Group Types
CBOX OpenLab extends the concept of CBOX groups by creating four different types of default groups: Courses, Projects, Portfolios, and Clubs.
CBOX OpenLab admins can customize the settings for each of these by going to Dashboard > CBOX OpenLab > Group Settings.
Click on the “Edit” arrow of any group type to customize. As you can see below, admins can rename any of the four group types, turn group types off or on, change the order, and configure other options.
If you decide not to use all four, we recommend three group types as the minimum for optimal homepage display. Two is possible, but not ideal, and one group type will result in a homepage that looks incomplete. If you decide to disable a group type, you will also need to turn off the display of that group type on the homepage by going to CBOX OpenLab > Brand Settings > Visual. Instructions for this are included in the Brand Settings: Visual documentation.
Settings: Order
The “Order” setting allows you to change the order in which group types appear in certain places throughout the site. For example, when viewing a member’s profile, group types appear in the right-hand sidebar, and under the member avatar and profile information, in the order specified in these settings. Please note: to change the the order that these group types appear on the homepage, you will need to go to Brand Settings > Visual/Customize > Home Page. Instructions for this are included in the Brand Settings: Visual documentation.
Labels
The Labels section allows you to change the terminology used for group types throughout the site, for example on a member’s profile page or during group creation. This list of manual entry terms, while lengthy, allows for translation of the package into any language while still retaining clear and user-friendly language on the front-end. If you keep the default group type names, the labels are unlikely to need any changes, but if you change a group type name, you will need to change it in the labels section.
Group Templates
Groups may have associated WordPress sites. Certain group types include a site by default (e.g. Courses) or can’t be created without a site (e.g. Portfolios). (Unlike CBOX Classic, sites in CBOX OpenLab cannot exist without an associated group.)
Group template sites allow CBOX OpenLab admins to create different default structures for the sites associated with different group types. For example, Course Sites have a different set of default pages (e.g. Syllabus and Readings) than Portfolio or Club Sites. This is because the group templates for those group types are set up differently.
Configuring Group Templates
Template site default settings can be changed in the template depending on the needs of your community, and can be helpful in streamlining the process of site setup and encouraging best practices for information architecture and navigation.
To edit a template, go to Dashboard > CBOX OpenLab > Group Settings. Expand the group type of the template site you would like to edit and scroll down to the bottom of that group type’s settings where you’ll see a section for Template. Click the template’s Dashboard link. This will take you to the Dashboard of the template site for that particular group. You can change any of the elements mentioned above, like the custom menu, default pages, theme, widgets, and plugins, as you would in any WordPress site. Changes will be applied to any new site created for a particular group type, but can be modified as needed by the site’s creator.
