Documentation:Tech Rovers Guide/WordPress/CMS Theme Options
UBC CMS primarily uses the UBC Collab Theme, a theme developed and maintained by the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology, and UBC Public Affairs. This makes developing UBC branded websites easy and quick.
Below is a quick overview of the different theme options specific to UBC CMS. More detailed information is available at support.cms.ubc.ca.
UBC CLF Options
The following elements can be customized in the UBC CLF section: the standard CLF colour options, the campus identity, unit/website information, and the unit contact info.
- Standard CLF Colour Options - This section allows you to change the colour theme options for the Brand Identity Header. Please see the theme options specification for more information.
- Campus Identity - This section shows your unit's campus mandate: Vancouver Campus or Okanagan Campus. If your unit has an institution-wide mandate or if neither choice is applicapble, select the third option. Please see here for the campus identity guidlines.
- Unit/Website Information - This section allows you to change the name of website, the website URL linked to the name, and the search context for the site. This section also allows you to change the unit/website bar background colour. Please see here for design specifications for the unit/website bar background color.
- Unit Contact Info - This section allows you to change the contact information contained in the footer sitewide.
Layout Options
Choose the default layout for all pages (will not affect Frontpage layout) by making changes to the default layout, header widget, and widget areaas section.
- Default Layout - This section allows you to change the default layout of all the pages (not including the frontpage). There are 6 layout options to choose from: 1 Column, 2 Columns Content Left, 2 Columns Content Right, 3 Columns Content Left, 3 Columns Content Middle, and 3 Columns Content Right.
- 1 Column: Changes the default layout of pages and posts to contain content at full width.
- 2 Columns Content Left: Changes the default layout of pages and posts to contain post/page content in the left hand side and widget areas in the right hand side. The primary and secondary widget areas are stacked on top of each other with the primary widget area on the top. You may adjust the width of the content area with this section.
- 2 Columns Content Right: Changes the default layout of pages and posts to contain post/page content in the right hand side and widget areas in the left hand side. The primary and secondary widget areas are stacked on top of each other with the primary widget area on the top. You may adjust the width of the content area with this section.
- 3 Columns Content Left: Changes the default layout of pages and posts to contain post/page content in the left hand side, the primary widget area in the middle, and the secondary widget area in the right hand side. You may adjust the width of the content area and both the pimrary and secondary widget sections.
- 3 Columns Content Middle: Changes the default layout of pages and posts to contain post/page content in the middle, the primary widget area in the left hand side, and the secondary widget area in the right hand side. You may adjust the width of the content area and both the primary and secondary widget sections.
- 3 Columns Content Right: Changes the default layout of pages and posts to contain post/page content in the right hand side, the primary widget area in the left hand side, and the secondary widget area in the middle. You may adjust the width of the content area and both the pimrary and secondary widget sections.
- 1 Column: Changes the default layout of pages and posts to contain content at full width.
- Header Widget - This section contains a checkbox that allows you to select whether a header widget area will be displayed or hidden.
- Widget Areas - This section shows a preview of the changes made from the default layout section. The preview will automatically update as changes are being made in the default layout section.
Frontpage
The frontpage option page allows you to change the layout of the frontpage of the website. There are three sections in this section that will affect the display of the frontpage.
- Layout - This section will allow you to change the way content is displayed on the frontpage. There are 6 options to choose from in this section. Each of the options contain a preview of what the frontpage will look except for the default option. The default option will change the frontpage to a traditional blog style page and will display the most recent posts.
- Content - This section allows you to change what the content section of the frontpage layout will display. You can choose either the latest posts or content from a static page. If you choose to display content form a static page, please know that you will change the already existing page as the front page and you can also designate an already existing page to display the latest posts or leave it blank.
- Feature Slider - This section allows you to change how the feature slider on the frontpage is displayed and what it will display.
The navigation options allows you to change the way site navigation will be displayed though 3 sections.
- Style - The style section contains a checkbox that allows you to choose whether the navigation bar under the unit/website bar will be displayed or not.
- Breadcrumbs - This section contains a checkbox that allows you to choose whether a breadcrumb trail from the homepage will be displayed or not. This section also allows you to customized how the breadcrumb trail will look.
- Next and Previous Posts - This section allows you to change the way blog post navigation is handled. You can choose to enable the option of having next or previous buttons that will allow a user to easily navigate from one post to the next in a series of posts. These buttons are especially useful for blogs or news websites there there is a long series of entries to navigate through.
Display Options
The display options controls the way that post/page options are handled as well as allowing comments on pages and licensing.
- Post Options - This section allows you to control the additional information of a post. You may choose to show the byline (a line of text displaying when the post was authored and by who) and choose how it looks like. You can also choose to display the post meta data.
- Page Options - This section allows you to control the additional information of a page. You may choose to show the byline (a line of text displaying when the page was authored and by who) and choose how it looks like. You can also choose to display the page meta data.
- Discussion - The checkbox allows you to choose whether comments can be posted on pages.
- Archive Options - The checkbox allows you to choose whether archive pages will show post thumbnails (usually the featured image of a post).
- License - This section allows you to choose the defeault website content license.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) determines if the site can be found through search engine results. The SEO section also contains tools specific to three popular search engines.
- SEO Options - Controls what is displayed in the HTML <title> tag as well as the frontpage meta description. The meta description is the information that a viewer sees when finding the site through a search engine. You are also able to control what is displayed by the HTML <title> tag by default, as well as, enabling post/page specific SEO options.
- Google Webmaster Tools - This section allows you to enter text into a box to enable a meta tag specific to the Google Webmaster Tools.
- Bing Webmaster Tools - This section allows you to enter text into a box to enable a meta tag specific to the Bing Webmaster Tools.
- Yahoo Site Explorer Tools - This section allows you to enter text into a box to enable a meta tag specific to the Yahoo Site Explorer Tools.
Export
Export allows the user to export theme options to other sites that currently use the UBC Collab Theme. You can export options by providing the URL in this section to the import options section of the site you wish to export the options to.
Import
Import allows the user to import theme options from other sites that currently use the UBC Collab Theme. You can import options by inputting the URL provided by the site that you wish to import options from.