Announcements

Announcements allow you to communicate important information to your entire institution or specific groups. This guide covers everything you need to know about creating, managing, and tracking announcements.

Overview

The Announcements feature enables you to:

• Broadcast messages to students, parents, staff, or the entire institution
• Target specific audiences using flexible filtering options
• Include rich content with text, descriptions, and images
• Track delivery status to monitor announcement reach
• Manage announcements with easy viewing and deletion

Accessing Announcements

1. Navigate to Communication in the sidebar
2. Click on Announcements
3. You’ll see a list of all announcements with their details

Note: Access to announcements is controlled by permissions. You may need the createAnnouncement or deleteAnnouncement permissions to perform certain actions.

Creating an Announcement

Step 1: Open the Creation Dialog

1. On the Announcements page, click the “New Announcement” button in the top-right corner
2. A dialog will open with a form for your announcement

![Create Announcement Button - Screenshot placeholder showing the New Announcement button location]

Step 2: Fill in Basic Details

Title (Required)

• Enter a clear, concise title for your announcement
• This will be the main heading that recipients see first
• Example: “Annual Day Celebration - 15th December”

Content (Required)

• Provide the full message or details of your announcement
• Use clear language and include all necessary information
• Example: “We are excited to invite all parents and students to our Annual Day celebration…”

Step 3: Add an Image (Optional)

1. Click on the image upload field
2. Select an image from your device (JPG, PNG, or other supported formats)
3. The image will be displayed alongside your announcement
4. Use images for:
   • Event posters
   • Important notices with visual appeal
   • Infographics or charts

![Image Upload Field - Screenshot placeholder showing the photo input field]

Step 4: Select Your Audience

The audience selector determines who receives your announcement. You have multiple targeting options:

Broad Audiences

Targeted Audiences

Important: When you select any option besides “Everyone,” the system automatically deselects “Everyone” to ensure precise targeting.

Audience Selection Examples

Example 1: Sports Day Announcement

Audiences: All Students, All Parents

Example 2: Staff Meeting Notice

Audiences: Departments → Science, Mathematics

Example 3: Parent-Teacher Meeting

Audiences: Parents Of Classes → Class 9-A, Class 9-B

Example 4: Urgent Notice for Specific Students

Audiences: Specific Students → (Search and select individual students)

Step 5: Additional Targeting Options

When you select certain audience types, additional fields appear:

For “Departments”:

• A multi-select dropdown appears
• Search and select one or more departments
• At least one department must be selected

For “Designations”:

• A multi-select dropdown appears
• Choose from available designations
• At least one designation must be selected

For “Specific Classes”:

• A multi-select field for class selection
• Search by class name (e.g., “10-A”, “12 Science”)
• At least one class must be selected

For “Specific Staffs”:

• A searchable staff selector
• Type names to filter the list
• Select individual staff members
• At least one staff member must be selected

For “Specific Students”:

• A searchable student selector
• Type names or roll numbers to filter
• Select individual students
• At least one student must be selected

For “Specific Parents”:

• A searchable parent selector
• Find parents by name
• At least one parent must be selected

For “Parents Of Classes”:

• Select classes whose parents should receive the announcement
• All parents of students in selected classes will be notified
• At least one class must be selected

![Audience Selection - Screenshot placeholder showing the audience dropdown and conditional fields]

Step 6: Review and Submit

1. Review all fields to ensure accuracy
2. Click the “Create Announcement” button
3. The system validates your input:
   • Title and content must not be empty
   • Selected audiences must have associated selections (if applicable)
4. On success:
   • The dialog closes
   • The announcement appears in the list
   • A success notification is shown
5. On error:
   • An error message indicates what needs to be corrected
   • Fix the issue and try again

Understanding the Announcements List

The announcements table displays all created announcements with the following columns:

Image

• Thumbnail preview of the announcement image (if uploaded)
• Empty placeholder if no image was added

Announcement

• Title: Bold, prominent display of the announcement title
• Content Preview: First 3 lines of the content are shown
• Hover over to see the full content in a tooltip

Audiences

• Badges displaying the selected audience types
• Multiple badges if multiple audiences were selected
• Example: All Students All Parents

Classes

• Count of specific classes targeted (if applicable)
• Shows 0 if no specific classes were selected

Staffs

• Count of specific staff members targeted (if applicable)
• Shows 0 if no specific staffs were selected

Sent At

• Date and time when the announcement was created
• Format: DD MMM YYYY, HH:MM AM/PM
• Example: 15 Dec 2025, 10:30 AM

Delivery

• Current delivery status of the announcement
• Possible values:
  • Delivered - Successfully sent to all recipients
  • Pending - In queue for delivery
  • Failed - Delivery encountered errors
  • - - Status not available

Actions

• View: Click the eye icon to see full announcement details
• Delete: Click the trash icon to remove the announcement (requires permission)

![Announcements List - Screenshot placeholder showing the table with multiple announcements]

Viewing Announcement Details

1. In the announcements list, locate the announcement you want to view

2. Click the “View” button (eye icon) in the Actions column

3. A dialog opens displaying:

   • Full-size image (if available)
   • Complete title
   • Full content/description
   • All selected audiences
   • Lists of targeted classes, staffs, or students
   • Creation date and creator information
   • Delivery status

4. Click “Close” or press Esc to dismiss the dialog

![View Announcement Dialog - Screenshot placeholder showing the detailed view of an announcement]

Deleting an Announcement

Warning: Deleting an announcement is permanent and cannot be undone. Only users with the deleteAnnouncement permission can perform this action.

