Core Changelog

Core is the CMS template developed by Digital Communications for use on FIU websites hosted on Cascade. The template makes full use of the Pantera Design System and serves as the main impetus for new design features. Core was first released in January of 2018 and is now used on more than 150 FIU websites.

There are a lot of improvements in the works with the hope that each new feature makes maintaining your website a little easier. The team is working hard on making the template work for you by handling most of the accessibility and branding implementation so you can focus on your content strategy.

That said, we’re very interested in hearing from you! We’ve added a new page to this website called “Make a Request.” On the new page, you can submit requests for new features in Core, designs in Pantera or training materials for Cascade.

Latest Release

v1.19.4 - January 13, 2023

In Core v1.19.4 we’ve fixed an issue with our HTML sitemaps as well as a few small display issues with the searchable interface, slideshows and accordions. 

Bug fixes 

  • Fixed an issue where the subnavigation was hidden by part of the searchable interface 
  • Fixed the spacing around lists within the content of the accordion module 
  • Fixed incorrect style of slideshow modules with blue background 
  • Fixed empty sitemap on sites with no visible main navigation 

Past Releases

  • v1.19 - September 19, 2022

    In Core v1.19, the searchable interface has a new look! 👀 

    Now the search filters are easily accessible and collapsible in a neat box at the top rather than a set of vertical accordions.  

    Additionally, we’ve made some small improvements and squashed some bugs with the page banners and calendar module. Those looking to hide certain folders from the main navigation or horizontal subnav can now do so using the “hide from nav” option. We also added the ability to set a social share image for each page instead of using the default banner image.  

    Features 

    • The existing searchable interface has a new clean and condensed design. You can customize up to four filters for the searchable list. The new interface should already be applied to all core sites. 

    Improvements 

    • Updated 404 pages for microsites. 
    • Updated the “Hide from nav” option which now hides the designated folder from any navigation, including sub navigations. 
    • Added a description field for alt text, transcripts, etc. when using background videos.  
    • Added the option to customize the social/share image on any page rather than defaulting to the banner image or a default social image. 
    • Nondiscrimination and Title IX now separated in the footer, and the student and faculty/staff email has been combined into a single FIU Mail link. 

    Bug fixes 

    • Fixed an issue with the Calendar module link text always showing “More Events.” 
    • Banners with just a logo now show image content properly without needing additional text. 
    • Video banner now shows up without needing an image. 

    v1.19.1 - October 18, 2022

    In Core v1.19.1 we’ve made some small bug fixes and improvements to existing modules. 

    Users now can add energy lines to the banner videos and control the number of items in a row in the Thumbnail Grid! 

    The options to hide the automatically generated h1 from pages and add custom CSS using the custom CSS field are now available to non-admins.  

    We’ve also released fixes to the searchable interface, card grid, and profile pages. 

    Improvements 

    • You can now add Energy Lines to banner videos 
    • Non-admins can hide the automatically generated h1 on pages 
    • Non-admins can use the Custom CSS field 
    • Option to control the number of items in a row in the Thumbnail Grid 
    • Added styles for vertically aligning columns when using the two-column module. This can now be accomplished using the “vertically-centered” class in the custom CSS class field. 
    • Updated default font color to #222 when using on the gold background  
    • Removed some caps styles from the sitemap 
    • Option to remove “Website by Digital Communications” from the footer 

    Bug fixes 

    • Fixed broken Tiktok links due to TikTok making profile links case sensitive 
    • Fixed styles for lists within the card grids and footers 
    • Removed the space for the photo in profiles with no photo 
    • Fixed issues with the new searchable interface where searches with a single select option show no results when the filter is removed 
    • Fixed issue with the before description not working with the stats list content area 

    v1.19.2 - November 1, 2022

    In Core v1.19.2 we’ve made more small bug fixes and improvements to existing modules.

    Improvements

    • Tertiary navigation now highlights active page
    • Banners no longer require an image or video
    • Banners can now use a background color (blue or bright gold, for now)
    • Added additional padding to the header when a site has no main navigation
    • Tab module is no longer limited to only four tabs

    Bug fixes

    • Thumbnail grid and icon link rows no longer add an empty link if there is no link value
    • Profile folders are no longer linked in the sitemap
    • Accessibility fixes to searchable interface
    • Fixed an issue where links in the main nav dropdowns had very little line height in Firefox

    v1.19.3 - January 5, 2023

    Happy New Year, everyone! For this first release of the year, Core v1.19.3 has had small changes in existing modules and features. The biggest change is to the “Overview” links in the navigation dropdowns. Overview links will no longer have their section title by default. They’ll just say “Overview.” 

