Troubleshooting | New Mexico State University

Got an Error Screen?

browser window displaying an "Error" message — Don't worry, you didnt break anything ;)

Occasionally, upon submitting your latest change, a screen displaying "Error" may appear.

Although it might looks alarming, an error screen is actually quite common, and usually only requires minor adjustments to the content you just inputted.

Read possible SOLUTIONS by clicking on the underlined topics below to expand the answers.

Please Note: The following only apply to standard department template sites in the Legacy theme (version 3 and under), not the "new theme" (ver. 4 and above), college or administrative template sites, or sites that have customized elements ( i.e. altered stylesheets, or custom templates)

Quick Check:

What was the last item edited?

The last item to have been edited is usually the asset responsible for an error. Perhaps a field that is required was left blank on the last page. Or a symbol like the ampersand (&) was used in the last block, or format.

🤔

INSTRUCTIONS: Look through your recent assets on the My Content area of your Dashboard (see screencap on left). Click on My Entire History at the bottom to browse through more assets.

My Content is also located near the top-right, next to Search. Click the second column labeled Recent to list your most recently viewed assets (see screencap below).

Browse through the most recent items and refer to the issues/solutions on the following tabs.

If necessary, Revert those pages/assets.

Common Error Screen Causes

A Required Field was Ommited

In many cases, a simple field that is required was left blank. This is common particularly in large pages that contain several Content Rows to sift through.

SOLUTION: Enter data on required fields

It is easy to overlook these required fields, but if you follow the red dots • that appear to the left of the content row boxes, they will help you find an empty data fields.

The red dots will show you the row and content areas. Then, look for a red asterisk * to see which field needs an input. Failure to enter data may result in code being displayed as text, or other inaccessible/illegible text.

Format Error

When manually inputting your own code , this is the most common error cause.

There may be simple syntax error in your last edit. The syntax in the HTML might be missing a closing tag, or perhaps there are some program-specific tags that are now incompatible. (This can occur when using older versions of Dreamweaver to generate HTML, for instance.)

Also, note that short codes are exclusive to WordPress and are incompatible outside that environment. ( Examples: [gallery] or [caption] ).

Another possibility is an HTML tag was left open. Look for places where you may have inserted a new HTML tag (such as a <div>) , but failed to properly include its closing tag (a closing </div> ).

SOLUTION: Inspect your manually-inputted code for mistypes in syntax or incompatible shortcodes.

Grid Builder: Rule of 3

If your page includes a Grid Builder content row, it is possible that 1 or more grid items were left out.

The Grid Builer requires grid items in multiples of 3. Any more or less will result in errors.

SOLUTION: Set the required grid item to a multiple of 3

Please consult the webinar for detailed instructions in using the Grid Builder.

The Troublesome Ampersand

One known issue in Cascade is it's trouble rendering the ampersand character. The simple solution is to omit the symbol altogether and use the word ' and.'

SOLUTION: Reword or replace with a web character symbol

If you really need to display the symbol, you can replace any stand-alone ampersand with its official HTML code:

( & )

So that a keystroke...

...becomes a charater code.

For more HTML codes for certain symbols , accented letters, etc. consult this page with all the official symbol codes, so you can be sure they will show up on any display.

False Coding

It is possible that your text input method (for example, copying content from another program and pasting it here) is causing the page to read certain things as HTML code.

One can inadvertantly import invisible code when simply pasting copied text instead of pasting as Plain Text (or unformatted text).

SOLUTION : Open the Advance editor and remove text that can be interfering with HTML code

In your content area, open the Advanced Editor by clicking the two brackets < > that say Source Code:

the triagle-brackets icon gives you access to the Source Code

Search your inputted content for these <brackets > which are used for HTML code.

Look for out of place characters there, such as colons and square brackets inside the HTML taglines.

Missing Images

It is possible that an image being used was moved or deleted. This can cause an Error on pages that had a background or a thumbnail relying on it.

Links to images function the same way as standard hyperlinks. How do links even "break" ?

SOLUTION : Edit the page and search for signs of missing assets. Use the normal image placing method to replace or reupload the image.

In this example, Cascade is indicating an image can no longer be found.

Publishing or Display Errors

Cannot Publish

If you are receiving this message:

"You cannot publish (or unpublish) this asset..."

it means your site is not yet Live and is not able to publish content for public view.

SOLUTION: If you feel your site is ready to "go live", please file a New Website / Go Live Request Form. We'll begin the procedures to get your site online!