Steps to Delete

1. Find the announcement in the list
2. Click the trash icon in the Actions column
3. A confirmation dialog appears:
   • Shows the announcement title
   • Warns that the action is irreversible
4. Click “Delete” to confirm, or “Cancel” to abort
5. On successful deletion:
   • The announcement is removed from the list
   • A success notification is displayed

![Delete Confirmation - Screenshot placeholder showing the delete confirmation dialog]

Pagination and Navigation

The announcements list supports pagination for easy navigation:

Pagination Controls

• Located at the bottom of the table
• Page Size Selector: Choose how many announcements to show per page (10, 20, 50, 100)
• Page Navigation: Use Previous/Next buttons or click specific page numbers
• Total Count: Displays total number of announcements

Changing Page Size

1. Click the page size dropdown (default: 10)
2. Select a new page size (e.g., 20, 50)
3. The list refreshes to show the new number of items per page
4. Page resets to 1 when changing page size

Navigating Pages

1. Use “Previous” and “Next” buttons to move between pages
2. Or click on specific page numbers
3. Current page is highlighted
4. First and last page shortcuts are available

![Pagination Controls - Screenshot placeholder showing the table footer with pagination options]

Best Practices

Writing Effective Announcements

1. Clear Titles: Use concise, action-oriented titles

   • ✅ Good: “Class 10 Mid-Term Exam Schedule - 20th Jan”
   • ❌ Poor: “Important Information”

2. Structured Content: Organize information logically

   • Include: What, When, Where, Who, Why
   • Use bullet points for multiple items
   • Keep paragraphs short and scannable

3. Call to Action: Tell recipients what to do next

   • “Please submit consent forms by Friday”
   • “Report to the auditorium at 9:00 AM”
   • “Contact the office for more details”

4. Visual Elements: Add images when appropriate

   • Event posters
   • Important diagrams
   • Celebratory images
   • Ensure images are clear and professional

Audience Targeting Tips

1. Be Specific: Target only relevant recipients to reduce noise

   • For parent meetings → Use “Parents Of Classes” instead of “All Parents”
   • For department events → Select specific departments

2. Test First: For critical announcements, consider sending to a small test group first

3. Combine Wisely: You can select multiple audience types

   • “All Students” + “All Parents” for school-wide events
   • “Teaching Staff” + “Specific Departments” for academic matters

4. Avoid Over-Communication: Don’t send too many announcements

   • Combine related information
   • Use appropriate channels for urgency

Timing Considerations

1. Send at Appropriate Times:

   • Avoid early mornings or late nights
   • Consider parent work schedules
   • Send urgent notices immediately

2. Advance Notice:

   • Events: At least 1 week in advance
   • Meetings: 2-3 days notice
   • Urgent matters: As soon as possible

3. Follow-Up: For important events, send reminders

   • 1 week before
   • 1 day before
   • Morning of the event (if critical)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Problem: “Title and content are required” error

• Solution: Ensure both the title and content fields have text entered

Problem: “Please select at least one [department/class/staff]” error

• Solution: When using targeted audiences, you must select at least one item from the corresponding field

Problem: Cannot see the “New Announcement” button

• Solution: You may not have the createAnnouncement permission. Contact your administrator

Problem: Cannot delete an announcement

• Solution: You need the deleteAnnouncement permission. Contact your administrator

Problem: Image won’t upload

• Solution:
  • Check file format (JPG, PNG are typically supported)
  • Ensure file size is reasonable (under 5MB recommended)
  • Check your internet connection

Problem: Announcement not appearing in the list

• Solution:
  • Refresh the page
  • Check if creation was successful (look for success notification)
  • Verify you’re on the correct page

Getting Help

If you encounter issues not covered here:

1. Check your internet connection
2. Try refreshing the page
3. Contact your system administrator
4. Refer to the User Guide for general platform help

Permissions Reference

The Announcements feature uses permission-based access control:

Contact your administrator to request permission changes.

Related Documentation

• Communication Overview - Learn about all communication features
• Getting Started - New to the platform? Start here
• User Guide - General platform usage guide
• Notifications - Understanding notification delivery

Quick Reference

Announcement Creation Checklist

• Enter a clear, descriptive title
• Write complete content with all necessary details
• Add an image (if applicable)
• Select appropriate audience(s)
• Fill in conditional fields (departments, classes, etc.)
• Review all information for accuracy
• Submit and verify success notification

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Esc - Close any open dialog
• Enter - Submit form (when in a text field)

Quick Links

• View all announcements
• Communication dashboard
• Help & Support

Last updated: 30 November 2025