Content Buddy
← Back to Content Buddy

Overview

Content Buddy is a tool for Caltech Library staff to create formatted HTML for blog posts and libguides on the library's SpringShare site. You fill out a form (or import content), click Format, preview the result, and paste the generated HTML into the Source tab in CKEditor.

Basic Workflow

  1. Select a content type tab (Booklist, Event, Links, or Card Layout).
  2. Enter your content manually in the form fields, or use the Import Details button to auto-fill from an external source.
  3. Click the Format button to generate the HTML output.
  4. Click Preview to see how the content will look on the blog.
  5. Click Copy to Clipboard, then paste into the Source tab in CKEditor on your SpringShare blog post.
Tip: Always preview before copying. If something looks off, adjust the form fields and reformat.

Content Types

📚 Booklist

Use this tab to create a formatted list or grid of books, typically for a staff picks or recommended reading post.

  • Layout: Choose between a vertical list (cover on the left, details on the right) or a horizontal grid (covers and titles in a grid).
  • Manual entry: Fill in the Title, Author, ISBN, Description, Cover Image URL, Cover Alt Text, Call Number, and a link to the catalog record. Fields marked with * are required.
  • ISBN Import: Click Import Details, paste one or more ISBNs (separated by commas or line breaks), and click Import Book Details. The tool will look up the title, author, and cover image automatically. Review and edit the results before formatting.
  • Use Add Another Book to add multiple books to the list.
Note: ISBN import relies on the Open Library and Google Books APIs. Lookups may occasionally fail for less common titles — blank entries will be created so you can fill in details manually.

📅 Event

Use this tab to format one or more upcoming events with a calendar-style date display.

  • Manual entry: Enter the event Title, Date, Time, Location, Description, and an optional Link and Link Text.
  • ICS Import: Click Import Details and upload a .ics calendar file exported from your calendar application. The tool will parse up to 5 events and populate the form. All times are converted to Pacific Time.
  • Use Add Event Manually to include multiple events in a single post.

🔗 Links

Use this tab to create a formatted list of links, useful for resource roundups or curated link collections.

  • Manual entry: Enter a Link Title, URL, and optional Description for each link. You can also add an optional Section Title to group links under a heading.
  • URL Import: Click Import Details, paste one or more URLs (one per line), and click Import Link Details. The tool will fetch the page title and description automatically.
  • Use Add Another Link to include multiple links.

🃏 Card Layout

Use this tab to create a card layout for highlighting featured resources, services, or topics side by side.

  • Layout: Choose between a horizontal row (cards side by side) or a vertical stack (image left, content right).
  • Fill in the Title, Description, Image URL, Image Alt Text, Link URL, and Link Text for each card.
  • Use Add Another Card to include as many cards as you need.
  • The Card Layout uses a web component and does not depend on the shared stylesheet. Styles are self-contained.

Pasting into SpringShare

  1. Open your blog post draft in SpringShare (LibGuides).
  2. Click into the content area in CKEditor.
  3. Click the Source button in the CKEditor toolbar to switch to HTML source view.
  4. Place your cursor where you want to insert the content.
  5. Paste the copied HTML (Cmd+V or Ctrl+V).
  6. Click Source again to return to the visual editor and verify the output looks correct.

Need Help?

If something isn't working as expected, use the Report Bug link at the top of the page to let Twila know. Include a description of what you were trying to do and what happened instead.

For general questions:

Twila Smith
Digital Technologies Development Librarian
Digital Library Development
twila@caltech.edu