    Improvements 

    • Section/parent title removed from the main and sub navigation overview links: “About Overview” is now just, “Overview.” These overview titles can be edited in the folder settings. 

    v1.19.3-overview-2.png

    v1.19.3---overview-1.png

    • List and Feed modules now have a custom CSS field 
    • Added extra bold font weight to New Frank Typekit 

    Bug fixes 

    • White and gray backgrounds on the Quote module no longer have contrast issues with the “source” content. 
  • v1.18 - August 18, 2022

    In Core v1.18 we got a wrangle 🤠 on some outstanding improvements for the Slider component. We’ve added an option to show three centered items in the carousel and improved how the different options look on mobile.

    We’ve also added an option for turning the “alert banner” (sometimes referred to as the “Covid Banner”) on your website’s homepage. You can now turn the yellow banner found in the header of FIU.edu on or off from the Site Information block. If your site already has the announcement banner enabled, we’ll be switching the functionality from the old method for enabling to the simpler, user-controllable option.

    New Features:

    • There is now an option to turn on the university alert banner on your website. This option can be found in the Header Options section of your website’s Site Information block. There is an option to use the university-wide announcement (recommended) or a custom announcement.

    Improvements:

    • Slider module carousels can now have the “peeking” option disabled. When disabled, the carousel will show up to three items without showing a small preview of the fourth.
    • Small design adjustments to the Slider modules including alignment of the descriptions and placement of the controls on mobile
    • The WYSIWYG editors in the Searchable Interface now match the configuration of all the other WYSIWYG editors in the template

    Bug Fixes:

    • Fixed the label for the option to turn off the auto-generated h1 on the page
    • Fixed an issue with the old, built-in events module where the h1 was missing on the event page and the links were not underlined
    • Fixed an accessibility error in the old, built-in events module calendar
    • Fixed an issue with certain Slider carousels that were getting cut off when the description was on the right side
  • v1.17 - July 18, 2022

    The people have spoken! Core v1.17 marks the return of the slideshow banner. Some users of the previous iteration of the template will remember the homepage slideshow banners, but they’ve been unavailable for some time. While this feature is now available on all sites, we caution overuse. It’s worth reading Nielsen Norman Group’s "Carousel Usability: Designing an Effective UI for Websites with Content Overload."

    In addition to the slideshow banner, we’ve also brought back the option for a "Home" link in the main navigation. While we’ve read the research that says Home links don’t add additional usability value when the site title or logo link to the homepage and there are breadcrumbs on the interior pages, we thought it was to at least have the option. If breadcrumbs can be disabled, we might as well be able to enable the Home link, right?

    Finally, we’ve upgraded the icons used throughout the template to the latest version of Font Awesome! We’ve added backward compatibility so that none of your old icons will break, but there are a plethora of new icon options!  

    Features:

    Improvements:

    • Upgraded Font Awesome from v4 to v6
    • Background videos now only load and play when you’ve gotten to the video. This performance enhancement allows users to use multiple video backgrounds throughout a page without the performance of that page suffering
    • Added an alt text field to the images in the new Overlapping Media + Text module

    v1.17.1 - July 20, 2022

    We’re back again with some minor improvements! The best of those improvements includes the ability to add text before or after the stats in the Stats module and background color options for the Calendar module.

    Improvements:

    • The Calendar module can now have a background color other than white. We’ve also added the “fiu-background-white” class to the module when using the white background.
    • Stats List/Row modules now have an option for additional content before or after the stats
    • The text in the Quote module no longer wraps around the module image
    • Card Grids no longer have a box-shadow transition when hovering
    • Profile template no longer has dummy content except for the default photo

    If you notice any issues with your pages, please give the page a hard refresh. If that does not clear up the issue, you can try republishing the page. If you believe you’re still having an issue, please submit a bug report.

  • v1.16 - June 30, 2022

    In Core v1.16, we’re introducing a brand-new module! Welcome in the Overlapping Text + Media to the Core family 👏👏👏👏. This module is perfect for highlighting initiatives, programs and even creating calls to action while adding more dimension and color to the design of your page.

    As always, we packed in improvements—including but not limited to updates to the anchor nav, the ability to create a user editable list of redirects, access to the robots.txt file and some bug fixes.

