PIE, How do I use publish.illinois.edu?
This article addresses how to accomplish some basic tasks in publish.illinois.edu (also known as PIE), the campus WordPress solution. If there is a basic task not listed here that you would like to see addressed, use the feedback button to let us know!
How do I...
... get to my dashboard?
- Visit publish.illinois.edu and click the Log in link.
- Click the link in the green box to use your Active Directory login.
- Enter your credentials and click Login.
- You will be redirected back to PIE.
- Go to Dashboard -> My Sites. to see a list of your sites, then click the Dashboard link under the site you would like to work with.
... change the banner image?
- From your site dashboard, go to Appearance -> Header
- Choose the Customize option for your active theme, then choose the Header button
- Click Add new image
- Upload a file from your computer, or choose the Media Library tab to choose an image the was previously uploaded to your site.
- Click Select and Crop
- Adjust the selected area as needed. Then click either Crop Image to trim the page or Skip Cropping to use the unedited image.
- Click Save and Publish if you like how it looks, or repeat the process to make further changes.
- Click the X at the top left sidebar to return to your Dashboard.
... update my menu bar?
- From your site dashboard, go to Appearance -> Menus.
- If your theme uses more than one menu, select the menu you wish to work with.
- You can create menu items from
- Pages or Posts you have written
- Custom Links that can link to any page (on or off PIE)
- Categories that you have used to tag your posts
- To add Pages, Posts, or Categories to the menu, click the check box beside the items you wish to add and select Add to Menu.
- To add Custom Links to the menu, provide a URL and link text for each link and click Add to Menu.
- To reorganize your menu, drag and drop each item into the type of structure you wish to display. Dragging an item slightly on top of another item will make the items stack in a tree. When you're done rearranging the topics, click Save Menu.
... change where my menu appears?
- From your site dashboard, go to Appearance -> Menus.
- If your theme uses more than one menu, the list of options will be displayed under the Manage Locations tab.
- Each menu location on the left will offer a selection menu on the right. The menus you have created will be listed in these selection menus. Choose which menu you want to appear in each location.
... add widgets to my sidebar?
The exact collection of widget locations available will depend on your theme. However, in general, there will be a list of Available Widgets toward the left of the page and a list of potential widget locations available toward the right of the page.
- From your site dashboard, go to Appearance -> Widgets.
- To use the standard interface, drag and drop items from the Available Widgets collection to the location you want that widget to appear.
- To use the Live Preview feature, click the Manage in Live Preview link near the Widgets headline. The customizer will let you use navigational menus on the left in order to preview your changes in a mockup on the right. You can save changes you like or use the X button to cancel without saving changes.
... move or remove my sidebar?
From your site dashboard, go to Appearance.
Some themes use the Appearance - >Widgets section to control sidebar contents. When all widgets are removed from a sidebar, the sidebar collapses.
Other themes use Appearance -> Themes -> Customize -> Widgets to control sidebar contents. Follow the guidelines for your theme.
... add a slideshow to my content?
- Go to Plugins and select a plugin appropriate for the type of gallery you'd like to create. Some options include:
- FancyBox - creates a Mac-style image gallery
- Lightbox Gallery - changes the view of galleries to the lightbox
- MetaSlider - creates a slideshow type gallery with several options
- More examples of how various plugins behave and how to use them are offered at the PIE plugin demo site.
... select a new theme?
- From your site dashboard, go to Appearance -> Themes.
- Hovering over a new theme and using the Live Preview button will let you take a look at how your site will appear with that theme activated.
- In the Live Preview, you can use the options in the left column to adjust the look and feel of your site before you save it.
- If you like your Live Preview modifications, click Save & Activate.
- If you don't like your Live Preview modifications, click either the Change button to select a new theme or the X button to cancel out of Live Preview.
... get access to an existing site?
For access to specific websites hosted on publish.illinois.edu, contact the current owner or administrator of the site.
If you need access to a site that no longer has an administrator on campus, or if you don't know who the administrator is, please email consult@illinois.edu and provide:
- The site URL
- The reason you need access
- The WordPress role you are requesting (administrator, editor, subscriber)
- And any other information that will help us validate your request.
... permanently delete my site
You must have Administrator access to a Publish website in order to delete it. Visit your dashboard and choose Tools->Delete Site. If you do not see this option, you are not an administrator. If you know who the site administrator is, ask them to delete the site. If you do not know who the site administrator is, email consult@illinois.edu and we will attempt to contact the site administrator for permission to delete the site.