UBCO CMS Enhancements Apr-May 2019

May 14, 2019

Below is a quick rundown of noteworthy enhancements added to the UBCO CMS in April-May 2019.

To see the full list of enhancement requests or to request something new, please visit our Enhancement Requests page.

Flip Cards Basic backside rich text editor

The Flip Cards Basic component now has a rich text/visual editor for the back text content, same as the Flip Cards (numbered) component.

CMS guide for Flip Cards Basic component >

Extended Media Library with categories

As discussed in previous WebCore meetings, we are currently piloting a plugin which allows users to create categories for media files. The default behaviour of WordPress is an unstructured Media Library.

This would help larger websites to categorize and sub-categorize their media files by content types, disciplines, units, programs, etc. as their media libraries grow larger and more diverse. Multiple categories can be assigned to your media files.

Below is a list of suggested categories:

  • Homepage Images
  • Landing Page Images
  • Documents
    • PDF
    • Word docs
    • Excel
  • Graduate(s)
  • Undergraduate Program(s)
  • Research
  • Departments/Partnerships/Units (example for Okanagan School of Education: BARK, SMART, Innovative Learning Centre, Centre for Mindful Engagement)
  • Events
  • News Posts
  • Campus Images
  • Student Images

The plugin is currently being piloted on the new AVP Students website on the Faculty/Dept theme and the Campus Planning CLF7 Basic website. If you would like to volunteer as a pilot site, submit a helpdesk ticket and we can activate it on your site.

See original enhancement request >

Same-name Replacement for Media File Uploads

We have network activated a plugin which allows users to update files in the media folder while still retaining the same name. This is very helpful when making minor changes to images/documents/PDF files so you would no longer have to re-link a new copy of the same file.

This ability in now available on all UBCO CMS websites using either CLF 7 Basic, OK Main, or Faculty/Dept Theme.

See original enhancement request >

Improved line spacing (leading) for items in left side navigation

We have deployed a Faculty/dept theme-wide adjustment to the line-height spacing for long items in the left side navigation. We have reduced the line height to match the standard paragraph line height of the body text.

See original enhancement request > 

Increased spacing between bulleted and numbered list items

We have deployed a Faculty/dept theme-wide adjustment to the spacing between list items (bullets and numbered lists). There is now a slight bottom margin of 8px after each full bullet/numbered item. This especially helps to visually separate long sections of text.

See original enhancement request >

Make all links underlined on dark background page sections

Hyperlinks within image background and dark coloured background (Primary, Secondary, Bright blue) page sections are now automatically underlined.

This is a major improvement for accessibility and partially restores the default UBC CLF link behaviour. This makes it easier to distinguish links inside sections, callouts, flip cards, and two-column carousel components. Link styles for light coloured backgrounds (White, Light Blue, and Light Grey) page sections are unchanged.

See original enhancement request >

Persistent arrows on Image Slider component

Arrows on Image Slider component are now persistent/static instead of only showing up on mouse hover.

This improves UX/UI by ensuring the user has an indication that the first image shown is part a series of images and not a single image.

See original enhancement request >

Authors hidden from bylines on news.ok.ubc.ca 

As requested by University Relations, authors are no longer displayed on site-wide in WordPress bylines on the main news.ok.ubc.ca site. All other news sites are unchanged.

View on news.ok.ubc.ca >

Redirection list template

We have prepared an Excel spreadsheet that can be used as a template for your redirection lists that are to be submitted back to our team prior to launch of your new site. We can share this template with you during the site build process along with additional instructions/details.

Reminders

  • When editing permalinks (URLs) on your web pages, take extra consideration with page redirects. To avoid breaking any redirections that were initially added prior to site launch, first check your list of existing redirects under Tools > Redirection and make a note to change any existing redirects when editing any page URLs.
  • It’s a good idea to periodically check your sites using a free Dead Link Checker tool – https://www.deadlinkchecker.com/. This will help you bulk identify any links that are currently broken on your site(s). Note: this will only work once your site is live and public.

Enhancements in Progress

Active Website Builds

  • Biology
  • Campus Recreation
  • CCGS (Community, Culture and Global Studies)
  • Chemistry
  • CMPS (Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics and Statistics)
  • EPP (Economics, Philosophy and Political Science)
  • HS (History and Sociology)
  • IKBSAS Faculty Website
  • Library
  • Management
  • Office of the VPR
  • Okanagan School of Education
  • Provost
  • Student Services

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