    Features:
    • New module alert 🚨: Our brand-new Overlapping text + media component. It features a text area that overlaps a media asset. For now, it’s just photos, but soon it’ll be video as well.
    • Created the ability for users to make an editable list of redirects
    • Updated the anchor navigation design to better match the new sub navigation
    • The robots.txt file can now be edited on each site

    Bug fixes:
    • Fixed a bug where pages were displaying meta description when the description field was blank
    • Fixed a bug where the page intro area was appearing even when there is no h1 or description

    v1.16.1 - July 1, 2022

    Bug fixes:

    • Fixed an issue where the energy lines in the page banners on sites that still use the side navigation were not connecting
    • Fixed an issue where Thumbnail Grid modules with only one item displayed the item at the wrong size
    • Fixed two issues with the Anchor Navigation that will require pages with the Anchor Navigation to be republished
      • Fixed an issue where the anchor nav border was wider than it should be
      • Fixed an issue where the anchor nav left behind an empty element even when it wasn’t in use
      • Fixed an issue where text was being underlined on the events module
  • v1.15 - June 6th, 2022

    In Core v1.15, we’ve made some major improvements. 🙌

    Thumbnail grids were resurrected with an all-new design and headers got a major makeover with new options to include a logo and a tertiary nav. We also improved support for video captions in native video players. Some additional bugs got squashed as well. 🐛

    Improvements

    • Replaced the thumbnail grid with an all-new design. This module is once again supported with an all-new look. The icons have been removed. In instances where entries have no thumbnail will look like the cards design, but we highly recommend using an image with this module.
    • Added new header with logo and tertiary navigation. Colleges, schools and divisions can now use their approved logos on their website. Please refer to the Brand website for information about logo usage at FIU . The logos have two different options: vertical & horizontal. The dropdown menu borders are now rounded off and include a new tertiary nav.
    • Added .vtt (video subtitle track files) to list of allowed files in web config for new sites. Sites created prior to this release will still need these done manually. You can submit a request to make this change to your website at digimaint@fiu.edu.
    • Added an images option to the Events module. To enable this feature, open your Events module in Cascade and select to show event thumbnails if available.” 

    Bugs

    • Fixed an issue where the gray background was not working on the News module
    • Horizontal sub-navigation items with a submenu now have a submenu indicator (arrow)
    • Fixed an issue where links in Multimedia Background modules had both an underline and a bottom border
    • Fixed an issue where the email links in the profile listings were broken
    • Fixed an issue that prevented searchable interfaces from working if there was a question mark symbol included in an item
    • Fixed an issue where descriptive paragraphs appeared even when they shouldn’t
    • Fixed an issue where the .cta-link-primary a had both an underline and a bottom border
    • Fixed an issue where the multimedia background panel would show even if there was no content
    • Added the ID “page-intro” to the page intro row that contains the auto-generated h1 and description text for easier targeting with CSS
    • Fixed an issue where the mobile section nav was missing its gray background
    • Fixed an issue where the .cta-link-primary a had both text-decoration: underline and a bottom border

    v1.15.1 - June 16, 2022

    In Core v1.15.1, we added some minor improvements to recently updated features like the profile lists and handled a few small bugs.

    Improvements

    • Updated the Multimedia Background thumbnail grid to match the new card components
    • Overview pages can now have custom titles in the navigation dropdowns. You’ll find the field to overwrite the Overview page title on the section folder
    • Events modules can now have a header and description. The content area label should no longer be used as the heading text
    • Photos in profile listings are now cropped from the top of the image. We recommend uploading square profile photos (500x500) moving forward
    • Profile lists with only three profiles now show three in a row rather than a row of two and a row of one
    • Updated the HTML sitemap to only have one link for a section landing page rather than a section title and then a link to the overview page

    Bugs

    • Fixed an issue where the sitemap was displaying the wrong title for a section under certain conditions
    • Fixed an issue in the searchable interfaces where certain characters in the filters were breaking the modules 

    v1.15.2 - June 17th, 2022

    In Core v1.15.2, we’ve made some small CSS fixes and improvements to elements on blue backgrounds and multimedia background panel width. 🐛🐛🐛 

    Improvements 

    • Adjusted the max-width of the panel in the multimedia background it be a little less wide 

    Bugs 

    • Fixed a bug where the tables set on a blue background had white text instead of dark gray 
    • Fixed the button text color on Call to Action modules with a blue background 
    • Fixed a bug where a Card Grid with two items would always show the cards in two columns, even when it was set to three 
  • v1.14 - May 20, 2022

    Core 1.14 is coming in hot with a nice portion of practical improvements to our Multimedia Background modules, a new design for profile lists and a side of bug fixes, yum!

