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Topics & Smart Objects

Updated till version 2.6

Topics

Topics are articles or blog posts that can be created using various content types.

  • Article is a generic topic that can contain a wide variety of content such as text, images, files, and videos. It is similar to a blog post. Regular topics (articles) are those with the following icon on the avatar.
  • Video Topic is for adding a video as the main object in a topic. The video can be uploaded as a file or linked from a video service (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.). Furthermore, you can add a description that explains the video or gives additional information. Video topics are those with the following icon on the avatar.
  • Analysis topic is a special type of topic, which has similar functionalities as a regular topic content type, but serves a different purpose. An analysis topic is a condensation of e.g. research texts, fact-finding documents, or comprehensive studies and has the goal to deliver a concise version of something, especially a text. Analysis topics are those with the following icon on the avatar.

The topic author can @mention specific users within a topic text or in comments. The topic author can schedule the topic's publication date/ time.

Public and private topics

By default, anyone within a team/ organization can create both types of topics. Rights and access are granted and revoked in the VNCdirectory.

When you create a new topic, you can choose it to be public or private according to the topic’s purpose.

  • Public topic is visible to any members of the team. Any member can subscribe to a public topic by selecting a topic displayed on the channel home page.
  • Private topic is only visible to its participants. Only the participants of the private topic can see the private topic on the channel home page.

Filter topics

Filters allow you to narrow the scope of a search query to eliminate irrelevant information to help you find the topic you're looking for.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel.

  3. Click one of the following chips to sort the topics by state or type:

    • All topics. This is the place where you can find all the topics within the channel: public, private, favorites, and channels you create and are subscribed to.
    • Unread. This chip is used to filter all unread topics.
    • Article. This chip is used to filter all regular topics (articles).
    • Video. This chip is used to filter all video topics.
    • Analysis. This chip is used to filter all analysis topics.

  4. To get more specific search results, click Filter.

  5. Check the box next to the filter you want to apply.
  6. Click the Sort by arrow and select the attribute you want to sort topics by.
  7. Click the Group by arrow and select the attribute you want to group topics by.
  8. Click Apply.

Change the view of topics

Topics can be displayed in 3 ways: Grid, Tile, and Table.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel.
  3. Click the grid icon , tile icon , or table icon and select a required view.

Grant access to a private topic

Private topic authors will have to approve participation requests before someone can subscribe to the topic. If a user is not a participant in the private topic, they will not be able to access that topic. Clicking the private channel’s URL will result in a “Request access” screen.

  • The person who creates a private topic is the private topic author and the private topic author can directly add or remove people from it. * Participants of a private topic have a secure conversation space, and when new participants are added, they can see the topic on the channel home page.
  • If a user is granted a private topic’s access in a private channel to which the user does not already have access, the user will get access to both: the private channel and the private topic.

There are 2 ways to grant access to a private topic.

Way 1. From the channel homepage.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel.
  3. Click the kebab menu on a required topic.
  4. Select Topic info from the dropdown menu.
  5. Navigate to the Users tab.
  6. Under the Pending external users approval section, you can see a list of access requests. Click the checkmark icon next to the user you want to add to the topic.
  7. The private topic on the channel home page will appear immediately when the request is approved. The user will be notified via notifications about the granted access.

Way 2. From the topic homepage.

  1. Open a topic.
  2. Click the kebab menu icon beneath the author's name and then select Topic info.
  3. The further steps are the same as for the first way of granting access to a private topic.

Create a text topic

  1. Navigate to Channels.

  2. Click the plus icon and then Create new topic.

    • Click Create a topic if it is a new channel and there are no topics.
    • Click the plus icon if there is at least 1 topic in the channel.

  3. Type a name and description.

  4. From the Topic type dropdown menu, select Article.

  5. (Optional) Under the Header section, click Upload to upload the topic header from your device.

    • You can also click the refresh icon and select one of the suggested header patterns. There are 12 header patterns.

  6. From the Channel dropdown menu, select a channel you want to create a topic for.

  7. (Optional) In the Tags field, enter a tag name or select a tag from the existing list.
  8. Click Publish.

Create a video topic

  1. Navigate to Channels.

  2. Click the plus icon and then Create new topic.

    • Click Create a topic if it is a new channel and there are no topics.
    • Click the plus icon if there is at least 1 topic in the channel.

