TABLE OF CONTENTS
- What is a Written Description?
- Getting started: How to add a Written Description
- Written Description Guidelines and Tips
What is a Written Description?
Every POI [Point of Interest] that is added to Driftscape needs a ‘Written Description’ associated with it.
This description gets manually entered into the ‘Description’ field in the CMS [Content Management System] when adding either a Place, an Event, or a Tour, and constitutes the text that visitors will see when they view your POI. It is also where you can insert links, images, forms and more.
Example of a Written Description
The text in the red box below is the written description for this POI:
Getting started: How to add a Written Description
This guide is applicable for adding a Written Description to any type of POI [a Place, an Event, or a Tour].
The following presumes you are at the 'Edit POI' stage within the CMS…to get to this stage, please review the steps needed to How to Add A Place. The 'Description' box is where you will enter your written description.
Understanding the Description Editor Toolbar
Above the Description box is the Description Editor Toolbar. This section explains the functionality of all of the tools within it, working from left to right and from top to bottom.
Source: allows you to see the source code for the content in the Description box
Cut: highlight desired text and click to ‘cut’ [text will be removed]
Copy: highlight desired text and click to ‘copy’ [text will stay in place]
Paste: click to ‘paste’ into spot where cursor currently is located; will bring its formatting with it
Paste as Plain Text: click to ‘paste’ into spot where cursor currently is located; will not bring its formatting with it, will instead paste as Plain Text
Paste from Word: copy desired text from a Microsoft Word document; click to ‘paste’ into spot where cursor currently is located
Undo: click to reverse past action
Redo: click to implement past action again
Find: click to open the ‘Find and Replace’ action box; allows you to ‘find’ particular text
Replace: click to open the ‘Find and Replace’ action box; allows you to ‘find’ particular text AND ‘replace’ with revised text
Select All: click to ‘select all’...all contents of Description field will be hi-lighted [allowing you to apply formatting to everything at once]
Spell Check As You Type: click to open a dropdown box that will allow you to ‘enable’ or ‘disable’ the Spell Check As You Type [SCAYT] function
Bold: highlight desired text and click to bold
Italic: highlight desired text and click to italicize
Underline: highlight desired text and click to underline
Strikethrough: highlight desired text and click to strikethrough 
Subscript: highlight desired text and click to apply subscript
Superscript:highlight desired text and click to apply superscript
Remove Format: highlight desired text and click to remove all formatting
Insert/Remove Numbered List: highlight desired text and click to create a Numbered List [if already a Numbered List, will revert back to normal text]
Insert/Remove Bulleted List: highlight desired text and click to create a Bulleted List [if already a Bulleted List, will revert back to normal text]
Decrease Indent: highlight desired text and click to decrease the indent
Increase Indent: highlight desired text and click to increase the indent
Align Left: highlight desired text and click to align text to the left margin
Center: highlight desired text and click to center text
Align Right: highlight desired text and click to align text to the right margin
Justify: highlight desired text and click to extend each line of text from the left margin to the right margin [gives text straight edges on both sides of the paragraph]
Link: highlight desired text and click to create a direct hyperlink. This tool can be used to link to external webpages or to phone numbers
Unlink: highlight an existing hyperlink and click to remove the direct hyperlink
Anchor: defines a ‘page anchor’ to be internally linked to [ie within the description]...to activate: place cursor where you want anchor to be set and click the Anchor button; then originate/create a link to this anchor from the desired point within your POI description 
Insert Horizontal Line: this inserts a “Read More” line in your POI. Any content entered below this horizontal line will not appear in your POI until a user clicks “Read More” at which point all content entered below the horizontal line will become visible to the user. For more information on when to use this tool, see 'Adding a "Read More" Section'
Insert Special Character: opens a menu that enables you to select and insert special characters, such as symbols and letters with accents
Insert/Edit Feature Photo: opens a menu that allows you to insert an image already added to this POIs media. For more detail, please see 'Adding Inline Images to your Description'
Delete Feature Photo: allows you to select an image already within your Written Description and click this button to delete it
Written Description Guidelines and Tips
A description is mandatory…a POI can’t be added without a description included.
Be brief, around 200 words max is recommended.
Where possible, use your Written Description to paint a compelling picture for your visitors. Point out things of interest they can see from this location, or ask them to imagine what this place might have been like at a different point in history. Whenever possible, use the sights and sounds of the user's surroundings when telling your story.
Adding a “Read More” Section
If your Written Description exceeds 200 words or you want to hide a portion of your description, you can add a ‘Read More' section by adding a horizontal line using the ‘Horizontal Line Tool’ to break the page into two sections. This tool can also be used to add “hints” to your scavenger hunts.
Using the Horizontal Line Tool to add in a horizontal line will offer a 'Read More' button to the user:
A user clicking on the 'Read More' button opens up the full description window:
Fixing Formatting Issues
When cutting and pasting content from another source, if the resulting content doesn't have the desired appearance you may need to remove its formatting to return to plain text.
Select your new content then click the ‘Remove Format Tool’
Adding External Links
External links are permitted. If you would like to link out to something use the ‘Hyperlink Tool’ [see description of the 'Link' button under 'Understanding the Description Editor Toolbar'], rather than typing out the whole URL [ie you don’t need to type out the full https://www.driftscape.com].
highlight the word you would like to add a link to
click the Hyperlink Tool, it will then open an option to add/paste your link in
click on 'Save'...it will embed the word you highlighted with your link making the word ‘clickable’
For details like a phone number, website, etc. please add at the END of your descriptions [and not at the beginning] as it will affect what users will see in the preview of each POI [ie they will see these details rather than the actual location’s description].
Linking to Phone Numbers
To link your phone number:
highlight the phone number text in your description box
click on the 'Link' button in the toolbar
select the 'Phone' option under the ‘Link Type’ dropdown menu
add the phone number in the ‘Phone number’ box
click ‘OK’
Adding Inline Images to your Description
Adding inline images directly into your content description using the ‘Insert/Edit Feature Photo’ tool. The ‘Insert/Edit Feature Photo’ tool allows you to instantly insert an image from your POI’s media gallery directly into the description, without having to re-upload the image. Please see Adding Media to your Points of Interest for instructions on adding media to your POI’s gallery.
Embedding a Google Form in your POI
You can embed an existing Google Form directly within your POI in the Description field. For detailed instructions, please refer to How to Embed a Google Form in your POI Description
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