    Users can now enjoy more text placement options to the Multimedia Background, no more being limited to just right, left and center! You can now position your content using the following options:

    • Top left
    • Top middle
    • Top right
    • Center left
    • Center center
    • Center right
    • Bottom left
    • Bottom center
    • Bottom right

    Improvements

    • Added a variety of text placement options to Multimedia Background
      • Try republishing pages with Multimedia Backgrounds if you run into any issues
    • Updated the design for the profile card module
      • Users can use square images if they prefer the original look!
    • Updated background videos to turn off if "prefers reduced motion" is set to true to respect accessibility preferences
    • Swapped out JavaScript-rendered background videos in multimedia backgrounds for a non-JavaScript solution
    • Added a .block-center class to center block elements on pages. It works well in conjunction with “.accessible-max-width" to create a centered block no more than 70 characters wide
    • Updated the color of the border within the events modules from gold to blue
    • Removed default meta descriptions from the site information block and homepages of new websites. Read Moz’s post on meta descriptions to learn more about the purpose, importance and optimal length of a page’s meta description
    • Removed font dropdown from text editors. Doing the groundwork for this change made updating the editor across all sites a lot easier. Keep an eye out for future enhancements!

    Bugs

    • Fixed an issue where menu dropdowns weren’t handling long page titles well
    • Fixed an issue causing multiple pages to show as active in the side nav
    • Site footer no longer disappears if the compact footer option is selected
    • Fixed an issue causing the “hide the H1 option” to not work
    • Fixed an issue where CSS and JS files referenced in Site info block from another site were not working
    • Fixed an accessibility issue where link text and an aria-label in the compact footer were mismatched
  • v1.13 - April 20, 2022

    Core v1.13 includes some visual updates to our modules along with a few bug fixes 🐛.

    The news module got a facelift and looks more cohesive with some of our new or newly updated modules like the card grid, and our gray background color has been updated to a modernized bluish gray (it’s the little things😊). Be sure to clear your cache to see updates on your end!

    Improvements

    • Updated the simple stats class to look better on mobile
    • Added "Apply to FIU" to the compact footer
    • Updated the design of the news module to match the new cards design
    • Updated the news module to have background color options
    • Updated the gray used throughout the template to a new bluish gray. This color will continue to be referenced and referred to as “gray"

    • Updated the page banners to use a new method for background videos that will improve reliability and performance. We’ll do the same to the multimedia background module in an upcoming release.

    Bugs

    • Fixed an issue where the logo in the footer was not displaying properly. If the FIU logo in the footer of your page does not appear, republishing the page will fix the issue
    • Fixed the background color for the “related content” box in the one-column content blocks that use a gray background
    • Fixed an issue where cta-link-primary elements were off-center in centered modules
  • v1.12 - February 18, 2022

    Core v1.12 is the first of a string of small releases we’ll be putting out over the next few weeks—but don’t be fooled, these features will pack a punch! 🥊

    Highlights include standardized button styles and classes, new background colors for the content blocks, link support in the Profile custom fields and updated options for text on page banners—and more to come!

    Features

    • Users can now easily create button-link links using the “button” class. The option is available in the text editors under Formats > Custom options on newer websites. If you’d like this option added to your website, email digimaint@fiu.edu.

    Improvements

    • Text content is now centered over the page banners. You can also add a paragraph of text under the heading. Any text that’s added to the page banner will automatically add an overlay. Look for more options for page banners in upcoming releases!
    • Profile custom fields can now have a link
    • Placeholder code for a new custom page region that is a building block for some new and exciting features around the corner
    • Released the first part of a performance improvement for font loading

    Bug Fix

    • Fixed an issue where lengthy headings in the page banners would be taller than the height of the banner on mobile.

    v1.12.1 - March 4, 2022

    Core v1.12 was the first of a string of small releases we’ll be putting out over the next few weeks—but don’t be fooled, these features will pack a punch! 🥊

    We’re excited to announce a brand-new addition to the content block family: Full-Width Content + Media! This new module can serve as an alternative option to a two-column or a multimedia background. Users can use a wide range of background colors and can shift the size of each column. This easy-to-use module is a fantastic way to highlight content for your users using vibrant imagery and a fresh style.

    Features

    • 🚨New Module Alert: We’ve added the Full Width Content & Media module, which offers a new way to display an image or video side-by-side with text.

    Bugs

    • Fixed the issue and made a small improvement to ensure the text is only ever 70 characters wide—an accessibility best-practice we’ll be adding throughout the template.

