Using Page Layouts in Lectora and Lectora Online
Page layouts in Lectora and Lectora Online determine where objects are placed on a page. Using them makes it easy to apply a consistent experience for your learners. For example, if your title includes a number of pages containing an image and related text, you can use page layouts to ensure that the image and text will always appear in the same location on those pages.
Creating a New Page from a Layout
Typically when you insert a new page into your title, you do so in one of the following three ways:
- by clicking the Add Page button on the Home ribbon
- by clicking the Add Page button on the shortcuts bar in the Title Explorer
- or by using the hotkey combination of Ctrl+3
From the Page drop-down you can select from multiple options that best meet your needs. This list contains many combinations of layouts for:
- Title/Subtitle
- Text
- Bulleted Text
- Images
- Video
Selecting any choice from the list will add a new page to your title using the layout chosen. You will see placeholder locations where your objects will reside. And you don’t need to worry about your page size. The size and placement of the layout will automatically be adjusted to fit. All of our page layouts are also set up to be responsive when Responsive Course Design (RCD) is turned on.
To customize the content paste or type in your text or upload a video or image. Selecting the Image or Video option will open a drop-down with options for you to choose from. These are the same options also found on the Insert ribbon.
Once you add a page using a layout, you’ll notice that the Add Page button on the ribbon has changed to the icon of the layout.
That layout is now the default layout. Each time Add Page is invoked (using any of the three methods), the new page added to your title will use the current default layout. Of course, if you want a blank page or a different layout, you simply select the drop-down list and choose again. Whatever is selected will become the default layout until you change it.
Applying a Page Layout to an Existing Page
Suppose you have an existing page in your title and you decide you want to apply a layout to it. That’s not a problem. You begin in the same way as above, by opening the Page Layout drop-down list. If the layout you want to use is the current default (as shown on the button), you simply select “Apply Layout to Current Page.”
If the layout you desire is not the current default, select Manage Page Layout. On the Manage Page Layout dialog, scroll the list to locate the layout you want. Select it in the list; then click Apply Layout to Current Page or Update: Replace seleted Layout with the Current Page.
Creating a Custom Page Layout
Often times courses require you to arrange the objects on the page in a way that is not represented by one of the predefined layouts. If you need to use this unique arrangement multiple times to ensure consistency, it is a good idea to save the arrangement as a custom page layout. Lectora and Lectora Online make it very easy to do this. While on the desired page, select the page layout drop-down list and choose Save Current Page as Layout. You can also do this from the Manage Page Layouts dialog.
In either case, you will be prompted to enter a name for your new, custom layout.
Once you have named it, your custom page layout will appear at the top of the list. You can select and use this layout just as you would any of Lectora’s predefined layouts.
Sharing a Page Layout
You may have noticed the Import Layout and Export Layout buttons on the Manage Page Layouts dialog.
Lectora and Lectora Online allow you to share the layouts you have created. You choose the “save to” file location when exporting a layout from Lectora. Once you have saved the file, you can copy it to a shared network folder or attach it to an email. With Lectora Online, you can save a layout to the shared library, or download the file.
This article last reviewed Dec, 2015. The software may have changed since the last review. Please visit our Release Notes to learn more about version updates.