Document Actions
WORKING WITH THE CMS
CMS BASICS | WORKING WITH TEXT | GETTING HELP
What is the CMS?
The Hunter CMS is a Content Management System that stores and organizes your department Web pages and provides tools for publishing all of your content online.
1) Use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer, Safari, or Chrome
This will cure many unexplained problems, such as why your changes did not get saved.
2) Bookmark the web address for the CMS log-in page
- In your browser, type:https://webedit2.hunter.cuny.edu/login_form
- Add the bookmark to your browser toolbar so that it will always be available.
→ Don't know how? In Firefox, go to Bookmarks menu, choose "Bookmark this Page" and when the dialog box pops up, use the "folder" pull-down menu to choose Bookmarks Toolbar. Then the bookmark will always appear in the toolbar at the top of your browser, instead of being hidden in a menu.
3) You can choose one of two editing controls in the CMS. The default content editor system is called "KUPU." But you should change your editing control system to "TinyMCE," which looks more like the MSWord control panel. It will seem a lot more familiar, if you use MS Office. What's the difference? It lets you easily add and delete table rows and columns. You can even merge cells! Also, you will have a few more table "styles" available.
- To turn on TinyMCE, just log into the CMS.
After you log in, you'll see your name near the upper right corner, near "my page" and "logout" - Click on your name.
- Now you'll see the Edit tab in the upper left corner. Click on it.
- Here, you can change your name, email, language preference and content editor.
Use the pull-down menu to switch from KUPU to TinyMCE.
W O R K I N G W I T H T E X T
1) How to Prevent Style Problems when Pasting Text
(FIRST: change your editing controls from KUPU to TinyMCE, above).
The CMS is very restrictive about styles, sizes and table structure, so some of your choices may not be allowed, and will be replaced by default styles, or will import some invisible formatting codes (this may look like weird text at the top of your page).
The simplest way to strip out ALL invisible formatting is to copy and paste your text into a simple "plain" text editor like TextEdit, or WordPad. Then copy and paste it again into the CMS page.
2) Don't place lots of text on your pages.
It is difficult for your visitors to read, and forces them to scroll. It is also difficult for you to organize visually. Instead, save forms, instructions, semester calendars and other large files as accessible and fillable PDFs. Upload your PDFs to your "Repository" folder on the CMS. This is also the best way to provide more "designed" documents, such as brochures or maps.
→ Don't know how to create a PDF? Microsoft Office lets you save documents as PDF files from Word, Powerpoint or Excel. Simply installing Acrobat Pro will allow you to save PDFs directly from other programs. Just go to your File menu and choose Save As/ PDF, or Adobe PDF
→ Don't have Adobe Acrobat Pro? (That's Adobe Acrobat 'Pro', not the free Acrobat 'Reader.') CUNY now has site licenses for Acrobat Pro. Contact ICIT about installing it on your computer.
3) When you must post lots of text online, help your readers get to it easily:
- Create separate pages for each section. Split your text up, especially if it covers different topics. Give your pages short, meaningful titles. The page titles will automatically appear as navigation links in the navigation bar, above or at the left side of the page.
- Use Anchors. On a long page, split your text into sections, with an 'anchor' at the top of each section. Give each section a heading, and place an anchor next to each heading, so that your reader can easily jump there from links you create at the top of the page. Just like this page! (Don't forget to add the links at the top of the page!)
- Create a "top" anchor at the top of the page, and then create a link after each section that will take your reader back to the top of the page.
4) When you must provide lots of text, organize it visually.
- Separate sections by placing a Sub-heading or Small Heading at the top of each section, and an extra paragraph return at the bottom of each section. For a stronger separation, add a horizontal line between them. (The Line tool is near the right end side of your editing tools palette, near the omega symbol.)
- Separate small chunks of information, like event titles and dates, by creating a table with two or more columns and rows. Then you can put a little bit of information into each table cell.
- You can use a table to organize lists into multiple columns, side-by-side instead of running all the way down the page. But be aware that screen-reading software will read straight across both columns, creating confusion for vision-impaired students.
- Never use a table to organize body text like a magazine, with running copy flowing from one column to the other. If you do, then some visually impaired readers will have trouble, because their software may read straight across both columns, instead of down one column, and up to the top of the other.
- You can also use a table to place images next to the text they illustrate.
See the table below: -
This is the Announcement icon that shows
no current announcments.
This is the Announcement icon that shows
current announcments are available.
G E T T I N G H E L P
1) Sign up for an introductory workshop at ICIT. You can sign up here:
https://reg.abcsignup.com/view/view_month.aspx?as=31&aid=HUNT&wp=602
2) Download ICIT's CMS Cheat Sheet
www.hunter.cuny.edu/hunter-webcms/repository/files/webcms_cheat_sheet.pdf
3) Read ICIT's Getting Started Guide
http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/hunter-webcms/getting-started-guide
4) Take advantage of one-on-one training from ICIT. After taking the orientation, and working on your web page for a week, make a short list of important questions. To get one-on-one answers, please contact Steve Giovino in ICIT.
5) Whenever you encounter functional or structural challenges, contact the Office of Student Communications. We are responsible for the Division of Student Affairs web sites and we can brainstorm with you. Always ask for help when making changes to your site structure (adding new pages, adding external media such as video or slide shows, or changing your navigation).
6) If you plan upload a large amount of new content, please contact the Office of Student Communications. We can make sure that it is visually organized within your site hierarchy, and linked with your other pages and files.
7) If you need a specific project completed for your web site, please submit a Communication Project Request Form to the Office of Student Communications
