A group is a subset of enterprises on the Open Food Network platform. A group page acts as a sub-directory within the OFN. You can create a group, specify the details of your group and select the enterprises which are part of it. These details will appear on your public group page.
Enterprises within a group usually share some feature or characteristic in common. It could be a set of enterprises associated with a certification body, a regional producer group, producers in a farmers market network or a complex multi-hub network with several distributors and many producers.
In this section you can find out how to create and manage a group page, and how to embed your OFN group page in your website.
It is now possible to embed a group page into a website external to OFN. Here you will find step by step instructions for setting this up. This feature is relatively new, and has not been comprehensively tested across all platforms. Please contact your local OFN if you experience issues with embedding a group page in your website.
It is possible to embed a group page on any website where you can add custom html to the destination page, including platforms such as WordPress, Squarespace or Wix.
Below are some platform specific resources:
Go to Squarespace for more information about adding custom html using “codeblocks”
Because OFN is an eCommerce platform, and handles monetary transactions, it has a higher security requirement than some websites. Therefore, you’ll need to have SSL/TLS set up on the website you want to embed your group page into. You can get a free security certificate from Let’s Encrypt or for around $10-$30 for other paid service.
Before proceeding, you should complete setting up your group page on the Open Food Network. You’ll need to know your OFN group page URL to complete the setup steps below.
1) Contact your local OFN team
First of all, you’ll need to contact your local OFN team and let them know you want to embed your OFN group page in your website. You’ll need to provide them with your external domain. eg. regionalgroup.com.au so they can grant permission for your website to communicate with OFN.
2) Adding Custom HTML to your website
Embedding your group page is as simple as inserting a line of code into your website. Below is an example of the HTML that you should insert into the page where you want to embed your OFN group page. You will need to replace ‘flavour-crusader’ with your shop’s unique OFN permalink.
Once you’ve done this, you should see your OFN group page appear within your website at the location where you inserted the HTML.
NOTE: See the instructions on creating and managing a group page to find out how to edit your unique OFN permalink.
3) Styling
Depending on the styling of your website you may need to edit the CSS. If you are not familiar with CSS you may need to engage the services of your website administrator. CSS may be needed to avoid having two scroll bars, and to make sure the length and width of the embedded group page is visually appealing. Make sure to test the display of your group page on a mobile device as well as this may require further changes.
Most people have cookies enabled on their web browsers. But if a visitor doesn’t enable cookies they may see an error message similar to the one below, and not be able to view the embedded group.
What is a group page? Group pages are a way for a collection of businesses which exist in the real world to have their own customisable directory on OFN. Group pages are suited to:
regional producer groups
enterprises with a common certification
farmer's markets
large multi-hub enterprises.
Any collection of enterprises on the OFN can create a group page.
What does a group page look like? You can see some Group Pages on Open Food Network Australia.
How can I create a group page? To create and manage a group, you’ll need to contact your local OFN so we can set you up as an administrator.
Once you’ve been set up as the administrator of a group, you’ll be able to view and edit your group by clicking on Groups in the horizontal blue menu. Then click on the edit icon next to your group.
This is where you can enter and edit the details of your group, and change what will appear on your group's page on the Open Food Network. To see an example of an existing group page, go to Group Pages on Open Food Network Australia.
Name: Enter a name for your group, to appear as the title of your group page on the OFN.
Description: Write a brief description of your group, to appear below the title of your group page on the OFN.
On Front Page: Select this check box to make your group visible on the OFN. Before you do this, make sure you have added some enterprises to your group and entered content in the About section. Do not check this box if your group page is not ready to be visible yet.
Enterprises: Select the enterprises that you want to add to your group. You can search through all of the enterprises currently on the OFN and add them to your group. Please make sure you have permission to add enterprises to your group before doing so. Note, if you have already added an enterprise to your group, they will no longer appear in the search box. These enterprises will be listed on your group page on the OFN in the Our Producers and Our Hubs sections, and each listing will include a link to their OFN profile
Permalink: This is where you can customise the URL for your group page. What you enter here will be added to the end of the following URL: www.openfoodnetwork.org.au/groups/ For example if you enter regional-hub here, your group page URL will be: www.openfoodnetwork.org.au/groups/regional-hub
Owner: This is the owner of the group page. Only this user has permission to edit the page and manage the enterprises in the group. Please contact your local OFN if you wish to change the owner of your group.
This is where you can provide more detailed information about your group to appear in the About Us section of your group page on the OFN. You can use the formatting buttons to add headings and paragraphs, and edit the layout and appearance of the content you enter here.
Logo: This is where you can add a logo for your group page. It should be a square image. It will show in the main group listing page on the OFN and to the left of the Title and Description on your group’s page on the OFN.
Promo Image: This is a banner style image and will sit across the top of your group page. It’s best if this image is wide and not too tall. We recommend 1200 x 260 pixels.
This is where you can enter contact details for your group to appear on the right side of your group page on the OFN. You can enter a phone number, email address and physical address for your group.
This is where you can provide links to any websites and social media channels you may have for your group. These links will appear as either URLs or social media icons on the right side of your group page on the OFN.