Cascade Information Page

New Changes Are Not Showing Live

Changes submitted to pages (or other assets) while logged into Cascade are saved, but are only public until you actually Publish those updates. You may be able to verify that your latest edition was saved if other users that are also logged are able to view your latest updates, but only until you either publish that page, or the entire site, will those updates reflect on your live site.

Whether you are the only user making a small change to your home page or there are several users making changes to many assets throughout your site, Cascade must be instructed to publish those new editions whenever you are finished. It is best practice to publish the entire web site around the end of the work day in order for the most recent changes to reflect live.

SOLUTION: Publish your page, asset*, or entire site.
*Some assets (such as blocks) are not publishable individually. Instead, publish its parent folder or the entire site.

• To simply publish your current page, after saving your draft by clicking submit, click the Publish button to send the asset to the publishing queue. In a few minutes, the new data will be pushed online.

• To publish your entire website, click Site Contents (which takes you to your Root Directory), and then click the Publish button. Likewise, the site will be sent to the publishing queue, and its data will refresh online depending on the size of all the site files.

Another SOLUTION: Clear Your Cookies 🍪

Publishing takes time, and not all web browsers refresh automatically when visiting a website repeatedly. Simply clicking Refresh on your default browser will not always load the freshest data.

👉 For a better reviewing process, use an alternate internet browser that hasn't visited your site in a while, or clear your browser's cache so it will load the most recent data from the internet again.

Learn how to clear your cache depending on your browser (courtesy of The University of Iowa).

The Navigation Bar has the Wrong Page listed

Similarly to how one needs to publish recent updates as explained above, the navigation bar is an operative part of the website as a whole. This means that the entirety of your website needs to be republished periodically so all of its assets (in this case, the navigation bar) can refresh online.

If there is a mismatch on your navigation, chances are one or more pages " haven't gotten the memo" of recent changes yet

SOLUTION: Simply follow the steps in the topic above to republish your entire site.

If your site does NOT use the automatic top navigation setting, then the links must be manually updated.

Here is how to verify if your navigation is Automatic:

• Click the More on the top right area and scroll down to "Show Regions"

• Verify that the region called TOP NAVIGATION has a format called < > top-nav-automatic

• If it simply says < > top-nav , then your menu must be editted manually before replublishing your site.

SOLUTION: Manually edit the code of the < > top-nav before republishing your site.

👉 How to manually update your nav menu: The Top Nav Menu

HTTP Error 404 (Broken Link)

404 Page Not Found

This means you will have to check the hyperlink in the page the broken links appear in. Likely, the source of the hyperlink has changed its webpage or document and you must insert an updated link.

Consult the Editing A Web Page tutorial on inserting links and for proper link formatting.

How do links even "break" ? ← For a detailed explanation on where the responsibility for broken links resides.

For broken links occurring in your Top Navigation bar, consult our webinars below:

• The Top Nav Menu (if your navigation is custom)
• Put the Menu on Auto! (if your navigation is automatic)

Site Content Files Have Different Names

*To learn more about how naming conventions work. See this helpful tutorial: Names , Titles, and Displays (the distinctions)

Each user has the option to display the names of the files differently. At the top right corner, access your User Menu, then Settings

You can choose to view the site assets by their Display or Title names:

OR you can uncheck the box to view their actual file names.

👉 This is recommended to web content managers, as it is a convenient way to keep track of a files' proper URL address. Or, for example, if you need to verify if your directories have an index (a "landing" page).

Google results are showing an Older Page

Pages from your site that have been published on the web were also at one point “crawled” by search engines. This means their data will remain on the web until your site is crawled again.

Various search engines perform these crawls at their own time schedules and using their own methods to sort the results. The MARCOM web team is unfortunately not privy to those details nor able to edit those results 😔 It is up to your web content efforts to use the best SEO (search engine optimization) practices over time to get the best results in Google, etc. Keep content updated and relevant to search terms.

For more information, and to LEARN how to best get caught in Google's spider crawl, research " Best SEO Practices"

SOLUTION: Publish updated material. In time, web crawls will update their results for any given search engine. Research SEO best practices to boost your ratings 😃!

Visitors are Seeing Broken Links!

If you have created links that seem to work for you, but not for other visitors it may be possible you are linking to internal items. When hovering (but not clicking) over the link in question, take a look at the bottom left corner of your browser.

If you are linking to a page or document to an external website, make sure that website is public. Inside.nmsu.edu content is NOT public . It is ONLY available to visitors currently on campus, or logged into through SSO.

