Fayston VT

Official Municipal Website

802-496-2454 Join

Instructions

General

Please review the general WordPress documentation on my website, then refer to the specific instructions below for your site.

https://www.madriverweb.com/client-pages/wordpress-basic-documentation/
https://www.madriverweb.com/client-pages/wordpress-basic-documentation-blocks/

Note: You don’t always see the final appearance in the editor; refresh the live page to check your work, and always check your work on multiple device sizes.

The ability to choose between Classic and Block Editor has been turned off. All pages will now show in Block Editor or some close form if generated by a plugin as the meetings are. Some pages could still have a Classic block. We should “Convert to Blocks” if observed.

The “Block” editor provides more flexible layout, easy ability to reorder content with drag and drop, improved image layouts, columnar organization, and improved tables.

Note: your theme is a Genesis child theme so you will see some applicable notes. The “G” icon upper right has at least one helpful feature, Custom Classes, which can allow a page or post to be “named” for specific styling.

Whenever editing, I suggest opening two or three tabs or windows: the public site and the admin in separate windows, and these instructions if needed in another tab. Reason: speed, ease of additional updates without additional navigation and page changing. Once you have saved some changes, switch to public tab and refresh and you won’t lose your place in the page you are editing.

  • Most common work will be within Pages and Posts.
  • Within either, images (and slide shows, currently disabled) may be added, and a featured image can be attached to the top. (Otherwise, pages, posts and categories show a random image at the top.)
  • Media can also be managed independently within the Media Library (and Meta Slider, currently disabled) and then utilized in multiple locations as desired.
  • Main/upper navigation is managed within Appearance Menus.

IMPORTANT: One of the challenges in the Block editor is knowing exactly where you are when placing your cursor. You may end up inside another block, as blocks can be nested within groups. Near the upper left of the admin, there is a three-lined icon that says “Document Overview” when you hover over it. Click that and it shows you the page structure in “List View.” This is a handy way to drag and drop blocks.

The paragraph block is the easiest from which to “cleanly” hit enter to get a new block, so sometimes I just put a new block anywhere, then use the up and down arrows or 6-dot drag handle icon to move it to the desired place.

Observing the page structure is also important if you want to delete a grouped block so you don’t accidentally only delete the blocks within.

The Block Editor offers many benefits that outweigh the challenges. Please review the Sample Page for specific details and examples and use that page to practice/test.

This page updated 4/17/25.

Two notes about editing:

  • The way to create a single line break that is not a full paragraph break/spacing is with Shift Enter.
  • I suggest a technique that I call Preserve Formatting. To make minor edits, click inside the text to be edited, add the new text, and then delete the text before it or after it as necessary.

Posts (Notices)

  • Best if you type the post right in the admin. Copy and paste can have some formatting consequences, especially if copying from Word.
  • If you make a long post, I suggest adding a “more” tag, also located in the top row of the formatting bar (or among the blocks in the Block Editor). This will keep your post short on summary pages.
  • Please DON’T FORGET to categorize your post at right, multiple categories allowed.
  • You can add images to the body of your post, or attach files.
  • If you feel additional categories are warranted, add them.
  • Note that if you change a page or post title after creating it, you should edit the Permalink in the right sidebar in the Block Editor, IF done shortly after creation.
  • It’s best not to change a permalink after a post may have been indexed by search utilities unless a redirect is also created (ask me).
  • Post dates can be adjusted under the Publish field and this will reorder them in the list.
  • See other possibly helpful bullets below under Pages and Images.

Note: NEVER allow trackbacks and pingbacks. Although they were good in concept, the abusers have totally thwarted their usefulness and they result in huge amounts of spam.

Images

  • You may add an image inside your post (and page). Put your cursor where you want the image, click the blue “+” sign, select the image or gallery block, and then select the image(s) from either your hard drive or the Media Library.
  • You’ll most likely want the medium or small size which can be chosen in the Block options at right. I suggest you align small images to right or medium images to none/center. You can give it a caption if you’d like.
  • Any time you are inserting an image from the Media Library, you can select the one you think you want and verify its size at upper right.
  • Multiple images can be uploaded at once into Media Library–those not destined to be headers (needing scaling or cropping). Multiple sizes are saved.
  • See the Sample Page for image manipulation hints.

Pages

Click Edit or Add New.

