Getting to Know Cascade Server (Content Management System or CMS)
Cascade Server, aka The CMS, is a content management system or software used here at Yavapai College for web authors like ourselves when we want to create, update and manage our web pages.
Although it's a very powerful tool, it's not complicated to use. Once we discover and understand a very few, simple elements of this system we have the ability to easily build attractive pages that communicate our information very well to the intended visitor.
1. Cascade Server & FireFox - The Dynamic Duo of YC Web Authors
Although most of us use the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser, there is another one, which looks and operates similarly with one exception -- it is standards compliant. Ultimately, we need to use Firefox.
If you don't already have Firefox installed on your computer, please follow these directions:
- Use your web browser and visit Get Firefox
- Click in the big green box that says "Free Download"
- Run and install the new browser
During the installation process you will be asked if you want to "import" bookmarks / favorites. You don't need to do that unless you want to.
2. Cascade Server Login Screen
Login Instructions
- Login at http://yccms.yc.edu
- Enter your YC Network username
- Enter your YC Network password
- Press the "Log In" button
If you do not have access, or if you do not have the level of access you need, please contact Kate Kohl at 928-717-7681 or email Kate Kohl
3. Dashboard Screen
The dashboard is the entry sceen when you successfully log into Cascade Server. You can always return to the screen by pressing the "Home" button in the blue navigation bar in the top left corner of the screen.
Below the blue navigation bar, in the left panel is the primary folder structure.
TIP: You will find your department folder by clicking on the v4content folder near the bottom, left corner (see screenshot below).
4. The v4content Folder
The v4content folder contains the majority of the pages that form the YC.edu web site. This is the folder that you will click on first when navigating to your department web pages.
You will notice the left column lists department folders in alphabetical order. Scroll down to find your department's master folder.
5. Specific Department Folders
Your department folder contains all of the web pages, images and documents that form your website. This is the folder that you will navigate to in order to create new pages, edit existing web pages and when you upload documents or images.
As an organized web author, you'll quickly realize that by creating a couple of folders within your img or docs folders, let's say one for staff photos, and another for pdfs, you will ultimately keep your website content clutter-free and easy to maintain.
Hierarchy for a Department folder (see screenshot below):
- At the top level (in your department's master folder) you will store your .htm files (web pages)
- An img folder, for all uploaded images.
Note: please DO NOT make other folders, only new folders within the img folder. - A docs folder, for all uploaded documents.
Note: please DO NOT make other folders, only new folders within the docs folder.
TIP: You may find that you will want to have additional folders within the docs folder or the img folder, just for .pdfs, .docs, .xls, .jpg and so on.
6. Creating a New Page
New Page, Part #1 - Creating
- Use the folder hierarchy in the left column to navigate to your department folder, clicking on the folder so that it's contents are visible in the right panel.
- Up in the blue bar, click New » v4 Web Page
New Page, Part #2 - System Naming
Every item in your department folder, whether it's a webpage, folder, or document, must have a system name. For new web pages, the Cascade Server even puts placeholder text into the system name's field box. You must change this to what you want it to be.
- Enter the page's name in lowercase letters with no spaces (may include numbers as well). You may use dashes or an underscore between words, such as "new-students" or "information_form".
- Click the "Submit" button below
Error Message Alert:
Are you getting this error message? You've tried to make a web page without including a system name in the System Name field box.
Type the name you want for the webpage in lower case letters, no spaces included, and click the "Submit" button again.
New Page, Part #3 - Metadata Naming
Giving your webpage metadata populates the breadcrumbs in the beige bar and the links in your department navigation box (see screenshot above).
If the metadata is blank, your page will not be accessible to the public through the breadcrumbs and navigation links.
By filling in the "Display Name" and "Title" fields with the title of the your webpage (see screenshot below), you can make the name appear in the breadcrumbs and navigation box. Keep in mind that this is different than the page's system name).
If you are ready to make your web page live and accessible to the public, follow the steps below.
- Click on the "Metadata" link up at the top in the blue bar, and the Metadata fields will pop down.
- Delete the placeholder text "Display Name" and type a new name in Upper & Lower Case with Spaces. Numbers can be included.
- Delete the placeholder text "Title" and type a new name in Upper & Lower Case with Spaces. Numbers can be included.
- (Optional) Enter the Start Date and Stop Date if the page that you are creating will need to begin running in the future, and has a definite day where the data will no longer be relevant.
- Click the "Submit" button below (if you did not do this previously)
If you do NOT want the public to be able to see your web page until you are finished with it or temporarily want to hide it, please remove both the Display Name and the Title fields, making sure they are blank.
(You may need to publish your department folder again. See Section 8, Publishing a Page or Folder).
TIP: Keep your "Display Name" and "Title" as short as possible. You may use puntuation, capitals, and spaces like normal typing.
New Page, Part #4 - Entering the Content
Now that you have created a new page, named and saved it, you can begin to add the content.
After taking a little time to decide how you want your page content to look, you will need to open the HTML Source Editor window in order to format different elements of your content. Follow the steps below.
- Click on the "page's system name" in the left panel
- Click on the "Edit" tab over on the right panel
- The content for the page will be visible and editable below on the right
- Click on the "HTML" icon in the tool bar across the top to open the HTML Editor window for HTML editing
TIP: The WYSIWYG editor is fine for simple text changes, text links, bolding and italicizing of text, but the addition of page content is best done with simple, easy HTML.
7. HTML Editor Interface
Formatting your text with HTML will make your content easily readable and attractive at the same time. Examples may include having a large header at the top of the page that serves as a page title, paragraphs of text, yellow sticky note boxes containing important information, and bullet lists.
