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Feature requests

A current listing of requests and improvements for the UCSC WordPress service.

Continuous improvements are underway to help you build a great web experience at UCSC.

On this page

Open requests

Accessibility updates: Ongoing
  • Description: Ongoing accessibility improvements are underway to improve the accessibility of the WordPress theme and elements used in the theme.
  • Status: Ongoing
Course listing display: Pending
  • Description: Allowing the owner to pull specific course from the course catalog to assemble an academic plan.
  • Status: In the request queue
Directory Block: Pending
  • Description: Improvements in display of the Directory block
  • Status: This is work currently in the development queue
News feed with images: In development
  • Description: Integrating images into RSS News feeds from sources like news.ucsc.edu
  • Status: In the request queue. Not available for RSS news feeds at the moment, and will be explored with redesign of news.ucsc.edu
  • Options: Using featured images in Posts created on your website, and the Post Lists block can generate thumbnail images.

Completed reviews

Bibliography citations
  • Description: Ability to generate bibliography style text citations on a page
  • Status: This can be completed with the WP-BibTEX plugin, which can be activated by website administrators.
Breadcrumbs
  • Description: Breadcrumbs are now in a fixed position on every page, except for the home page. This is an accessibility and usability update to help users navigate.
Calendars
  • Description: How to create and add events to my website.
  • Status: Use the existing UCSC Events Calendar and support documentation. Create events in the UCSC Events Calendar, and build a widget of events on your website.
Content scheduling
  • Description: Request to be able to schedule future dates for pages and posts.
  • Status: This is available functionality.
  • Notes: This applies to an entire page or post. This functionality does not apply to scheduling specific content on an page or post that is already published.
Data tables
  • Description: Request for data tables functionality to display large amounts of data in a sortable table format.
  • Status: The request is being evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
  • Notes: Data tables can easily encounter problems with accessibility and mobile responsiveness. Its recommended to find alternate solutions to these kinds of content layouts.
Editor access
  • Description: Ability to control roles for website editors through the Editor Access Manager Plugin
  • Status: The plugin is activated on all UCSC WordPress sites.
  • Notes: The plugin can create overly complicated workflows which may be better resolved offline through improving the workflow process about how your website content gets updated.
Hide content
  • Description: The ability to hide content from the desktop view in the mobile view.
  • Status: Not pursuing this request.
  • Notes: It is not a best practice to hide content based on screensize. Website editors should be editing content and designing for mobile first. From Google Search: “If it’s your intention that the mobile page should have less content than the desktop page, you can expect some traffic loss when your site is enabled mobile-first indexing, since Google can’t get as much information from your page as before. Instead of removing content, consider moving content into accordions or tabs to save space.”
Filtering
  • Description: Including the ability to sort and filter post content on a page.
  • Status: This functionality is available on a case by case basis. Request access via a help request to ITS Web Services.
  • Notes: For support, use the FacetWP Help Center.
Lists, nested ordered lists
  • Description: Ability with ordered lists to create a deeper hierarchy with sublists
  • Status: This is now core functionality for WordPress. How to create ordered lists.
Link icon, to off-site locations
  • Description: Ability to place an icon next to a link that goes to a different website.
  • Status: This is not expected to be default functionality added to the UCSC WordPress theme due to complexity in how to determine on-site/off-site links. This outcome can be achieved by creating an icon next to a link.
Media Library: folder structures
  • Description: Request to add foldering structure to the WordPress library.
  • Status: Not pursuing this request.
  • Notes: This feature may be part of a future WordPress core update, therefore we won’t be testing or implementing a new plugin to manage this. Recommend reviewing guidance on media library best practices.
Media Library: replacing media
  • Description: Adding functionality to include a replace existing media with another media file
  • Status: Not pursuing this request.
  • Notes: The plugin that was recommended did not meet expectations. We will look for WordPress to include this as core functionality. Recommend reviewing guidance on media library best practices.
Photo galleries
  • Description: Ability to create a photo gallery
  • Status: This can be achieved using the WordPress “Gallery” block
Pop ups and modals
  • Description: Inclusion of pop ups and modals to take over the screen
  • Status: Not pursuing this request.
  • Notes: This content solution is not recommended for usability and accessibility reasons. Recommend looking into ways to display important content with the current UCSC WordPress environment.
Primary navigation dropdown update
  • Description: Adding multiple dropdown levels, and sections to dropdowns.
  • Status: Not pursuing this request.
  • Notes: The theme was intentionally developed not to include complex navigational options to ensure better usability with the UCSC WordPress platform.
Search Engine Optimization
  • Description: Request to add search engine optimized (SEO) structured data to pages.
  • Status: The Simple SEO plugin is available as a plug in, although it duplicates functionality already built into pages and posts.
  • Recommendations:
    • Use keywords in your page title and on the page
    • Create unique and clear page titles
    • Create unique and clear url structures
    • Use the Excerpt feature on the page to custom create the page summary to display in search engine result pages
    • In most cases, the best SEO we can deliver is to make sure keywords are included in page titles, page summaries, and in our url structure. Then, by marketing your content by developing inbound links. Source: Moz Beginner’s Guide to SEO.
Slideshow/Carousel
  • Description: Request to add slideshow/carousel functionality
  • Status: Not pursuing this request.
  • Options: Recommend not using carousels, and instead consider other design options. MetaSlider and SlideIn are two options that are being evaluated for use with UCSC WordPress websites.
Sticky content blocks
  • Description: Ability for content to move with page scrolling
  • Status: Not pursuing this request. Looking for WordPress to add this as core functionality.
  • Options: While there are options to include sticky content in the UCSC WordPress theme, it does not integrate properly with the UCSC WordPress theme. We do not recommend using this functionality at this time.
Tabs
  • Description: The ability to add in-page tabs for layout purposes.
  • Status: Not pursuing this request.
  • Notes: Tabs tend to hide information on a page, which means content may not be discovered. It is not recommended to use tabs for content design.
Timelines
  • Description: The ability to add a pre-built timeline into content.
  • Notes: Make a request to the Web Service to turn on the Cool Timeline plugin. CoolTimeline documentation.
Video hero/billboard
  • Description: Request for full width into hero/billboard video integration with the ability to turn autoplay on/off for accessibility.
  • Status: Embedding video is a current function in WordPress

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Last modified: Dec 05, 2024