Release Notes

New features

Forms with images (marketing form/RFI form)

We received a number of requests to develop a hero image with a form. In response, we’ve released a special grid widget that allows a large scaling image to appear beside a Sitefinity form in the full-width container on a page.  The approach taken maintains accessibility standards while providing a high quality user experience. Try this new feature out by dragging the new grid-Hero-Form to your page from the layout menu.

Reusable call-to-action buttons, the “CTA” content type/widget

We have developed a special module (content type and widget) that allows users to create centralized call-to-action buttons and reuse them on many pages.  Sitefinity users found they were using the same call-to-action buttons on many pages within their websites. This new content type allows these users to maintain the CTA in one place rather than manually on each individual page it appears on. The buttons can be scheduled to be published or unpublished in advance.  This allows CTA’s to appear for appropriate timeframes based on specific dates and deadlines. Find the new reusable CTA in the content section of the Sitefinity dashboard. 

Collapsing side navigation (accordion navigation) 

We have added a new style of side navigation that allows sub-sections to collapse and expand.  This is best used with the “All pages under currently opened page” option in the Side Navigation settings. As with all navigation settings, you’ll find this option within page properties. Read more about setting up navigation for your site. 

Page editing menu (the pencil icon)

Upon just logging into the CMS, there is now an additional option for editing under the pencil icon. Users now have the option to “Edit Page” which allows them to edit a specific page more quickly.  In the past, editors needed to “access dashboard”, navigate to “pages” and then locate the page they wanted to edit. The options for in-line editing (“Edit”) and accessing the dashboard are still available. 

Improvements

Font Awesome library  

The Font Awesome icon library has been upgraded to version 5. The featured tabs widget has been upgraded to use this version of the library.  Check it out by adding featured tabs to your site. 

Custom CSS/JS (tracking pixels) 

Analytics are increasingly important so that we can use real data to make decisions. Sitefinity has made it much easier for us to implement custom CSS/JS such as HotJar, Facebook pixels, and Floodlight tags. We’ve implemented options for custom CSS/JS to be added to a site, section or individual page depending on your needs. This is a feature that requires a request to the Web Services team at websitehelp@ucdenver.edu and is approved on a case by case basis.

Fancy scrolling hero image 

The text on the option for the hero image widget to have fancy scrolling has been updated to "Keep background image stationary when scrolling" in order to be more descriptive and user-friendly. 

Image library permissions 

Certain Image libraries have been locked down to prevent editors from other business units from adding photos to libraries they do not own. Images may still be selected by any editor.  

Performance enhancement 

We turned off a setting in Sitefinity called “Filter Queries By View Permissions” and have observed improved load times on pages showing dynamic content like news or events. Performance enhancement efforts are ongoing.  

Fixed

Accordion bug on people widget details 

The People widget had a display bug that appeared after clicking on the collapsible “areas of experience” section in a person’s detailed information. This has been fixed.  

Events widget 

Some spacing issues have been resolved in the display of events.  

Hero widgets 

When using multiple hero widgets on a page, the background image from the last widget used would be applied to all of the hero widgets resulting in a repeating image effect. This has been fixed allowing multiple hero widgets to be used on a single page without display issues. 

Quick links menu 

Accessibility improvements have been made to the quick links menus. Specifically, Aria code has been updated on the menu toggle in order to align with accessibility guidelines.  

Search results on mobile screens 

We had reported issues with the search results page on mobile screen sizes. There was an image overlapping and obscuring the search results. This has been resolved by using the new Enhanced Card widget to display the image. 

Groundwork for future releases and improvements 

Customizable global links 

A global links module (content type) has been developed to allow for future template customizations. These are the links that appear alongside the search box and as icons across the bottom when viewed on a mobile device. This will allow for new global links that are geared toward additional audiences, such as prospective students. To maintain consistency in use, this feature will be controlled by the CMS Transition team. The widget and template updates are scheduled for release in August.  

Evaluation of Sitefinity Version 11.0 

The next version of Sitefinity is being evaluated by OIT. The opportunity to evaluate the updates in V11 will be available to a selected group of clients already launched or building in Sitefinity. This invitation will be extended in early August. 

Evaluation of Sitefinity email campaigns 

The email campaign feature is being evaluated by OIT.  

In-page anchor menus 

Research is being conducted into solutions for an in-page anchor menu to allow for marketing focused “single-page websites”. 

Academic Programs

Research is being conducted in regard to using external data sources to populate our Academic Program data in Sitefinity. In addition, the Transition Team is actively working to define the Academic Program content type. 

Departments 

Updates from authoritative sources were made to our Department and Center directory data in Sitefinity. 

Improved quality assurance testing 

We are leveraging Microsoft Test Manager in order to improve our quality assurance testing practices.  

Recent site launches 

CU Anschutz Communications Branding

https://www.ucdenver.edu/offices/anschutzcomm launched on July 5th to support the newly formed CU Anschutz Communications department. 

Wellness and Recreation Services

https://www.ucdenver.edu/wellness launched on July 9th in time for the opening of the Lola and Rob Salazar Wellness Center on the CU Denver campus.