Editing NCSSM.edu with WordPress

Owned by Will Mack, created
Last updated: Jan 25, 2024
6 min read

 

WordPress is an open source content management system (CMS) that combines simplicity for users and publishers with under-the-hood complexity for developers. It uses an editor called the Block Editor which has video, text, images and combinations of these elements in structures called blocks which may be dragged on to the screen. Wordpress is currently being used by several institutions in the UNC System including UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State University, two of our institutional neighbors.

Users must be given access to login to Wordpress to edit NCSSM.edu. They must also agree to the terms for a web editor. It’s best use a desktop to edit in Wordpress. Finally, see video below to setup Two-Factor Authentication which is required for all web editors.

Video Tutorials

https://www.loom.com/share/63694de4d2f947c5b78adb3deead4c61

https://www.loom.com/share/baf6c606ccf74a05a33d4c24bee4052c

https://www.loom.com/share/89245bc1dcb64a3e9fa5bd764570998d

Login 

If you are a designated editor on our main website, go to http://www.ncssm.edu/editors. On that page, enter your assigned username and password.

Forgot Your Password? Go to the Lost Your Password link to reset it. Enter your username or email address and Wordpress will email you a link that will allow you to log in and change your password. Email webmaster@ncssm.edu for assistance with this.

Setup Two-Factor Authentication

  1. If you are logged-in to Wordpress, select Login Security on the left-hand side, toward the bottom of the list. 

  2. Download one of the following apps to your mobile device:

    1. Authy:

    2. Duo:

    3. Google Authenticator: 

      1. Android:

      2. IOS:

    4. Microsoft Authenticator:

  3. Open the app you just downloaded and use it to scan the QR code on the screen with your mobile device.

  4. Enter the 6-digit code that is generated for this website. Ex. 123456

  5. Click the Activate button.

Dashboard Menu

Along the left side of the screen you will see several menus. Most content is under the Pages menu. For those who edit News, Stories, Events, or Courses, you may select one of those menus.

 

Edit a Page

  1. Select Pages > All Pages.

  2. Hover over the page that you want to edit and click Edit.

Editing Text

Click inside the text box and type. You will see a cursor where you are editing the text editor toolbar appears above it. See the screenshot below for formatting options.

Create a Text Link

  1. Highlight the text that you want to link.

  2. Select the link button.

  3. Begin to type the link and the box will search for pages in Wordpress as well as links on the Internet. Click the page to link to it.

  4. (Optional) Select the toggle if the link should open in a new tab.

  5. Click Enter/Return.

How to Single-Space Text

If you type text or paste in on the edit screen, press shift + enter/return on the keyboard to go to next line.

Log Out of Wordpress

  1. Select your username in the top right corner to open a drop-down menu.

  2. Click Logout.

Adding to the Media Library

  1. On the Dashboard, go to Media > Add New in the left sidebar.

  2. Select Select Files or drag an image or file to the screen to upload it.

  3. (Optional) Click Library on the left to view the image. It should be the farthest to the left of the image previews.

Creating a New Page

To create a subpage under a parent page:

  1. On the Dashboard, go to Pages > Add New in the left sidebar. Alternatively, you can also click the Add New button in the Pages screen.

  2. In the sidebar settings for the page, under Page Attributes, open the Parent Page drop-down menu. This will list all the Pages already created in your site.

  1. Select the desired page from the drop-down menu that you want to be the parent page for the current you are creating. The current page you are creating now becomes the subpage for the parent page you choose.

  1. You can change the order that your pages are displayed when using a default menu, by using the Order field of the Page Attributes module. Put the number 1 in the box for Order. This tells WordPress to display this page first on your site.

  2. Add a title for the page.

  3. Add body content for the page.

  4. Click Publish when ready.

Embed a Google Drive Video In a Page

  1. Get the video share link which should be in format: https://drive.google.com/file/……/view.

  2. View the link to the video and select the three vertical dots menu at the top right corner.

  3. Select Embed Item and copy the code that appears (Format: <iframe src=”” ></iframe>)

  4. On the Edit screen of a webpage in Wordpress, click the Add block to add an HTML element.

  5. Paste the video code into the HTML element. You can preview it by selecting the element and then the Preview tab.

Viewing Page Versions

You can see the number of revisions the webpage that you are editing in the sidebar. However, it may be hard to decipher which version to restore.

Add a Person to the Directory

  1. On the Dashboard, go to People > Add New in the left sidebar.

  2. Type the name of the person in the Title.

  3. Look to the Sidebar and select the Department and Campus Location (Locations).

  4. Scroll the Sidebar to see the Person Options. Note: This section may also appear at the very bottom of main content area.

  5. Type the Display (Preferred) Name, First Name, and Last Name for of the person.

  6. Type the Professional Title (or Committee for a Board member).

  7. Type the email address (@ncssm.edu) and work phone number.

  8. Scroll down and select a photo for the Thumbnail (under SEO & Listings)—the photo that shows for the directory.

  9. In the main Content area, type a Biography for the person.

  10. Select Publish at the top right to save the Directory Entry.

  11. Go to the Directory webpage, scroll to the Department listing.

  12. Search for the person, and select them to add them to the Department listing.

  13. Don’t forget to save the Directory webpage.

Remove a Person from the Directory

  1. Go to the Directory webpage and click Edit Page.

  2. Scroll down to the Department listing that includes employee to be deleted.

  3. Click the - symbol (minus) and then Remove.

  4. Go to the backend of Wordpress and select People.

  5. Search for and select Trash on the person who needs to be removed from the Directory. Note: Putting a “person” in the trash does not immediately delete them. They can be removed from the Trash within 30 days.