UBCO CMS Enhancements Round Up – Oct/Nov 2019

Below is a quick rundown of noteworthy enhancements added to the UBCO CMS in Oct/Nov 2019.

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

Enhancements List Enhancements

We have made several minor tweaks to the Enhancement Requests page and Website Build Status page to help make it clearer and easier for everyone to stay up-to-date with web development on UBCO CMS.

• Added ‘Last Updated’ column to Enhancements Requests page, which filters by last modified date of each item.
• The default sort for Enhancements Requests page set to Last Updated column.
• Reordered and renamed Enhancements Requests page columns to: Last Updated / ETA / Description / Submitted By / Status.
• The default sort for Website Build Status page set to the Project Status column.
• Reordered and renamed Website Build Status page columns to Project Name / Current Phase / Touch Level / Faculty/Unit / Project Status.
• Changed Plus-Minus box icons to larger and clearer Up-Down arrows.
• Generally nicer text formatting.
• Image uploads now available on the Enhancement Request form – Max 3 items. JPEG, PNG, and PDF only.
• Made media/screenshots uploaded to each full enhancement listing page display at full-size

Duplicate ACF Repeater Fields

We have added a new plugin that allows users to instantly duplicate existing Page Sections, Content Rows, or Component Fields. This encourages and speeds up experimentation to compare different layouts on the same page without having to copy-and-paste content between different fields. The resulting benefit is time savings and reduced confusion when drafting new page designs.

If you haven’t already, please submit an IT helpdesk ticket with your website(s) URL to get it activated on your site. Do it. It’s pretty great.

See original enhancement request > 

WordPress Core Update Successful

The IT Web Team completed a major WordPress core update on the UBCO CMS in early November. Several critical plugins were also updated the same evening. Thank you for your patience while all UBCO CMS websites went up and down intermittently during the maintenance window. Special thanks to folks who also flagged bugs for us post-update.

Screen Reader Tools

When writing and preparing your web content, try to be mindful that a small number of users browse our websites audibly with help from screen reader software. It is very easy to hear your content read-aloud using a free Google Chrome plugin called Read&Write.

• Read&Write is literacy software used by sighted individuals such as English Language Learners as well as individuals with learning disabilities such as dyslexia. It is a popular and easy tool that you can use to help you experience how web page content and alt-text is read aloud to low-sighted or blind website users. The Read&Write Google Chrome browser plugin (PC and Mac) is free using a Google Account.
• Apple devices have built-in selective text-to-speech that can be easily activated in macOS and iOS.

Example Text for Add User Requests to UBCO Directories

Per the November Webcore meeting, below is an ideal submission for adding a new user to the UBCO CMS directory.

[Firstname McLastname] is a new [Title] in [Dept/Unit/Faculty]. Their Novell or CWL username is [flastname01] (Optional, but great if you already have it).

1. Please add this [Faculty/Staff/Grad Student/Custom] to the FCCS website directory – https://fccs.ok.ubc.ca
2. The UBCO CMS Central directory – https://centraldirectory.cms.ok.ubc.ca
3. The internal FCCS website (if applicable) – https://fccs-secure.cms.ok.ubc.ca/
4. The CCGS website (if applicable) – https://ccgs.ok.ubc.ca/

Reminders

• To ensure a faculty/staff user profile is completely removed from your UBCO websites, you must remove the user from Central Directory as well as each department/unit websites they have been added to. For each site, go to Users > find the user > hover over the listing and click Remove > Confirm Removal. In cases where an individual needs to be removed from a directory where you are not an Administrator, contact your fellow communicator to ask them to remove the individual from their site’s users list.
• It is a good web accessibility principle to add Alt Text to your image content. Images with alt text provide extremely helpful descriptions and context for blind and visually impaired users who may be browsing your page content with the help of a screen reader. WebAIM has an excellent article on the appropriate use of image Alt Text as well as many other good web accessibility practices.

In Progress

• Decommission Text Carousel Component
• Add Office Locations to the Directory listing page
• Improved Layout for Post Archive Pages
• Darker Directory Filter Colours
• Add callout CSS to “Formats” section of TinyMCE
• Accessibility Enhancement – Story Box Component

Recent Website Launches

• Public Humanities Hub / public-humanities.ok.ubc.ca / Launched Nov 4, 2019

Active Website Builds 

• UBC Okanagan Events Calendar
  • High impact, ‘Heavy Touch’ web project. UBCO campus-wide service.
  • UR and IT currently working on the long-awaited, centralized Events Calendar intended to replace the UBC Events Bedeworx calendar and RSS Aggregator listings.
  • The new calendar will feature multiple filtering and display options.
  • Preview & consultation with units planned for mid/late November.
  • Migration of events and training from December to early January.
  • Launch and gradual rollout starting Q1 2020.
• School of Health and Exercise Sciences 
  • Site in Brand Check stage with University Relations.
  • Launch expected in Q4 2019.
• School of Nursing
  • Site in Content Entry Stage.
  • Launch date TBD.
• Faculty of Management
  • Proposed sitemap approved by UR/IT.
  • Faculty collaborating on content for the new site.