Session Canvases
Session Canvas are fully customisable however we recommend creating a standard template and duplicating that canvas for each Session. This provides consistency for Community users. For additional information please see the following articles:
- Other articles in the Community > Blocks category
In Jomablue, all Sessions added are automatically included in the Community Agenda list, but you can easily hide Sessions if you don't want them publicly visible.
Session Display Order
In the Agenda view within the Community, Sessions are displayed in order of start date and then by start time. However, if multiple Sessions start at the same time during your event, these Sessions will be grouped together and displayed in the order they were entered into the Jomablue platform.
For example, if your event includes 3 tracks with Sessions commencing at the same time, you should enter the Sessions for Track 1 first, followed by Track 2, and so on, to ensure they display in the desired order (e.g., “Track1,” “Track 2,” “Track 3”).
Prevent a Session from Displaying in Community
To prevent a Session from being listed in the Agenda, set the Session to Not Visible in Community.
- Navigate to Sessions > Click on the Session
- Under Visible in Community, select No and press Save
- Sessions will be instantly removed from the Community
Hide Session Locations from Displaying in Community
In Community, Sessions are displayed in the Agenda view and Featured Session Blocks. Each Session includes location information to indicate whether it will take place in an online stream (for virtual events) or at a physical location (for in-person events). This is a mandatory field when creating a Session.
Session locations displayed in Community as highlighted below:
To hide the Session location in Community — especially when events are streamed online and do not have a physical location – you can follow these steps:
- Go to the Portal > Community > Settings > Customisation
- Add the following JSON Code snippet in the Customisation box:
{"agenda": {
"location": false
}
3. Click Save
After following these steps, Session locations will no longer appear in any Session records or Featured Session Blocks in Community. See the example below:
Configure Session Backgrounds
You can set a Custom Background for the Sessions Details page by applying a Custom Background. For instructions on how to configure a session background, see Apply Custom Backgrounds to a Canvas
Enable Agenda Filtering using Session Traits
You can allow Community users to filter Sessions displayed in the Agenda by adding Traits to Jomablue. Traits appear as "Filters" in the Agenda. Below is an example of how the filter looks in the Community Agenda.
Trait Types and Trait Examples
Once added, traits will be available for selection on the Session Detail screen. A single Session can have multiple Traits. Here are some examples:
Trait Type: Level
Traits: Level 100, Level 200, Level 300
Trait Type: Category
Traits: Keynote, Hands-on, Interactive, Party
Trait Type: Industry
Traits: Engineering, Vehicle, Scientific, Publishing, Pharmaceutical
Note: A Session can belong to more than one Trait
Create Trait Types
To create a Trait Type:
- Log in to Jomablue
- Navigate to Community > Traits
- Click on the New Trait Type button at the top right corner of the page
- Enter the name of your Trait Type
- Click Save
Editing Trait Type
You can edit Trait Types by clicking on the Edit Trait Type button that appears when you hover over the Session Trait Type you want to edit.
You can also show Traits in Session Lists and Session Detail screens by toggling the flag, which allows you to show the Trait Type name as a title when displaying Traits.
Apply a Font Colour to a Session Trait Type
You can apply font colour to a Session Trait Type when editing the Trait Type as shown below:
If the 'Display Colour' field is not populated, it will maintain its default behaviour (displaying black or white depending on the trait background colour).
Create Traits
To create a Trait:
- Log in to Jomablue
- Navigate to Community > Traits
- Click on the New Trait button at the top right corner of the page
- Enter the name of your Trait
- Select the Trait Type
- Click Save
Editing Traits
You can edit traits by clicking on the Edit Trait button that appears when you hover over the session Trait you want to edit.
You can edit the following elements in a Trait:
- Trait Type Name: Displays the name of the Trait Type
- Flags: Toggle on/off - Show Traits in Session lists and Session detail screens
- Show Title: Toggle on/off to display the trait type name as a title when showing traits
Ordering of Traits
The order of the Filter menu is as follows.
- Trait Types will always appear above Locations
- Trait Types are ordered alphabetically
Applying Traits to Sessions
Method 1 - via Sessions
- Navigate to Sessions
- Select the relevant Session
- On the Details tab, see the section: Traits
- Applied Traits are visible here or click the + to add new Traits
Note: A single Session can have multiple Traits.
Method 2 - via Traits
- Navigate to Community > Traits
- Click on the Sessions tab to display a list of Trait Types
- Expand the Trait Type containing the target Trait
- Select the Trait itself using the chevron to the left of the Trait Type heading (see below on the left in red).
To add Sessions to a Trait, drag the selected Trait(s) from the right box (see above in red) and drop them into the list of Sessions already displayed in that Trait (if no Sessions are in the Trait yet, drop them into the grey box).
