New DesignPLUS Sidebar

Owned by Rob Caldwell
Last updated: Apr 05, 2024
4 min read

The new DesignPLUS Sidebar is easier to use out of the box (especially for new and basic users), more intuitive to customize, and contains many new features. A lot has changed, so we recommend looking through the training materials provided on this page.

You can transition to using the new sidebar at your own pace. Content you have created with the legacy sidebar will never stop working, but the legacy sidebar will stop receiving updates December 2024, so we recommend you move to the new sidebar sometime prior to end of year 2024.

Currently, DesignPLUS defaults to using the legacy sidebar, but this will change to the new, sidebar on June 1, 2024.

To ease the transition and give you ample time to migrate content, you'll be able to switch between the new editor and the legacy version until December 31, 2024. After this date, only the new sidebar will be available.

 

Getting Started with the new DesignPLUS Sidebar

Opening the DesignPLUS Sidebar in Canvas

To open the DesignPLUS sidebar in Canvas, use the keyboard shortcut Alt-Shift-D (Windows) or Option-Shift-D (Mac) any time you are editing content in canvas to open the tools.

Switching to the New Sidebar

NCSSM is set up to default to the legacy sidebar, but anyone can switch between using the new sidebar and the legacy sidebar at any time. You can switch between versions using the Keyboard Shortcuts (Alt/Option-Shift-V)

NCSSM will default to the new sidebar starting June 1, 2024.

To switch from the legacy sidebar:

  1. Click the gear icon in the legacy sidebar

     

  2. Select Try New Version. The page will reload with the option to load the new sidebar.

 

We recommend enabling the “Show Launch Button” in the new sidebar the first time you open it. To do this:

  1. Click on the kebab menu in the new sidebar. This will open the “more” menu. Select User Settings.

     

  2. Select “Show Launch Button”

 

The first time you use the new sidebar to edit a page, you will be prompted to update the content on the page to work with the new sidebar.

Select Go to the Upgrade Tool and upgrade all elements on the page.

Once you upgrade page elements, you will only be able to use the new sidebar to edit the page. You cannot revert back to editing with the legacy sidebar once page elements are upgraded.

 

Switching Back to the Legacy Sidebar

If you wish to switch back to using the legacy sidebar on pages that have not been upgraded, do the following:

  1. In the new sidebar, click the kebab menu to open the more options menu. Select User Settings.

     

  2. Choose to Switch to the legacy sidebar

 

While editing with the legacy sidebar, if you ever attempt to edit content that has already been upgraded to work with the new sidebar, you will be prompted to switch to the new sidebar to edit the content.

User Guide

  • New DesignPLUS User Guide - the user guide includes general information, tool specific guides, screenshots, and release notes.

Training Resources

Getting Started Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfO3UwQRAec

Additional Tutorial Videos

Helpful Guides

  • Building a Basic Page - This document has a quick start for building basic page content with a suggested workflow.

  • Building a Homepage - This document has a quick start for building basic front page components.

  • Styling Plain Content - Instructions and screenshots for styling basic content such as headings, page title, images, links, and tables.

  • Styling Legacy Content - If you've been using the legacy sidebar for a while and have lots of pages with legacy content, this guide will help you see how to upgrade a page so that it is compatible with the new Sidebar.

  • Integrating DesignPLUS Content into Existing Content - How can you immediately start integrating DesignPLUS content into existing pages?  See how the new Sidebar can insert content anywhere; you don't have to start with a blank page.