SOLUTION: Upload the content to your own site , relink properly to it, and publish.

Module Help

News and Events (Blog)

If your page is actively using the <blog-feed> format on any of the REGIONS of your page, there MUST be at least one post set to "Featured" in your blog otherwise an error will result.

SOLUTION :Feature at least one of your posts.

Go to one your any of your blog posts (by default, in the /news-events/ directory). Edit it, then click the radio button "Yes" on Featured on Home Page.

ALT. SOLUTION: Remove the Blog Feed from your page.

Edit your page and go to the Configure tab. Scroll down and check the REGIONS of your page. The Blog feed is usually applied to the NEWS region or the FORM region, but it may be applied elsewhere. (See screenshot).

Click on both tick boxes to cancel the block or format currently in place. Submit your change. The blog feed should no longer be active on your page.

Faculty Directory

Gallery Module

Reverting to a Previous Version

There is an option to revert a page (or any asset) to a previously saved draft, or version

If you are currently editing your page, go to the right corner and click ...More. Then scroll down to Versions

versions-1 versions-2 If you are currently in the File Manager, you can access a file's Versions by right-clicking on the file, clicking More (if the window is too short), and then scrolling down to Versions.

From there, you can choose which version of the file you would like to revert to, by the date it was saved as a draft. It is even possible to preview those drafts before reverting to them!

This process also works for other assets besides pages, too! So if you ever edit an important block, format, or other file, you can easily "undo" any mistakes and return them to their previous working order! 😄

Use Caution When Renaming Files!

Use Caution When Renaming

🚨 IMPORTANT: It is strongly recommended NOT to change the name of your files (and folders) after being published.

Do NOT Rename files Instead, add Metadata

This is especially the case for folders and pages, as they are used in the paths of web addreses, and thus essential in keeping URLs consistent and crucial files accessible. Files' names are, in fact, part of the URL (web address) used to lead users to them.

INSTEAD, change the file's Title and/or Display Name metadata!

Other Issues / Access Errors

These issues may not necessarily be related to Cascade, but solutions to these common issues are addressed.

"I get a 'FORBIDDEN' error message when attempting to visit a nmsu.edu site."

screencap of browser window showing FORBIDDEN, then the URL is underlined to indicate this is an intranet website

Because of NMSU's internal network security, access to certain domains is limited. These include: inside.nmsu.edu, demo.nmsu.edu, and themetest-d.nmsu.edu. Certain intranet websites like these require additional configuration to be able to access.

Understanding how to connect both on-campus and remotely is crucial for our community's seamless operation.

When On-Campus: Specific Network Requirements

While on the NMSU campus, you can directly access these internal sites, but only when connected to the campus network with an internal IP address in the range of 128.123.x.x. This is critical for ensuring secure and direct access within our network infrastructure.

Remote Access: Full Tunnel VPN Configuration

For those working remotely or not connected to the campus network with the specified IP range, setting up a Full Tunnel VPN is necessary to access these sites:

Launch Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client: Start the client on your device.
Enter Full Tunnel VPN Address: Type “vpn.nmsu.edu/full” in the connection field.
Use Your NMSU Credentials: Log in with your usual NMSU credentials.

This Full Tunnel VPN connection mirrors the on-campus network environment, providing you with secure and unrestricted access to our internal sites from any location.

Support and Assistance

Should you need any assistance or encounter difficulties, NMSU's dedicated network team and IT helpdesk are at your service. We understand the importance of seamless access and are committed to providing the necessary support.

"How do I check my IP address?"

 One of the easiest ways to check your IP address is to visit https://whatismyipaddress.com/. Alternatively, you can also type “What's my IP” in a google search and your IP address will display near the top of the page above the search results.

"Can I show a page that is currently a draft?"

Yes, but only to other Cascade users with access to your site. You can share a link to internal Cascade files with other authorized users. Otherwise, only published content is available publicly.

right-click file name to open the "copy path" option

Hover your cursor over the file you would like to share a link to. Right-click the file name to open the "copy path" option, click the double-square icon and the path will be copied to your clipboard (see image to the left). You can then paste the link on your chat or e-mail.

Need to show a page to someone OUTSIDE your organization?

To share a page in progress, use the More menu, then choose Full Screen Preview (see image to the right).

This opens the page in a new browser window, as it would appear if it were "live." From here you can screenshot the entirety of the screen or parts of the page you want to share. You can also Print the entire page directly, or you can Print to PDF to create a digital file to share/e-mail.