LibGuidance

Update to the New Template

This guide explains how to update your existing Libguide to use the new Side-Nav Standard 2024 template. This template unifies the look and feel of library online resources, improving the user experience by providing a consistent and user-friendly interface.

To upgrade the to the new template:

• You will need to be the owner of the Libguide
• Have edit rights in the new guides group. 

A collaborative effort

While updating Libguides to the new Side-Nav Standard 2024 template might require ownership or editing permissions, it's important to remember that effective guide creation is often a collaborative effort.

There might be different contributors to pages, and some pages might contain inline styles, which can make the update more complex. If you're not the owner of the Libguide but contribute content or edits, consider discussing the update with the owner or librarian responsible.

Your team and the library online development group, can help you prioritise LibGuides that require updates by identifying high-use guides or those needing critical accessibility updates updates.

Stage 1 - Review the Guide

As you prepare to upgrade your Libguide to the new template, it's the perfect opportunity to take stock of your content. The following steps will guide you through this review process, ensuring a smooth transition to the new format.

Content

• Accuracy: Ensure all information is accurate and up-to-date.
• Broken links: Use Link Checker to check all links for functionality and update any that are broken or outdated.
• Structure and navigation: Organise the guide with clear headings and subheadings.
• Accessibility: Follow accessibility guidelines to ensure your LibGuide is usable by everyone. This might involve adding alternative text descriptions for images.
• Responsiveness: Websites need to adapt to different screen sizes. Items like tables can be inflexible in these scenarios, causing content to break or overlap on smaller screens. Consider an alternative way to display the content.

Collaborators

1. Identify collaborators: Before initiating the move, determine who has access to the guide currently.
2. Verify permissions in the new group: Once you've identified the collaborators, check with your library online development group lead for individual access. It is expected that your team will already have access, but further permissions can be granted if needed. 
3. Communicate: Keep collaborators informed throughout the process. Let them know about the move, the new group they'll be associated with, and any potential changes to their access.

Stage 2 - Guide Preparation

Prepping a guide for a move ensures a smooth transition by identifying potential issues and streamlining the update process. Migrating to the new template might require adjustments, as inline styles and guide-level CSS can sometimes conflict with the template's built-in styles.

Check for inline styles

Inline styles are formatting instructions embedded directly within the HTML code. See if your LibGuide uses any inline styles. These might need to be adjusted or removed when switching to the new template.

Guide CSS

Review any custom CSS you have implemented and assess if it will need to be adapted for the new template.

To check for customisation:

1. Select Guide Layout
2. Select Guide Custom JS/CSS

Before removing or migrating your guide-level CSS, take a moment to review its functionality. This CSS might be used for custom widgets or other guide-specific customisations. If you're unsure about its purpose, don't hesitate to reach out to the systems team for clarification.

Custom HTML

You might encounter a situation where an HTML section with extensive code (potentially for custom features like tabs or divs) creates conflicts on your webpage. In this scenario consider refreshing the content and layout to align with your new stylesheet.

Format text

To ensure you content is ready for the transfer use the Rich Text Editor.

To create a Heading:

1. Highlight the text
2. Click Remove Format
3. In Paragraph Format select Heading 3

To create a Subheading:

1. Highlight the text
2. Click Remove Format
3. In Paragraph Format select Heading 4

To create a Normal text:

1. Highlight the text
2. Click Remove Format
3. In Paragraph Format select Normal

Stage 3 - Update the Template and Group

Updating your guide involves two crucial steps: applying the new template and assigning the new group. These steps are interdependent because both the template and group can influence styling.

Add the template

1. Select Guide Layout
2. Select Guide Navigation Layout
3. Select Side-Nav Standard 2024
4. Untick Show all subpages in side navigation
5. Tick Show box-level navigation for selected page
6. Click Save

Assign the group

1. Select Type/Group
2. In  Group select your teams group e.g. LLTS Services
3. Click Save

Stage 4 - Testing

After making the changes it is essential that you review and test the functionality of the guide.

Reviewing and testing after a CSS update helps identify any unexpected layout shifts or broken functionality caused by the new styles. This ensures your website continues to work as intended for all users. You can catch any unintended consequences on the overall look and feel of your pages.

Different browsers can render CSS slightly differently. Testing across various browsers helps ensure a consistent experience for users regardless of the browser they use.

It is recommend to run an accessibility check using the Silktide application in Google Chrome. 

Further support

For detailed support on accessibility and other form of testing please contact the Systems team.