HOW DO I CREATE A CASCADE PAGE?

As defined by Hannon Hill, pages are one of the core asset types in the Cascade CMS. Pages represent the grouping of template, content, blocks, and more that a user publishes to the web. Essentially, your ‘page’ becomes a new web page.

To add a page:

  • Login to Cascade
  • Choose either the Ag or Extension site and sub-folder you want to create a page within.
  • Choose a sub-folder you want to create a page within (you must have write access to this folder).
  • Click Add Content > More Page Layouts > select a pre-configured sub-page Asset Factory or use the default Ag Extension Sub Page and add your own block sections in any combo you want.
Any of these Asset Factory page choices would add a page template to your site that you can then adjust as needed. For example, use the 'Media' Asset Factory to start with a page that has some pre-selected media blocks you can edit, move, or delete. Click each link below to view an Asset Factory example:

You can now make page drafts, submit a draft, and then publish the page to make it appear on the live site.

WATCH exampleSTYLE GUIDE

FAQ

Q: Why create a page?
A:  A page can be used to display static information content consumers want. A page can also display videos, images, news, and events when specific blocks are added to any page.

Q: How do I create a sub-site?
A: Choose Add Content and a new folder, and name the folder what you want the site name to be. For example, extension.purdue.edu/department/new-site-name-me then add the site's first page. Don't forget to name all files (pages, folders, images, etc.) with lowercase characters such as index for index.html landing pages.

Q: Why are headings important on a page?
A: The order of headings on your page matters. It is important for those with Screen readers, it is important for users, and it is important for SEO and Google indexing. Learn more about headers.

Q: What are the banner Carousel and Introduction sections?
A: All pages have the option for banner and information sections. Enabling the banner block section allows content creators to add images, titles, headings, and call-to-action banners that rotate at the top of a page.

Enabling the introduction block section adds a two-column info section where content creators can add overview information and point of contact information.

Example of a banner and introduction block sections:

screenshot example of a banner block on top of an information block

Q: Why would I add a page banner on a page?
A: Banners are used as a form of marketing your website. This banner is the first opportunity to grab a viewer's attention and provide a strategic call to action button to interact with. 

Cascade has two options to create a banner:

  1. The Carousel banner: This option is ideal when you have a series of images and call to actions to showcase. These banner "slides" rotate left-to-right. It is recommended to add no more than three banner slides to not overwhelm content consumers. 
  2. The Simple Banner (a single banner image). This option works when you have a single image with a single call to action to promote or advertise your content. Please provide a good title and sub-heading to grasp user attention (follow SEO best practices) to direct traffic to the right place.

Q: Can I change the background of the Introduction block section on my Cascade pages?
A: You can update the background image of any page with the new design-compliant options available in the Introduction block section. To change the current background image, simply click on the current image and select a new option from the list of available choices.

Background image options include:

Q: What are some best practices for creating a button for a good Call to Action?
A: CTAs are used to persuade your content consumers to perform a click action. For example, learn more, download here, and sign up. All CTA(s) must be 40 characters or less and should begin with a verb.

Q: How can I quickly locate my site's pages?
A: Any Cascade asset to include a Page can be set as a favorite for faster navigation by an editor. Learn more in the initial training video. You can also use the My Content area to find assets you have worked on or are in draft status.

Q: Why is my new site not loading?
A: Could be the site folder does not have a page named index. An index.html named landing page is required for a Cascade site to index and work. Only one index.html landing page is possible per folder.

Q: How long does it take for a published page to show up on the live site?
A: PIT publishes our Cascade sites on a top-of-the-hour and every 15 minutes after. For example, Cascade published at 9 am and then again at 9:15, 9:30, and 9:45. Additionally, all user-submitted Cascade assets and sites are forced to publish every morning between midnight and 6 am.

Q: Can a page be set not to publish and index?
A: Yes. A page can be 'unpublished' and set to not index again. Learn more here.

Q: How do I work with long-term page drafts?
A: Learn more here.

Q: How do site and on-page navigation work?
A: Learn more here.

Q: How do I add an image to a WYSWIG block and align it?
A: This video explains how to add an image using the WYSIWYG block editor. Try this process if you have issues aligning an image in the WYSIWYG block editor do this:

  1. Add your image
  2. Add a caption
  3. Then use the align-left-middle-or-right via the paragraph alignment option buttons in the WYSIWYG menu.

Q: Can I create anchored links in Cascade?
A: Yes. You can use the WYSIWYG Editor to add anchored links. Learn more here.