FAQs

We offer a number of options available to the UBC community. Just see Get the CLF.

Support will be provided in three forms: online self-help resources, consultation, and open demo sessions and workshops. Details will be posted on this site. In the meantime, if you have any immediate issues, feel free to contact us.

Well, yes, but don't panic! We don't expect you to switch over immediately, but we ask that you work out a timeline that is reasonable within your means.

There are a number of options available to the UBC community that will help switching over to the new CLF easy. If you need guidance on the process, feel free to contact us for consultation.

Yes, the styles embedded in the default CSS code strips out the design elements of the CLF and only prints your content.

The CLF Brand Identity Header provides an information hierarchy and visual consistency across the University’s websites. When adapting the CLF, do not include a unit logo, graphic or text in place of or near the Unit Name. You should also consider the following design guidelines:

1. If your unit identity includes the UBC Logo, avoid stacking it with the UBC Logo in the Brand Identity Header.
2. In general, avoid UBC Logo versions in close proximity.
3. The dimensions of the UBC Logo have been kept intentionally minimal in the Brand Identity Header. Units repeating the UBC Logo (crest) should alter the scale of their own logo so that the size is substantially different from the one in the Visual Identity Header in order to provide visual clarity and to add interest to the page.

The CLF supports the most modern browsers including: IE7+, Mozilla Firefox 5+, Google Chrome14+ and Safari 5+.

Pretty much all of them, except for the really old devices. The CLF has an integrated Responsive Web Design framework which adjusts or responds to devices' viewport. This means that the CLF should work on any device with a web browser, regardless of platform or operating system. To learn more, check out the Responsive Web Design section.

Bug reports can be submitted to the Web Communications Team at: web.admin@ubc.ca. In your e-mail, please include the following:

• Screenshot of the bug
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Details, conditions, and steps you took that triggered the bug

We encourage openness and collaboration whenever possible. In the near future, we will be using a git repository for version control and management of code submissions from the UBC community. Please note that there will always be one official version of the UBC CLF and all submissions are subject to approval by Communications & Marketing.

The CLF hosts some files on a CDN or Content Delivery Network. These files serve content, styles, and scripts to your website that are part of the minimum or mandatory requirements of the CLF. You should not remove these lines from your template.

CSS

ubc-clf.min.css

• Bootstrap v2.3.1
• Font Awesome 3.0
• UBC CLF

JS

ubc-clf.min.js

• UBC CLF core
• UBC CLF carousel plugin - based on the Bootstrap carousel
• Bootstrap Collapse - v2.3.1
• Bootstrap Dropdown - v2.3.1
• Bootstrap Tab - v2.3.1
• Bootstrap Transition - v.2.3.1

Icons

• Font Awesome Icons

Images

• CLF sprite
• Favicon.ico
• Mobile bookmark icons

CDN content is hosted on secure server as well. Just change any calls to the CDN in your code from 'http' to 'https'. For CLF versions, v.7.0.3 and newer, there is no need for any modification. The templates should auto detect secure or non-secure connections.

Certainly. However, as we are unable to support customizations, we only recommend this option to advanced users. Should you go this route, please keep in mind that the default out-of-the-box styles have been thoroughly tested and are compatible with popular browsers, responsive web design techniques, and are accessible.

Not quite. While we've embedded WAI-ARIA assistive technology landmarks on the main sections of the CLF, updated the colours, typography and content styles of the CLF to meet WCAG 2.0 Guidelines, web accessibility is more than just design styles. It's still up to you to ensure that your content follows best practices. For example, image tags should have "alt" properties, links should have title tags, tables should be properly formatted and not used for structural elements etc. You are also encouraged to use WAI-ARIA role tags for at least the main sections of your pages. For more comprehensive information, please check out the following resources:

• W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0
• WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind)
• WAI-ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications Suite)
• WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool
• WebAIM WCAG 2.0 Accessibility Checklist
• Web Accessibility Checker

Technically yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean that your content is optimized for the mobile experience. Responsive Web Design is great as a technique for making websites compatible with just about every platform from desktops to smartphones. However, you'll still need to ensure your content is conducive to a mobile web experience. This may include simple techniques such as simplifying your navigation, keeping your content brief, or making your images scalable.

Responsive Web Design is relatively new and we expect some site owners and content creators to struggle a bit with the transition. Let's face it, it's a big leap moving from desktop-centric thinking to mobile or responsive design thinking. If you fit in this category, feel free to contact us for consultation. We'll also be hosting workshops for the UBC community to help others through the transition.

Yes, check out our blog post for complete information.

We support WordPress and Drupal. These platforms are the most widely used at UBC and in the web community.

We simply don't have the resources or expertise to support other CMS tools. If you are using other CMS tools, we encourage you to build your own CLF Template Themes and share them with the UBC community. Just be sure to contact us to ensure our guidelines are met.

Whenever possible, we encourage site owners to use WordPress and Drupal CMS options instead. At this time, we don't have Dreamweaver specific templates, but we do provide straight HTML.

1. All UBC units must use the UBC CLF (Common Look and Feel) Templates for their websites and abide to its guidelines with the following exceptions. In these cases, Communications and Marketing recommends using only the UBC Full Signature.
• The website is collaborative in nature with one or more external groups, where there is an equal partnership and the design must convey a neutral tone (e.g. a joint research project with another university).
• The website is internally focused that serves only the UBC Community (current students, faculty, and staff) and is not meant for public consumption (e.g. a password protected Intranet).
• The website is hosted or built using 3rd party software that has fixed templates and limits the ability of web designers to incorporate the full UBC CLF to display and function correctly (e.g. Blackboard Learning Modules).
2. Units who feel they cannot use the UBC CLF for any other reason must contact Communications and Marketing to discuss their project before proceeding.

Individuals, student groups and non-UBC organizations are NOT eligible for the CLF.