Any content added to a PDX.edu site must be accessible to users with disabilities and follow appropriate legal guidelines. Additional information can be found in PSU’s Digital Accessibility, Digital Privacy, and Copyright policies.
Written content
While most paragraph blocks allow only basic text entry, some allow more complex formatting options. Most of the formatting options are self-explanatory, however, there are a few that require additional information.
Copying written content from other sources
Content copied from external sources such as an email or document will try to keep the original formatting. There are two ways to fix this:
When pasting, use ctrl+shift+v (PC) or command+shift+v (Mac) to paste as plain text.
After pasting, highlight the content and select the Tx button in the toolbar to clear the formatting.
Using headings
Text paragraph blocks allow you to manage your own content headings using the “Format” dropdown; in most other paragraph blocks the heading structure is set by the paragraph block title.
A few things to remember about headings:
Headings are applied to section titles so visitors using screen readers can "skim" a page to understand its structure and content.
Maintain the appropriate heading structure. Apply Heading 2 to main section titles, Heading 3 is applied to heading 2 subsection titles, Heading 4 is applied to heading 3 subsection titles, etc.
Headings should never be used for emphasis; use bold, italics, or block quotes for those options.
Although Heading 1 is shown as an option, do not use Heading 1. That will create severe accessibility issues.
Adding tables
Tables should only be used for tabular content, never for visual layout. Tabular content is written content that has a clear header row or column.
To make a table, select the Table button and complete the Table Properties popup. Things to include:
Select a header row or column in the Headers dropdown. This is a component of accessibility as it helps a person using a screen reader navigate the table.
Change the table width to "100%". This makes the table responsive to devices of different screen sizes (you don't want a fixed width).
Important notes:
Tables can be added to any text block, but they should only be used in the “Text: 1 Column” block. They don’t display correctly in other blocks.
Links should never be added to a header row or column as the color contrast between the background and the linked text is not sufficient for accessibility purposes.
Including block quotes
Block quotes allow you to add emphasis to important content on a page. To add a block quote:
Highlight the text you want in the block quote
Center-align the text
Select the quotation marks in the formatting menu
The block quote text won't look different on the Edit tab. However, when you save the page the text will be larger and a different color/style.
Making relative links
Relative links are links that don’t require the full URL because they link to a page on the same domain (eg. www.pdx.edu) as the source page. Fully external links require the full URL.
On your site, there are three kinds of relative links you can make. These instructions are not all-encompassing, but you can use them as a starting point:
Links internal to your site (for CTA and Link paragraph blocks)
In the URL field, begin typing the page title.
Select the correct page title from the list of options that appears.
Links external to your site but internal to www.pdx.edu (for CTA and Link paragraph blocks)
Enter the URL into the URL field.
Replace http://www.pdx.edu/ with /../
Relative links in Text paragraphs
In the link popup, select "Other" as the protocol
In the URL, replace https://www.pdx.edu/ with /../.
Setting anchor links
Anchor links direct visitors to a specific section of a page, rather than the top of a page. Terms you’ll want to be familiar with:
Anchor: the destination; where the link directs the visitor. These can only be made in Text paragraph blocks.
Anchor link: the link that takes a visitor to the anchor. These can be made in any paragraph block type; they do not have to be in the same block or page as the anchor.
Make an anchor
Add or edit a Text paragraph block.
Place your cursor where you want the visitor to end up (the final destination)
Select the Anchor button (it looks like a flag) from the formatting menu
Type in the anchor name in the popup that appears
Anchor names must be all one word (no spaces). For example: anchorname
Pay attention to your capitalization, it must be replicated in the anchor link
Add an anchor link to a page
After creating the anchor, you can create and test the link. There are three ways to create the link, depending on where the link is in relation to the anchor:
The link and anchor are in the same text block:
Create a link by selecting the Link button from the formatting options for the text block. In the pop-up window, select “Link to anchor in the text” as the link type, then select the correct anchor from the list of options.
The link and anchor are in different blocks on the same page:
In the URL field for the link, enter #anchor-name; for example: #classesregistration. Note: if entering the link in a text block, you’ll want to select “<other>” as the protocol (rather than “https://”).
The link and anchor are on different pages:
Images
Images should be no larger than 1MB (1,000KB). While the site will allow you to upload larger files, once you reach a certain file size the file/image will upload but not function. Additionally, do not use photo editing software to create image collages or add text to an image.
Your pages will display differently depending on your visitor’s screen size (mobile, tablet, desktop). As such, your images will adapt to different screen sizes which means you cannot guarantee the full photo collage or text will always be visible.
