News and Updates about the SERC Content Management System
Watermark on Development Pages
Posted: Feb 16 2006
Development pages are now watermarked in an attempt to avoid confusion.
Posted: Feb 16 2006
Development pages are now watermarked in an attempt to avoid confusion.
Minor Update to Submission Queues
Posted: Feb 2 2006
It is now possible when viewing submission queues to rapidly mark a series of submissions (using a new checkbox on the right), and then delete them all at once (using the button at the top of the right-most column). This should make it easier for folks to efficiently clear out submission spam. Also, the brief display of submission contents in the queue has been compacted a bit to minimize scrolling.
Posted: Feb 2 2006
It is now possible when viewing submission queues to rapidly mark a series of submissions (using a new checkbox on the right), and then delete them all at once (using the button at the top of the right-most column). This should make it easier for folks to efficiently clear out submission spam. Also, the brief display of submission contents in the queue has been compacted a bit to minimize scrolling.
Editing Interface Gets Some Upgrades
Posted: Dec 29 2005
A number of new features and refinements have been made to various editing pages.
Posted: Dec 29 2005
A number of new features and refinements have been made to various editing pages.
New File and Image functions: Revisions and more
Posted: Oct 26 2005
The CMS functions for uploading images and files have been reworked. A major new feature is the ability to upload a new version of an existing file or image. The new version will automatically replace the old one across the site. Previous revisions can be saved for posterity. It's also now possible to edit details of existing files and images (like the alt text for an image), so one doesn't have to delete and replace as with the old tools. All these functions are also now available in project-specific document archives.
Posted: Oct 26 2005
The CMS functions for uploading images and files have been reworked. A major new feature is the ability to upload a new version of an existing file or image. The new version will automatically replace the old one across the site. Previous revisions can be saved for posterity. It's also now possible to edit details of existing files and images (like the alt text for an image), so one doesn't have to delete and replace as with the old tools. All these functions are also now available in project-specific document archives.
Attractive, Unobtrusive Image Captions
Posted: Jul 12 2005
We've updated the documentation to include an example of how to combine some of the existing tags to make effective image captions. We'd encourage everyone to check out the example and start using captions (including credits) along with their images whenever feasible. Even if the image is 'only' decorative our visitors are a curious bunch and want to know what that image you've so carefully choosen is really showing. Captions add professional polish and an additional level of richness to your site. Check out the MLER site for a look at how this sort of approach looks when applied systematically--it's good stuff.
Posted: Jul 12 2005
We've updated the documentation to include an example of how to combine some of the existing tags to make effective image captions. We'd encourage everyone to check out the example and start using captions (including credits) along with their images whenever feasible. Even if the image is 'only' decorative our visitors are a curious bunch and want to know what that image you've so carefully choosen is really showing. Captions add professional polish and an additional level of richness to your site. Check out the MLER site for a look at how this sort of approach looks when applied systematically--it's good stuff.
Admin Site Facelift
Posted: Jun 30 2005
The admin interface to the CMS has undergone a major facelift.
Posted: Jun 30 2005
The admin interface to the CMS has undergone a major facelift.
New Related Links Tag
Posted: Mar 3 2005
The CMS now provides a function to highlight related link for a given page. This should be useful as a way to provide pointers toward locations elsewhere on the site that may be relevant for a given page but difficult to find through the local navigation. Details can be found in the documentation.
Posted: Mar 3 2005
The CMS now provides a function to highlight related link for a given page. This should be useful as a way to provide pointers toward locations elsewhere on the site that may be relevant for a given page but difficult to find through the local navigation. Details can be found in the documentation.
New Image Tag Options
Posted: Sep 2 2004
The CMS now offers improved image tags with options for captions and automatic creation of a border with dropshadow. The new image tag format also incoporates the option to make an image into a link obviating the need for the imagelink tag. The old format should still work. The new format is explained in the usual documentation. These new options also apply to thumbnails.
Posted: Sep 2 2004
The CMS now offers improved image tags with options for captions and automatic creation of a border with dropshadow. The new image tag format also incoporates the option to make an image into a link obviating the need for the imagelink tag. The old format should still work. The new format is explained in the usual documentation. These new options also apply to thumbnails.
Many Improvements to Form Making Tools
Posted: Aug 16 2004
A number of improvements have been made to the form building tools--most due to popular demand. Orphaned forms are now displayed for clean-up, it's easier to delete elements, add checkboxes and much more. The next time you're in editing a form take a second to take in the new refinements.
Posted: Aug 16 2004
A number of improvements have been made to the form building tools--most due to popular demand. Orphaned forms are now displayed for clean-up, it's easier to delete elements, add checkboxes and much more. The next time you're in editing a form take a second to take in the new refinements.
New CMS Tags and Hiding Inappropriate Next/Prev Links
Posted: Mar 18 2004
Two new tags are now available in the CMS. « and » produce left and right guillmet: ??? and ???. These are traditionally used as quotation marks (e.g. in French) but are handily (mis-)used on the web for their arrow-esque appearance and compact size. Many pages in the CMS are automatically equipped with Next and Previous page links at the bottom of the page by virtue of their template. However, in some circumstances there may be a particular page for which these are inappropriate (e.g. a submission form where the presence of 'next' right below the 'submit' button may be confusing). There is now a new option in the page metadata to supress the display of Next/Previous link for a particular page.
Posted: Mar 18 2004
Two new tags are now available in the CMS. « and » produce left and right guillmet: ??? and ???. These are traditionally used as quotation marks (e.g. in French) but are handily (mis-)used on the web for their arrow-esque appearance and compact size. Many pages in the CMS are automatically equipped with Next and Previous page links at the bottom of the page by virtue of their template. However, in some circumstances there may be a particular page for which these are inappropriate (e.g. a submission form where the presence of 'next' right below the 'submit' button may be confusing). There is now a new option in the page metadata to supress the display of Next/Previous link for a particular page.
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