Intro to the Basics: Setting Up & Editing Your Website

In this class, we will introduce you to the block editor and teach you how to complete essential tasks such as editing your homepage; adding and editing interior pages and posts; formatting text and adding links; inserting images, videos and other embeds; and updating your site’s menus, header and footer.

Throughout the course, we will also review the WashU Web Theme’s design and editorial standards and best practices, which help create a consistent, user-friendly experience for visitors to all WashU websites.

Prerequisites

You must have Admin access to your site in order to manage the site as described in this training session. If you are not an admin, or if you are not sure, have a site admin update your user role or contact sites@wustl.edu for assistance.

If you’re brand new to editing websites, we recommend a quick introduction to website basics before attending this class. Watch this video on the parts of web design, and you should be ready to go. (Video length is 7:16).

If you’ve coded a website or used a tool like Dreamweaver but have no content management (CMS) experience, we recommend you watch this video on CMS fundamentals before attending this class. (Video length is 2:54). You’ll find CMS-ing quite different from hand-coding!

Upcoming Sessions:
April 29, 2024 | 3–4 p.m.

Advanced Tools: Enhancing Your Website

In this class, you will learn to maximize your content using additional Web Theme features. Topics include:

  • People, Places and Items, a custom post type that allows you to add and display information about similar objects in a standard way;
  • Events and Calendars; and
  • Formidable Forms, the plugin WashU Sites uses for web forms such applications and registrations, surveys and contact information.

Prerequisites

All prerequisites for the Intro the Basics course (above) apply to Advanced Tools as well.

This course is designed for people who are very familiar with WordPress, the WashU Web Theme and the block editor. We strongly recommend you attend our Intro to the Basics course first.

Upcoming Sessions:
April 30, 2024 | 3–4:30 p.m.