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Managing Programs

Programs are the top-level containers for curriculum in Lessons.church. A program represents an entire curriculum series -- for example, "Ark Kids" or "Youth Foundations". All studies and lessons live inside a program.

Creating a Program​

  1. Navigate to the Admin area.
  2. Click Add Program.
  3. Fill in the following fields:
    • Name -- the display name for the program (e.g., "Ark Kids").
    • Slug -- a URL-friendly identifier (e.g., "ark-kids"). This is used in web addresses.
    • Description -- a short summary of what the program covers.
    • Image -- upload a thumbnail image that represents the program.
  4. Save the program.

Your new program will now appear in the admin program list and, once it has studies and lessons, on the public-facing site.

Editing a Program​

  1. Click on the program name in the admin list.
  2. Update any of the fields (name, slug, description, or image).
  3. Save your changes.

Organizing Studies Within a Program​

Once a program exists, you can add studies to it. Studies appear nested under the program in the admin view. Click the expand arrow next to a program to see its studies, or add a new one from there.

Study Categories​

If your program has many studies, you can organize them into categories. Categories group studies by topic, age range, or any other criteria you choose. This makes it easier for users to browse a large program.

Uploading Program-Level Resources​

You can attach downloadable files to a program. These are resources that apply to the program as a whole rather than a specific study or lesson -- for example, a scope-and-sequence document or a volunteer handbook.

  1. Open the program in the admin view.
  2. Navigate to the Resources section.
  3. Upload your files.

Clearing the Cache​

After making changes to a program, you may need to clear the cache so the updates appear on the public site. Use the Clear Cache option in the admin area to refresh the content.

tip

Choose a descriptive program name and write a clear description. This is the first thing churches see when browsing the curriculum library, so a good summary helps them decide if the program is right for their needs.