    V1.12.2 - March 17, 2022

    Core v1.12 is back with a brand-new bunch of improvements and bug fixes! We’re happy to announce a brand-new module: the Blockquote slider. The Blockquote slider is ideal for showcasing multiple quotes back to back all in one place, without lengthening the page.

    Admins now have the option to remove the H1 from a page and update the site footer to a “compact” version reserved mostly for marketing landing pages and websites with specific external audiences.

    This release also includes a string of style fixes, improvements and updates to accessibility.

    Improvements

    • Module Update: Blockquote slider – users can now add multiple quotes in one module. This module replaces the old single quote module.
    • Removed the imported Adobe Fonts CSS file from the main stylesheet
    • If you notice any issues on your website regarding the font, republish the page!
    • Added option to remove the h1 from a page
    • Added option for Global vs. Compact Footer
    • Added height, width and loading attributes to the header and footer FIU logos to improve page rendering speed

    Bugs

    • Fixed style issues with new card module
    • Fixed an issue where some profile photos were being stretched on the profile pages
    • Accessibility fixes for some links with bad contrast
    • Removed the legacy ID option from the data definition, anchors can be added using the descriptive paragraph instead
    • Fixed an issue with button contrast large card modules with blue or cyan backgrounds
    • Fixed an issue with the play/pause button hiding behind banner overlays on mobile

    v1.12.3 - April 1, 2022

    It’s April 1st but these new improvements to Core are no joke! Core v1.12 is back at it again with a jam-packed release, you’d be a fool not to check it out. We’ve added a slew of classes to help users customize their pages easily within the WYSIWYG, along with improvements to page banners and a bug fix for profile cards.

    Improvements

    • Added helper classes to float content to the left/right in content blocks: .media-left and .media-right
    • Added custom class to add energy lines to images that are placed in the WYSIWYG: energize-media--cyan—left, energize-media--cyan—right, energize-media--magenta—left, energize-media--magenta--right
    • Added .accessible-max-width class
    • Added classes to content blocks to create stats lists: simple-stats-list, .simple-stats-list--cyan, .simple-stats-list--magenta
    • The custom class field is now available to all users. This field will allow users to apply additional styles to the banners. Check back soon for a list of read-to-use classes to add custom overlays, new font styles and text positioning to your banners!

    Bugs

    • Fixed bug causing profiles to not wrap properly if the card contained too much text
    • Added missing space to banner custom classes
  • v1.11 - February 8, 2022

    This latest release of Core features site-wide and page-specific language selection 🇺🇸🇭🇹🇪🇸 as well as Schema.org markup on all pages. We’ve also fine-tuned the new Cards and Slideshow modules and made some other minor accessibility fixes. Last, made making CTA links a little easier by adding an option in the editor to select "cta-link-primary" for links and dynamically adding the arrow icon when using the class. It's no longer necessary to add the icon manually.

    This release contains some of the last bits of code from our recently graduated student assistant developer, Manuel Garcia. Good luck, Manny! ✈️

    Features

    • The site language can now be set to something other than “en-US.”
      • If your website is in a language other than English or requires a different regionalization, the language can be set to any combination of a two-letter language code and two-letter region code, e.g. “en-US” for English (United States 🇺🇸) or ”en-GB” for English (United Kingdom 🇬🇧).
      • Language can also be set at the page level for single pages of a website from the page meta tab
      • The most-common use cases for an FIU website would be creating Spanish-language (es-US) or Haitian Creole (ht-US 🇭🇹) websites or pages.
    • All pages now contain basic Schema.org markup.
      • All pages contain website- and page-specific meta information
      • Homepages will also have information about FIU
      • Profiles will have “Person” schema markup
      • Hoping to apply news and other academic schema markup in the future!

    Improvements

    • The CTA link class is now available in the format's dropdown of the WYSIWYG editor. It is listed as “cta-link-primary.”
      • Users no longer have to manually add the arrow icon for the cta-link-primary links. The new code is: <a class="cta-link-primary" href="INSERT URL HERE">INSERT CTA TEXT HERE</a>
      • The Code Snippets page has been updated with the new code.