  3. Type a name.

  4. From the Topic type dropdown menu, select Video topic.

  5. Under the Video Description section, choose an option:

    • Add embedded video if you want to add the video URL.
    • Drop or select a video if you want to select the video from your device.

  6. Under the Thumbnail section, click Thumbnail to choose an image to be displayed in your video posts when your video is not playing.

  7. The further steps are the same as for creating a text topic. Refer to the "Create a text topic" section, for a step-by-step guide.

Create an analysis topic

  1. Navigate to Channels.

  2. Click the plus icon and then Create new topic.

    • Click Create a topic if it is a new channel and there are no topics.
    • Click the plus icon if there is at least 1 topic in the channel.

  3. Type a name and description.

  4. From the Topic type dropdown menu, select Analysis topic.
  5. The further steps are the same as for creating a text topic. Refer to the "Create a text topic" section, for a step-by-step guide.

Create a private topic

  1. Navigate to Channels.

  2. Click the plus icon and then Create new topic.

    • Click Create a topic if it is a new channel and there are no topics.
    • Click the plus icon if there is at least 1 topic in the channel.

  3. Type a name and description.

  4. From the Topic type dropdown menu, select one of the options.
  5. Under the Publishing settings section, check the box next to Private.
  6. Click Invite Users and select the names of those you want to invite.
  7. Click Publish.

Schedule a topic

  1. Navigate to Channels.

  2. Click the plus icon and then Create new topic.

    • Click Create a topic if it is a new channel and there are no topics.
    • Click the plus icon if there is at least 1 topic in the channel.

  3. Type a name and description.

  4. From the Topic type dropdown menu, select one of the options.
  5. Under the Publishing settings section, check the box next to Schedule Topic.
  6. Set the publish date and the expiry date and then click the Apply button. The topic expires at the end of the specified day.
  7. Click Schedule.

Publish a draft topic

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel you created a topic for.
  3. Click Unpublished.
  4. You should see a list of draft topics. Open a required one and then Publish in the upper right corner.
  5. When prompted, click Yes confirming that you want to publish a draft topic.

You will see the notification stating "Topic published successfully".

Access topic information

There are 2 ways to access topic information.

Way 1. From the channel homepage.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel where a required topic is located.
  3. Click the kebab menu on a required topic.
  4. Select Topic info from the dropdown menu.

Way 2. From the topic homepage.

  1. Open a topic.
  2. Click the kebab menu icon beneath the author's name and then select Topic info.

Info screen options available in topics:

  • Add a user to the topic
  • Edit the topic information

The information available in topics:

  • Info. See and edit the topic information. You can also add related topics.
  • Files. A collection of all the images, videos, and docs.
  • Users. See who is subscribed to the channel. A click on the kebab menu icon in the participant list allows viewing participant profile information, changing the role, or removing the user.

Edit a topic

You can edit an existing topic. You might need to do this if you want to correct or add additional information to an existing topic page.

There are 2 ways to edit the topic.

Way 1. From the channel homepage.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel where a required topic is located.
  3. Click the kebab menu on a topic you want to edit.
  4. Select Edit topic from the dropdown menu.
  5. Edit the topic information.
  6. Click UPDATE.

Way 2. From the topic page.

  1. Open the topic you want to edit.
  2. Click the kebab menu beneath the author's name and then select Edit the topic.
  3. The further steps are the same as for the first way of editing a topic.

The "Related topic" option can be used to relate multiple topics about the same idea.

  • Once you add the related tickets, they will appear in the Related Topics section.
  • The related topics section is visible on both the original topic and the related one.
  • Clicking on the related topic will open the topic in a modal window.

There are 2 ways to relate a topic.

Way 1. From the topic page.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel where a required topic is located and the open a topic.
  3. Under the Related topics section, click the plus icon to relate an existing topic.
  4. Start typing in the input field, for example, an. The suggestion list will show all topics with the letter an somewhere inside their names.
  5. To get more specific search results, filter results by state, date, type, user, and author.
  6. Click the topic you want to relate to the topic.

Way 2. By using the "Topic info" menu option.

  1. Open a topic.
  2. Click the kebab menu icon beneath the author's name and then Topic info.
  3. Navigate the Info tab.
  4. Under the Related topics section, click the plus icon and search for a required topic.

There are 2 ways to remove a related topic.

