Current plans are that the manual will be completed by January 31, 2007 (*nix version) with a follow-up phase/addition to include documentation as needed for the Windows Server platform. The table of contents has been drafted:

Introduction – A brief introduction to Plinkit’s uses/features and to the manual. Includes short descriptions of each of the manual’s chapters and appendixes.

Chapter 1: Getting Oriented – An overview of the basic architecture and components of Plone/Plinkit (e.g., Plone, Zope, ZMI, ZOBD, Apache, templates, portlets, skins, CSS, etc.), with an emphasis on terminology and the relationship between the different components.

Chapter 2: Installing and Configuring the Software Components – Information about and general instructions on installing the required software components (Python, Zope/ZMI, Apache, Plone, etc.). Includes procedures for configuring Apache as the front end of Zope and for administering multiple Plone sites using one Zope instance but multiple, distinct data files.

Chapter 3: Installing and Configuring the Plinkit Template Site – Instructions on installing and configuring the main Plinkit template site. Includes information on setting up and populating the Products directory, configuring/modifying plinkit.zexp, and updating Apache. May also include descriptions of key content/feature components (such as the news, events, calendar, and navigation portlets) and documentation of any know configuration steps or modifications that are necessary to avoid common “gotchas.”

Chapter 4: Using the ZMI to Customize Plinkit – Instructions on using the ZMI to perform common customizations (such as adding or modifying portlets, using skins/CSS to change the appearance of sites, etc.). Includes a general overview of the ZMI as well as detailed descriptions of commonly used interface pages (such as plone_skins) and templates. This chapter will not be a comprehensive reference covering every section of the ZMI, but it will document all of the fields on the most frequently used interface pages.

Chapter 5: Installing and Using Additional Products – Brief descriptions of and/or instructions on installing and configuring frequently used products (such as the Kupu editor, the random quotes generator, the incoming RSS handler, and CalendarX).

Chapter 6: Creating a New Plinkit Site – Procedures for creating and configuring a new library Plinkit site, based on the base Plinkit template. Includes basic fixes and configurations that must be made for each new site.

Chapter 7: Managing User Roles, Groups, and Permissions – Conceptual information, examples, and procedures relating to using roles and groups to manage workflows and permissions.

Chapter 8: Performing Basic Maintenance and Administration Tasks – Procedures for performing regular/common administration and maintenance tasks such as site back ups/restores and software upgrades.

Chapter 9: Performing Advanced Administration Tasks – Information about advanced topics such as caching with Squid, configuring multiple Zope instances using ZEO, integrating Plinkit with local library catalogs, etc. These topics will be documented as time allows and user needs dictate.

Appendix A: ZMI Roadmap – Tables and/or other schematic devices designed to help readers quickly find the correct location in the ZMI to perform a specific task. (Designed to answer questions like “Where do I go to add a portlet?”.)

Appendix B: Troubleshooting and Frequently Asked Questions – Descriptions of common errors/problems and their remedies and common questions and their answers.

Appendix C: Additional Resources – Descriptions of (and, if applicable, links to) other useful resources (Plone and Plinkit sites, courses and workshops, books).

Index – A moderately granular index of key terms and concepts that links to the primary discussion of each major term/concept.