New Mexico State University

We are thrilled to announce a brand-new theme experience for Cascade CMS, rolling out as of September 2023*. Our goal with this refresh is to not only make it easier for everyone to build beautiful and informative websites, but to also lay the groundwork for adding more functionality with the templates to enhance the user experience.

*Websites created before this date are considered "legacy theme" (version 3.x) and are eligible to migrate to a New Site.

All new site requests will be processed with the new theme by default. Here’s what this means for you:

• If you already have a Cascade site, moving to the new theme is not mandatory. We encourage you to explore the new theme and see what it has to offer but you are not required to migrate your site to the new theme. 
  
  
• Legacy site templates are still supported. We recommend transitioning to the new theme, but it will require content migration. The new theme uses a new framework, code-base, and interface for building pages, therefore content migration will be a manual process. We understand that this isn’t ideal, but we hope that you’ll see the value with the new and improved features, detailed documentation and code snippet library that comes with that extra work. Now's a great time for a website redesign.
  
  
• We’re moving away from modules. In our ongoing effort to streamline the Cascade CMS experience and make future updates smoother, we've made the decision to phase out certain modules. We are discontinuing the following cascade CMS modules bundled with the theme: News, Media Gallery and Directory. Don’t worry, we won’t leave you hanging if you depend on these modules.
  
  
  • The new theme and code snippet library provides a ton of gallery options for your photos and videos.
  • We have included two new directory templates to build your staff pages with more ease.
  • We have a news highlight builder block to create an aesthetically pleasing way to direct your visitors to news and events about your department.
  • Or, if you prefer to build your own news site or blog, we’ve created an entirely new blog site template suite to compliment your standard official department pages.
    
    
• Required training for new users. For any new website admins joining your site, please note that they must complete our Cascade Basic Training prior to receiving site access. We will launch a self-paced online training, training sandbox and training guide to ensure web editors have the basic web editing skills and knowledge of support resources. Existing users will not be required to attend Cascade Basic Training; however, we invite you to register to refresh your skills. We will also have a shorter, Cascade Refresher training course that highlights what you can expect from the new theme.
  
  
• Accessibility (a11y) Update. The latest theme takes many measures to help you keep up with the latest accessibility requirements!

We hope these improvements will make your experience managing and editing your Cascade CMS website more useful and enjoyable.

Want to see these new features in action? Visit demo.nmsu.edu†

†_{requires "/full" VPN pathway to access}

New Design Tools for the "New Theme"

There's a collection of coding solutions for NMSU website developers and designers that can be used in the new theme.

These resources detail any type of component we build in HTML and CSS that isn’t already available to you via the Cascade interface (i.e. News Blocks or Hero Visual Elements)

Check out Web Design: Code Snippets†

If you want to keep any content from your current "old theme" site onto the new site it will need migrating.  Migration simply means re-creating content in the new site. This can be a simple copy-and-paste operation, where the text from an old page is copied then pasted onto the content sections of your new pages, or it can be a conceptual re-construction of your exisiting content onto a new page (or pages).

Essentially, all content must be created manually in the new setup from scratch. If existing pages contain photos, and/or linked documents to download (Word files, PDF's, etc.) they must also be re-uploaded to the new site, as well.

While a migration can be labor-intensive it is also a great opportunity to "clean house," and only bring over the absolute best content from your current site. Since there is no "transferring" of pages or content, ideally one should only migrate the most current content that comprises their site and backup the rest (old pages, expired documents, and carryover image files) to their computer.

Need Some Help?

Migration to the new theme is voluntary, and while the Web Team may not have the capacity to rebuild entire websites, we will gladly advise you on appropriate website development. For example, we can help you get started with a sitemap, to asses your existing site content and suggest how you can get started rebuilding your site in the most effective way.

Need help with a specific page, or even a set of pages? Let us know and we can provide help upon request, on a case-by-case basis. Simply file a General Request job ticket detailing your needs, and include all relevant information. Don't forget screencaps, links, or anything that ellaborates on your issue. We're here to help! ;)

"When does my new theme site replace the old?"

When your migration project is complete, or you are ready for your development site to "take over," you can indicate to us by filing a Go Live Request form.

At this point we will archive* the old site, transfer publishing capacities to your new site, and you can begin to Publish your new site for the first time! *An "archived" site can no longer publish, but will remain accessible to you and other users inside Cascade for a few months. You are advised to backup old contents to your computer.

Gradually your new site will replace all of the old site's content online. (Clear your browser's caché to see the freshest content appear).