Getting Started with Contribute at the College of Education

This document is intended to supplement Adobe's QuickStart Guide.  Whereas their document is generic for all Contribute users, this document provides you with the specifics you need to be successful installing and configuring Contribute here at the College of Education.  It provides the specific paths to a local copy of installers, existing site keys, and your site's file space.

Install | Configure | Site Files

Things you'll need to make use of this document:

• Your AD login/password
• To be logged in as an Administrator or know a password to an Administrator Account on the machine you are installing
• To know how to connect to College of Education file servers.
  See http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/oet/network/ for OS-specific instructions for connecting to our servers.

How to Install Contribute

1. Locate your registration code for Contribute CS3
   • If you were given a code from OET or the Dean's Office, please use it.
   • If you purchased a code from the CITES WebStore, please use it.
   • If you can't find it, you can always enter it later.  You have an option to use Contribute without a code for 30 days in "trial" mode.
2. Download Contribute
   • The most convenient place is to install Contribute from our software share. We are currently recommending the use of Contribue CS3, though other versions may function.
     

     For Windows:
     \\store.ed.uiuc.edu\Apps\Win\Contribute

     For Mac:
     afp://store.ed.uiuc.edu/apps/mac/contribute
     Connect to the server as Guest.  When installing, If prompted for a password when installing use the Administrator password.

   • Alternatively, you can install the latest Contribute from Adobe's web site.
3. Double-click on the installer and follow the instructions.  You will need the serial number to do the install.  You will need to logon to the college intranet via the following link to get it: https://www-s.ed.uiuc.edu/intranet/edwebs/Default.asp (will open in new window).
   (Unless you're on a slow dialup link, it is fine to run the installer from the server to avoid cluttering your hard drive.)

How to Configure Contribute

For sites using the College's Web Publishing System, EdWebs, we provide Contribute Site Keys in part to make it easy to configure your Contribute software for use with your site.  The keys are all stored on the web server under the "keys" folder.

For Windows Users:

\\www.ed.uiuc.edu\edwebs\keys\<yourunitabbreviation>

For Mac Users:

smb://www.ed.uiuc.edu/edwebs/keys/<yourunitabbreviation>

To configure Contribute on your computer, just double-click on your site key.  As with the installer, it is not necessary to clutter your hard drive by storing the key on it.  You only need it once to configure your software.  If you ever need to reinstall Contribute, you can always get the key from the keys folder.

How to Access Your Site's Files

For those of you who need to access your site's files directly (instead of through Contribute), below are the file-sharing paths.  This is useful for placing documents and images on your site for use with Contribute.  For instructions on using these paths to connect to our servers, please review the documentation specific to your operating system at http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/oet/network/.

For Windows Users:

\\www.ed.uiuc.edu\edwebs\<yoursitepath>

For Mac Users:

smb://www.ed.uiuc.edu/edwebs/<yoursitepath>

Example:

URL: http://www.ed.uiuc.edu/oet/index.html
Windows file share: \\www.ed.uiuc.edu\edwebs\oet\index.html
Mac file share: smb://www.ed.uiuc.edu/edwebs/oet/index.html

It is recommended that you create a shortcut to the EDWEBS share or your web site's folder:

To create a shortcut in Windows...

Hold the ALT key down as you drag and drop the icon of the folder to the desired location (e.g., desktop, start menu, task bar, favorites folder). 

To create a shortcut on the Mac...

Hold down the command and option keys as you drag and drop the icon of the folder to the desired location (e.g., desktop, dock, finder nav bar, favorites folder).