functionality included in the product-specific communication area also becomes available for the general communication area:
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Ability to attach videos/images (rich media) to posts.
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A new category is added called "Instructions," where general posts and information that are valid for a longer period of time can be posted.
Deactivation
You can deactivate a product dashboard at any time. The texts/posts/gadgets you have created so far will be saved and will be displayed again if you reactivate the dashboard.
However, the general communication area cannot be deactivated. It remains accessible to all users and cannot be turned off.
Edit communication areas
The pencil icon, buttons, and menus mentioned below are available when you have editing permissions. If you don't see them, it means you don't have editing permissions. Please contact your local Stratsys administrator for questions regarding your permissions.
Requirements for editing in the general communication area
To be able to edit all the information in the general communication area, you need to be a Full Administrator.
If you are a Local Administrator, you can write posts under "Latest from your organization" in the general communication area.
Requirements for editing in the product-specific communication area
To be able to edit the product-specific communication area and add gadgets to the product dashboard, you need to either be a Full Administrator or be added as an Owner for that product dashboard.
As a Full Administrator, you can add Owners by following the steps shown in the image below after selecting the product:
Edit the header
For both types of communication areas, the following can be edited:
- The general text that is displayed below the image
- Translations for the text below the image. This language follows the user's language settings. We support Danish, English, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish languages.
Click on the pencil icon to edit the header.
In addition, you can also edit the following for the general communication area:
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The image at the top of the area
The title of the area, such as the organization's name, along with a slogan or subtitle
- Translations for the title, slogan, and subtitle. The language for these translations depends on the user's language settings. We support Danish, English, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish languages.
Add and edit content in Getting Started
The top category, "Getting Started," is only displayed to users when it has content. It is specific to product dashboards, and the idea is to provide users with short videos and other materials to help them quickly get started with the product.
To add content and manage the "Getting Started" area, one must be a Stratsys employee. Please contact your consultant if you wish to make changes to this category.
Add and edit quick links
When you upload new material, it will be notified to users as new through the communication area icon, and the post will be tagged as "New!".
To add a link or upload a file, select "Quick Links" and choose "Add Link" or "Attach File".
Please note that the links you wish to use must have an SSL certificate, meaning they must be "https" for the area to display the information correctly.
Edit or delete an existing link/file by clicking on the three-dot menu:
Add and edit posts in "Latest from your organization"
When you upload new material, it will be notified to users as new through the communication area icon, and the post will be tagged as "New!".
New posts always appear at the top of the area, similar to a news feed.
To add a new post or edit an existing one, click on "Latest from your organization" and then click on "Post" to create a new post.
Depending on whether the product-specific communication area is enabled or not, different levels of support for posts are available. In the simpler version, formatting, images, and videos are not supported.
The image below shows full support, where you can format the text, add images, YouTube or Vimeo videos, links, and files. Links are presented as clickable buttons in the post.
You can also control which permission groups the post should be visible to and for which units the post is displayed. This means you can target a post to the entire school organization, while another post is specifically for the municipal management.
Edit and delete
Edit or delete an existing post through the menu:
Add and edit posts in "Instructions"
Posts in "Instructions" function exactly like posts in "Latest from your organization" (as described above), with the exception that you can rearrange your posts so that the most important/most useful ones appear at the top and receive the most attention.
Use the menu to sort your posts.
