Specification Details
Introduction and overview
The e-Petitions suite of templates is designed to allow petition creation and signature gathering via the web. Petitions can be created using a form on the website and displayed as a web page for other users to add their 'signature' in support of it.
There are three parties of note with the e-Petitions suite:
- Lead petitioner - the person who created the petition in the first place
- Signatories - the person or persons who put their name to the petition in support of it
- Petitionee - the person(s) or organisation intended to receive the petition. Typically this is the client/council
Each petition has a life-cycle during which it can be said to be in one - and only one - of a number of possible states. These states will be controlled by metadata values from a new 'Petition status' property which should contain the following values:
- New - The petition has been created but the validity of the lead petitioner has not yet been ascertained
- Submitted - The lead petitioner has validated the creation of the petition, but the petitionee has not accepted it as being valid
- Approved - The petitionee has accepted the petition as being valid
- Open - The petition is allowing signatures in support
- Closed - The petition no longer allows signatures to be added
- Analysis - The petition is being analysed
- Submitted to council - The petition has been submitted to the council to act upon
- Responded - The petitionee has responded
- Withdrawn - The petition has been withdrawn
- Archived - The petition has been archived
- Rejected - The petition has been rejected for one or more reasons
Article Templates
Add petition Template
The Add Petition template allows the user to create a petition, in the form of a new iCM article, with a corresponding Google map as well as media items that the user can upload. In order to create the article, the user must have previously registered with the site and be currently logged in.
After the article has been created, it will exist in iCM but will be ignored by the system until the user subsequently validates it by following a link supplied in a confirmation email.
Petition Template
The Petition template allows the operating user to view the details of a previously submitted petition and, status permitting, to indicate their support by signing it. The stage that the petition is in its lifecycle is indicted with a pseudo-breadcrumb.
The Petition template will display the introductory and body text which will contain the name of the petition's creator and the petition statement respectively. The template will display a Google map centred on the location and a feedback area detailing any dialogue between the council and the lead petitioner.
If the status of the current Petition is 'Open', then in place of the 'feedback' area the template will display a link labelled 'Sign' that allows the operating user to sign the petition. This will allow users to add their names, email address and comments. Once submitted the signatory is validated by email
Petition list Template
The Petition list template allows the user to view articles that use the Petition template, grouped together based on their current status. The user can pick the status of the petitions to include by relating metadata items from the 'Petition Status' property to the article.
Based on their current status, petitions are displayed as a table, showing the petition title, the petitioner, the ending date and the number of signatories.
Petition maintenance Template
The petition maintenance template is designed for use by administrators of the petition template suite and allows them to change the state of a petition and amend the feedback. Because this template allows petitions to be altered, it is strongly recommended that any articles using this template are secured to prevent access to all but authorised personnel.
Petitions can be searched by title or status and then edited as required.
