Overview

The Harrow & Vance website introduces the firm to people and businesses who need a lawyer: what the firm handles, who its attorneys are, short articles on common legal questions, and a form to request a free consultation. Everything on it is edited in the staff area, without touching code.

The staff area has one account, the administrator. This manual walks through every staff page in menu order, then the public website and, at the end, installing the site and signing in for the first time.

How the pieces fit together

Content edited in the staff area goes live when you save; pictures come from the media library; requests from the Contact page arrive in Messages.

What is in this manual

1. Getting Started

1.1 Signing in

Click Staff sign in at the bottom of any public page, or go to /AdminLogin. Type your user name and password and click Sign in.

• A wrong user name or password shows The user name or password is not right.
• After six wrong passwords for one user name within five minutes, the page says Too many wrong passwords. Wait a few minutes and try again.
• You stay signed in while you work. After 8 hours without opening a staff page you are signed out, and the next click takes you back to this page.
• Sign out at the top right ends the session on this browser.

1.2 Finding your way around

Every staff page has the same frame.

The staff frame: header, menu on the left, the page on the right. The number beside Messages counts requests nobody has opened yet.

1.3 Searching and paging lists

Practice areas, Attorneys, Insights, Messages, the Media library and the Activity log work the same way:

• Type in the search box and the list updates a moment after you stop typing.
• Filter buttons or lists (such as All topics on Insights, or New on Messages) narrow the list. Choosing a filter or typing a search goes back to page 1.
• Under the list, a line such as Page 1 of 2 · 33 files and the Previous and Next buttons move between pages.
• On Practice areas, Attorneys, Insights and Messages, click a row to open it. After you save or delete, the list stays on the page you were on.

1.4 Confirmations and unsaved changes

Anything that removes something asks first. The question names what will happen; the red button does it and Keep it steps back.

Left: deleting an attorney. Right: closing a window after typing something asks Leave without saving?

• Enter confirms; Esc, a click outside the box or the left button step back.
• Closing a window with changes you have not saved, or leaving the Pages editor with unsaved changes, asks Leave without saving? first.
• Esc also closes an open window or the phone menu.

1.5 On a phone

The staff area works on a phone. The menu opens from the ☰ button at the top left, and lists become one card per record.

The Dashboard, the menu and Messages on a phone.

2. Dashboard

The Dashboard opens after you sign in. It shows what needs attention and links to every part of the staff area.

2.1 The tiles

2.2 Latest requests and recent activity

• Latest requests lists the five newest consultation requests with their status. All messages opens Messages.
• Recent activity shows the last five entries of the activity log. Activity log opens the full log.

2.3 Quick actions

Edit the Home page, Write an article, Edit attorneys, Upload pictures and Firm details jump straight to that task. View the website at the top right opens the public site.

3. Pages

The Pages editor changes the public pages in place: the Home page top and its slideshow, the text sections, the steps and questions. Each page is shown as a stack of blocks, in the order they appear on the website.

3.1 Choosing a page

The buttons above the blocks pick the page: Home, Practice areas, Attorneys, Insights, About and Contact. The page for each practice area, each attorney and each article is edited on its own staff page, not here.

When you have changed something, a note beside the buttons says so. Switching to another page then asks Leave without saving?; step back and save first.

3.2 Changing text

1. Click the text you want to change, for example a title or a paragraph, and type.
2. In paragraphs, the small toolbar has Bold, Italic, Link, List and Clear. For a link, select the words first; the box asks for a page name such as Contact or a full address starting with https://.
3. Buttons have two boxes: the button text and where it goes, for example PracticeAreas.
4. Click Save page. The page is live on the website at once.

3.3 Pictures in a block

Click a picture in a block, or an empty picture box, to open the media library picker. Click a picture to use it. Search by name or description at the top, or Upload new to add a file from your computer and use it.

Under a chosen picture, Change opens the picker again and Remove empties the box. The file itself stays in the media library.

3.4 The Home page slideshow

The top of the Home page is a slideshow. The picture in the Page top block is the first slide; the Slides list below it holds the others.

1. Click + Add a slide and choose a photo from the library.
2. Type a caption, for example The firm library. It shows in the corner of the picture.
3. Use the arrows under a slide to change the order, or remove it.
4. Click Save page.

• The pictures change every 7 seconds. Visitors can also step through them with the arrows and dots.
• The caption of the first slide comes from the picture's own caption in the media library.
• Slides are photos only, up to 8 besides the first picture. A slide whose picture was deleted is refused when you save: A slide is no longer in the media library, or is not a photo. Choose it again.

3.5 Moving, hiding and removing blocks

Inside steps, numbers, cards, people and questions, each item has its own arrows and remove button, and + Add a step (or number, card, person, question) adds one. A block holds up to 12 items.

3.6 Adding a block

Below the last block, Add a block lists the kinds of block. Click one and it appears at the end of the page; move it into place and fill it in.

A page holds up to 40 blocks.

3.7 Blocks that come from your data

Some blocks show records kept on other staff pages. They are marked From your data.

These blocks cannot be removed, but you can move them, change their titles or hide them. The About page is made only of blocks you edit here.

