How to Apply the 2014 York Template to Your WordPress Website

In order to apply the new YorkU template to your WordPress website, you must have Administrator privileges. If you do not have this level of access to your website, please contact  IT Service Desk in order to make these changes to your site.

A new template has been released for the websites on the yorku.ca domain. As well, there is a new accompanying web style guide that specifies where certain types of content should now be displayed in on a page (eg. social media feeds, external links, promo buttons and events listings.)

Please see the York Communications Standards website for details regarding banner, layout, dimensions, and item placement.

In order to apply the new template to your WordPress-based website, a few steps must be followed:

  1. Assess your content
    The Grey-Sidebar (previous) template had set widths that are different than the dimensions of the new template.

    1. Banners are now 910px wide and span the full width of the page; they also follow a specific style (.psd files are provided for download at: http://www.yorku.ca/yorkweb/standards/templates/index.html)
    2. Content area is now 455px wide
    3. Right column area is now 210px wide

Simply switching templates may break the layout or affect the look of your page because items that previously fit no longer will. It is important that you take the time to properly adjust the dimensions of your media.

Please see the York Communications Standards website  for details regarding headers, layout, dimensions, and item placement.

  1. Log into your WordPress website
  2. Upload new headers & any resized media
    Click on Media > Add New

    1. Click on ‘Browse…’ and select the image you wish to upload from your computer
    2. Click ‘Upload’
    3. You will then see a list of all media uploaded to your site
    4. To see details or add information to an image, click on its name and you will be taken to a page with the options you can edit. This is where you find the image’s url and add its alt tag information.

Note: Any of the following changes to your site will be made live and be immediately visible to visitors as soon as you complete each step:

  1. Apply new template
    Click on Appearance > Themes. A list of all available themes will be shown. Find the template named York 2011 Template and click on ‘Activate’. On the next screen, once the installation is complete you will be notified that the template has been applied to your site.
  2. Apply new headers
    Click on Appearance > York Theme OptionsMain Page Header is the banner image to be used on the main page of your website; Secondary Page Header is the banner image to be used on the other pages of your website. Insert the appropriate url for each image. Note: even if you are using the same banner on your main page and secondary pages, it must be entered in both fields.
  3. Add Social Media Links (optional)
    Click on Appearance > York Theme Options (the same as Step 5)Insert any applicable links (urls) to your social media accounts. Appropriate buttons will automatically appear at the top of the right column on all your pages.
  4. Adjust Menus
    Your left-navigation menu will notautomatically display in the same spot as before. To fix this, do the following:

    1. Click on Appearance > Menus
    2. In the ‘Theme Location’ area (typically in the upper left corner of the page), select under ‘Primary Left Menu’ the menu you want to use for your left navigation

    Note: if your old left navigation used fly-out navigation, check to make sure that every element in your navigation points to a real page and not just a point marked with a pound (#) sign. If you do find an instance, create a real page and use that or delete the element from your navigation altogether.

  5. Update Widgets
    Content on your site that is placed via Plugins and Widgets (eg. feeds, calendars, menus, etc.) may not display in the same area with the new template as it did with the older version.In order to display the content-related Widgets used on your website, you must re-place them on your site. Reminder: review the Web Style Guidefor details about what should be placed where.Click on Appearance > Widgets
    A version of your old navigation may now appear in your Right Sidebar section. Remove or delete it as is the same or similar navigation as what was handled in section 7, above, and is inappropriate for this area of the page as per York’s Communication Style Guide.The Inactive Widgets (in the lower section of the page) is where the Widgets you previously used on your website have been moved. Move those you’d like to continue moving to the appropriate section (where you’d like the info to be displayed) on the right side of this page.
  6. Check your website in a browser and click through its pages
    Make note of any details that need tweaking and return to the administrator’s area to make those changes.

If you have any questions, please contact IT Service Desk.