/web-services/taxonomy/term/52/all en /web-services/article/features/building-better-search-experience <hr /> <p style="text-align:center"><em><big>Update: This article was originally published in October 2020. The search improvements mentioned were launched in January 2021. </big></em></p> <hr /> <p>As you might have heard, search improvements are underway in the WMS. In the image above, you can see our old search experience (left) and the new version (right). As part of these updates, we're pleased to announce some new features and refinements.</p> Tue, 11 Aug 2020 20:39:31 +0000 Joyce Peralta 4667 at /web-services /web-services/article/features/our-what-you-see-what-you-get-guide-new-wms The WYSIWYG editor (short for "What You See Is What You Get") lets you use and preview a wide variety of content styles. We demo them all! Tue, 29 Oct 2024 13:46:42 +0000 Heidi Strohl 6661 at /web-services /web-services/article/features/desperately-seeking-ckeditor-5 <p>There was a time when anyone who wanted to edit a website needed to know HTML, and a small error in the code could create lopsided layouts and hours of misery for the editor. So, we should all feel grateful for the WYSIWYG editor that is available in the WMS. All the more so since it is about to get even better!</p> <p>As the WMS moves to Drupal 9, CKEditor 5 will be used as its WYSIWYG editor, with a wonderfully revamped toolbar that is constantly visible while scrolling, and <span>contextual toolbars that appear when you click on objects such as tables, images, and links. </span></p> Thu, 09 Mar 2023 14:30:49 +0000 andrew.collier@mcgill.ca 5925 at /web-services /web-services/article/features/new-kid-block-blocks-drupal-9 <p>When the WMS switches to Drupal 9 blocks, it will continue to offer the same block templates you love (Statement, Call to Action, etc.), but with a more intuitive interface for creating and configuring those blocks, and more flexibility for placing the blocks on your site.</p> <h2>Place blocks in multiple regions</h2> <p>Blocks in Drupal 9 can be placed in different regions on different pages, or even in multiple regions of the same page. Gone are the days when you had to create numerous, identical, blocks to achieve this.</p> Wed, 08 Feb 2023 21:06:10 +0000 andrew.collier@mcgill.ca 5910 at /web-services /web-services/article/features/i-can-see-clearly-now-claro-theme-drupal-9 <p>You probably don’t think about the administrative theme in the WMS, and that’s the best sign that it’s doing its job well. The people who developed it, on the other hand, did put a lot of thought into improving it, and we will all benefit from this effort when the WMS moves to Drupal 9.</p> <p>The new theme is called Claro, and it was developed following a UX Study that asked content editors to share their experiences and suggestions.</p> <p>The updates focus on usability and accessibility rather than functional changes, bringing enhancements such as</p> Mon, 16 Jan 2023 21:17:58 +0000 andrew.collier@mcgill.ca 5880 at /web-services /web-services/article/features-news/everything-you-need-know-about-mcgill-ds-now-beta <p>McGill DS (or MDS) stands for McGill <a href="https://www.nngroup.com/articles/design-systems-101/">Design System</a>, a collection of web design and development standards and resources offered by the Web Services team.</p> Tue, 11 Jan 2022 16:37:16 +0000 heidi.strohl2@mcgill.ca 5371 at /web-services /web-services/article/features/design-principles-ux-design-basics-site-managers <p class="note">This article is a behind-the-scenes look at the content we'll cover in our completely revamped <a href="/web-services/training-events/web-services-training-courses-descriptions#designing">Designing Digital Experiences with the McGill Brand</a> course. Sign up now to look at real-world examples and participate in lively discussion about how to leverage the McGill brand and the principles of good design. </p> Tue, 19 Jan 2021 14:36:55 +0000 Heidi Strohl 4903 at /web-services /web-services/article/features/announcing-virtual-campus-tour <p class="note">McGill is transitioning to a new virtual tour provider. During this time, you won't be able to create new virtual tour blocks. Stay tuned for an announcement of the new platform!</p> Fri, 16 Apr 2021 21:09:59 +0000 heidi.strohl2@mcgill.ca 5014 at /web-services /web-services/article/features/sharing-licensable-innovations-flintbox <p>The AVP (Research and Innovation) and Web Services team are pleased to offer <a href="https://mcgill.flintbox.com/" rel="nofollow">Flintbox</a> integration with selected sites the WMS. </p> <h2>What's Flintbox?</h2> <p>Flintbox is already used by many units across the university to document licensable innovations developed and patented by McGill professors. It allows industry partners (or potential partners) to preview and browse cutting-edge technologies in fields like Medicine, Business and management, Computer Science, Engineering, Chemistry, and Life Sciences.</p> Mon, 19 Apr 2021 19:47:39 +0000 heidi.strohl2@mcgill.ca 5018 at /web-services /web-services/article/features-news/read-all-about-it-new-options-digital-publications <p>If you've known McGill for a while, you might remember magazines like Headway and Medicine Focus. These magazines were physical objects that combined excellent stories with beautiful print design. </p> Tue, 19 Jan 2021 12:32:32 +0000 Heidi Strohl 4902 at /web-services /web-services/article/features/list-grid-new-grid-class <p>Site Managers and Editors can now transform lists like this:</p> <p></p><div class="image-caption-container"><figure class=" "><img alt="Ordered list example with 6 list items" title="Ordered list example with 6 list items" height="214" width="311" class="file-default file-large no-float" src="/web-services/files/web-services/styles/wysiwyg_large/public/screenshot-www.mcgill.ca-2018.09.11-16-32-56.png?itok=16aoARrl" /> <figcaption title="Image by Lee-Yan Marquez." class=" ">Image by Lee-Yan Marquez.</figcaption></figure></div> <p>to a grid like this:</p> Mon, 01 Oct 2018 16:04:49 +0000 McGill Web Services 3690 at /web-services /web-services/article/features/getting-started-blocks-organizing-site-content-wms <p>Keeping content organized will go a long way towards maintaining a healthy website. Blocks in the WMS are pre-designed containers for important or highlighted information. Blocks are useful tools that can help work towards that goal, as it allows you to place multiple synced instances of the same content, leading to less resources wasted on maintaining the content. This article will go over the basics of how to create a standard block in the WMS, as well as how to edit and configure the block to make it show up on the correct pages.</p> Thu, 27 Aug 2020 20:38:59 +0000 daniel.zhang@mail.mcgill.ca 4710 at /web-services /web-services/article/features-tips/creating-profiles-page-wms <p>Creating a profiles page on your WMS site is a great way to present the members of your staff and community in a directory format. With the tools in the WMS, you can create one easily by following the steps in this article.</p> <p>The following information can also be found on the McGill IT knowledge base site.</p> <p>As a visual supplement, we have created a video guide that goes over the steps mentioned in this article to create a profile page for your site:</p> <p><a name="Video guide on creating profiles" id="Video guide on creating profiles"></a></p> Tue, 02 Jun 2020 18:10:31 +0000 daniel.zhang@mail.mcgill.ca 4465 at /web-services /web-services/article/features/top-10-wsg-highlights-2019 In 2019, the Web Services Group delivered a boost to community engagement with updates to the Twitter block, non-Roman characters support, McGill-branded short links, and SMS links. Content optimization was also a common thread with the release of the meta tags module, a new search engine, and new digital standards. Wed, 18 Dec 2019 17:41:51 +0000 Lai Yard Lee 4277 at /web-services /web-services/article/features-tips/text-me-maybe <p>Ask a millennial to call you and you might be waiting for a while. Digital natives generally prefer texting over talking and Short Message Service (SMS) is one of the most widely used forms of communication today. An effective way of connecting with your audience is to invite users to engage via text message.</p> <p>The WMS supports the <strong>sms: protocol</strong> by allowing you to create links to telephone numbers. In a similar fashion to how email links work using the mailto: protocol to initiate an email, the sms: protocol initiates a text message to the linked number.</p> Mon, 30 Sep 2019 20:44:55 +0000 Lai Yard Lee 4124 at /web-services