2.1. Joining a Plone Site

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That account gives you the right as a member to add content such as images, documents, and so forth. To join a site, click the join link in the top-right corner of the Web site (see Figure 3-1).

Figure 3-1. Clicking the join link in the top-right corner of the page

This will take you to a registration form that you'll have to complete (see Figure 3-2). Because this is the first Plone form you've encountered, take note of the following:

• Some fields are required; a little red box next to the text indicates the required fields.
• For most fields, some grayed-out help text beneath the field name indicates what you should enter.

Figure 3-2. The registration page

NOTE Because many of the Plone pages are quite large, the figures in this book have been cropped to show only the key parts (in this case, the form) and not the Plone logo or the footer. These elements are still there, but they're superfluous.

To complete the form, complete the fields that are reasonably obvious. The values of the fields are as follows:

Full Name: Enter your full name. This field is optional.

User Name: Enter the username you want to use. Most people choose an alphanumeric value without spaces, such as bob or jane97. This username will be used throughout the Web site to refer to you. This field is required.

E-mail: A valid e-mail address is required. This will allow the site administrator to contact you and to send a password to you. You can change this e-mail address later by editing your member preferences. This field is required.

Password and Confirm Password: This is the password you want to use; it must be more than four characters and can contain letters, numbers, and the underscore (_) character. Passwords are case sensitive (in other words, SomePassword isn't the same as somepassword). These fields are required.

Send a mail with the password: Check this box if you'd like your password sent to the e-mail address you provided. This field is optional.

Once you've completed this form, click Register to submit your information. If you've made any errors on this form, then you'll see a message at the top and the key fields that have an error highlighted. In Figure 3-3 I entered a password but didn't enter a value for the Confirm Password field. Again, this is the standard way that Plone forms will show errors to you.

Figure 3-3. Errors on a form

If you've completed the form correctly, then you'll be given the option of logging in immediately. Click the Log In button to log in. You'll see the page shown in Figure 3-4.

Figure 3-4. After registering

If you already have a username and password or are returning to a site you've previously joined, then you can enter your name and password in the boxes in the left column of the site and click the Log In button.

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