Hide Traits and Locations in the Filter Menu
Traits
Traits will only be displayed if they are assigned to a Session. Therefore, if a Trait is created but not assigned to any Session, it will not be displayed in the menu.
Trait Types
Trait Types will only display if at least one Trait in the Type is associated with a Session.
Locations
Locations will only display if they are linked to a Session.
Session Styles in Community
Community Plus supports several Session styles, offering a range of audience and presenter experiences. The available Session styles available in Community include:
Live Stream
A Session delivered via Live Streaming, where presenter(s) are located in a studio or using video conferencing tools like WebEx or Zoom, and they offer their content in real-time. Audience members can view the Session Canvas, watch the Live Stream, and engage in any other activities such as Live Q&A.
Benefits: Provides a real-time experience, allows for audience engagement through polls and live Q&A sessions, and fosters connection between presenters and the audience. The audience can feel inclusive and exclusive at the same time.
Simulated Live Stream
Instead of streaming a Session in real-time, a Simulated Live Stream can be set up so that from the audience's perspective, the Session appears to be live-streamed (when in reality, it is pre-recorded and streamed to the Session Canvas when the audience member loads that Canvas).
Benefits: Allows for video editing before delivery and avoids speaker availability constraints. This style of Session is not typically used with Live Q&A. However, this can be achieved with a Live Stream scheduled directly after a Simulated Live Stream Session.
Video on Demand (VOD)
A pre-recorded Session that users can watch at their convenience. This format allows for pausing and navigation within their chosen time frame. The VOD is also a useful way to deliver previously hosted Live Stream Sessions or Simulated Live Stream Sessions. If audience members miss an initial Session, they can revisit the content later and consume it at their own pace.
Benefits: Flexibility for audience members to consume content whenever they choose and at their own pace. However, this Session style doesn't support Live Q&A because the panel answering questions is not available on demand, making Q&A better suited for a Lead Capture Block.
The table below highlights the differences between Live Stream, Simulated Live Stream, and Video on Demand:
Features | Live Stream | Simulated live Stream | Video On Demand |
Pre-recorded content | No | Yes | Yes |
An attendee who is late to the session can watch earlier content missed | No | No | Yes |
Autoplay when the user lands on the page | No | No | No |
Play button displayed | Yes | No | Yes |
Pause button displayed | No | No | Yes |
Stop button displayed | Yes | Yes | No |
Rewind/ Forward (referred to as seek) | No | No | Yes |
Community Schedule
The Community Schedule page provides a visual schedule of the Sessions and can serve as an alternative to the Agenda.
Locations are displayed on the vertical axis, while time is represented horizontally in 30-minute increments.
Example of Schedule view
Features
- Sessions are visually displayed according to their length
- Favourites are easily identifiable with a blue underline
- Adding or removing from favourites is supported
- Clicking/Tapping on a session reveals session details in a popup
- Locations are represented with a single colour, with a more opaque version used behind the sessions
- Long session names automatically wrap and truncate
- "On Now," which indicates the current time, is represented by a vertical blue slice
- The display automatically adjusts to the current time
- Sort order of locations is supported, allowing for the grouping of keynote and breakout rooms
Clicking on a Session will open a popup to display the Session details.
Enable Schedule view
To enable the schedule view, create a Community page and redirect it to the alternate version of the Agenda. Follow these steps:
- Create a Community Page via the left navigation
a. Ensure your Page is Enabled
b. Ensure your Page is Menu Enabled - Go to Canvases via the left navigation
- Select the Page tab
- Click on Add Canvas at the top right
- From the Select Page, choose the Community Page you created
- Make Canvas Active = Yes
- Click Save
- Locate the Canvas you created and select Edit on the far right
- Add a Layout, Flex and Block
- Select the Block type: Internal Link and click Save
- Click the Edit icon and fill in the Name and Title fields
- Select Visibility to Yes and click Save
- Select the Configuration tab
- Enter the URL of the agenda, for example:
https://instancename.jomablue.com/community/5/agenda
Add “/schedule” to the URL, for example:
https://instancename.jomablue.com/community/5/agenda/schedule - Add a Link UID, for example: Schedule
- Enable Automatic Redirect
- Add the word “Redirect” to the Content and click Save
Community Schedule Settings
Some configurations are available to customise your Community Schedule. For additional information see the article: Managing Sessions under the section Session Locations.
Disable standard Agenda view from the menu
If you enable the Schedule view of the Agenda and add it to the left navigation menu, you may want to hide the standard view.
To disable the Agenda menu item, add the following JSON Snippet to Community Settings under Customisation.
Note: Be careful to append the new JSON rather than replacing any existing content
{
"nav": [
{
"name": "agenda",
"enabled": false
}
]