Understand and use URLs correctly
This lesson aims to make users understand how to ask for help in a suitable way, instead of sending a screenshot, or a not very useful message like 'The thingy button does not work', it's ie not providing the relevant information to locate the problem.
How is a URL formed?
A URL is the address of a document accessible remotely, presented in the form:
protocol : // site / document
Here is an example:
https://www.fullpliant.org/page/pliant/3SR6QMB8/0EEMUVD
The protocol is 'https', the site is 'www.fullpliant.org' and the document is '/page/pliant/3SR6QMB8/0EEMUVD'
The 'protocol' part of the URL is used to specify how to access the document.
The two most common are 'http' which is the original web protocol, and 'https' which is its secure version.
With Storga's native client, the 'site' protocol is often used, which is the secure protocol of the free software Pliant.
The 'site' part of the URL (not to be confused with the site protocol of the previous sentence) actually indicates the Internet address of the server serving the document.
Specifically, through an internet service called DNS, the site name is translated into an internet address, which is a unique number assigned to every server on the internet. Instead of presenting this address in the form of a 10-digit number, like telephone numbers, we generally prefer to present it in the form of 4 numbers between 0 and 255, for example 213.186.44.166 and this is called l server's IPv4 address. For several decades, the Internet has undergone a transition to 40-digit addresses, presented as 4 10-digit numbers, which are called IPv6 addresses.
Finally, the 'document' part of the URL specifies which document you want to access.
The web client connects to the server, then indicates both the name of the site and the desired document, which allows the same web server to host the content of several websites.
To take a metaphor with the real world, the 'site' part of the URL indicates in which library the desired document is located, and the 'document' part of the URL indicates where the document is stored in the library, for example in the form '/floor/room/span/radius/position'.
Interest and limits of URLs
The three main contributions of URLs are:
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The ability to switch between servers seamlessly, without having to change client software. This allows a much better integration of the various services provided by IT.
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The possibility of going directly to the desired location, via a simple link, instead of having to follow a long path in menus, submenus, etc.
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URLs have made possible the notion of search engine.
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At the limits now:
A first technical difficulty is to ensure the stability over time of the URL associated with each document. If we use the metaphor of the library, a URL in the form '/floor/room/span/radius/position' will not be stable in the event of a reorganization of the building.
You never know how long access to a document will remain possible via its URL, which leads to making a copy of it, which is generally not of good quality, because the protocols, and especially the web tools, are not intended for this.
Finally, not all IT has adopted the notion of URL. For example, the various parameters of a machine continue to be accessible only via a series of menus, submenus, subsubmenus, tabs, etc.
URLs in Storga
Each Storga page corresponds to a fixed URL over time, even if the page is moved during a reorganization of the site.
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When using the native Storga client, the URL of the currently current document is not permanently displayed, contrary to what is generally done in a web browser. To display the URL bar, you must click on the 'URL' icon on the right of the screen:
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Here is the meaning of the different buttons in the URL bar:
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Display the document whose URL has just been entered in the 'URL:' field of the URL bar.
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Reload the page.
This should be done as the very first corrective action, before requesting outside support, whenever the server seems to be performing oddly, or becomes unresponsive.
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Go back.
This icon is permanently available, on a navy blue background, on the left side of the screen.
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Return to the user's home page.
A similar icon is permanently available, on a navy blue background, on the left side of the screen, which leads back to the root of the Storga site currently visited.
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To log in.
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Sign out.
Use this function when you leave your workstation and want to make sure that no one takes advantage of your absence to gain access using your rights.
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To close the URL bar, click on the 'Close URL' icon, always on the right of the screen:
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A little further in your Storga training, you will discover the notion of form. A Storga form is basically the same as a paper form. Simply remember now that as soon as you create a form in Storga, a URL is associated with it, which will not change, and which is independent of that of the page in which it is stored.
Good practices
When requesting support for a Storga application that is not working as expected, it is important to provide the URL of the affected page, not just a screenshot. The way to do this depends on your configuration:
If you use a simple web browser to access Storga, and not the native Storga client, then simply copy in the email you are sending the URL of the Storga page indicated by the web browser.
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If you are using the native Storga client and an external mailer:
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display the native Storga client URL bar,
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copy paste the URL to your email.
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If you are using both the native Storga client and the Storga mailer, you can either use the previous method which however assumes using a specific tab for the Storga mailer, or use the method below:
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switch to edit mode at the level of the page that is causing the problem,
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add an email directly to the page by clicking on the message block icon,
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activate the 'URL' option: 'yes, the one with the menus' at the email level,
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finish and send the email,
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optionally remove the mail block from the page.
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