Framework Settings

Framework Settings

After making a copy of the Web Framework, configure your site before publishing it to SiteKube.

1. Check your .htaccess file

Before publishing to SiteKube for the first time:

• Find the .htaccess file in your site’s root folder in the WCMS.

• Make sure it has been updated for SiteKube. Follow the IU Knowledge Base instructions for Update .htaccess when moving from Sitehost to SiteKube.

2. Update the Settings block

Open the Settings block in the base folder of your Web Framework site and review the following fields:

SiteKube settings

• Account Name: Enter your SiteKube account name.

• Staging URL: Enter your SiteKube Test URL, such as https://account.sites-test.iu.edu.

  • Do not use the old sitehost-test.iu.edu address.

• Live URL: Enter your production virtual host, such as https://framework.iu.edu.

Framework settings

• Page Extension: Leave as .html unless your site requires something different.

• Includes: Choose PHP.

• Navigation rendering: Leave PHP enabled by default.

• Brand version: Keep this set to 3.3.x.

• Brand assets server URL: Use https://assets.iu.edu.

• Campus: Select your campus.

• Site Title: Enter the full name of your site.

  • Avoid unexplained abbreviations in the site title.

  • Use <span>...</span> for text that should not be bold.

  • For long titles, use <span class="small">...</span> to display part of the title as smaller text above the main title.

• Theme (Secondary Color): Select an IU Web Brand color. Use only approved brand colors throughout your site.

• Primary Navigation Dropdown: Enable this to include section content in primary navigation drop-downs.

• Include Campus Emergency Banner: Enable IU-Notify banners for appropriate campus-level sites.

• Social Media: Enter account usernames to display social icons above the footer.

3. Confirm Transports

Your SiteKube Transports should already be configured—you can view them in Manage Site > Transports.

4. Publish the entire site for the first time

Your first SiteKube publish requires a full-site publish.

In the WCMS:

• Find the top-level folder for your site in the folder list. It should match your WCMS site name, such as CAMPUS-UNIT.name.

• Right-click the folder and select Publish.

• Select both destinations:

  • SiteKube – Test

  • SiteKube – Production

• Select Publish.

Large sites may take longer to publish.

Note: SiteKube sites can only be published from the WCMS. Direct SFTP or SSH access is not supported.

5. Check the test and production sites

After publishing:

• Open both the SiteKube Test and Production sites.

• Make sure pages load correctly.

• Check for missing images.

• Check for broken links.

• Look for layout, navigation, or other display problems.

Your production site normally continues to use its existing virtual host, such as department.iu.edu.

Future publishing

After the initial full-site publish:

• Publish only the pages or folders you change.

• Avoid publishing the entire site unless a site-wide change requires it.

• If you change the Settings block, republish the entire site so the updated settings are applied throughout the site.

Need help?

Check the IU Knowledge Base for SiteKube troubleshooting information.

If you still need assistance, contact webhelp@iu.edu and include:

• Your WCMS site name

• Your Group Account

• A link to the affected page(s), if applicable

• A short description of what you expected and what happened instead