Comment Builder
Creating a New Comment Library
The comment libraries can significantly reduce the amount of time you spend entering information into your card reports and walkthroughs.
This document explains how to create and maintain a comment library using the Comment Builder tool.
To start this tool, click the Comment Builder icon, which is displayed under the Tools.
(1) To create a new comment library, click the New Comment Library icon in the top toolbar.
(2) Check the Comment Library radio button, if not already checked.
(3) Type the name of the new library in the Name: text input box. Click Next.
The comment libraries support several levels. This makes easier for staff to select a comment that matches the level you created.
(4) Select the number of levels per comment using the Levels per comment: drop-down.
(5) Type in the names of the levels and click Next (6). In the below figure, the names of the levels are the numbers 1 through 4.
(7) Click "Finish"
Adding comments to your new comment library
You can organize your comments as you would organize files on your computer. Related comments are stored in low-level folders which typically don't have any sub folder. Higher-level folders are made up of lower-level sub folders. We create first the top-level folders. Then we add increasingly lower-level sub folders of existing folders. Finally, we add comments to folders with no sub folders.
(1) Click the newly created library in the left pane. The library is now displayed against a light-blue background.
(2) Click the New Folder icon in the right pane's toolbar.
(3) Type the folder name in the Folder name: text input box. In the example described here, the name of the folder is Math Class.
Click the Spell Check icon to check the spelling.
Click the Cancel icon to have the Comment Builder abort the operation. No folder will be created.
Click the Save icon when you are done.
Please note the Folder icon (A) beside the newly created folder. By clicking again the New Folder icon, another folder can be added. This way, several folders can be added:
Note that the the right pane's teal bar indicates the name of the library "Test", all listed folders, are the library's top level folders. To create sub-folders of any given folder start by clicking the folder to which you want to add sub-folders:
Sub-folders (B) are added to this folder exactly as before, i.e. by clicking the New Folder icon, typing in the sub-folder name and clicking the Save icon. The below image lists three newly created sub-folders of the "Test" folder.
You may click the Expand icon (+) beside a library name listed in the left pane to view the library's top-level folders. When clicked, the Expand icon is replaced by the Collapse icon and the top-level folders are shown.
WARNING: Please remember: To create sub-folders of a folder, start by selecting the folder. Double check the right pane's teal bar. It displays the path from the library down to the currently selected folder.
Adding Comments to the Library
Start by selecting the low-level folder to which you want to include comments. Click the New Comment icon.
Type in the Name and Code of the comment.
Enter the comment text in each of the boxes. Please note that each box corresponds to a level, being labeled as such.
Click the Review Data icon to insert a token. Comments support a variety of place-holders or tokens.
A token is a short word, such as ~name, which will automatically be replaced by data when applied.
For instance, the ~name token will automatically be replaced by the student's first name when a comment is entered using eTeacher.
Click the Spell Check icon to check the spelling.
Click the Information icon to learn more about tokens.
Click the Cancel icon to have the Comment Builder ignore all the changes since the last save.
Click the Save icon to save the comment.
NOTE: Please note the Comment icon beside the newly created comment. Be sure to distinguish between Comment and Folder icons!
Navigating a Comment Library
You select a library or a comment by clicking on the respective library or comment.
Select a library in the left pane.
Note the name of the selected library in the navigation bar: Report Card Comments
There are two ways of navigating a library.
One way consists in selecting (often repeatedly) the desired folder/subfolder in the right pane.
Note that the Grade 5 folder has been selected. The folder name is visible in the navigation bar. Under the navigation bar, the Grade 5 subfolders are displayed.
Language has been selected.
Reading has been selected.
There are no subfolders in the currently selected folder. Instead, several comments are listed.
You select a comment by clicking its name.
Before getting into details on this aspect, here are a few figures that illustrate the alternative navigation method.
First the library itself, then its folders and subfolders are expanded in the left-hand pane.
The library, Report Card Comments, the Grade 5 folder and the Language subfolder have been updated by clicking the respective Expand icons.
Click the Reading subfolder in the left pane.
You may notice that the Reading folder's path in the navigation bar. The comments listed below the navigation bar are the same comments that you saw before while navigating in the right pane. Click any comment in order to select it. The comment can then be viewed and/or edited in a window, named Comment, that opens up:
Editing a Comment Library and Its Folders
Tools Available in the Lower Toolbar
Select a library by clicking its name in the left pane.
NOTE: To view in the left pane your own libraries, select the My Libraries radio button. To view in the left pane libraries shared with you, select the Shared Libraries radio button.
The selected library is displayed against a light-blue background.
Note the listed top-level folders in the right pane.
The first two tools from the left have been described in the previous chapter:
New Folder
New Comment
The following, not previously described tools are also available:
Copy Folder and Paste Objects
1. The source folder or source library may be already selected.
Or, if this is not so, navigate your comment library until you see the source folder and select it by clicking its name.
NOTE: The name of the currently selected library or folder is visible in the right pane's teal bar. The folders or comments that make up the currently selected folder are listed below this bar. In the specific case illustrated in the above figure, a whole library is selected, in other words all its top-level folders are selected.
2. Click the Copy Folder icon.
3. Everything shown in the right pane is now copied. To complete the copying, you must paste it.
Navigate to the folder you wish to copy the folder contents into and select it.
NOTE: In the specific case illustrated in the above figure, all the folders in the source library are copied.
4. Once the target folder has been selected and is therefore visible in the right side window, click the Paste Objects icon.
NOTE: The target folder must be correctly selected when you click the Paste Objects icon!