  • Page Attributes
    • Choose placement in navigation hierarchy (if it has a parent).
    • Use Default Template.
    • Do not change Order.
  • Featured image if desired, below.
  • See other possibly helpful bullets above under Posts and Images.
  • Most everything that can be done in a page can be done in a post as well.

See the sample page for instruction, comments, and examples of reusable and other blocks.

Two Column Page

Place cursor in title, hit enter. Click the “+” sign, type “col…” to filter and show the column block, select. Choose two (often) or more columns, then add a couple quick letters in each side as placeholder paragraph block. Add the desired content each side, or drag other blocks into each column, or cut and paste from other blocks, or drag content in the List View panel.

Hint: to split up a page into a couple or more column blocks, easiest to duplicate and then delete, or create new and drag and drop from an existing column block.

Patterns

a.k.a. Reusable Blocks, Global Blocks, Currently Saved

The following reusable blocks can be updated directly here or from any page within which they are contained.

  • Board Meeting Schedule
  • Town Clerk Office Hours
  • Zoning Administrator Office Hours
  • Listers Office Hours
  • Join Our Mailing List (should not need update)
  • Town Officers List
  • Highlight Template Convert

See the sample page for instruction, comments, and examples of reusable and other blocks.

Font Awesome Icons

I installed a more modern icon plugin. It still uses shortcode when adding an icon to widgets, but in the content columns, you can add an icon 1) as a block or, more usefully, 2) inline using the icon in the formatting bar, see screenshot, or 3) as the shortcode shown.

The two most commonly used icons on our site are the download and external link (indicating a new tab will open).

Sadly, when using the icon picker, the icon is not named “external” as in the shortcode, and I found it troublesome to place it at the end of an existing link and have it actually be linked. For that reason, I inserted it without the link just beside the linked text. More on this topic below in accessibility.

Type your text, place the cursor where you want the icon, select the desired icon. Then highlight the icon itself and if you want to style it. The medium size is same as text; the large size is too large in my opinion, so click the slider icon at the right of Size and you can set a custom size–recommendation is 1.5em. I have set up most icons with margin, so you shouldn’t have to leave any space between the icon and text.

Media & PDFs

You’ve probably already experienced that the Media Library grows and grows. When you update an agenda or minutes, the old one stays (and can cause confusion). This is because two files can’t have the same filename, so the WordPress system will normally append a “-1” to the filename. Suggestion: don’t spend time trying to clean up the Media Library; it’s not worth it. Certainly if you see an older version, you can delete it.

Caching note: You might consider deleting a file and re-uploading with the same name. Don’t. Links can be broken, and caching is a problem. Best to just upload new and re-link from the page or meeting.

Efficiency Hint: If you have a link to an image or file in more than one place, you can save it as a reusable block and replace all existing links with the reusable.

Added note about inserting PDFs: If you click to add a new block, you can add a “file” block, but it will display as a download button, see sample-page. If you simply want to link text to a PDF, 1) upload the PDF to the media gallery, 2) copy the file URL (to clipboard), 3) open the page where the text and link want to go, 4) type text, highlight, click link icon, 5) paste (from clipboard) the link to the PDF, 6) toggle to open in a new tab, 7) click the curved arrow to submit. See examples on sample-page.

Officers List PDF

Because this list is updated frequently, it’s best to minimize the number of locations that need to be changed. This is located in two “places:”

  1. the primary sidebar at Appearance > Widgets > Primary Sidebar, inside the Text widget, and
  2. in a reusable block found on the Contact page (but currently nowhere else?).

Step 1. After uploading a new Officers List PDF to the Media Library, click on it to open the Attachment Details, then Copy URL to Clipboard.

Step 2. See image at right. Click to Appearance > Widgets > Primary Sidebar and open the Text (2nd) widget, click Text tab, paste the copied URL in place of the old URL, for example, https://faystonvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/OfficersList20230809.pdf, making sure the quotes remain. Then change the year.

Another thing to note, I’ve inserted a download icon into the link. The code for the widget is:

<a href="https://faystonvt.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Officers-List-2025-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[icon name="file-download" class="fa-2x"]2025 List of Town Officers</a>

You can copy the new link into the above and then copy and paste the entire code above into the widget if easier.

Step 3. The reusable block can be updated directly from the Patterns List which is much easier than explaining how to do from within a page. Open the file.

