Ladder Management
⚠️ Note: This article applies only to books created in Ladder Format. If you're designing your book in Section Format, please see our Section Manager guide instead.
📚 What Is the Ladder?
If your project is set up in Ladder Format, you’ll see a “Manage Ladder” button on your project dashboard. Click this to access your ladder.
Once on your ladder you will see a green manage button located on your upper right
The Manage Menu contains all the tools described below to manage and organize your yearbook pages.
🔎 Page Manager: Rearranging Your Book
Page Manager gives you a bird's-eye view of every spread in your yearbook.
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Click and drag a spread to move it to a different location
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Don’t forget to click “Save” after making changes
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🚫 Note: You cannot move portrait pages in Page Manager
👤 Manage Portrait Pages
This section allows you to assign portrait rules to selected pages in your book. These rules tell the system how to automatically flow portraits by grade, teacher, or homeroom.
✅ Preferred Method: Use the Portrait Rules Module in the Editor
The easiest and most intuitive way to assign portrait rules is directly in the page editor:
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Click into any page on your ladder to open the editor
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On the left toolbar, locate the Portrait Rules module just below the Elements button
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Click “Portrait Rules” to open the assignment panel
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Click the green “Assign Portrait Rules” button to begin
Fill in the menu that appears:
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Give the rule a name
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Choose the Grade and optionally add Teacher or Homeroom
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Select the number of portraits per page
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Choose a starting page on the ladder where the rules will take effect
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Click “Finish” to complete the setup
You can also edit or delete your portrait rules from the module by clicking the respective buttons next to the rule you would like to modify.
💡 This method provides a complete visual experience—great for assigning layouts as you design your pages.
🛠️ Alternate Method: Assigning via Manage Menu
You can also assign portrait rules from your dashboard:
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Go to Manage > Manage Portrait Pages
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Click “Assign Portrait Rules”
Complete the form:
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Rule name
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Grade
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Teacher (optional)
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Homeroom (optional)
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Portraits per page
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Color label for ladder identification
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Click “Next”
Select consecutive pages to apply the rule
⚠️ Note: Some pages may be grayed out if they are not eligible (e.g., locked, ad/index pages, or inside covers)
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Click “Finish”
Once applied, portrait pages will display a portrait icon on the ladder.
To edit or delete portrait rules:
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Go to Manage Portrait Pages
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Click Edit or Delete next to the rule you’d like to change
🔠 Manage Index Pages
If you’ve uploaded portraits via a PSPA import and plan to tag students throughout the book, you can add index pages to show where each student appears.
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Index pages can be placed anywhere, but they’re traditionally located at the end of the book
➕ Adding & Deleting Pages
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To add a page spread, click the plus sign between ladder pages
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To delete a spread, click the gear icon on the spread and select “Delete”
👨👩👧 Parent Ad Pages
If Parent Ads are enabled in your dashboard:
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Convert a regular spread to an Ad Page by clicking the gear icon and selecting “Enable Ads”
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To revert it back, select “Disable Ads”
✅ Mark Pages as Ready for Review
When a page is finished and ready for final checks:
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Click the gear icon on the spread
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Select “Mark as Ready for Review”
🔒 Locking & Unlocking Pages
To prevent editing:
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Click the gear icon on any spread and select “Lock”
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To unlock, click the gear again and choose “Unlock”
To apply this to the entire book:
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Click the lock icon in the top-right corner of the ladder
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Select “Lock All” or “Unlock All”
🔄 Regenerate Thumbnails
If a page thumbnail looks outdated or incorrect:
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Click the gear icon on that spread
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Select “Regenerate Thumbnails” to refresh its preview
🔍 Filter Ladder Views
Use filters at the Top of the Ladder to quickly sort pages by:
Page Status:
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Not Started
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In Progress
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Ready for Review
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Locked
Page Type:
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Portrait Pages
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Ad Pages
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Index Pages
Need more help managing your ladder?
Your Account Manager is always happy to walk you through it! 😊
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