Customization of Manifold Projects

Project creators (authors) can customize the look and feel of their Manifold Projects. This is an overview of customizations you will be most likely to use. For more detailed instructions, please see Manifold’s documentation here: Projects | Manifold Docs

To edit the design and layout, log into Manifold and enter Admin Mode. Select the project that you are working on from the left side menu. This will take you to that project’s Analytics page where you can see several menu options to customize your project

Properties Tab

• You can edit the Title and optional Subtitle for your project here

• The publication date is filled automatically when your project is published, but you can enter a different date if you wish

• SLUG is a short URL for your project. This is what will follow after ou.manifoldapp.org/projects/ you might want to choose something like book title or your last name for the slug, something like jones-microbiology. Things to note about slugs:

  • hyphens “-” are preferred to underscores “_” to separate words

  • slugs are case sensitive, so be mindful about using uppercase

  • you can edit your project slug at anytime, but keep in mind that after publishing your project changing the slug will render all previous links broken. It’s best to keep the URL consistent after publication

• Update the Thumbnail image. This is the image that is next to your project title. The left box shows the current thumbnail. The default thumbnail is a Manifold icon with glasses, and the color of which can be changed by selecting a background color from the middle box. You can add a custom thumbnail image in the box on the right

• You can add subjects or tags through this menu. If your project is part of the Alternative Textbook Grant, please add that tag from the menu. All other subjects and tags are optional.

• Draft Mode: If your project is in draft mode only those with editing permissions are able to view and edit your project. We recommend keeping this turned on until you are ready to publish your project. Turning draft mode off publishes your project.

• Selected “finished” changes the information on the project page, displaying “published DATE” instead of “last updated DATE.” Otherwise it doesn’t really do anything

• Restrictions: we recommend that you disable comments and public annotations at this time

Layout Tab

A breakdown of the layout components can be found here: Manifold Projects | Manifold Docs

The Hero Block consists of the top half of your Manifold project’s landing page. Click the pencil icon to make edits

• Description and images: You can update the project description blurb here. You can also add a background image which will be displayed at the top of the project landing page. If you add a cover image, it will appear over the background image. Both are optional.

  • If you add background or cover images, please add alt-text and credit in the provided boxes

  • If you do not add a cover image, the thumbnail for the project will appear in its place

• Calls to Action: This is where you can add buttons and links to the Hero block. Links can be external or internal. You can add buttons or links to the left and right sides of the page by clicking the plus sign.

  • When you click a plus sign, enter the details of your “call to action” into the menu that pops out

  • There are four “types” from the dropdown menu: link, “start reading” which will take a user directly to the first page of the book, “table of contents” which takes a user to the table of contents of the book if there is one, and the final is “file”

  • Visibility has several options: “always visible”, “visible only when authorized” and “visible only when unauthorized.” Always visible is publicly available, and visible when authorized means that users at a minimum must have a Manifold account and be affiliated with the project to view the ‘call.” We recommend adding Calls to Action that can be visible to all users

  • Save your changes at the bottom of the popout menu

• Social Links: You can add Facebook Page, Instagram Account, Twitter/X account, and a designated hashtag(#) for your project or unit.

Content Blocks