The following August Drupal Newsletter contains the latest user-related updates to Kent State University's content management system (CMS) Drupal - some updates mentioned are time sensitive and may need your attention. Additional information on editing sites in Drupal, can be found in the Drupal Training Manual. Training in the CMS is available, in addition to training on other topics.
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Topics found in this edition
- Profiles
- Slideshows
- Media in Multiple Panes
- Multi-Group Promoted Events
- File Page
- Google Analytics Setup
- Linking to the Node ID
- Changing the URL for Internal Content
Profile Changes
- Short term solution to enabling faculty to edit their own profiles is to have faculty member log in to Drupal and then add their username to the author field of the profile. Work continues on a long term solution.
- Updated profile image upload dimensions have been changed to 480x720px or 200x300px if used within the body field. Please begin to use these new sizes
- Can now customize the number of profiles appearing per page
- Can now filter profiles by profile classification (full-time/part-time faculty, staff, etc.) and can search profiles based upon expertise
- V-Card (.vcf) files enabled for profiles. To add, edit the profile and upload the file in the “Documents” field
- Fields with multiple items (Education, affiliation, etc.) are now displayed in a proper list format
- Removed empty links to taxonomy pages from fields
- Work continues on how to display profiles across different groups & campus locations
Slideshow Changes (Coming Soon)
- Slideshows will soon auto-rotate.
- In addition to several accessibility updates, slideshows will also have pause and play button controls to start/stop the auto-rotation.
Media is Now Available to Display in Multiple Panes
- Currently media is used to add large and small feature images.
- The page media can now be placed in more than that one location.
- If, when customizing a page, you add media to a block, you get an option to “skip the first” and “Then display at most.”
- This was previously not working, but it is now. It can be used to display multiple pieces of media at different locations on a page.
- For example, if you have three pieces of media, but only want to show the second one, you would “Skip the first 1” and “then display at most 1.”
How to add a media block:
- Add the media to you page by selecting “Browse” in the Media area.
- Select “Customize this page” from the black bar at the bottom of your page (in view mode).
- Click the plus (+) sign in the block you want to add the media pane to.
- Select “Node” from the left list of options.
- Choose “Field: Group Media” from the list of options.
- Select “Image” from the “Select a formatter” options. Select “Continue.”
- Select the image style keeping in mind that it will resize responsively to the block it is placed in.
- Select the correct number of images to skip to get to the image you want to display.
- Select the number of items to display at most. Most likely this will be “1.”
Multi-Group Promoted Events
This new functionality has the ability to put multiple node IDs in from multiple outside groups. It will not pull in events from the current group. Your group events will remain in their own pane. For example, The College of the Arts wants events from all their departments to feed into one calendar.
File Page View has been Redesigned
Thumbnails Can be Added to the File Content Type now. The file page has been redesigned to include a thumbnail of the file. If an image is uploaded, users will no longer see only a link to the file. The image size should be a maximum of 480px high or wide. Depending on the orientation, the longest side should be 480px.
Action Required
Google Analytics Setup is Changing
If you have goals and event tracing in Google Analytics for your site, please contact Tim Priester, tprieste@kent.edu, by September 15. They can be copied before the update, otherwise they will be permanently removed.
Reminders
Link to the Node ID
Don’t forget to link to node IDs rather than full web addresses. Especially when linking to PDF, Word, or Excel files. This practice will prevent your links from breaking if a page is renamed or moved. It also allows users to find your most current file. Directions are below and in the Drupal Online Manual: Adding Links.
How to link to a node in the body field:
- Select the “Linkit” icon to search for the page to have the node ID automatically inserted into the Link URL field. If you are not able to determine the correct page through search, navigate to the page to obtain the node ID from the black menu bar. If the page does not have the black bar, add https:// to the front of the web address to be signed in.
- ]The Link URL field should have the node ID entered as: /node/######
How to link to a node in a menu or action item:
- Locate the node ID in your group dashboard or navigate to the page to obtain the node ID from the black menu bar. If the page does not have the black bar, add https:// to the front of the web address to be signed in.
- The Link URL field should have the node ID entered as: node/###### (note there is not a slash at the beginning)
Changing the URL for Internal Content
Basic pages created as content to be placed on another page will need to have the URL changed so it will be excluded it from Siteimprove crawls and from Google Search as a duplicate and separate search result. Directions are located in the Drupal Online Manual: Changing a Basic Page Layout (Step 2).
Questions, comments?
Email Lin Danes for triage with UCM web team and Information Services web presence group.