Web templates for Departments

Additional information

Suggested changes considered and outcome

  • Improved Javascript for managing max and min width of pages. We tried to improve this and couldn't easily do it.
  • Changing relative links in template pack. The problem with doing this is that they will not then be right 'out of the pack' - I realise it is tiresome to change them from global/images to /global/images, for instance, but I think this is the right option.
  • CMS templates - Joomla, no; Wordpress; we have the a version ready for use; Drupal: there is a version for piloting. Falcon content management service sites will come pre-templated.
  • Different homepage template for Schools? Few enough Schools to do a case-by-case template when it is needed. Just ask.

Possible future changes

The work adapting the templates for Falcon has resulted in some adaptations that will be passed back into templates, including streamlining the stylesheets. It is hoped this can be completed in 2010. The following have been requested and will be considered during this work.

  • Modifying the way the appearance of images is controlled by the styles.
  • Possibility of adding extra content in left column, rather than just left hand navigation.
  • Adaption of stylesheets for smartphones.
  • Further levels of sub nav - currently just two levels of navigation in left-hand panel.
  • Space for more "news' style content and inserting news feeds in layout - the home page templates don't suit very news and event heavy sites such as http://www.classics.cam.ac.uk/. Sort out some styles for inserting a feed from talks.cam (and maybe other rss feeds) into a page.
  • Large or portrait logos (such as http://www.asnc.cam.ac.uk/) won't fit into the schemes suggested here.
  • Style for 'long pages' (toc, h2, etc.) such as http://www.cam.ac.uk/map/v4/help.html
  • Very lightweight template for dept intranet pages, reducing the height of the page header
  • Commonality of html across templates - for content management purposes
  • Javascript lhnav menu for collapsing and fly-out
  • Ability to plug in social applications at later date - would like to be able to move widget elements around the page, as on http://www.bbc.co.uk/
  • Short content pages should fill vertical space?
  • SSI include templates

If there are further requests for features, please let us know, and add them to https://wiki.csx.cam.ac.uk/websupport/Feature_requests.

Pages for printing

A stylesheet specially for printing, and some additional styles has now been included in the pack.

Browser/OS compatibility

These pages have been designed to take advantage of stylesheet features that all newer browsers can use, and which allow information to be presented for MS Internet Explorer 6 by way of a special additional stylesheet. Users of IE6 may see a pause before their pages settle to a perfect appearance - we are working on improving this. The appearance in older browsers will be different but ought to be acceptable, and the templates are AAA compliant. Given that newer versions of browsers are available that accommodate these standard features, it would be wise to ensure that your local user body either is upgraded or is aware of the potential for upgrading their browsers - their whole web experience is now substantially poorer with older browsers.

Stylesheets used

All stylesheets are supplied. When planned changes are made to improve mechanics and to add new features a mail will be sent to ucam-webmaster@lists.cam.ac.uk. At this point we are optimistic that changes can be made through the stylesheets alone, without need to further alter the templates.

The title of this document is: Use of University of Cambridge web design: Further additions, pages for printing, browser/OS compatibility, stylesheets used
URL: http://www.cam.ac.uk/about/webstyle/additional.html

Last updated: 12 April 2010