Release Notes: YaleSites v2.0 - In Collaboration with It's Your Yale

We’re excited to announce the launch of YaleSites 2.0, a major update to our platform developed in collaboration with the It’s Your Yale web team and their vendor partner, Four Kitchens. 

This release introduces powerful new features designed to enhance content organization, improve navigation, and provide more flexible layout options—all based on user feedback and research from our community.

Content Management Updates

• Added support for WEBP image files, expanding media capabilities
• Added Page content type support for Reference Card block
• Redesigned Block Picker with a more efficient 4-column layout and new groupings for blocks
• Removed text centering and left-justified options in WYSIWYG editor

Navigation Improvements

• Improved Breadcrumb Functionality:
  • Breadcrumbs to start at level 2 of navigation instead of level 3, enhancing site hierarchy clarity
  • Reduced padding on pages for a more compact presentation
• New Utility Navigation Group Feature: Support for up to 10 links, providing better organization for secondary navigation items that align with Yale’s cohesive, user-focused design approach
  • Build this menu under “Content” > “Manage Menus” > “Manage Utility Drop Down Navigation”
• Responsive Menu Improvements: Bug Fix: Sites with no menu items correctly do not display a hamburger icon on mobile

Content Creation Enhancements

New and Improved Blocks

• Grand Hero Enhancement: 
  • New “Contained Narrow” overlay option, giving content creators more flexibility while maintaining Yale’s visual identity standards
  • New Overlay PNG option, allowing content creators to replace the text heading with a png image for more design flexibility
• Updated Accordion Block: New design options for better visual organization of expandable content sections, addressing user needs for improved content organization
• Enhanced Tile Block: New hover animation options for increased interactivity, providing opportunities to experiment with different visual approaches
• Image Banner Improvements: Optional captions added to support better accessibility and provide additional context

Post Content Type Enhancements

• Automatic Estimated Read Time: Shows estimated reading time for posts, improving user experience
  • Find this setting under “Manage Settings” in the right side menu under “Publishing Settings”
• “Post Lead In” Field: New field in the teaser content area for creating compelling teasers in views and reference cards
• Social Media Sharing Options: Easily add social sharing functionality to increase content reach
  • Find this setting under “Manage Settings” in the right side menu under “Publishing Settings”

Administration and Site Management

• Admin Experience Enhancement: 
  • Block form fields now automatically display placeholder admin labels for improved usability
  • On link forms you can now see what content type show up in the form autocomplete options
• Event Integration Sync: Site Administrators can now synchronize event integrations for more consistent content management under “Settings” > “Integrations”
• Bulk Taxonomy Manager Access: Platform Administrators can now access the Bulk Taxonomy Manager to efficiently organize content categorization
• Event Display Improvements:
  • Bug Fix: Multi-day events now show the next upcoming event day in the event meta area
  • Bug Fix: Multi-day event view results now display the correct day in the multi-day sequence
  • Passed events now have a prefix in the multi-day event page list for better clarity

Bug Fixes

• Fixed the default site email for contact forms to ensure proper message delivery
• Fixed hover styling issues on tables in text blocks when viewed by logged-in users
• Fixed color contrast issues on the block move panel
• Fixed keyboard accessibility with AI chatbot
• Fixed spacing on custom card header, image, and content
• Fixed Button block picker icon for more accurate representation of the Button block

We encourage you to explore these new features and discover how they can enhance your YaleSite. As always, comprehensive documentation and training resources are available through our resource library.

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback and helped shape this release. YaleSites 2.0 represents our ongoing commitment to creating a platform that meets the diverse needs of the Yale community while maintaining our core principles of uniformity, inclusivity, user-centricity, standardization, and sustainability.