3.8 Saving, viewing and earlier versions

• Save page makes the page live right away.
• View page opens the page on the website. With unsaved changes it says Save first to see your changes on the website.
• Versions lists the last five saved versions of the page, with who saved each and when.

To go back, click Restore beside a version and confirm. The page changes on the website right away, and the version you replaced stays in the list.

4. Media library

Every picture and video on the website comes from the media library. Pages, practice areas, attorneys and insights all pick from it rather than uploading their own copies.

4.1 Uploading photos and videos

1. Click Upload photos or videos and choose one or more files, up to 20 at a time.
2. Wait for the line that says how many files were added. New files appear first, on page 1.

The library checks what each file really contains, not just its name. A file that is the wrong kind or too big is left out with a short reason; the others are still added.

4.2 Finding a file

The newest files come first, 24 to a page, with Previous and Next under the grid. All, Photos and Videos narrow the list, and the search box looks in the file name, the description and the caption. Each tile shows the kind, the size and how often the file is used.

4.3 Describing a file

Click a picture or Edit to open it.

• Name: the file's name in the library, up to 80 characters.
• Description for screen readers (alt text): say what the picture shows, in a few words. It is read aloud to visitors who cannot see the picture. Up to 160 characters.
• Caption (optional): shown in the corner when this picture is the first slide of the Home slideshow. Up to 200 characters.
• Used in lists every place on the website that shows the file.

Click Save.

4.4 Replacing a file

To swap a picture everywhere at once, for example a new portrait of an attorney:

1. Open the file and, under Replace the file, click Choose a new photo.
2. Choose the new file. A photo is replaced by a photo, a video by a video.
3. The message File replaced everywhere it is used. confirms it: every page, practice area, attorney and article that used the old file now shows the new one.

4.5 Deleting a file

A file that is still used cannot be deleted. Clicking Delete on it says where it is used instead:

1. Open the places listed under Used in and choose another picture there, or use Replace the file instead.
2. Come back and click Delete (or Delete file in the file window), then confirm with Delete file. The file is removed from the library and the server for good.

5. Practice areas

Practice areas are the kinds of law the firm handles. Each one has its own page on the website, and they appear as cards on the Home and Practice Areas pages.

5.1 The list

• Search by name or summary; ten areas show per page. Each row shows the summary, how many attorneys work in the area, and Shown or Hidden.
• The order of the list is the order on the website. Use the arrows in the Order column to move an area; they show when no search is on.

5.2 Adding or changing a practice area

Click Add a practice area, or click a row to open it.

Click Save. A field that needs attention shows a message under it and nothing is saved until it is fixed.

The Business & Commercial page on the website, with its attorneys on the right.

5.3 Deleting a practice area

Open the area, click Delete and confirm with Delete practice area. The area and its page are removed from the website; the attorneys stay, without this area. To take an area off the website for a while, untick Show on the website instead.

6. Attorneys

Attorneys are the people shown on the Attorneys page, each with a profile page of their own. These are website profiles, not sign-in accounts.

6.1 The list

Search by name, role or practice area; ten attorneys show per page. The arrows in the Order column set the order on the website and show when no search is on.

6.2 Adding or changing an attorney

Click Add an attorney, or click a row to open it.

The profile page shows the biography, practice areas, bar admissions, education and the attorney's recent articles.

6.3 Deleting an attorney

Open the attorney, click Delete and confirm with Delete attorney. The attorney and the profile page are removed from the website; articles they wrote stay, without an author.

7. Insights

Insights are short articles written by the firm. Drafts are visible only in the staff area until you publish them.

7.1 The list

• Search by title or summary; the All topics list narrows by topic, and Published and drafts shows Published or Drafts only. Ten articles show per page.
• Each row shows the topic, the author, the date and Published or Draft.

7.2 Writing an article

1. Click Write an article.
2. Fill in the Title (at least 5 characters) and choose a Topic: Business, Employment, Property or Family & Estates.
3. Choose the Author, or No author shown, and the Date (today or earlier).
4. Write the Summary, at least 20 characters, shown in the list of articles.
5. Write the Article, at least 100 characters. Separate paragraphs with a blank line; start a line with ## to make it a subheading.
6. Choose a picture, tick Published (visible on the website) when it is ready, and click Save.

7.3 Hiding and deleting articles

Untick Published to take an article off the website; it stays in the list as a draft. Delete asks Delete this article? and, after Delete article, removes it for good.

8. Messages

Messages holds the consultation requests sent from the Contact page. A request does not create an attorney-client relationship until the firm agrees to it in writing.

8.1 How a request arrives

A visitor fills in the form on the Contact page and clicks Send my request.

The form, and the thank-you note under it.

• Name, email, at least 20 characters under Briefly, how can we help?, and the tick confirming that sending the form does not create an attorney-client relationship are required. Phone is optional; What is it about? lists the practice areas.
• The thank-you note repeats that sending the form did not create an attorney-client relationship.
• The request shows at once in Messages with the status New, and the number beside Messages in the menu goes up by one.
• When email is set up, a copy is also sent to the address in Settings. Either way the request is saved in Messages.
• One visitor can send 3 requests in 10 minutes. After that the form says You have sent several requests in a short time. Please wait a few minutes, or call us on the firm's number.

