April 18 WordPress updates
UMaine and UMaine Machias websites operate in a common WordPress environment, and this software is routinely updated to add new features and fix security vulnerabilities. Beginning this month, we are adhering to a quarterly schedule of updates to this software with the guidance and support of UMS IT’s Web Technologies team.
WordPress updating to version 5.9.5
This newer version of WordPress offers improved features for the newer Gutenberg editor. There are also minor cosmetic changes to the WordPress dashboard, and you may find it easier to switch languages at the WordPress login screen.
- Text wrapping will now break a word when it would previously be kept intact and moved to a second line in the text. This will result in some changes with how narrow columns of text flow.
UMaine Publications plugin updates
This “plugin” (additional functionality that can be activated on a site) allows for the creation of a bibliography for a department, school or research lab. Two new types of categorization will become available with this update:
- Research Area: a new taxonomy which will allow for categorization of publications along topics
- Keywords: a tag-based feature that will allow individual publications to be tagged, offering additional ways to list publications together
If you are interested in learning more about this feature of our websites, please contact us at um.weboffice@maine.edu.
UMS GPA Calculator plugin
The Honors College GPA calculator has been a feature of the website for over a decade, and was in need of an update. Working with UMS IT web developers, a new GPA calculator has been created that can be more broadly used on any UMS website. The above link will display the updated calculator once April WordPress updates are complete.