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HOW-TO GUIDES

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Table of Contents

 

 

Q: How do I gain access to Drupal? Is training required?
A: Faculty and staff must complete a training call in order to obtain access to Drupal. You must already have a site in production to receive Drupal training. To request access to an existing site in Drupal, you must complete the Drupal Publisher Access Request Form.

 

Q: If I already know how to use dotCMS, do I still need to do Drupal training?
A: Yes. Publishing in Drupal is a completely different experience than dotCMS or other content management systems.

 

Q: How many publishers from a single campus unit are allowed to have access?
A: We recommend having a primary publisher and a backup publisher per campus-unit website.

 

Q: I saved my changes but they’re not showing up on the live site. Why not? How long will it take?
A: Drupal keeps a cached record of the content on the site, which enables it to load that content quickly. This cache updates every few hours. When you make a change, you’ll have to wait for the cache to update in order for that change to appear on the live site.

 

Q: How do I change an incorrect job title?
A: All changes to faculty or staff information need to be addressed in the People Directory system, via HR. Drupal pulls all that information automatically, so it can’t be addressed here. Fill out a change form at this link, or find more information in this document.

 

Q: I need to add a new page to my site. What if I’m not sure which modules to use?
A: We recommend checking out the Model Pages guide, which breaks down commonly used modules. It also lists helpful tips and suggestions for ordering the modules and choosing photography. There are also several Module Guides available, which include usage information, character limits, and best practices for each type of module.

 

Q: I want to edit content, but I can't because it’s owned by another user.
A: Send a message to [email protected] or contact the ITS Help Desk, and we’ll look into your edit and make it if needed.

 

Q: How do I make a link that goes to a specific part of the page?
A: These are called anchor links. First, go to the module on the page that you’re trying to link to. Click its Settings tab. Fill out the ID field with something short but descriptive. For example, if it’s an accordions module, you can write “accordions.” Then, when you’re linking to lead the user to this module, put that ID you just entered on the end of the link, after a “#.” So if you’re linking on the /mastodon-life page, “/mastodon-life#accordions” is what you would use to create the anchor link.

 

Q: I get a message that says the page I’m trying to edit is locked. Can I break the lock?
A: When someone starts editing a page and doesn’t save it, the page will say it’s locked to anyone else who tries to edit it. This is because we don’t want two people editing at the same time. One of the two people would override the other’s changes. So if you have an idea of who might have been editing the page, and you think that they don’t still have changes in progress, go ahead and unlock it. If it says it was just recently locked and you don’t know by who, then you should not unlock it yet. With that in mind, if you start editing a page but don’t want to save it, it’s best to click the Unlock button at the bottom of the page instead of just closing it so that other users know it’s safe to edit.

 

Q: I can’t edit the page that I want to. How do I get the proper permissions?
A: Drupal publishers have permissions that relate to their unit in the university (e.g., the Department of History), and can only edit pages that are tied to their unit. If you don’t have the proper permissions to edit pages in your unit, send a message to [email protected], and we’ll give them to you.

 

Q: How do I duplicate or reuse content in another location?
A: Unlike with some other content management systems, in Drupal you cannot reuse a module on another page. You can duplicate it on the same page that it already lives, by clicking the three dots next to the Edit or Collapse button, then selecting Duplicate. You can also clone entire pages. To do this, go to the editing view of the page that you want to clone. Then click the Clone tab, and it will open the editing view of new page named Clone of [Your Page]. It will have all the fields already filled out the exact same as the previous page, so simply change the fields that you want to, make sure to change the page title, and then save it as a Draft or Published page as you see fit.

 

Q: The text inside the editor looks wrong and I can’t change its style, what do I do?
A: First of all, try not to change the text from its default styles unless you have a good reason. When you copy and paste text from somewhere else, though, the styles may change and then resist your edits. In this case, you should highlight all that text, then click the Remove Formatting button. For more info on the WYSIWYG text editor, see this guide.

 

Q: I can’t save my page, and I’m getting an error at the top of the page about a paragraph and a node number.
A: This is usually because there’s a bad link on the page. When you use autofill to link to a page, and then that page is deleted, the system will give you this error to make sure you that know there’s a bad link. It can be hard to find, though. To prevent this, don’t use the autofill function, and instead always link by typing the root-relative URL, meaning the part of the URL after pfw.edu, (e.g., /liberal-arts/history/about-us).

 

Q: Why is it important to use root-relative URLs (e.g. /academics-research instead of pfw.edu/academics-research) when linking to another page on the Drupal site?
A: Using root-relative URLs ensures that anyone who clicks on the link will see the page on the correct domain. It also helps us avoid accidentally adding nonpublic URLs, such as URLs from a test system, or another nonpublic server (such as the dotCMS authoring server). Using root-relative URLs (without the domain) will allow the browser to fill the correct domain for users, helping to ensure that they’ll see www.pfw.edu when browsing the site.

 

Q: Why is it important to use TinyPNG to compress images before uploading them to the Drupal site?
A: When it comes to load time, every graphic and piece of media on a web page adds up. Compressing each image via a service like TinyPNG will create cascading improvements for each of your pages, as well as for the website server as a whole. This is especially important for mobile users, who may be on a slower data connection. Ensuring that your pages load as quickly as possible will encourage your visitors to stay longer and browse additional pages, rather than just giving up when a page takes too long to load.

 

Q: How do I upload and link to a PDF or another type of document?

A: You can upload documents to the site by hovering over the Content button at the top of the page, then hovering over Media, then Add Media, then clicking Document. Upload your document there with the Choose File button. Then before you click the blue Save button, you'll see a blue link with the name of your uploaded document. Copy the URL that that blue link leads to. This is the URL for your document, which you can now use as a link. Finally, click Save.

 

Q: Who do I contact if I run into any issue using Drupal?
A: If you encounter any issues using Drupal, you can contact either the ITS Help Desk or send a message to [email protected]. When doing so, please provide specifics, such as URL, a detailed description of the problem, and any screenshots, if applicable. Please allow one to two business days for a response.