    Bug fixes

    • Dropdowns no longer add focus to the first item in the dropdown by default. Focus remains on the trigger that opened the dropdown.
    • Slideshow modules now work with less than three items, but we continue to recommend using the gallery or carousel with at least three items.
    • Cards module will now properly set the number of columns when there are only two items in a row
    • Aria labels have been removed from the anchor tag of the individual news links in the News Module. These labels were creating a mismatch with the text content of the link and were not necessary.

    v1.11.1 - February 9, 2022

    Improvements

    • FIU is committed to a safe and inclusive university community. We've updated the "Share a Concern" link in the footer to make it more clear where you can report discrimination, harassment or misconduct. The new link text will be " Report Discrimination or Harassment." Site administrators will need to republish their pages to see the change.
    • Added Sitemap page to the HTML and XML sitemaps to satisfy an item on Siteimprove's QA checklist.

    Bug Fix

    • Fixed an issue where certain HTML characters in page titles, descriptions or other meta information were breaking the new Schema.org JSON. Updated the method to work around these characters and prevent XSS vulnerabilities.
  • v1.10 - January 18, 2022

    Updates to the thumbnail grid, card and content grid modules are now live! Users can implement the new card grid design on their sites. The card and thumbnail grids are being phased out of the template. Later this year they will be removed completely. We encourage you to update your card and thumbnail grid modules to the new card grid design!

    Improvements

    • Updated the modules that have the card-like design to look like the cards in the Carousel module.
    • No longer supporting the Thumbnail Grid module and creating a new module, Card Grid.
    • The Card grid will incorporate the same card design as the Carousel.
    • Updated the News module with to ensure news images are uniform in size.
    • Removed the Google Tag Manager <noscript> tag from the Core template to help with Google PageSpeed Insights results.

    Bug fixes

    • Subnav colors were not displayed properly on mobile devices. They are now consistent with desktop.

    v1.10.1 - February 2, 2022

    Enhancements/Improvements

    • Updated global footer to include Share a Concern link and updated Nondiscrimination and Title IX link. Pages will need to be republished to see the changes. If any student, employee or applicant has a good faith belief that they have been discriminated against or harassed based on age, color, disability, gender, marital status, ethnic or national origin, race, religion, retaliation, sex or any other protected category, the Office of Civil Rights Compliance and Accessibility (CRCA) encourages them to report their concern.
    • Fonts loading from Adobe will now use the swap technique to avoid text not being displayed on slow connections.

    Bug fixes

    • Manually adding FontAwesome icons to a grid card will no longer make the icon look large with a rounded background
    • If the site has no items on the menu the mobile menu icon will not appear and the padding around the title of the site will be consistent
  • v1.9 - December 13, 2021

    In v1.9, we made some general bug fixes and improvements to several components including the News Feed and Stats components.

    Sitemap links have been added to the footer, and the Web/Accessibility link in the footer has been updated to point to the new Accessibility @ FIU website. The social links in the footer have also been updated to make maintaining accessibility standards easier. Finally, pages and folders in your site can now be excluded from the sitemap.

    Improvements

    • The Web/Accessibility link in the footer has been updated to point to the new Accessibility @ FIU website. Pages will need to be published to see the change.
    • Updated the News Feed component to handle a new format.
    • Slideshow images can now have a value added to their alt attribute.
    • Pages and folders can now be set to be excluded from the sitemap.
    • Updated the line-height in the Stats component to follow accessibility best practices.
    • Made a small adjustment to the font weight in the Stats component.
    • Updated the styles for blockquotes in the WYSIWYG fields of the Content Block components.
    • Added Sitemap (hierarchical list of all pages on the website) link to the footer.
    • Removed the italic styles from the blockquote element to conform with accessibility best practices.
    • Removed italic styles from the figure figcaption element to conform with accessibility best practices.
    • Updated the aria-label for the social links in the footer to mention following FIU. This should limit future issues where colleges create social links that say “Follow us on ….” but link to a different channel.
  • v1.8 - December 6, 2021

    In v1.8, we made some updates to the usability of the Call to Action component, Multimedia Background and Carousel components. The two-link Call to Action is now responsive: Links will stack on top of the other instead of creating two lines within the same link. Carousels can now have their descriptions flipped, so images can be placed either on the right or left side. We also resolved some minor inconsistencies with padding throughout the design.

    Improvements

    • Removed Social Directory link from global footer.
    • Improved the look and responsiveness of the layout of the two-link option in the Call to Action. component. You can now use .flex-links to display a list of links inline that will stack as the browser. sizes down. You can also add .cta-links so the arrow icon appears on any link with the .primary class.
    • Carousels in the Featured Content > Slideshow module can now have the description flipped so the carousel items are on the left and the description on the right.

