Slate.org Portals
  • 11 Jul 2024
  • 5 minute read
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Slate.org Portals

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Article summary

Slate provides both a Slate.org Application Portal template and a Slate.org Organization Portal.

Organization Display

​Customize the college profile content that displays to counselors in Slate.org and allow for profile impersonation.

Use this portal for:

  • ​Application and scholarship deadline information​

  • Link to fee waivers​

  • Estimated decision release dates​

  • Links to counselor event/invite registration forms​

  • Virtual tour videos/social and web links

💼 Try a Slate example

Use Suitcase to import our ready-made example organization display.

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Applicant Display

​Customize information that displays for applicants in Slate.org and allow for applicant profile impersonation.

Use this portal to:

  • ​Display Academic Major & Degrees​

  • Provide Decision Reason Details​

  • Communicate Scholarship Eligibility​

  • Dynamically Display Content​

  • Show Student Campus Interactions​

💼 Try a Slate example

Use Suitcase to import our ready-made example applicant display.

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Creating the portal

Slate.org Application and Slate.org Organization portals can be created in the Portal Editor.

  1. Enable Slate.org Application Sharing.

  2. Click Database in the top navigation bar and select Slate.org Application Sharing Settings.

  3. Review the Rounds, Application Status, Checklists, Materials, and Decisions sections.

  4. Click on an individual item to then select either

    • Share with Slate.org institutions

    • Do not share with Slate.org institutions

Organization Portals

The Organization portal is configured to communicate deadlines, share information, display content by school group, and embed tour videos and social media.

In the Key field, enter slateorg-organization.

You can choose what you want to appear on the organization portal. Some schools have chosen to display application deadlines, financial aid links, youtube videos, and even student major information.

Testing

To test the Slate.org Organization portal:

  1. From All Portals, select your Slate.org Organization Portal from the list.

  2. On the right, select Impersonate.

  3. In the Record field, start typing the name of an Organization record. Select the organization you'd like to impersonate from the list.

  4. Click Impersonate.


Application Portals

The Application portal is configured to display custom Applicant information. This data can be configured to be show on an individual Application Record in Slate.org.

Create the Portal Queries

Once the Slate.org Application Display portal has been imported via Briefcase, the exports can be customized to return the data points to display in the portal.

Application Details

We'll start with a Configurable Joins - Application query to pull a list of exports that can be used as merge fields. For example, if you wish to display the applicant's entry term, major, and decision for your institution, you would add those exports to the query.

  1. From All Portals, select your Slate.org Application Portal from the list.

  2. Under Queries, click New Query.

  3. Configure the following in the New Query popup:

    • Name: Application Data

    • Type: Configurable Joins

    • Base: Applications

  4. Click Save to start editing the query.

  5. Add any exports.

  6. On the right, click Rename Exports. Make sure all export labels are lowercase, and use underscores, not spaces. Click Save.

📝 Note

By default, the query also has a filter for GUID that should not be removed: it ensures the query will export the data of the applicant being viewed.

If you accidentally remove the filter and need to add it back, its custom SQL is as follows:

GUID = @identity
mceclip0.png

No other filters are necessary for this query. The GUID filter limits the results to just the applicant clicked on in the portal.

Sharing Decision Reasons

The custom join to Decisions accomplishes the following:

  • Isolates decisions that have been released prior to today. This can be updated based on when you would like to share additional decision details. 

  • Selects decision codes that are also marked to be shared in the Slate.org Application Sharing Settings. Note: This is an example! You will need to update this decision code filter to pull codes from your Slate database specifically. 

  • Sorts by Decision Release Date

  • Includes a Row Offset of '1', which will pull the most recently released decision.

mceclip2.png

Create a Portal View

The standard Slate.org Application portal comes with pre-defined content blocks. You may also edit the views to display any additional data points added to the queries, remove items, or reformat in a different visual layout.

Applicant Details View

The Applicant Details view includes several static content blocks, containing images, merge fields, Liquid markup, and snippets. The table widget pulls in data from the linked Events query. Review the article on portal table view widgets before editing the existing widget or adding a new widget.

mceclip1.png

Tip

Think about leveraging dynamic content blocks to display information, such as staff assignments or advisors. This allows edits to the content blocks to dynamically update the information that displays in the portal, too!

The customized content in the Slate.org Application Portal will appear to the left of the checklist (if configured to share in your Application Sharing Settings).

Create a Portal Method

A portal method is needed to tie the portal query and the portal view together.

Application Method

The Application method is configured as follows:

  1. From All Portals, select your Slate.org Application Portal from the list.

  2. Under Methods, select New Method.

  3. Configure the following in the Edit Details popup: 

    • Name: Application

    • Type: GET

    • Leave Action blank.

    • View: Application

    • Output Type: Default Branding

    • Status: Active

It is unlikely any of these settings will need to change. Don't hesitate to reach out via the Service Desk if you believe you might need to alter one of these settings.

A list of queries display below these settings. This method is linked to the "Application Details" query. If any other queries were created, such as a query that generates a list of test scores or other items, you can:

  1. Click Edit Linked Queries in the top right.

  2. Select the additional queries.

  3. Click Save.

Portal Method

 

Testing

To test the Slate.org Application portal:

  1. From All Portals, select your Slate.org Application Portal from the list.

  2. On the right, select Impersonate.

  3. In the Record field, start typing the name of an applicant record. Select the applicant you'd like to impersonate from the list.

  4. Click Impersonate.

🌟 Best Practices

  • Avoid putting too much information in the portal. Consider what information is truly helpful to counselors, and be sure to limit the amount of Personally Identifiable Information included.

  • Remember that portals are dynamic! Updates to data and design elements within the portal will be immediately reflected in Slate.org. 

  • Keep the portal status Inactive until ready to make live. 


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