3. Enhancing our Implementation of the Common Look and Feel (CLF)
Maintaining a departmental website is usually an add-on to someone's responsibilities. While the process of updating sites has been simplified through the use of better tools (e.g. Contribute), the task of maintaining content is still too difficult. In addition, use of Dreamweaver templates do not provide sufficient separation of content from presentation.
From Gary Ridley: Math has implemented the CLF since its inception but has never used the Dreamweaver template scheme to do so. Almost all Math web pages inherited from the previous generation (of Math web pages) a scheme which uses Apache directives to include (or not) selected XHTML fragments on to any given page. All of the “required” elements are included on every page, content creators can optionally modify menus, graphics and other such items.
While content creator can change many things on the pages they can not change the layout or arrangement of elements. CSS controls all of the layout and (either in the hands of MFCF or the content creators) the display of everything on the pages. Each “new” website starts life with 1 file and two directories (starterPages, supportFiles, containing files) that has everything required to create, customize and build a unique but very “Math” web site.
Should a new layout be mandated that had the same elements (search, logo, Left Hand Side (LHS) menu, Right Hand Side (RHS) menu, footer etc) the whole of the math web site (www.math) could be switched to the new layout in the time it takes to switch the CSS files, no content creator input required. The only drawback to this system at present is the time and effort required to familiarize new comers with the structures and where they are, however this takes only a short time and has not been a problem so far.
From Paul Snyder: IST has followed a similar approach to Math with the use of Apache directives and include files. This has allowed us to separate the navigation structure from the content. Unfortunately, Contribute doesn't do a very good job of rendering the server "include" files so our IST content providers don't see the full navigation panels when they are editing pages.