Please refer to the other Web 101 tutorial pages provided by Web Services for a complete guide of HTML formatting tags designed for our department template. (Go back to Web Author Tutorials main page)
TIP: HTML tags you'll quickly learn in order to format your content in an easily readable manner:
<h1></h1> (header, size large, with green background)
<h2></h2> (header, size medium, with underline)
<h3></h3> (header, size small, with underline)
<p></p> (paragraph, for a block of text)
<ol></ol> (ordered list, with numbers)
<ul></ul> (unordered list, with green bullets)
<li></li> (list item that goes inside your ul and ol tags)
Need an HTML Interactive Beginners Tutorial? Or just a refresher? Go to online website here.
- After editing the html code, click the "Update" button below. If you think you've made a mistake, click the "Cancel" button.
Spell Checker
Once you click the "Submit" button at the bottom of the Edit window, the CMS system will do spell checking and other tests on your code. If there are mis-spelled words you will have a couple of options:
- modify the text by typing in a new word
- accept a suggested spelling
- add the word to your dictionary in the CMS system
- ignore the word
Click the "Submit"button when you are finished.
Table Checker
If you are working with a table, although it's not very common, you may receive an error for not having a "table summary"
- add a table summary and the error will cease
Click the "Submit" button when you are finished.
8. Publishing a Page or Folder
Once you have completed all of your edits to a web page, you will need to publish the page so that it is visible to the general public. Follow the steps below.
- Select the web page or folder you want to publish
- Click on the "Publish" tab over of the right panel
- Click the "Submit" button below
- Click the "Cancel" button below if you saw an error in your content
Depending on how many "publish jobs" are in the Active Jobs queue, it could be moments or minutes before your page is published.
When do you need to publish a folder? You need to publish any folder containing webpages after you delete one or add new web pages into it. This will update the links in the navigation box found in the upper right side of the department web pages. (see also Section 11: Navigation Box Order)
TIP: The entire website is published nightly. If your pages don't have a start or stop date, your old and new pages will be published, too.
9. Uploading a File (documents or images)
TIP: There is a limit to the size of file that the Cascade Server will successfully upload. You MUST reduce the size of your files whenever possible, especially for pdfs containing many images. The file size limit is 16.38 MB.
- Create the file (if you haven't already) and put a copy of it on your desktop. This will make it easier to find.
- In the Cascade Server, navigate to the folder in which you want to store the file
- Click on New » File
- Click on the "Browse" button and locate your file
- Highlight the file, click the "Open" button in the dialogue box that appears, and it will be ready for uploading
(check to be sure that you are currently in the folder you want to upload the files into, otherwise, you will need to click the yellow folder icon just above the "Submit" button and will need to navigate to that folder) - Click the "Submit" button
Error Message Alert:
Are you getting this error message? You haven't reduced the size of your file to under 16.38 megabytes (MB).
You can do this by opening your pdf file in Adobe Acrobat Professional and reducing the file size.
TIP: The process described above is applicable for most file types you would upload for your web pages such as .pdf, .doc, .jpg, .gif, .xls, .rtf and so forth.
10. Uploading a ZIP archive (Multiple Documents)
TIP: The ".zip" file format allows you to store more than one document, image, etc., into a single file. If you have more than one file that you need to upload to the server in order to display on web pages, then creating and uploading a .zip file is the perfect solution
- Create a .zip file and be aware of its location on your computer (desktop, a folder, etc.)
- Navigate to the folder that you want the contents of the .zip archive to be extracted to
- Click on Tools » Zip Archive
- Click on the "Browse" button to locate your file
- Highlight the file, press the "Open" button in the dialogue box that appears, and it will be read for uploading
(Check to be sure that you are currently in the folder you want to upload the files into, otherwise, you will need to click the yellow folder icon just above the "Submit" button and will need to navigate to that folder) - Click the "Submit" button
11. Changing the Order of Your Web Pages in the Navigation Box
From top to bottom, you can change the order of the links (web pages) that appear in your department's navigation box.
Follow the three steps below.
1. Click on the word "Order" at the top of the Order column. Make sure the number "1" is at the top, and the page is the default page. If it isn't, find the default page in the list of items and click the blue arrow that moves it all the way to the top of the list (see the following step).
2. Click on the blue arrows on the far right to move the items up or down, either one position at a time, or all the way up or down the list.
3. Click the "Publish" tab to publish the contents when you are finished. After a few minutes, you should see the order in the navigation box change only after you refresh your browser window.
12. Making a Link to a Document (or Webpage)
TIP: Making a link to another webpage is the same process. After clicking the Browse button, choose a webpage (blue page icon) instead of a document in the docs folder.
1. The first step is to upload your document into the docs folder, which is contained in your deparment's master folder.
You cannot make a link to the desired document until you have uploaded it into the CMS.
2. The second step is to highlight the text that you want to become a link.
You will notice the Make a Link and Break a Link icons activate in the toolbar above. Click the Make a Link icon.
3. The Insert/Edit Link window will appear after you click the Make a Link icon. There are 2 tabs, Internal and External. The Internal is always the tab that is at default and you will make most links internal within the CMS (if you have an external link to make, outside of www.yc.edu, then click on the External tab).
Click the Browse icon.
4. A second window, entitled Please choose a File, Page, or Symlink, will appear. Click in the left column to navigate to the file's location (docs folder). Find the file you want and click on its name in the list.
Then click the Confirm button.
The Please Choose File window will close, and you will return to the Insert/Edit Link window.
Choose New Window in the drop-down menu if you are linking to a document. Then click the Insert button. You are finished making a link.