    Bug fixes

    • Fixed an issue where the “Short” setting on the Multimedia Background component was not being respected.
    • Fixed an issue where the photo area was overlapping the slider controls in the gallery module.
    • The Call to Action component can now use images when selecting the custom option.
    • Fixed an issue where Call to Action components needed to have text to render. A Call to Action component can now consist of just an image or an iframe, for example.
    • Fixed some inconsistent padding in the dropdown menu item.
    • Fixed some inconsistent padding and alignment in the Call to Action component.
  • v1.7 - November 16, 2021

    In v1.7, we’re introducing the brand-new Carousel/Slideshow component! Users can find this component in the featured content group. Users can now feature photos from events, highlight faculty & staff, and much more in a sleek and compact format. But that’s not all, accordions got a makeover! Pages with accordions will automatically get updated to the contemporary design. See the latest look on Pantera. We also resolved some issues with the breadcrumb functionality and sub nav rendering on mobile.

    Improvements

    • The accordion module design has been updated; users can now incorporate different background colors as well.
    • New module alert 🚨 Slideshow/Carousel/Gallery - An alternative, graphic-centric option to the tabs and accordion modules is a slideshow/carousel.

    Bug fixes

    • The home button wasn’t loading at all when clicked from the breadcrumbs on a page.
    • Users were unable to click certain breadcrumb links when the first module had energy lines
    • When selecting “yes” to the subnav question it removed the anchor nav question and implementation from Cascade & the page. Users can now select both.
  • v1.6 - October 18, 2021

    In v1.6, we resolved some usability issues with the section navigation (formerly known as side navigation) and site footers. We also fixed some accessibility issues on some of our Featured Content and Content Block components.

    The updated section navigation will premiere on the forthcoming Student Affairs website and fix the pesky white space issues created by the old side navigation. Section navigation will now be easier to find on mobile, as well. The option to implement the new section nav will be rolled out selectively. Keep an eye out for upcoming releases to stay in the loop!

    Improvements

    • Updated section navigation no longer creates awkward white space
    • Improved mobile side navigation is now easier to locate and use
    • Updated the Multiple Columns option in the site footer so the columns stack at the same point the global footer does

    Bug fixes

    • Fixed an issue where the section navigation was completely hidden when "hide from top nav" option was selected
    • Fixed an issue where Multiple Columns footer option content was not showing on pages unless there was text under the Custom HTML option
    • Fixed a navigation issue where the border for the active, highlighted items were bright yellow instead of blue
    • Fixed an accessibility issue with Media Background components where the play/pause button had no default alternative text before the video loaded
    • Using the .cta-link-primary class to a content grid module will no longer display an additional border under the link
    • Thumbnail grid (bordered) links should now open in a new window when they are external
    • Fixed an issue that allowed a page to be saved in Cascade without having a banner image selected when the option to enable banner was checked
  • v1.5 - September 27, 2021

    In v1.5, we resolved some usability and accessibility issues with the video banner and site-specific search bar components.

    You can now highlight top navigation items to your site. This is a fun and easy way to call attention to specific sections in your navigation.

    Improvements

    • Improvements
    • Updated text on search flyout to “Search this site” to make it clear to users the search results will be coming from the site they are in and not all FIU sites.
    • Added a new highlight option to the main navigation under folder options. You can now pick between cyan and bright gold to bring attention to items in the nav
      (highlighted items will be cyan on mobile to not conflict with existing styles for the active section).

    Bug fixes

    • Fixed an issue where “back to top” functionality was not working properly in homepages.
    • Fixed an issue where the play/pause button had no default alternative text before the video loaded.
    • Fixed an issue where enabled anchored section with no content areas attached was creating an empty navigation element and horizontal rule on the page.
    • Added “Loading…” text to searchable interface pagination element to clear “WCAG 5.2.5 Required Owned Elements” error.
  • v1.4 - September 8, 2021

    In v1.4, we resolved some usability issues with the mobile navigation by moving the mobile navigation trigger closer to the site name. You’ll notice the FIU logos look crisper on retina devices as they were switched out for SVGs. Multimedia Background modules now show their background on mobile—including video.

    We covered some ground on accessibility by improving some text formatting to comply with WCAG AAA line-height standards and completed a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) for Core 1.4.