8.2 Statuses

8.3 Opening and answering a request

1. Use the status buttons (All, New, Read, Replied, Archived) or search by name, email or message. Ten show per page.
2. Click a request. Opening a New request marks it Read.
3. Click Reply by email. Your email program opens with the visitor's address and a subject line ready; or call them on the number shown.
4. Click Replied under Status. The change is saved at once. Mark a request Archived when it needs no more attention.

Delete asks Delete this request? and, after Delete request, removes it for good. To keep it out of the way without losing it, mark it Archived instead.

9. Settings

Settings holds the firm facts that appear in the header, the footer, the Contact page and the forms.

9.1 The firm and the office

9.2 Website text

• Footer disclaimer: shown at the bottom of every public page, for example Attorney advertising. Not legal advice.
• Note above the consultation form: at least 10 characters. Say that sending the form does not create an attorney-client relationship.

9.3 Messages and files

• Send a copy of each request to: an email address that receives a copy of every consultation request. The line under it says whether email is set up; until it is, requests are only saved in Messages. See 13.4.
• Largest video upload (MB): the biggest MP4 file the media library accepts, from 1 to 100. Photos can always be up to 8 MB.

Click Save settings. The website shows the new details at once.

Below the form, Email shows the mail server, the sender and whether email is ready, and Run mode says where the run mode is set. Both are changed in the configuration file, not here.

10. Activity log

The Activity log records every change made in the staff area and every refused request, newest first.

• Each line shows When, Who, the Action, a Detail and the Result: Done or Refused.
• The search box looks in the action, the detail and the name; the Done and refused list shows Done or Refused only. Twenty-five entries show per page.
• Requests sent from the Contact page are logged too, as the website visitor.
• The newest 5,000 entries are kept; older ones drop off.

11. My account

My account shows the one administrator account and changes its password.

1. Type the Current password.
2. Type the New password and New password again. Use at least 8 characters, different from the current one.
3. Click Change password.

Changing the password signs you out of every other browser; the one you are using stays signed in.

12. The Public Website

The website has six main pages, plus a page for each practice area and each attorney. Each is listed here with where its content is edited.

12.1 The pages

The Insights page, and the Home page on a phone.

12.2 A visitor's path

The Free consultation button in the header of every page opens the Contact page. Every page footer carries the disclaimer from Settings and Staff sign in.

13. Installation & Setup

This chapter is for the person who puts the website online. It runs on ASP.NET Core (.NET 10) and keeps its content in files, so no database is needed.

13.1 Run mode

The file appConfig/application.cfg has the line app.app.runmode. As delivered it is 0, a setting for trying the site out: the sign-in form is filled in for you. Before going live, change it to:

app.app.runmode | 1

With 1, the administrator signs in with a real password.

13.2 The first start

The first time the site starts with run mode 1, it clears the records that came with the template, once:

• Removed: the consultation requests in Messages, the activity log and any sign-in account.
• Kept: pages, practice areas, attorneys, articles, settings and the media library. Replace the invented firm content with your own in the staff area.

It then writes data/initialized.txt. While that file is there, later starts never remove anything.

13.3 The first sign-in

1. Open /AdminLogin in a browser on the computer the site runs on. A First sign-in box shows the user name admin and a password made for this site. The same two lines are in appConfig/initial-admin.txt.
2. Type them and click Sign in.
3. The page asks you to Choose your own password to continue. Type a new password twice, at least 8 characters and different from the first one, and click Save and sign in.
4. The Dashboard opens. The box no longer shows and initial-admin.txt is deleted.

The First sign-in box (password hidden here) and the step that asks for your own password.

• Lost the first password before using it? Delete appConfig/initial-admin.txt and open the sign-in page again; a new one is made.
• Forgot your own password? Delete data/staff.json and open the sign-in page again. The site makes the admin account again with a new first password. Your content is not touched.

13.4 Setting up email

Consultation requests are always saved in Messages. To also receive a copy by email:

1. In appConfig/application.cfg, fill in the app.mail lines: the mail server and port, the sender address and user, and the password. The delivered values are placeholders.
2. Restart the site.
3. In Settings, type the address under Send a copy of each request to and save. The Email panel shows Ready. New requests are copied to the address above.

13.5 Putting the site online

1. Publish the project with its web.config (IIS) and use HTTPS.
2. Give the application pool permission to change files in data/, temp/, appConfig/ and images/uploads/. Without it, saving and uploading fail.
3. In a browser, check that /data/staff.json and /appConfig/initial-admin.txt answer 404. The web.config hides these folders.

13.6 Backups and updates

All content lives in two places: the data/ folder (pages, practice areas, attorneys, articles, settings, requests, the activity log and the sign-in account) and images/uploads/ (files uploaded to the media library).

• Copy both folders regularly; together they are the whole website.
• When you publish a new version of the site, download the live data/ and images/uploads/ first, or leave them out of the publish.

14. Reference

14.1 Limits

14.2 Status words

14.3 Keys

15. Quick Answers

15.1 Common questions