How does CMS work?
CMS runs on your local computer, continuously monitoring a special email account you set up for your content authors. When an email message comes in, CMS splits out any imbedded image files and converts the email message to properly formatted HTML and XML. Then depending upon your settings it FTP's (or copies) these new content files to your server updating your web page. You can even configure CMS to update a portion of a page.
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Do I need to install software on my web server?
Nope - CMS can run on any computer connected to the internet. You simply set up an email account for CMS to monitor and configure it to manage specific pages on your remote site. F5Web will process any incoming email messages, convert the content to HTML, XML, and JavaScript and publish the page changes (using FTP or file copy) to your web server.
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Can I include graphics in my email?
Sure can - Most email programs like Outlook and Eudora let you insert images into your email. CMS will automatically pull them back out and create JPG or GIF files for use in your content. You can even insert tables from other Microsoft Office applications like Word and Excel.
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This is new software - is it stable?
We have been testing CMS extensively and it is very stable. The CMS application is only responsible for processing the incoming email messages. Even if the CMS application is not running your web site will not be interrupted. This way there is no risk that an internet outage or a glitch in CMS will cause your content to disappear.
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What is limited in the trial version?
The trial version of CMS is a fully functioning copy of the program that you can use for 5 days. After 5 days CMS will continue to run but will not process any site updates.
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What does it cost?
CMS is inexpensive and allows you to channel your savings back to enhance your core business. You can purchase Tags (can be a page Table or cell for changes or updates) from as little as only €2.50/Tag which are then licensed annually. There are no restictions as to the frequency or size of changes made (subject to the limitations set by your own Internet Service Provider).
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What Operating System does F5Web run on?
The CMS Tool runs fine on any Operating System.
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Can I get notified whenever an author changes the content?
Yes - CMS will let you specify one or more email addresses to notify anytime there is a change to any of your content pages. You can even notify different people for each content page.
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What if I want to approve changes before they go live?
With CMS you can specify one or multiple approval email addresses for each content page. When a change comes in CMS will send out a request for approval and notify the author that the change is pending approval. Once someone on your approver list approves the change the author will get an email letting them know that the change has been made.
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Can I use CMS as a Web Log (or Blog)?
Sure can. Simply send CMS an "AddBefore" command and your new content will be inserted before the current content in your content window. If you prefer to have it added at the end then send an "AddAfter" command instead.
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Can I update my site from my wireless device or cell phone?
Yes - Simply send an email with the text you want updated on your site. If you cannot enter a subject on your wireless device see the Technical FAQ for details on an alternative way to enter the subject.
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Can I paste raw HTML code into an email and have F5Web put it on my site?
Yes. If you want to paste raw HTML code you will either need to switch your email format to plain text or if you are using an email program that lets you switch to HTML code edit mode (View->Source Edit in Outlook Express) you can switch it, paste your code, and then send it.
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How do I set the subject from my wireless device that does not let me send a subject?
Simply place the subject on the first line of your message using the special syntax as follows:##SUB:[your subject line]##
Example: ##SUB:replace newsflash password##
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I selected the FTP option but my content does not get published onto my web site. What's wrong?
Please check your Account FTP Settings carefully. Using another FTP client program log into your FTP server using the FTP Address, FTP Username, and FTP Password you set up in F5Web. Verify that the sub-directory you set for FTP Path exists on your server. Try copying a file from your local directory to the FTP Path directory. Try downloading the test file you uploaded in your web browser by typing the Http Address followed by the filename. If all the above tests work properly contact support and we will attempt to identify the problem.
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What directories does CMS create on my site?
CMS will publish your content file to the folder you specified. It will create a folder there called "F5Webimages-(your page name)" to hold the images published with content page.
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Do the image files stay on my server forever?
Yes and no, CMS does not know if you have other content pages using any of these images so it will not delete the files from your remote server when you delete the content page locally. You may delete them manually if you are sure that they are not being used in any content. CMS will remove old images from the image directory whenever you publish a content page. This way the image directory only contains the images used in the most recent published page.
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CMS doesn't seem to change the content when I test with the OPERA browser?
Opera employs some very aggressive caching and seems to ignore all the no-cache directives sent to it. As a result changes you make may not be immediately visible in opera. They will generally show up after a period of time when Opera decides to refresh the page from the server instead of the local cache. Rest assured the page has been changed and will display correctly in all other browser (which constitutes 98% of all browsers out there).
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