The preferred method of editing your file is with a software package that is specifically designed for editing XML files. To do this, the index.cnxml file must be altered so that your XML editor can read it. Then the file is exported from Connexions to the editor. Once you have completed your edits, the file imported back into Connexions and the changes for editor readability are removed. Using the import and export functions on the module "Import/Export" tab automatically adds and removes the changes for editor readability. Currently, the only XML editor format supported by Connexions is the format used by the Altova xmlspy® editor or the Altova authentic® editor.

To export the "index.cnxml" file to be edited with your XML editor, use the following steps:

1. Click the import/export link on the "Files" tab to the right of the "index.cnxml" file entry in the module contents. The "Import/Export" tab displays.
2. Click Export. A dialog box displays for opening the "index.cnxml" file.
3. Specify that you want to save the file to a disk.
4. Specify the filename and location of the file to be saved.
5. Launch your XML editor and edit the file.

To import the "index.cnxml" file back into Connexions, use the following steps:

1. Click the import/export link on the "Files" tab to the right of the "index.cnxml" file entry in the module contents. The "Import/Export" tab displays.
2. Click Browse. Locate the "index.cnxml" file you edited with your XML editor and click on the filename.
3. Click Import. The edited file is imported back into the Connexions module.

Another method of editing the "index.cnxml" file is with an external text editor which is not specifically designed to be an XML editor. Note that when you view the module contents a small pencil icon appears to the right of the "index.cnxml" filename. Click on this icon to launch an editing session of the "index.cnxml" file in an external text editor. This editing method does the downloading and uploading of the "index.cnxml" file for you, but it is only a text editor. You must manually enter all the markups for CNXML. If you are not familiar with CNXML, this method is slow and awkward. It also requires that you or your system administrator set up the external editor as the default editor for files of type .cnxml before you can use it. In addition, you or your system administrator must install the Zope ExternalEditor client in a Windows environment and the Zope EditManager in a Macintosh environment.

You can download the contents of the "index.cnxml" file to a location of your choosing and then edit it with a text editor. To download the file, use the following steps:

1. Click the Download a copy link on the "Edit" tab. A dialog box displays for opening the "index.cnxml" file.
2. Specify that you want to save the file to a disk.
3. Specify the filename and location of the file to be saved.
4. Launch your text editor and edit the file.

To upload the "index.cnxml" file back into Connexions, use the following steps:

1. Click the Browse link on the "Edit" tab. The "File Upload" dialog box displays.
2. Locate the "index.cnxml" file you edited with your text editor and click on the filename.
3. Click Open.
4. Click Upload File. The edited file is uploaded into the Connexions module.

You can edit the "index.cnxml" file directly on the web within the Connexions editing interface. To edit the file directly, use the following steps:

1. Click on the "index.cnxml" filename in the module contents display. The "The Edit CNXML File: index.cnxml tab" displays.
2. Click in the text window and begin editing.
3. Click Save when you have finished your edits to save your changes.

This method of editing the "index.cnxml" file is recommended for quick changes only. This editor does not have the advanced functions that come with many text editors.

Before you add an associated file to a module, please note the following guidelines for files and filenames:

• The size of a file must be smaller than 10 MB.
• The first character in a filename cannot be a digit. For example, a file named "1965mustangphoto.gif" would result in an error. Renaming the file to "photo1965mustang.gif prevents the error.
• A filename cannot contain an embedded blank space. For example, the file named "eiffel tower.png" would cause an error. Renaming the file to "eiffel_tower.png" or "eiffeltower.png" prevents the error.
• Use only alphanumeric, "." (dot), "-" (hyphen), and "_" (underscore) characters in a filename.
• Multimedia files must have a recognized MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension) type.

To add an image to a module, use the following steps:

1. Click the down arrow in the text box next to Add New Item. A drop-down list of valid item types appears.
2. Select "Image" from the drop-down list and click Add New Item. The "Edit Image" tab displays.
3. Click Browse. The "File Upload" dialog box displays.
4. Locate the appropriate image file and click on its filename.
5. Click Open. The image filename appears in the text box next to Browse.
6. Click Save to upload the image file into Connexions. A confirmation message and a preview of the image display.

To add a file to a module, use the following steps:

1. Click the down arrow in the text box next to Add New Item. A drop-down list of valid item types appears.
2. Select "File" from the drop-down list and click Add New Item. The "Edit File" tab displays.
3. Click Browse. The "File Upload" dialog box displays.
4. Locate the appropriate file and click on its filename.
5. Click Open. The filename appears in the text box next to Browse.
6. Click Save to upload the file into Connexions. A confirmation message and information about the file display.

