Questions
- What is a profile block and what can it display?
- How do I create a new profile block in Cascade?
- How do I edit an existing profile block?
- How do I delete or take down a profile block?
- Why isn't my profile block change showing on the live website?
- What are the available fields in a profile block?
- Where do I get access to the Profile Blocks site?
Environment
This article applies to Bowdoin website editors who maintain sites in the Cascade Content Management System (CMS) and have access to the Profile Blocks site.
- Audience: Academic, administrative, core, and museum site editors.
- Scope: Creating, editing, and deleting profile blocks in the shared Profile Blocks site. This is separate from the Faculty and Staff Profiles site; for those, see Create or Edit Staff Profiles for the Bowdoin website and How to Edit Faculty Profiles in the Related Articles section.
Resolution
Get Access to the Profile Blocks Site
- Log in to Cascade.
- In the site chooser, search for or navigate to the Profiles Blocks site. Note that this is a separate site from the Faculty and Staff Profiles site.
Feature Summary
Profile blocks highlight people, places, and things. They can display an image, title, customizable category fields, and expanded content within an accordion; nearly all fields are optional, so they are quite flexible. Profile blocks are available on academic, administrative, core, and museum pages.
Blocks are managed in one central location — the Profile Blocks site — to encourage sharing these assets across sites.
Important: Blocks do not need to be published; you won't even see the Publish button within the Profile Blocks site. For a block to appear on bowdoin.edu, you must publish the page where the block is added. For example, if you change an alumna's name in a block, correct it in the block and then publish the "Alumni" page in your site. Nothing is reflected on the live site until you publish the page the block is on.
Create a New Profile Block
- Click the Add Content button on the navigation bar and select Profile Block.
- The block editor view pops up. Replace the default value in the XHTML/Data Definition Block Name field with something more descriptive. This system name is not visible anywhere (the block cannot be published as a standalone page), but a descriptive name keeps your folder organized.
- Add the title or name of your block — the only other required field — and submit.
Edit a Profile Block
- To Edit: Click your profile block, then click Edit.
- To Submit: Click Preview Draft > Submit > Submit.
Available Fields
- XHTML/Data Definition Block Name: Consider a consistent naming format (e.g., gradyear-lastname). This name will not surface on your website pages. Keep block names short, all lowercase, and free of special characters and spaces.
- Placement Folder: Navigate to your office's folder, or drag your block into it when done. If your office does not yet have a folder, create one and put your block(s) inside. This is a shared site across many editors.
- Image File: Upload your image here. You can upload it to this site or within your department/office site — either works, but you must publish accordingly.
- Name: Use this field for the name that will display on your block.
- Last Name: You can leave this blank; the full name can go in the Name field. This field is preserved for legacy content.
- Type: Alumni or Custom. The Alumni block is a legacy feature preserved so previously created blocks do not lose content; it has fewer features, fields, and options. For a new block, select Custom.
- Category: Optional field for additional context (e.g., Class Year, Hometown, Major, Advisor). Text will be bold.
- Text: Text relevant to the specified category.
- Summary: Optional text that appears beneath your photo.
- Expanded Content: Yes or No. If Yes, you can add content revealed in an accordion.
- Row > Text: Add your expanded content using the WYSIWYG and Media Type uploader.
Delete a Profile Block
- In the Profile Blocks site, navigate to the block you want to remove.
- Right-click the block and select Delete from the menu of options.
The block will go into the Trash Can.
Important: You must re-publish any page on which the profile block appeared for it to go away. For example, if someone asks you to take their profile block down, first delete the block, then republish your department's "Alumni and Careers" page so the change appears on the live site.
Additional Help
If you need further assistance, you have several options:
- Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
- Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
- In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
- Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.