Way 1. From the topic homepage.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel where a required topic is located and the open a topic.
  3. Under the Related topics section, hover the pointer over the topic you want to remove and click the kebab menu icon .
  4. Select Remove from the dropdown menu.

Way 2. By using the "Topic info" menu option.

  1. Open a topic.
  2. Click the kebab menu icon beneath the author's name and then select Topic info.
  3. Navigate to the Info tab.
  4. Under the Related topics section, click the kebab menu icon next to the topic you want to remove.
  5. Select Remove from the dropdown menu.

There are 2 ways to copy a topic link.

Way 1. From the channel homepage.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel where a required topic is located and then open a topic.
  3. Click the kebab menu icon on the topic you want to copy.
  4. Select Copy link from the dropdown menu.

You should see the notification stating "Link copied to the clipboard". You can now paste the copied message to chat.

Way 2. From the topic homepage.

  1. Open a topic.
  2. Click the kebab menu icon beneath the author's name and then select Copy link.

Subscribe to a topic

There are 2 ways to subscribe to a topic.

Way 1. From the channel homepage.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel where a required topic is located and then open a topic.
  3. Click the kebab menu icon on the topic you want to subscribe to.
  4. Select Subscribe to the topic from the dropdown menu.
  5. To unsubscribe from the topic, click the kebab menu icon again and then select Unsubscribe from the topic.

Once subscribed, the topic will display a subscription badge next to the topic name, indicating that you will receive notifications about all updates within the topic.

Way 2. From the topic homepage.

  1. Open a topic.
  2. Click the kebab menu icon beneath the author's name and then select Subscribe to the topic.
  3. To unsubscribe from the topic, click the kebab menu icon again and then select Unsubscribe from the topic.

Mark a topic as read/ unread

There are 2 ways to mark a topic as read/ unread.

Way 1. From the channel homepage.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel where a required topic is located and then open a topic.
  3. Click the kebab menu icon on the topic you want to mark as read/ unread.
  4. Select Mark as read/ unread from the dropdown menu.

Way 2. From the topic homepage.

  1. Open a topic.
  2. Click the kebab menu icon beneath the author's name and then select Mark as read/ unread.

Forward a topic

There are 2 ways to forward a topic.

Way 1. From the channel homepage.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel where a required topic is located and then open a topic.
  3. Click the kebab menu icon on the topic you want to forward to.
  4. Select Send to from the dropdown menu.
  5. Enter the name of the person you want to forward a topic to or choose from the suggested account list.
  6. You have the option to add a comment to your message.
  7. Click Send.

Way 2. From the topic homepage.

  1. Open a topic.
  2. Click the kebab menu icon beneath the author's name and then select Send to.
  3. Enter the name of the person you want to forward a topic to or choose from the suggested account list.
  4. You have the option to add a comment to your message.
  5. Click Send.

Move a topic to another channel

You can move only topics created by you.

There are 2 ways to move a topic to another channel.

Way 1. From the channel homepage.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel where a required topic is located and then open a topic.
  3. Click the kebab menu icon on the topic you want to move to another channel.
  4. Select Move to channel from the dropdown menu.
  5. Enter the name of the channel you want to move a topic to or choose from the suggested channel list.
  6. Click Move.

You should see the notification stating "Topic moved to "Test" Channel".

Way 2. From the topic homepage.

  1. Open a topic.
  2. Click the kebab menu icon beneath the author's name and then select Move to channel.
  3. Enter the name of the person you want to forward a topic to or choose from the suggested account list.
  4. Click Move.

Archive a topic

You can archive only topics created by you.

There are 2 ways to archive a topic.

Way 1. From the channel homepage.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel where a required topic is located and then open a topic.
  3. Click the kebab menu icon on the topic you want to archive.
  4. Select Archive Topic from the dropdown menu.
  5. When prompted, click Archive confirming that you want to archive a topic.

Way 2. From the topic homepage.

  1. Open a topic.
  2. Click the kebab menu icon beneath the author's name and then select Archive Topic.
  3. When prompted, click Archive confirming that you want to archive a topic.

Access an archived topic list

After you archive the topic, it will be available in the "Archive" list.

  1. In the upper right corner, click the avatar icon.
  2. Select Archive channels from the dropdown menu.
  3. Navigate to the Topic tab. You will see a list of archived topics.

Unarchive a topic

There are 2 ways to unarchive the topic:

Way 1. From the topic home page.

