Project Site Creation Process Tutorial

Creating a project site in Sakai (SmartSite instance)

This is a summary of the steps needed to create a project site in Sakai. Sites may be created either by the Sites tool or the Worksite Setup tool. Sites tool is only available for admins.

Logging into SmartSite

1. Log into SmartSite at the following URL: https://sakai2.ucdavis.edu:8443/portal/xlogin
2. Enter "user id" as "sitemaker" along with the password.

Creating "Skeleton site"

Method Using Worksite setup tool in Sakai

1. Click on the "Worksite setup" item in the left hand navigation area Note: This is only available on your "My Workspace" tab
2. Select "New Site" link in the center, top of the page
3. Fill in the information for the site. Some examples are:

• Type: project
• Short Description: some short description
• Description: some description
• Title: A Test Site (appears in the tab)
• Published: published (this will allow members to see the site)
• Role to assign to joiners: (e.g. access, maintain, Student, Instructor, etc.) Project sites have default of "access" role assigned.
• Worksite Icon URL:
• Worksite Info URL:
• Public View?: no

Adding tools to the site

1. Default tools to use are:

• Home (already enabled)
• Announcements (already enabled)
• Chat Room
• Email Archive
• Message Center
• Resources
• Schedule
• Site Info (built-in)
• Web Content (blank) (I was told this is difficult to implement on the auto-generated project sites, so we're leaving it out now)
• Web Content (Support & Training, with this URL: https://sakai2.ucdavis.edu:8443/access/content/group/4141a796-68f5-498e-8049-be120b6d9e59/support_training.html)
• Wiki

Making your site joinable

1. By default, site members can only access your site if you explicitly add them as members.

• "Can be joined by anyone with authorization to log in" allows you to assign a role to members that you allow to add themselves to your site.

Adding members to site

What you need in advance:

List of kerberos names that you are adding to the site. If you don't have a list of kerberos logins, you can convert their UC Davis email address into their associated login IDs using this tool: Bulk Email to ID Converter

1. Log in as the Sakai account that created the above site (if already still as this user, go to next step)
2. Select "Worksite Setup" from left hand menu item
3. Select the site you want to add members to, and click the "Revise" link at center, top of screen
4. Select the "Add Participants" link at center,top of page
5. When given the textarea to add participants, add the given kerberos names with a hard enter after each name
6. Check to see if the kerberos names were added correctly. If any of the names have a "UCD: " in front of them, then they are incorrect. You probably entered the first part of their email address. They should be listed in the "roster" of the site
7. Define whether or not you want to give roles to the members independently, or as a group. For example, if I wanted to add 5 members as all having access I can give all members the access role at once.
8. Give appropriate members their respective roles in the site, and check the member list.
9. Save the site
10. Exit site
    **See attachment screenshot of Update Site Participants for more information.

Fixing Message Center permissions

The permissions are blank on newly created sites. This must be fixed by clicking "Return to Sites List" (if you are still in the "Worksite Setup" area and revising a site.

1. You may have to type in part of the name of the site to bring it up on the current page
2. Click on the site name you created
3. Click Message Center (left hand side)
4. Click Template Settings
5. Click the Revise button
6. Click the arrow next to Permissions to expand them
7. Permissions are as follows:

• access: Contributor
• maintainer: Owner