Formatting and layout

Owned by Kjetil Røed (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Apr 26, 2018 by Former user (Deleted)
2 min read

Formatting

While editors have a great deal of freedom in the Simpleview CMS, and there may be differences between pages, or language versions of the same page, it is nevertheless important that the entire site has a similar expression and style. In addition, there are some places where mistakes can easily happen, and where one should tread carefully.

10 rules of thumb when formatting

  1. Only one H1 – Each page should have only one H1 heading. Usually on the header slide; if not in header slide, it should be the topmost heading.
  2. Other headings – The other main headings will normally be H2 or H3.
  3. Nesting headings – When creating a page with a nested structure, make sure to use progressively smaller size headings that reflect the structure.
  4. Intro text – Normal text centre justified or left justified (depending on template style in use) in a text box widget, placed in a Custom Text Style (Reskin Phase 2) panel.
  5. Formatting styles – Predefined styles such as H1-H6 should not be given additional formatting.
  6. Remove formatting before pasting – When copying text from another format or source, make sure to paste it into source field in text box to avoid formatting issues.
  7. No formatting in description-fields – The description and meta-description fields should not contain text that has any formatting except for the Normal style.
  8. Bolding – Bolding is a good way to increase readability, ie emphasizing a few important words by putting them in bold.
  9. Be consistent – When formatting text, be considerate of template style and lay-out.
  10. Make words stand out – You may use italics to make words stand out or denote linguistic stress, but do so sparingly, and only if you’re sure it is necessary.

 Layout

Each page consists of four different sections, of which the middle two are the only ones to regularly be edited:

page sections

  • Header – In general not to be changed by editors, unless global changes are requested.
  • Header slideshow – The top image, video or slideshow, and its title, link, share buttons, and other elements.
  • Content – The main body of the page, where most of the editing will take place.
  • Footer – In general not to be changed by editors, unless global changes are requested.

Bolding

Here are some guidelines for using bold in body text:

  • The main purpose of bolding is to make it easier for the reader to pick up the important points when scanning the article.
  • Try to avoid bolding more than three to five words.
  • Too much bolding will defeat the purpose and actually decrease readability.
  • Use bold only – do not use ALL CAPS or underlined text; this will look like shouting, or be easily confused with links.
  • Do not bold link texts. It is usually best to insert links in the article first, and then do the bolding.
  • Bold important information only – if it is insignificant, subjective or anything but important facts, do not bold it.
  • Avoid bolding names foreign tourists are not familiar with.

Additional information: