Frequently Asked Questions, Out-Of-The-Box Underline

Below are some common website-related questions at UCSF. If your issue isn't addressed here, check the resources on the Help page.

General Websites FAQs

General Drupal FAQs

Site Builder FAQs

Analytics

Banners or Slideshows

Blog

Blocks

Events

Images

Menu

News

Profiles

Sidebar

Styling

General Websites FAQs

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Firstname Lastname, Title

Organization/Company/Source

How do I request a UCSF subdomain name for my new website?

Official UCSF websites will receive a subdomain of ucsf.edu (i.e. websites.ucsf.edu). Choose an address that is short, memorable and comprehensible to people outside of your specific group.

If you are creating a Drupal-based website, including a UCSF Site Builder template, then your domain name request will be part your Drupal Web Hosting Request.

If you are creating a non-Drupal website, you'll need to fill out a Domain Name Service (DNS) Request. Here are some tips for filling out that form:

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Bacon ipsum dolor amet kevin rump ham hock turducken porchetta, doner meatloaf sausage pig spare ribs swine. Leberkas biltong venison beef meatloaf brisket, ribeye shank tongue prosciutto corned beef andouille tri-tip t-bone. Brisket filet mignon buffalo chuck tenderloin boudin sausage shank drumstick fatback ham pig.

Learn more »

Lorem Ipsum

Bacon ipsum dolor amet kevin rump ham hock turducken porchetta, doner meatloaf sausage pig spare ribs swine. Leberkas biltong venison beef meatloaf brisket, ribeye shank tongue prosciutto corned beef andouille tri-tip t-bone. Brisket filet mignon buffalo chuck tenderloin boudin sausage shank drumstick fatback ham pig.

Learn more »

Build it into your budget: A custom website can cost in the tens of thousands to design and build, in addition to the ongoing costs of code maintenance and feature improvements.

Inclusion extends to digital: Public institutions are legally required to be digitally accessible, meaning all websites must accommodate visual, auditory, physical and other disabilities.

  • What device type? "Server"
  • What is the record type? "A record"
  • What is the faceplate? This is your website address, such as "websites.ucsf.edu."
  • What is the location of this device? If the server is virtual put your office location for the location.
  • What is the IP network? Put the IP of the server here, such as "128.218.22.105"

What do I do with my website if I no longer need it?

Be sure to have a long-term plan when creating any website because there are risks involved when your website is no longer active. For instance, websites that stop getting security updates can get easily hacked, and outdated content can wreak havoc on UCSF's overall search engine optimization (SEO).

If you only need a website for a limited time period, first consider if you can simply add a section to an existing website. It is generally not recommended to create a new website for a short-term project.

When you are ready to retire a website or if you are leaving UCSF with no successor to maintain your website, email webservices@ucsf.edu to get instructions on how to properly handle your website.

Why does IE not display my Drupal website layout properly?

Drupal Site Builder was created to be used by Modern Web Browsers, which are freely available for download. This is primarily to take advantage of modern browsers ability to handle responsive designs via javascript, CSS and HTML 5. Sometimes Internet Explorer (IE) is configured to operate like Internet Explorer 7 (released in 2006).

Many UCSF desktops, especially those in clinics, have IE 8 installed, but it's configured to view the web as IE 7 so that legacy web applications will run "normally".

There is an easy fix for this.

  1. In Internet Explorer, open the Tools menu at the top and select Compatibility View Settings. You may need to press the Alt key or press and hold the address bar to see the Menu bar.
  2. In the top-most menu, toggle off Compatibility Mode for IE7 and toggle it on for IE 8 or IE 9.

General Drupal FAQs

How can I activate my site’s maintenance mode during major renovations?

If you're a site administrator, you can activate your site's maintenance mode by visiting Configuration > Development > Maintenance Mode. Check "Put site into maintenance mode" and modify your display message, if desired. Click "Save configuration." To turn maintenance mode off, uncheck "Put site into maintenance mode" and save again.

How can I block robots from creating fake user accounts?

Visit Configuration > People > Account settings. Find the section titled REGISTRATION AND CANCELLATION. Under "Who can register accounts?", select Administrators Only. Under "When cancelling a user account", select Disable the account and keep its content. Click "Save configuration" at the bottom of the page.

How can I change my site's name?

Visit Configuration > System > Site Information. Change the title in the Site Name field. Click "Save Configuration".

How can I customize my site's error messages?

When logged in, click on Modules in the administration menu. Find the module titled Custom Error and check the box next to its name. Click "Save configuration" on the left side of the page.

Now that the module is activated, go to Configuration > System > Custom Error and modify your message. After saving, visit Configuration > System > Site information and change "Default 403 (access denied) page" to customerror/403 and "Default 404 (access denied) page" to customerror/404. Click "Save configuration".

How can I save old versions of a page?

Go to Structure > Content Types > Page. Find the "Publishing Options" tab and check "Create new revision" under default options. Click "Save content type" at the bottom of the page.

Return to Structure > Content Types > Page. Find the "Compare revisions" tab. Check boxes for "Show View changes button on node edit form" and "Enable the Revisions page for this content type". Click "Save content type."

How can I verify my website?

This is a short example of how to enable and configure the Web Site Verification Module using Google Webmaster Tools. This module will allow you to claim ownership of your website with several search engines.

Enabling the Module

  1. Read the module documentation on drupal.org
  2. Login as the site admin to your website (yoursite.ucsf.edu/user)
  3. Click on the "Modules" text in the admin menu
  4. Type site_verify into the the filter list box
  5. Check the Site Verification box in the "enabled" column
  6. Click the "save configuration" button near the bottom left of the page
  7. The module is now enabled

Obtaining Verification Metatag

  1. Login to the Google Webmaster tools
  2. Add "yoursite.ucsf.edu" to the search box and click "add property"
  3. On the verification page select the "alternate methods" tab
  4. Select "HTML tag"
  5. Copy the tag

Configuring this Module

  1. Login as the site admin to your website (yoursite.ucsf.edu/user)
  2. Click on the "Modules" text in the admin menu
  3. Type Site Verification into the the filter list box
  4. Click the configure link next to the Site Verification module
  5. Select add verification
  6. Select Google and click next
  7. Paste your google meta tag into the "Verification Meta Tag"
  8. Save it

Your site has now been verified by Google.

How do I upgrade from Starter Kit 1.0 to Starter Kit 2.0?

If you have a Starter Kit 1.0 site but would like to adopt the look and feel of Starter Kit 2.0, follow these steps:

  1. Select “Appearance” in the Drupal menu
  2. Find the UCSF StarterKit Base Theme Prototype, and click the “Enable and set as default” link or “set as Default”, if it is already enabled
  3. Click the “Save configuration” button at the bottom of the page
  4. Go to Structure > Blocks
  5. Find the Header section and click the configure link for “Main Menu – Level 1”
  6. Click the “Advanced options” button and:
  7. In the “Maximum depth” drop-down, select “2”
  8. Select the box for “Expand all children of this tree”
  9. Click the “Save block” button at the bottom
  10. Once you’re done, make sure to Flush all Cache

Site Builder FAQs

Analytics

Is Google Analytics still supported by IT?

We no longer support centralized Google Analytics reporting in IT. We have a new analytics product called Siteimprove, that measures a wide variety of website information. It provides accessibility, search engine optimization, and website quality reports in addition to analytics.

How do I enable the new Siteimprove Analytics on my site?

As of April 2018, we are currently working with a pilot group to work out the bumps in the system. Once the pilot is complete you can join our Round 2 roll out this summer.

Sign up for Round 2 here: http://websites.ucsf.edu/content/siteimprove-round-2-volunteers

Banners or Slideshows

How can I add a banner or slideshow to my homepage?

When editing the homepage, click on "Add slider/banner to top of page" above your page title. Under Hero Template, choose Home Page Slider.

How can I adjust my slideshow's animation speed?

Go to Appearance > Settings > UCSF Site Builder. Under the Homepage Banner tab, you’ll see something called “Animation Speed”. Choose any value from No Autoplay to 14 Seconds and click “Save Configuration” at the bottom of the page. Edit these settings at any time.

How can I add a secondary page banner?

For pages other than the homepage, you can add a banner by clicking on "Add slider/banner to top of page" above your page title. Under Hero Template, choose Secondary Page Banner. Upload an image, add a title, short descriptive text, and text for a button, making sure to add a link under Link URL.

Blocks

What is a block?

A "block" is a Drupal term; think of it as a building block of content you can add to any page.

How can I create a block?

The UCSF Site Builder comes with a wide range of blocks; you just need to activate them. Take advantage of these by enabling Starting Points (Structure > Starting Points) you'd like to use.

You can also create custom blocks. To do so, visit Structure > Blocks > Add Blocks.

How can I add a block beneath the main content area?

Beneath the main content area you'll see two buttons labeled Text and Block. Click on Block. By default, "-None-" will be selected. Click on that dropdown to see a list of all available blocks, and select the block of your choice. Add more blocks by clicking on "Add another item".

How can I add a block to the sidebar?

To add a block to a page's sidebar, click "Build Sidebar" on the right side of the page above the main content area. A space will appear called Sidebar Blocks. Click "Add a block". By default, "-None-" will be selected. Click on that dropdown to see a list of all available blocks, and select the block of your choice. Add more blocks by clicking on "Add another item".

How can I rearrange the order of blocks?

If you hover your mouse over the directional icon immediately to the left of any block name, you should see a mousetip that says "Drag to reorder". Move each block up or down, and Save the page once you're satisfied with their order.

Blog

How can I add a blog to my site?

Under Structure > Starting Points, visit the first tab and follow the prompts to create a Blog. If you need to change your selections, revisit this section and click Create Starting Point. After this initial step, you'll be able to add authors, topics and entries.

How can I create an RSS feed?

To pull content via RSS, add /feed to any blog-related URL, including filtered results (e.g. http://websites.ucsf.edu/blog/feed?topics=266).

Events

How can I pull in events from the UCSF Events Calendar?

To use this feature, first visit the widget builder on calendar.ucsf.edu to choose what events you'd like to display. There are a number of options here, but focus on selecting a Department/Group or other filtering option, like Event Type or Affiliation. Scroll down and click "Generate Embed Code." Copy the code that appears.

How can I create my own events?

First, if you'd like to have your own group on the UCSF Events Calendar but don't have one yet, write to calendar@ucsf.edu. With a group page, you'll be able to share events specific to you on both your website and the central website simultaneously.

Images

Where can I find images?

There are free images available in the UCSF Brand Photography Library. If you can't find an image that meets your needs, you are welcome to buy one from a stock photography website. However, please be sure that any images you purchase meet UCSF's brand photography guidelines.

How big should they be?

It depends where you're using them. If you need an image on your homepage, 1200px wide is a safe bet. For most other pages, 800px wide will suffice. However, please be aware that there is a file upload limit of 1.5MB.

I get "Access Denied" when accessing the browser server to retrieve image files.

Have your site admin go to Configuration > Media > ICME images. Verify your user role is set to "User-1" in the Public files column.

I noticed multiple small files uploaded to my site by the user "anonymous". Should I be worried there was a breach of my website?

No, this is a known bug related to faculty updates. IT is investigating this issue. You can leave them or clean them out by going to Content > Files, sort by user and delete all the files at one time.

Menu

How can I delete or disable a menu item?

Visit Structure > Menus > Main menu to view your current menu structure.

How can I add a menu item?

If you're looking to re-enable an automatically created Starting Point page, visit Structure > Starting Points and enable the corresponding Starting Point again.

How can I rearrange menu items?

Visit Structure > Menus > Main menu. If you hover your mouse over the directional icon immediately to the left of any menu item, you should see a mousetip that says "Drag to reorder". You can move menu items up, down, left or right. If a menu is indented, it will become a submenu of the item above it.

How can I lock my menu to the top of the site?

To enable this feature, go to Appearance > Settings > UCSF Site Builder and select the “Navigation” tab. Choose “Yes” and click “Save configuration”. If you change your mind, you can return here anytime to turn it off.

News

How can I pull in news from UCSF.edu?

Easy! To bring in a customized news feed, go to Structure > Starting Points and click on the UCSF Widgets tab. Select the option called "UCSF.edu News Integration". Now, pick the general news area(s) you're interested in — be sure to choose at least one — and as many topics as you'd like. Once you're done, click on "Create Starting Point". You can then add a UCSF news feed to any page by adding a block called Starting Point - UCSF News.

How can I create my own news?

Visit Structure > Starting Points and click on "News - Block". This will allow you to create news stories that are specific to your site. A news menu item will automatically appear in your main menu, and you can change the name of the menu item, move it, or even delete it altogether. The individual news articles you create will still be available, and you can link to them in whatever way works best for you. You can also reference them in a block by adding a Starting Point - Local News block to any page.

Profiles

How can I pull in UCSF profile information?

Save time by integrating with UCSF Profiles. To get started, visit Structure > Starting Points, click on the UCSF Widgets tab, and then select UCSF Profiles Integration. You'll be asked if you'd like to create a grid of profiles, or an expanded view (you can revisit if you change your mind). Click "Create Starting Point"; a page will appear called People, which will initially be blank.

I'm getting an error message when trying to add someone. How do I get around it?

First, make sure that the person has a profile on profiles.ucsf.edu. If they don't, they should request one through their group's HR representative. If their profile exists, double check that the email you're submitting is the one affiliated with their profile. Lastly, ask the person to make sure they've allowed their information to be fully public rather than “UCSF Only” via their HR representative.

How can I customize the People page to list the PI first?

To move someone to the top of the people list go to their page and click edit.
Find the “publishing options” tab at the bottom of the page. Click on it. Select “Sticky at top of lists”. Click Save.

Sidebar

How can I add a sidebar?

You can add a sidebar to any page by adding a block to a page's sidebar. To do so, click "Build Sidebar" on the right side of the page above the main content area. A space will appear called Sidebar Blocks. Click "Add a block". By default, "-None-" will be selected. Click on that dropdown to see a list of all available blocks, and select the block of your choice. Add more blocks by clicking on "Add another item".

Styling

How can I change my website's styling?

If you're using the UCSF Site Builder, it's easy to make design changes. When logged in, visit Appearance > Settings > UCSF Site Builder to select new options. To save changes, click on the "Save configuration" button at the bottom of the page.

How can I use the content formatting toolbar?

Source: Switch between a What You See Is What You Get (WYSIWYG) editor and full HTML.