5. Everything that was copied will be pasted into the destination folder. The original objects will be unaffected.
NOTE: If you receive a paste error, it may be because you tried to copy a folder into one of its own sub-folders, which is not allowed.
Click the Share icon to share the comment library with a user, site, user group or member group.
For details, please refer to Entity Sharing in MxWeb Applications.
Click the Edit Settings icon to edit the name of the comment library and the name(s) of its level(s).
Click the Print icon to print the comment library.
Click the Delete icon to delete the comment library, if owned by you, or
to remove access to the library if it is shared with you but you don't have the permission to delete it.
NOTE: Be sure you want the library deleted. The delete operation cannot be undone.
Click the Download icon to export the comment library as an XML file that you can download on your computer.
A Note on Tools Available When a Folder is Selected
So far, we described the tools available when a library is selected.
The icons are displayed only when a library is selected.
When a folder is selected, you only see the first five icons.
Note that the Share tool shares the entire library even when a folder is selected.
Other Tools
Click the Delete icon at the left of a folder to delete the folder.
WARNING: This operation cannot be undone.
Click the Edit icon at the left of a folder to rename the folder.
An editing window named Folder opens up at the bottom of the right pane. Edit the folder name in the Folder name: field
You can spell check your folder name by clicking the Spell check icon in the mini-toolbar.
Click the Save icon when done.
NOTE: You may abort the renaming operation by clicking the Cancel icon.
Click the Cut icon at the left of a folder to move the folder.
Navigate to the folder you wish to copy the folder contents into and select it.
Once the target folder has been selected and is therefore visible in the right side window, click the Paste Objects icon.
NOTE: The target folder must be correctly selected when you click the Paste Objects icon!
A Note on Tools Available in the Context of a Shared Library
Numerous tools may be disabled when a library is shared.
For example, if a shared library is read-only, you may not delete folders from it.
You may copy a folder of such a library in a library of your own, but not the other way around, etc.
Please note:
The New Folder and New Comment tools are disabled, as this library is read-only.
The Copy Folder tool is enabled since you can copy a folder of this read-only shared library to library of your own.
The Paste Objects tool is disabled since you cannot copy to this read-only shared library, as you don't have the write permission.
The Share tool is disabled: You are not allowed to share out this library.
Although enabled, Edit Settings will not allow you to edit the name of the comment library or of its levels.
The Delete tool only allows you to remove access to the library.
As an exercise, you may try to explain the tools' availability in the following two cases:
Read and write permissions
2. Read and delete permissions
The Delete tool allows you in this case to actually delete the library.
You should exercise extreme caution in such a case, since the library may be necessary to the person who shared it with you!
Editing Comments
Click the Delete icon at the left of a comment to delete the comment.
WARNING: This operation cannot be undone.
Click the Edit icon at the left of a comment to rename the comment.
An editing window named Comment opens up at the bottom of the right pane.
You can edit the name, code or the comment itself, at whatever level.
You can spell check the comment by clicking the Spell check icon in the mini-toolbar.
Click the Save icon when done.
NOTE: You may abort the editing operation by clicking the Cancel icon.
Click the Cut icon at the left of a comment to move the comment.
Navigate to the folder you wish to copy the comment into and select the folder.
Once the target folder has been selected and is therefore visible in the right side window, click the Paste Objects icon.
NOTE: The target folder must be correctly selected when you click the Paste Objects icon!
Top Toolbar Tools
The New Comment Library has been discussed before.
The Import Comment Library tool is briefly described below.
This tool allows to create a comment library based on an imported file.
There are four options, which are governed by the Library Format: drop-down.
The above screen image corresponds to the Custom Library selection of the Library Format: drop-down.
This is the only tool that can be used to build a comment library based on a user-created file.
It only supports a two-level nesting of comment folders, namely of top-level folders made up of several comment-including sub-folders.
Use the Browse... button to navigate to the file on your computer that you want imported.
The number of comment levels is chosen by the user.
Type in the library name and select the number of levels using the respective text input and drop-down fields.
The Custom Library Format is a table that explains the expected format of the import CSV file.
Please note that allowance is made for an arbitrary number of levels.
The user may choose to import the file generated by the Comment Builder Exporter tool.
This functionality, which is controlled by the mxweb Comment Library selection using the Library Format: drop-down, allows to import libraries from different databases.
There are two more selections based on the Library Format: drop-down: eTeacher Comment Library and HomePlus Comment Library.
As is the case with mxweb Comment Library, libraries exported as files by certain mxweb applications can be imported by selecting these two options.
The Expectation Browser tool allows to browse expectations' libraries while putting together a comment library.
The Expectation Browser tool is one of the tools provided by the Comment Browser application, which pops up when the Assessment icon is clicked.
By clicking the View icon, you toggle between two viewing modes, one which shows and another one which hides the left pane, which displays a list of libraries.
Creating a Phrase Library
There are two types of libraries: Comments and Phrases. Comments are used to populate the notes boxes when on-line, and phrases are downloaded to handhelds to populate the notes boxes of walk-throughs when using these devices, however not all handheld devices use the comment libraries.
To create a new Phrase Library click the New Library button found in the top tool bar. Select the Phrase Library Library type and type in a name for your library before clicking Next.
Select your newly created phrase library and click Edit Settings. Place a checkmark next to the application you would like to use your phrase library with. Library Categories allow you to organize your Phrases into logical groups. Click the Create category option to add a new category, type in the name of your new category. You can have multiple categories within each phrase library. Click Save to commit your changes.
To enter new phrases, click New Phrase. Select the appropriate category for your new phrase from the Category drop down found on the left of each row. Enter the text of your phrase into the available Phrase space found on each row. You can change the category assignment for any phrase later by using the available drop down menu