Choosing image dimensions
These are approximate sizes, you can go larger but we do not recommend choosing smaller image dimensions.
Large Hero and CTA: Full-Width Image: 2000x700 (WxH)
Other Blocks: 650x650 (WxH)
Text Blocks: There are no pre-set sizes for images in text blocks. As such, you must upload images that are already customized to the size you want. Some recommended widths are:
Small: 250px
Medium: 400px
Large/Full span: 800px
Event image: 455x325 (WxH)
News Article image: 945x520 (WxH)
Upload an image
Use the admin menu to navigate to “Content ￫ Media ￫ Add Media ￫ Image”. A few things to note:
Selecting a focus point for your image
You can set a Focal Point so one section of your image will always be visible, no matter which paragraph block it’s used in, or your visitor’s screen size. To set a focal point:
On a newly uploaded image
After uploading the image, a thumbnail of the image will appear.
Select and drag the crosshairs on top of the thumbnail to change the focal point.
Save your changes.
On a saved image
Use the admin menu to navigate to “Content ￫ Media”.
Select the image you want to edit, to open the editing screen.
Select and drag the crosshairs on top of the image thumbnail to change the focal point.
Save your changes.
A few things to note
Each image has only one focal point, so the set focus will impact every location on your site where the image is used.
You can preview the new focal point by selecting “Preview” beneath the image thumbnail, before saving your changes.
Videos
All content on the public-facing PDX.edu website must be accessible to people with disabilities. Accessibility is not only an important part of building a welcoming and inclusive university culture; it’s also PSU policy. This means that all PDX.edu multimedia content must include the following:
accurate, synchronized captions;
an accompanying transcript; and
audio or text descriptions for any visual elements not accurately accompanied by equivalent audio.
These features ensure that people with vision or hearing disabilities can access your multimedia content. It also allows for greater accessibility and usability for those who are second language learners, those with cognitive learning disabilities, or those who are simply trying to watch a video in a loud or distracting environment.
The Digital Accessibility Basic Training Series offers a good example of accessible multimedia content. Note that the narrator provides an audio description of visual information at the end of each video. This is an important practice to emulate when generating new multimedia content.
Captioning & transcription options
Caption Your Own Multimedia Content
Content developers may generate captions and transcripts themselves using video hosting sites like Youtube and Media Space. Both of these services offer machine-generated captions and accompanying editing tools. Please note that machine captions are not fully accessible for people with disabilities and must be edited for accuracy. Follow these steps to caption your own Multimedia content on YouTube or Media Space:
Request Professional Captioning and Transcription
Affordable professional captioning and transcription services are currently available through OIT at a cost of $1 per video minute. Follow these steps to request paid, professional captioning and transcription:
Upload your multimedia content to Media Space.
Submit a Caption Request for PDX.edu Multimedia.
Allow 5-7 business days for your request to process.
Using Media Space captions and transcripts
Currently, you cannot embed Media Space videos on pdx.edu, only YouTube videos. You can, however, download the captions from Media Space and upload them to YouTube. You would then embed the captioned YouTube video and upload the associated Media Space transcript to pdx.edu.
To Download Captions:
Log in to PSU Media Space to access your video.
Select the Actions button.
In the resulting Actions menu, select Edit.
In the resulting Edit view, select the Captions tab.
In the Captions tab, select Download to access the SRT file.
Upload your original video to YouTube.
Add the SRT file to your YouTube video.
To Download Transcripts:
Log in to PSU Media Space to access your video.
In the “Attachments tab,” download the .txt file.
After embedding your captioned YouTube video, upload your transcript to pdx.edu and include a link immediately below the video.
Refer to pdx.edu/accessibility for an example.
Uploading videos
Our site does not have the bandwidth to host videos on the site itself. As such, your videos must be hosted externally using programs such as YouTube. To upload a video:
Use the admin menu to navigate to “Content ￫ Media ￫ Add Media ￫ Video Embed” to access the video embed form.
Enter the remote video URL. Supported resources are YouTube and Gfycat.
Getting the Remote Video URL for YouTube
Navigate to the video you want to embed.
Select the Share link under the video.
Copy the URL in the popup.
Getting the Remote Video URL for Gfycat
Gfycat is best used when uploading your own videos to turn into gifs. These can then be used in large and small hero headers and other blocks to give video snapshots that auto-play.
Navigate to the gif you want to use.
In the right-sidebar select “Copy” (it looks like a piece of chain).
Embedding videos
You can embed videos in Text paragraph blocks using the standard formatting options.