    Improvements

    • Mobile nav has been improved by moving the mobile nav trigger next to the site name
    • Searchable interface can now use external links
    • Multimedia Background modules now maintain their background on mobile devices
    • Profile cards can now be added without a link to a profile page
    • Two- and three-column lists now have uniform spacing around them
    • Increased line-height on news headlines and in profile card text to conform to WCAG AAA standards
    • Swapped out FIU logos in header and footer for SVGs

    Bug fixes

    • Fixed an issue where similarly named pages in the top navigation might both show as active one when one is active

    Miscellaneous

  • v1.3 - August 17, 2021

    In v1.3, we resolved several accessibility issues that will ensure a better user experience for everyone and higher accessibility scores in Siteimprove. Users can now easily customize their site footers without writing code, and TikTok has been added to our global footer, replacing the Tumblr icon.

    Improvements

    • TikTok icon is now available for the global footer, replacing the Tumblr icon
    • Site footer is now more customizable, users can now add columned content without fiddling with code or writing HTML

    Bug fixes

    • Profile/Faculty lists created an ul when there are no profiles
    • Links in footer had mismatched aria labels vs. link text
    • Line-height values for footer headings were giving WCAG AAA warnings
  • v1.2 - August 3, 2021

    Improvements

    • Added padding around energy lines in Call to Action module
    • Ordered list numbers now align with the rest of the text
    • Upgraded jQuery from v1.11.3 to v1.12.4
    • Added padding above the H1 in content areas
    • Added canonical tags to prevent duplicate URLS

    Bug fixes

    • Updated FIU Calendar bug - Admin users can once again access the admin menu from calendar.fiu.edu.

    v1.2.2 - August 6, 2021

    Bug fixes

    • Removed canonical tags from 404 and search results pages
    • Moved meta-tags system region back to its original position to make sure the character encoding meta tag was within the first 1024 bytes of the page

    v1.2.1 - August 5, 2021

    Bug fixes

    • Profile pages canonical URLs were missing the page extension
  • v1.1 - July 12, 2021

    Features

    • Added new option to Content Block component:
      • Large Cards is a new Multimedia Background option that is more card-like and has options for background colors and energy lines

    Improvements

    • Content grid headings can now be displayed without a link
    • Improvement - The gray shade in tables is now darker

    Bug fixes

    • Fixed an issue where Calendar/Events feed was picking up the wrong URL for the "More Events" link

    v1.1.1 - July 13, 2021

    Bug fix

    • Energy lines were showing up even when not selected
  • v1.0 - January 2018
    • Initial Release

    v1.0.1 - August 17, 2020

    • Added new brand colors, FIU blue and bright gold
    • Added new brand fonts, Frank New
      • Improved heading fonts use varied weights for Frank New
      • Frank New is preloaded into WYSIWYG
    • Removed old digital fonts
    • Fixed bug with main and mobile nav icons on custom core projects

    v.1.0.2 - October 19, 2020

    • Improved design for Calls to Action component. New features include:
      • More background colors: FIU blue, gray, or white
      • Optional border frame around images (learn about energy lines)
      • New heading/body text colors complementary to frame

    v1.0.3 - November 30, 2020

    • Added new banner design
      • Optional border frame around banner image (learn about energy lines)
    • Added video playlist of Cascade training for online instruction

    v1.0.4 - December 18, 2020

    • Improved design for Calls to Action component. New features include:
      • Optional border frame around centered text without image (learn about energy lines)
      • Inputting external links (links to outside of your website) is easier in the backend. Just copy/paste the URL while editing the page — no external link asset necessary

    v1.0.5 - January 25, 2021

    • Added options to Featured Content component. New features include:
      • New design – Icon Link Row
      • New background colors – FIU blue
      • Improved functionality – Icon dropdown lets you choose from 500 icons (available on Icon Link Row and Thumbnail Grid)
      • Improved functionality – Inputting external links (links to outside of your website) is easier in the backend
    • Improved functionality of accordions (a Content Block component)
      • All panels closed by default
      • Multiple panels can be opened at the same time

    v1.0.6 - February 8, 2021

    • Improved design for Design Elements component. New features include:
      • New design - Stats List
      • Optional accent colors – energy lines
      • Improved functionality – Inputting external links (links to outside of your website) is easier in the backend

    v1.0.7 - March 9, 2021

    • Added new option to Design Elements component:
      • New design – Callouts

    v1.0.8 - May 17, 2021

    • Improved design for News Feed:
      • Articles/posts now presented 3 to a row instead of 2
      • Feed entries consist of an image and headline per article/post
      • Max of 12 articles/post per feed + 1 for featured story
      • Featured story enhanced – no word count on story description
      • Improved functionality – Inputting external links (links to outside of your website) is easier in the backend
      • Default Thumbnail – Upload an image so articles/posts that don't contain an image will use the default image of your choice