Modern Campus Web Content Management System FAQ
For Marquette Website Authors
Here are frequently asked questions about Modern Campus CMS, a web content management system formerly known as Omni CMS and OmniUpdate.
How do I log in to the CMS?
You must already have an account, manually created by IT Services, to log in to the CMS. See the "How do I get a CMS account and training?" question. Authors must use the campus network or Marquette VPN to access the CMS. To log in, visit marquette.edu/login/ with your Marquette username and password. Or, to edit a Marquette webpage you are browsing, scroll to the bottom of the page. On the lower right, click or tap the copyright symbol. Log in to Modern Campus CMS to access the webpage for editing.
What are assets and how do I edit them?
Assets allow a single source of content for use on multiple webpages. A common example is a sidebar. When editing a website sidebar, it's easiest to make the change in a single place. Using an asset keeps you from manually fixing dozens of individual webpages.
From the CMS, you can access your assets from the top bar: Content > Assets. An assets list appears. Any assets with active links are ones you can edit. Select the appropriate asset to edit.
Important: When on the asset page, click or tap the light bulb icon to check out the asset. Doing so lets you edit the asset. If you don't check out the asset, you won't see the edit tab to make changes.
How many image gallery assets can I add to a webpage?
Limit the image gallery asset to one per page. Adding more than one gallery on a single page breaks both image galleries.
What's the image size limit?
Keep your images under 1,000 kilobytes. Note: When uploading image files to an image gallery asset, confirm in advance that your images are under 1,000 kilobytes. The image gallery asset lacks an error message to warn you about the size limit. Instead, the CMS continually displays a "Loading..." notice.
Why can't I edit a page that I navigated to while in Preview Mode?
Avoid using link navigation in Preview Mode. While it appears you're on a different page, you're still on the original page — without any edit buttons to make changes. From the CMS, use the Pages View List to select a specific page to edit.
How do I link and upload a file while editing a webpage?
See the steps at "Link and Upload Files While Editing in Modern Campus CMS."
Why is my file not working after publish?
If an image or PDF file appears broken after publishing the webpage, make sure you published the file. Or, when publishing the page, select the checkbox for "Include Unpublished Dependencies" and publish. If the file appears stale — especially PDFs — clear your web browser cache.
What's the index.pcf file?
The index.pcf is the default homepage for the folder. Do not rename or delete the index.pcf file. If you do rename or delete index.pcf, your web visitors see a "Restricted" error message when using breadcrumb links.
Why can't I upload my image to the CMS?
Make sure you are uploading your image into an images folder. The image filename must be all lowercase with no spaces and under 1,000 kilobytes in size.
How do I embed a video?
Follow these steps to embed a video in a webpage. Also, refrain from uploading videos to the CMS and publishing them to the web server.
Someone has locked a webpage and is away. How can I unlock the checked-out page?
Preview the locked CMS page. Then follow the steps from the "How do I get more CMS help?" question to ask a CMS admin to check in the webpage.
How do I publish a page with known accessibility problems?
The CMS won't let you publish a page with accessibility problems. If the error message and suggested fix does not lead you to a solution, request help. Ensure you are on the CMS page with the accessibility error. Then follow the steps from the "How do I get more CMS help?" question.
How do I change the page heading?
In the CMS, check out the page by clicking or tapping the light bulb icon in the upper right. Make sure the light bulb icon is yellow. Select the Properties tab. The Parameters page appears. Change both the "Title" text field and the "Page Heading" text field. Click or tap Save. Publish the page.
How do I get a CMS account and training? Or gain additional CMS access?
Complete the "Edit Website Access" form. If your request is approved, IT Services grants your account or more access. After account creation, contact the Office of Marketing and Communication at webrequests@marquette.edu to schedule CMS training.
How do I change the header navigation?
From the CMS, use the Pages View List to locate the header-nav.pcf file. Click or tap header-nav.pcf. A sample page appears with the navigation and blurred filler content for the webpage.
-
To change the dropdown list items, click or tap the appropriate Dropdown Edit button. Make changes and save the dropdown. Publish when ready.
-
To rename or add dropdown lists, click or tap the light bulb icon to check out the header-nav.pcf file. Select the Properties tab. A Parameters page appears. Make edits and save. Publish when ready.
How do I set the header navigation highlight for a page?
You can show that a webpage belongs to a navigation section by setting a navigation highlight. Header navigation highlights use gold lettering, set against a darker blue background.
For example, let's say you have a header navigation item called "Faculty/Staff." For a faculty profile webpage, you want to set "Faculty/Staff" as a navigation highlight.
- Count off the navigation items in your header navigation — up to the item to highlight. So if the fourth header navigation item were "Faculty/Staff," note that item as "Four."
- Access the webpage in the CMS and click or tap the Light Bulb icon to check out the page.
- Select the Properties tab.
- The Parameters page appears. Scroll to the "Custom Settings" section.
- From the "Navigation Highlight" drop-down menu, select the navigation item number (e.g., "Four").
- Click or tap Save.
- You return to Preview Mode. Confirm you see the header navigation item highlighted.
- Publish when ready.
How do I change the footer?
Changing your website footer requires help from a CMS administrator. To request a footer change, follow the steps from the "How do I get more CMS help?" question.
How do I change the sidebar?
Sidebars come in three varieties.
- The sidebar is often an asset. See the "What are assets and how do I edit them?" question to make changes.
- If a site-wide sidebar is not among the assets, the sidebar content likely resides in the _props.pcf file. From the CMS, use the Pages View List and click or tap the _props.pcf file. Select the "Sidebar Content" edit button. Note: If you see "Asset name-given-here cannot be shown in WYSIWYG," then seek the named asset in the top bar under Content > Assets. Make changes and save. Publish when ready.
- The sidebar may be a local sidebar — specific to a single webpage. Edit the webpage. Select the "Sidebar Content" edit button. Make changes and save. Publish when ready.
How do I request a short URL redirect?
Short URLs automatically redirect to longer web addresses. Complete the "Redirect Request Form" from the Office of Marketing and Communication.
How do I request a new or revamped university website?
See the "Web Projects" section of the Office of University Relations website.
How can I get more CMS help?
Check the Modern Campus help documentation or ask a CMS administrator. To request help, in the upper right of the CMS, select the plug icon. A Gadgets column appears. Select "Request Help" and complete the form.
