Working with News/Blog Site

The contents of this section refer to the new News/Blog site theme as part of the Theme 4v1.1 release. Please refer to the legacy-theme news/blog articles for help regarding the legacy theme news modules.

Table of Contents

 


Site Content / Asset Tree

The asset tree on the left displays a hierarchical view of the folders and files that make up your site's content.

The asset tree is collapsible by the < icon to the right of the Site Content label.

Navigate Files

Click on the folder icon or name to show the contents of the folder. Click again to collapse its contents.

Select a folder by hovering over the asset name and clicking on the arrow > that appears to the right. The contents of that folder will display in the main view on the right-hand side.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Getting Started with Site Configurations

The "_Site Configuration" folder is the location where you will find your initial set up blocks. This folder should be the location for any other specialty blocks that you might want to add. The two required blocks that you must configure are the site masthead and the footer.


Overview of the News/Blog Masthead

The masthead contains three main areas:

  • Logo and Site Name - You have the option to customize what is presented above your site name. Include the name of the university or create a hierarchy and list the reporting department or college.

  • Search - Connected to Google Search results.

  • Top Navigation - Your primary site navigation.

For more information, see Build the Masthead.


Overview of the News/Blog Footer

The footer contains three main areas:

  • Site Identifiers - Every footer includes an NMSU logo setup, your site name, and an optional address block and social media icons.

  • Optional Footer Navigation - Most footers include an option to include a maximum of three link columns.

For more information, see Build the Footer.


Finalize other customizations

The "_Theme Customizer" block is the location where you will set your Masthead and Footer and include any other files that you might need. This can include CSS or JS files. Please follow these steps to finalize your theme customizations:

  1. Select the _Theme Customizer block.

  2. Click Edit.

  3. Confirm the correct Masthead Setup and Footer Builder blocks are selected.

  4. Include any additional files or code and select Preview Draft.

  5. Click Submit.

Do not delete or move the _Theme Customizer block from the root location in your site. If you move this block to a different location, your masthead and footer will disappear.


Overview of Page Templates

There are four templates available in the news/blog theme. Each template includes options to display a full width or two column layout. The home page template is the only option that does not include an option to add a hero visual element.

  • Home Page - The home page template includes a dynamic display of featured articles and list of recent article posts. The only options available to configure are layout and listing style.

  • Yearly Archive - The yearly archive page template is the index page for each yearly folder.

  • Category Page - The optional category page template is an optional collection of articles within one specific category or collection of categories.

  • Article Page - The page most likely used for the vast majority of your content presentation needs.


Other Settings

Post default images and categories have already been configured and are essential settings to ensure dynamic feeds are functional.

Example of listing style with default image thumbnail.

Post Default Image

Each article includes an option to add a hero visual element in the form of a banner image. The banner image is used in various listing style feeds on sidebars, the home page, yearly archive and category pages.

If you do not choose to include a banner image for a post article, a default image will be used. You can only include one default image per news/blog site.

See how to change news/blog default image.

Post Categories

Categories are a helpful tool that you can use to organize the presentation of your content in pages and other content feeds. There are a total of eight categories available to choose from:

  • Events

  • Community

  • Students

  • Faculty

  • Teaching

  • Research

  • Service & Outreach

  • NMSU Life

Learn more about creating a category page.

See how to edit post category lists.