Using the Preserve Formatting technique I described above, next year, click between the 2 and 5, add the 6, delete the 5.

Assuming you still have the PDF URL from the Media Library in your clipboard, and while your link panel is still showing, paste the URL in place of the one that is there. Save. View it in the live Contact page (refresh) to see if it looks correct and opens the correct file.

Meetings: Agendas & Minutes

Updated 4/15/25: Click Meetings upper left for the new method of adding agendas, documents (packets, packages), minutes, and recordings.

  • In the Meetings List, you may click on your department in the Meeting Types column to filter your own meetings.
  • When adding new, I suggest a naming protocol of department abbreviation first, then date as year-month-day, i.e. SB 2021-03-17 or SB March 31, 2025, but this part is totally optional. Although tedious, this will help you find the newest at the top of the list when desiring to edit, although they will also be easy to find when you filter by meeting type as noted above.
  • At right, add the Meeting Type so you don’t forget it. If you forget it, it simply won’t show on the public page and you can go back and add it. The category will also not show in the admin, so either of these reviews should make it apparent if forgotten.
  • Copy the date into the date field, or use the date picker.
  • Add an Optional Meeting Type if desired such as Grievance, Executive Session, Budget, Special.
  • Add an agenda that you may have already uploaded to the Media Library, or add it directly from your computer while adding the new meeting.
  • Go back to this same meeting when you need to add documents, minutes, or recordings.
  • If you have updated any of the files, open the meeting, hover over the previously uploaded file, click the “X” to delete, and add new/replaced file from Media Library or as a new upload.

MetaSlider (Slideshows)

I turned this plugin off since it wasn’t being used. If you decide you want to insert a slideshow anywhere, we can turn it back on. Instructions saved from before (may need update):

  • Go to Meta Slider. Settings at right should be Flex Slider, 720 max X your preference, Fade, Arrows, Hidden or Dots your preference, Auto play, Smart Crop or Disabled, Hover pause, 6000, 800, Print CSS, Print JS. These will stay like this for new sliders and can be modified as desired.
  • Click one to edit or click + to create new.
  • Name it to match the page (for convenience).
  • Add Slide(s). Captions may attach to the image in/from other places, i.e. in other sliders or use of the image, so double-check this.
  • Go to page or post, place curser, select Add slider. This will insert the shortcode. The shortcode can also be copied and pasted (metaslider ID#).

Accessibility

  • When constructing links, use meaningful or instructive words inside the link. For example, rather than “Historical Town Meeting Reports and Audits can be found HERE,” say “Historical Town Meeting Reports and Audits can be found here,” or leave out the “can be found here” because you are linking to Historical Town Meeting Reports and Audits.
  • All images should have “alt” tags. I took care of adding “alt” tags to all the images in the Media Library, through 4/15/25. When adding new images, the important field for accessibility is first, Alternate text. This purpose is to describe what is in the image, a bit different sometimes than a caption. For example, you will see that I put (dog) in the images of pet names.
  • External links can be indicated by an icon. Within a paragraph, place cursor and click the font icon. See additional instruction above.
  • In some cases such as widgets, shortcode is necessary; see code below. For example, the shortcode below would be pasted into the end of a link by editing the widget in the Text tab. See example of Recorded Meetings widget.
[icon name="external-link-alt"]

Miscellaneous, One-Time or Advanced

  • In Classic Editor, in every admin panel, there are Screen Options at the upper right allowing you to tailor what shows on your screen.
  • For Posts, un-check Slug, Custom Fields, Send Trackbacks, Excerpt, Format; these will be out of your way in the future. (We are only using the Standard Format, no excerpts, no pingbacks or trackbacks, leave the slug alone.)
  • For Pages, un-check Author, Slug, Comments, Custom Fields; these will be out of your way in the future. (We are only using the Default Template.)
  • In Block Editor, these options appear under the Page tab and can be expanded as needed.
  • In the Classic formatting bar, expand “Show/Hide Kitchen Sink” near right end to see more formatting options.
  • Switch to “Text” tab (upper right), and get used to reading the html. Sometimes copy and paste is easier in this mode, then clean up under “Visual” tab.
  • Feel free to use Tags on Posts, optional. (I prefer to stick with Categories.)
  • You may Comment on Posts while logged in.