Alternatively, there are two other paragraph blocks that allow you to embed a video instead of an image:
To use embed a video in either of those blocks, select "Add Media" as if you are adding an image. In the pop-up, there is an option for "Video Embed" in the left sidebar.
Documents
Before uploading a document, ask yourself if it really should be a document. Web content is the easiest kind of content to make accessible, and is easier to update while maintaining accessibility.
Ideally, you should only upload documents if they're intended for print distribution. If you have information that's not intended to be printed, then you consider making it a web page instead.
All documents must be made accessible to users with disabilities prior to uploading the document. You cannot modify the document after upload. To make a document accessible, follow the instructions on the Resources page of the Accessibility site.
If you have questions or need further assistance, you can email help-accessibility@pdx.edu.
Uploading documents
Use the admin menu to navigate to “Content ￫ Media ￫ Add Media ￫ File”. A few notes:
The name the file is saved under on your computer determines the document name; make sure that name is the same as the one you enter in the “Name” field.
The “Summary” field is currently non-functioning; do not invest time in entering a summary.
Linking to documents
Since documents change over time, and the URL for a given document changes every time the document is updated, the best practice is to create a redirect to the document. That way the redirect is the only thing that needs to be updated when the document URL changes; visitor bookmarks and existing links would still use the same redirect URL.
When making the redirect, you’ll need the document URL. Use these instructions to get the document URL:
Use the admin menu to navigate to “Content ￫ Files”.
Find the file you want, either by using the search of by manually looking for it.
Open the options menu. Using a mouse and keyboard: Right-click (PC) or ctrl+click (Mac).
Choose "Copy Link Address", "Copy Link URL", or whichever similar verbiage your browser uses.
Deleting documents
After you delete a document, it no longer displays in the "Media" section of your site. However, it will take up to a full day for the document to be removed from the "Files" section of your site.
Embedding external content
Content from other sources, such as Google Calendar and YouTube, can be embedded using an iframe. Most programs that allow content to be embedded elsewhere allow you to create iframes which are then inserted into the page’s HTML. Your site has a built-in method to create iframes in the Text: 1 Column paragraph block.
Do be aware that embedding external content is appropriate for stand-alone widgets and elements that supplement PDX.edu content; they are not intended to replicate entire other sites. If there is an existing well-developed external resource, link to that content instead. This is a mutual benefit as it reinforces the connection between content through interlinking and page views.
Make an iframe
To add a new iframe:
Log in to your site and navigate to the page where you want to add the iframe.
Add a new Text: 1 Column paragraph block to the page.
Select the iframe menu item in the formatting menu (it looks like a world).
Complete the popup window. A few notes:
URL: this is not the full iframe embed code, just the URL extracted from that code.
The width can be set to exact numbers (eg. 600px) or percentages (eg. 100%); height can only be set to exact numbers. You may need to play around with sizing to get the desired fit.
Select Ok to close the pop-up; on the edit page, the iframe will show as a box with the words iframe in it. It will display appropriately when the page is saved.
Embedding a Google calendar
You can embed a Google Calendar using an iframe. However, there are a few added steps you need to take, to ensure the calendar is accessible:
On a computer, open Google Calendar. You can only get the code to embed in your website from a computer, not the Google Calendar app.
In the top right, select the Settings menu (it looks like a gear) and then Settings.
On the left side of the screen, select the name of the calendar you want to embed.
Select "Integrate Calendar" in the menu that expands under the calendar name you selected.
Copy the "Public URL to this calendar" section URL. For example, the Public URL to my 1:1 help calendar is:
https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=pdx.edu_p6hjlahv1gsmk0e8g6oereldh4%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America%2FLos_Angeles
Open some kind of text editor and paste the URL in it. This is just for temporary purposes so we can edit this URL.
Replace everything before src= in the URL with:
https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?showTitle=0&showNav=0&showDate=0&showPrint=0&showCalendars=0&showTz=0&mode=agenda&height=600&wkst=1&bgcolor=%23FFFFFF&
Example: the new URL for my 1:1 calendar is:
https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?showTitle=0&showNav=0&showDate=0&showPrint=0&showCalendars=0&showTz=0&mode=agenda&height=600&wkst=1&bgcolor=%23FFFFFF& src=pdx.edu_p6hjlahv1gsmk0e8g6oereldh4%http://40group.calendar.google.com &ctz=America%2FLos_Angeles
Copy the new URL, this will be used for the iframe.
A few notes:
When creating the iframe, set the width to 100% and the height to 600px.
Calendars with appointment slots cannot be embedded; they only display the scheduled appointments, not the available times to book. For appointment calendars, use a call to action to link to the appointment calendar.