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Frequently Asked Questions

This chapter contains answers to the following questions;

How do I recover a deleted blog post?

Students who've deleted a blog post using either the Gutenberg or Frontend editor can recover their blog post via the WordPress Dashboard and selecting 'Posts' followed by the 'Bin' option. All other blog posts, including those which are 'Private' - although recommended not to be used - or in 'Draft' status can be found on this page.

In the event your post isn't available on this page and/or via the 'Bin' option, your post has likely been permanently deleted; you may wish to contact the TEL Team who'll be able to confirm whether or not this is the case, but will be unable to recover the post.

Can I retain my work from OCA Spaces upon completing a unit and/or degree?

Yes! Any and all learning logs available on OCA Spaces can be migrated to an external hosting provider, such as WordPress.com, following the Importing & Exporting process.

Accessing a specific category, some blog posts aren't visible, even after selecting the 'Load More' option?

In such instance, the TEL Team would recommend increasing the number of posts initially visible and prior to selecting the 'Load More' option.

You can do this by accessing the WordPress Dashboard and selecting 'Settings' followed by 'Reading', and increasing the 'Blog pages shown at most' option to exceed the maximum number of blog posts per category. For example, if your most used category has 13 blog posts, the TEL Team would recommend increasing this option to 15, thus accounting for existing and any potential future blog posts assigned to this category.

Finish by selecting the blue 'Save Changes' option, located at the bottom of the page, and confirm whether or not all of the appropriate blog posts are now visible.

Yes, although this does require the use of CSS, and the change will apply across your entire learning log and not to one specific blog post. Additionally, the featured image visible prior to accessing a specific blog post, from your homepage or a specific category for instance, will remain intact. For more information regarding featured images, please refer to the Featured Image definition.

The following interactive Featured Image Comparison activity demonstrates the intended difference and outcome of this particular process.

To apply this change to your learning log, begin by accessing the WordPress Dashboard and select 'Appearance' followed by 'Additional CSS'. Within the text entry pane, located on the left, copy and paste the entirety of the following code; ".featured-media img {display: none}", followed by selecting the blue 'Publish' option.

Accessing your learning log and visiting the homepage and/or any specific category, the featured image will remain visible, however, selecting a specific blog post, the featured image will no longer be visible at the top and prior to the contents of your blog post.

How do I upload a file(s) to OCA Spaces?

To upload a file(s) to OCA Spaces which is later available for users, such as your tutor, to download students must first use the Gutenberg Editor; unfortunately, file(s) cannot be uploaded using the Frontend Editor. Using the Gutenberg Editor and having accessed either an existing blog post or having created a new one, next insert a 'File' block, where you'll then be prompted to upload your file.

Repeat this process for each file that you'd like to upload.

While there is no restriction on the file types that can be uploaded, students should be mindful of the programme required to open the file. For example, an Apple Pages document will require users to have an Apple device and use the Pages software, and the file should therefore be ideally converted to a PDF beforehand. Additionally, students are restricted to the 64MB file upload limit, and in instances where the file exceeds this limit, may wish to instead copy the contents directly into the blog post or look to reduce the file size.

Can I create a custom page or homepage?

Yes, and a custom homepage, for example, can also be used to;

  • Display blog posts in chronological order (oldest to newest) or reverse chronological order (default, newest to oldest);
  • Display blog posts in an alternative format or style, such as including an excerpt, dated published, list or grid format and with or without a featured image;
  • Include or exclude blog post(s) based on their assigned category(s);
  • Include additional contents besides a list of applicable blog posts, such as social media links and/or embeds, a brief introduction or about section, series of image(s) etc.

The above is not a definitive list of capabilities and for more information and/or applicable guidance, please refer to the Custom Pages sub-chapter.

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