To add a CNXML document to a module, use the following steps:

1. Click the down arrow in the text box next to Add New Item. A drop-down list of valid item types appears.
2. Select "CNXML Document" from the drop-down list and click Add New Item. The "Edit CNXML File" tab displays.
3. Enter the contents for the CNXML file by either typing the text into the "Edit Directly" box, uploading a file, or importing a file.
4. Click Save. A confirmation message and information about the CNXML file display.

You can rename, cut, copy, or remove any item that you add to a module. These operations are done at the module level in the same way as they are done at the work area level. See Removing Items from a Work Area, Renaming Items in a Work Area, and Cutting or Copying Items in a Work Area, for a description of how to do these operations in work areas.

To grant one or more module roles to a user, use the following steps:

1. Click the "Roles" tab to display it.
2. Type the name of the user you want to grant a role to in the text box next to Search.
3. Click Search. The Connexions accounts are searched and any users that match the search string are displayed.
4. Select the checkbox next to the desired user name and click Add People. A "Roles Pending Approval" table displays under the "Roles" table.
5. Verify that the checkboxes in the "Author", "Maintainer", or "Copyright Holder" columns are checked for the roles you want to grant to that user. By default all the checkboxes are selected.
6. If desired, de-select the checkboxes for the roles you do not want to grant, and click Update Roles.
7. A request to accept the role will display to the user upon his or her next login to Connexions.

When granting or updating another user's roles, the change does not take affect until the other user has accepted the role change. Once the user has approved the change, their new roles are reflected in the "Roles" table. See approving role requests for information about approving requests.

Connexions makes it easy to collaborate on educational materials. One way to do this is to share authorship or maintenance of a module or course. If another author has granted you a role in their module or course so that you can collaborate with them, the "Pending" sidebar will appear in the upper right corner of your Connexions pages.

Click the Role Request link to display the "Collaboration Requests" screen. From this screen you can:

• Requests awaiting your approval
• Requests you have made awaiting others' acceptance
• Completed requests

To add a new link to a module, use the following steps:

1. Type the label for the link in the "Link Name" field (required).
2. Identify the target of the link by typing in a module ID in the "Module ID" field or typing a URL in the "Link URL" field. You can optionally specify a version if you entered a module ID.
3. Click on the down arrow next to the "Link Type" field and select the type of link from the drop-down list.
4. Click on the down arrow next to the "Link Strength" field and select a number from the drop-down list for the strength of the link. 5 is the strongest link.
5. Click Add to add the link.

If the module already contains links, they will appear in the top half of the screen. To edit an existing link, use the following steps:

1. Update the contents of the "Name" field to change the label of the link.
2. Update the contents of the "URL" field to change the URL of the link.
3. Click on the down arrow next to the "Link Type" field and select another type of link from the drop-down list.
4. Click on the down arrow next to the "Link Strength" field and select another number from the drop-down list for the strength of the link. 5 is the strongest link.
5. Click Update Links to make your changes.

To delete an existing link, select the checkbox in the "Delete" column in the list of existing links. Then click Update Links to delete the link.

To view a module on-line, use the following steps:

1. Click on the "Preview" tab. The "Preview" screen displays.
2. Click the Online Preview link. This displays an on-line version of the module that is similar to the on-line display of the published module. The difference between the preview and the published versions is that the preview does not contain the links and tabs at the beginning and the links at the end of the module. Review the module content and verify that it appears as you intended it to display.
3. Use your browser's "Back" function to return to the "Preview" screen.

The print version of a module is formatted differently than the on-line version. This difference is necessary because of the differences in the on-line and printed media. To view a print version of the module, use the following steps:

1. Click on the "Preview" tab. The "Preview" screen displays.
2. Click the Print Preview link. An "Opening index.pdf" dialog box appears.
3. Verify that the option to open the file with a PDF viewing application is selected and click OK. The print version of the module displays.
4. Review the module display and verify that text and figures display as you intended them to display.
5. You can print this PDF file using your PDF viewer's file/print option.
6. Close the PDF viewing application.

When editing an existing module, you can view a summary of the differences between the last published version of the module and the version you are currently editing. Click the Changes link to view the change summary. This option is useful when you checked out a module some time ago and do not remember what changes you made to it.

The "Change To" summary lists changes to the module, including role assignments and the names of any files that were changed, files that were added, and files that were removed. Click on a file name to display a brief description of the changes.

Occasionally it may be convenient to view the markup source for a module. To view the source of the module, click the Source link under the "View" heading in the "Module Status" sidebar. The most recent markup source that has been saved displays.