  1. In the upper right corner, click the avatar icon.
  2. Select Archive channels from the dropdown menu.
  3. Navigate to the Topic tab.
  4. Click the kebab menu icon on the topic you want to unarchive.
  5. Select Unarchive Topic from the dropdown menu.

The topic will be unarchived to the channel from which it was archived.

Way 2. From the topic page.

  1. Open the topic you want to unarchive.
  2. Click the Unarchive button.

Move a topic to trash

There are 2 ways to move a topic to trash.

Way 1. From the channel homepage.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel where a required topic is located and then open a topic.
  3. Click the kebab menu icon on the topic you want to move to trash.
  4. Select Move to trash from the dropdown menu.

You should see the notification stating Move to trash.

Way 2. From the topic homepage.

  1. Open a topic.
  2. Click the kebab menu icon beneath the author's name and then select Move to trash.

Access a trash

After you move the topic to the trash, it will be available in the "Trash" list.

To access a trash list:

  1. In the upper right corner, click the avatar icon.
  2. Select Trash from the dropdown menu.
  3. Navigate to the Topics tab. You will see a list of topics moved to the trash.

Restore a topic moved to trash

There are 2 ways to restore a topic.

Way 1. From the topic home page where you can find all topics moved to trash.

  1. In the upper right corner, click the avatar icon.
  2. Select Trash from the dropdown menu.
  3. Navigate to the Topics tab. You will see a list of topics moved to the trash.
  4. Click the kebab menu icon on a topic you want to restore.
  5. Select Restore Topic from the dropdown menu.

You should see the notification stating Topic Restored. The topic should be available on the channel detail page.

Way 2. From the topic homepage.

  1. On the Trash page, open a topic you want to restore.
  2. Click the kebab menu icon beneath the author's name and then select Restore Topic.

Delete a topic

Deleting a topic is permanent, so make sure that you proceed with caution.

There are 2 ways to delete a topic.

Way 1. From the trash page.

  1. In the upper right corner, click the avatar icon.
  2. Select Trash from the dropdown menu.
  3. Navigate to the Topics tab. You will see a list of topics moved to the trash.
  4. Click the kebab menu icon on a topic you want to delete permanently.
  5. Select Delete Topic Completely from the dropdown menu.
  6. When prompted, click Yes to confirm that you want to delete a topic.

Way 2. From the topic homepage.

  1. On the Trash page, open a topic you want to restore.
  2. Click the kebab menu icon beneath the author's name and then select Delete Topic Completely.
  3. When prompted, click Yes to confirm that you want to delete a topic.

Clone a topic

If you ever need to create a duplicate of a topic, there’s no need to do everything manually. Cloning enables you to duplicate a topic, copying over most information from a topic like the subject and description fields and more.

In the cloning process, the following information from the original topic is automatically cloned Topic name, Topic description, Type, Header, Attachments, Channel, Related topics. Additionally, all publishing settings are saved.

  • The prefix Copy is automatically added to the name of a cloned topic.
  • All cloned topics are saved as drafts and stored under the Unpublished section.
  • You can remove the Copy prefix, add additional information, or publish a cloned topic by selecting the Edit topic menu option.

There are 2 ways to clone a topic.

Way 1. From the channel homepage.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel where a required topic is located and then open a topic.
  3. Click the kebab menu icon on the topic you want to clone.
  4. Select Copy to channel from the dropdown menu.
  5. Select the channel where you want to clone a topic.

Way 2. From the topic homepage.

  1. Open a topic.
  2. Click the kebab menu icon beneath the author's name and then select Copy to channel.

Add a comment to a topic

You can add a comment to a topic if comments are not disabled for it.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel where a required topic is located and then open a topic.
  3. Click the message icon beneath the author's name. You will be redirected to the "Comments" section.
  4. Enter a comment in the New Comment field.
  5. Click Send.

Your comment should be visible under the topic.

Like a topic

There are 2 ways to like a topic.

Way 1. From the channel home page.

  1. Navigate to Channels.
  2. Open a channel where a required topic is located.
  3. Click the heart icon on the topic and it will turn red, confirming that you've liked the post.

Way 2. From the topic page.

  1. Open a topic.
  2. Click the heart icon beneath the author's name and it will turn red, confirming that you've liked the post.

