What is it?
Directory Templates allow you to configure the front end, or member view, or your Member Directory.
How to Access
Navigate to Community > Directory
From the Directory page, click on Directory Templates.
Creating a New Template
1. From the Directory Templates page, click the New plus sign in the top right-hand corner.
2. Give the new template a name, then click Create.
3. Once on the edit screen, add the Attributes that you want to display in the template. To add a new Attribute, click Add a Row. You can add multiple rows to each section (except for the top row) by clicking Add A Row again after saving an Attribute.
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Label: If you'd like any text to preface the attribute you're adding, type it in the label box (for example, Email: ##Email##, where "Email:" is the label tex
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Attribute: This menu allows you to select which attribute you'd like to add
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Style: Select whether or not you'd like this particular attribute to display as bold and/or italic
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Advanced Setup: The advanced setup option allows you to add multiple attributes on the same line/row (for example, city, state zip) and will also accept HTML tags
NOTE: There is no "save" button as changes/additions to your template(s) are saved automatically.
Examples
Example #1 - 1 column layout
Looks like:
Example #2 - 2 column layout
Looks like:
How are Profiles Sorted When Viewing the Results?
Profiles are sorted by Last Name then First Name, then Organization based on the data that appears configured in Group Attribute Security. eg. if you want Organization alphabetized, you would need to ensure Last Name and First Name do not appear in the results.
Viewer Assignments
Viewer assignments allow you to alter how profiles are displayed in your directory based on the person viewing it. If a group has a template assigned to it (other than “default”), any member of that group will see the directory based on the assigned template. The template assigned to a group will be how those group members will view all other groups/members in the directory. Groups assigned the “default” template will see the directory based on the template marked as default on the main search templates page (indicated with a yellow star). This is different than group assignments (below) because the profile display is based on the viewer's database group rather than the profile's database group.
Example: Image #1 is how the directory displays for someone from the "member" group, and image #2 is how the same directory displays when someone from the "organization" group views it. Notice that the same 2 profiles display completely different depending on who views them (members see a 2 column layout, organizations see a 1 column layout).
Image #1:
Image #2:
How it's done
1. First, make sure you have more than 1 existing template listed on the search templates page - if not, create 1 for each group assignment before continuing.
2. From the search templates page select "assignments" in the upper-right corner
3. Your database groups will be listed in the left column, with each one having a template drop-down menu in the right column. Use the drop down menu to select the appropriate template for each group (the menu will contain all of the templates that you currently have). The "default" option means that the template set as default will be used (marked with a yellow star on the main search template page).
Group assignments allow you to alter the way profiles appear in your directory based on what database group they are part of. This is different than Viewer Assignments (above) because the profile display is based on the actual profile’s database group rather than the viewer’s database group.
Example: the image below shows 2 profiles from different database groups (the group names are highlighted with red boxes), each displaying with a different search template. Since this was accomplished using group assignments, the profiles will display the same no matter who happens to view them (member, organization, public, etc.).
How it's done
1. From the search templates page click on the + icon next to the template that you'd like to add a custom group template to
2.Select the group that you're customizing the template for and then click "create"
3. Complete the new template by adding the appropriate attributes in the layout of your choice
4. When finished, click "close" towards the top-right. You'll go back to the main search templates page where you'll notice your custom group template(s) indented under the main group.
How Directories Display
Directories will display alphabetically by last name, first name, then organizational name.
If you are displaying an organizational member type, then it will sort by organizational name.
Comments
13 comments
How do you alter the front-end user/member search options?
Hi Jen - I'm not sure what you're referring to. Right now, the only available search option for members to use on the website is the Advanced Search. If that's not what you're referring to, you may want to email help@memberclicks.com so that the help Team can address your question quickly.
I don't seem to have access to the Community/Directory Templates option. Is this only for associations whose accounts have been upgraded on the Admin side?
Lisa - Yes, this article is for customers using the new MemberClicks platform. The corresponding article for Classic is viewable here.
Thank you for the quick reply and link to the article for Classic, I really appreciate it!
What do I need to click to view my directory?
Hi Dana - First, take a look at your Main Menu (Website > Menu Items > Main Menu) and look to see if there is a menu item with the Type "MemberClicks >> View All." If so, navigate to the front end/member side of your site (Website > View My Site) and click on that menu item to see the Directory.
If not, you'll want to add a link to the Member Directory as a Menu Item or a Site Link from an Article. This article will show you how to create a menu item, and this one will show you how to create a site link from within an Article on your site. Feel free to reach out to the Help Team by phone at 404-879-2800 if you'd like for them to walk you through it over the phone!
Is there a way to assign directory templates by group, rather than member type? We only want one subset of child profiles to be able to view a particular template.
Hi Jen - At this point, Directory Templates are only able to be assigned based on Member Type. If you have product feedback about this or would like to see it work differently in future, please use this link to tell us more. We would love to hear from you!
Is it possible for members to opt out of being included in directory?
Hey Faith! They can, provided you've created an Attribute for that purpose. You can narrow down your Directory's Search results based on an Attribute selection, so we often suggest creating an "Opt In/Opt Out" Attribute to fulfill that purpose. If you have any questions, feel free to reach us at help@memberclicks.com.
Is there a way to customize the view of the main page of a directory to include images and directions on how to use it? If not, is this option coming any time soon?
Hey Dana! What I would recommend is to create an Article with your images and directions, and provide a Site Link that then directs folks to your Directory Search. I hope that helps!
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