Smart objects

The Smart Objects used in Analysis Topics are in particular:

  • Smartlink is an object that contains links to various objects (channels, topics, comments, chats, emails, files, broadcasts, tasks) within VNClagoon. A Smartlink can also contain multiple links.
  • Highlight is an object that highlights and emphasizes text (one word or a phrase) that is of specific importance to the author.
  • Sticky note is an object that allows you to add a meta-comment to a selected word or phrase. A sticky note may have 6 colors.
  • Reference is an object delivering further information inside a topic article about source documents, quotes, or background information. The in-text references or citations are placed next to the text that is paraphrased or quoted. The full details of all references are shown as a list of numbered footnotes at the end of the article, similar to Wikipedia.

Add a sticky note

While creating a topic, you can add a meta-comment to a selected word or phrase. The following icon indicates a sticky note.

To add a sticky note, do the following:

  1. Highlight a required word/ phrase and select Sticky note.
  2. In the Sticky Note box that opens, enter your text.
  3. You can format a text, add an image, attach a video, or insert a link. You can also change the background color.
  4. Click Create.

Edit a sticky note

You can change the appearance of a sticky note or edit its content.

  1. Click the kebab menu icon on a required topic and then Edit topic.
  2. Click the sticky note.
  3. In the Sticky Note box that opens, click the pencil icon at the top right.
  4. Edit the text of your sticky note or change the note background color.
  5. Click Update.

Delete a sticky note

  1. Click the kebab menu icon on a required topic and then Edit topic.
  2. Click the sticky note.
  3. In the Sticky Note box that opens, click the trash bin icon at the top right.

You will see the notification stating "Sticky note deleted successfully."

The "Add a smartlink" option is available for all topic types.

While creating a topic, you can add a SmartLink to a selected word or phrase. The following icon indicates a smartlink.

To add a SmartLink, do the following:

  1. Highlight a required word/ phrase and select Smartlink.
  2. In the Smartlink box that opens, enter a search request in the search field and press Enter on your keyboard. You will see results from channels, topics, and comments.

  3. To get more specific search results, click the down arrow and select the area where you want to search:

    • Everywhere. The system provides results that are collected from channels, topics, and comments.
    • Channels, topics, broadcasts, chats, files, comments. The system provides results that are collected from channels, topics, or comments respectively.

  4. Customize the filters.

    • Unread. If you click it, the system will search for unread channels, topics, and comments;
    • Starred. If you click it, the system will search for starred channels, topics, and comments;
    • Archived. If you click it, the system will search for archived channels and topics;
    • All times. If you click it, you will be able to apply a required date to search;
    • Type. If you click it, you will be able to apply a required type of channel/ topic to search in it;
    • User. If you click it, you will be able to apply a required user to search in the channel/ topic;
    • Author. If you click it, you will be able to apply a required author to search in the channel/ topic;

  5. Click a required result and then Add.

  1. Click the kebab menu icon on a required topic and then Edit topic.
  2. Click the smartlink.
  3. In the Smartlink box that opens, click the trash bin icon at the top right.

Add a highlight

The "Add a highlight" option is available only if you select an analysis topic type.

While creating a topic, you can highlight and emphasize text (one word or a phrase) that is of specific importance to the author. The following icon indicates a highlight.

To add a highlight, do the following:

  1. Highlight a required word/ phrase and select Highlight.
  2. You will see the notification stating "Highlight created successfully".

Edit a highlight

You can edit the content of the highlight.

  1. Click the kebab menu icon on a required topic and then Edit topic.
  2. Click the highlight.
  3. In the Smart Object box that opens, hover the pointer over the highlight you want to edit and click the pencil icon next to it.
  4. Edit the text of your highlight.
  5. Click the checkmark icon .

Delete a highlight

  1. Click the kebab menu icon on a required topic and then Edit topic.
  2. Click the highlight.

  3. In the "Smart Object" box that opens, hover the pointer over the highlight you want to delete and click the trash bin icon next to it.

    • You can also click the trash bin icon at the top right. When prompted, click Delete to confirm that you want to delete the highlight.

  4. Click Save.

Add a reference

The "Add a smartlink" option is available only if you select an analysis topic type.

While creating a topic, you can add a reference to a selected word/ phrase/ sentence. References are indicated in your text with numbers and placed at the bottom of the page.

To add a reference, do the following:

  1. Highlight a required word/ phrase and select Reference.
  2. Type the reference text.
  3. Click Create.

You will see the notification stating "Reference created successfully".