How to Update the News Page
The 401st News page is built using custom snippets designed to display date-sensitive announcements with images and summaries. Updating the News page involves inserting NewsCard entries below the NewsPoster snippet.
Step 1: Locate the News Page
Navigate to the
News Page. You'll need editing rights to make changes.
Step 2: Understand the Structure ¶
Each entry is made using the following two snippets:
- {s:NewsPoster}
This must appear only once, at the top of the page. It enables the date filtering and validation logic for the news cards.
- {s:NewsCard|StartDate|EndDate|Title|DateText|Link|ImageURL|Summary}
One or more of these can follow. Each represents a single news item.
Step 3: Add a New NewsCard
Here's a basic template:
{s:NewsCard|YYYY-MM-DD|YYYY-MM-DD|Headline Title|Date Text for Display|Link to Full Article or Page|Image URL or leave blank|Brief summary of the news item.}
Parameter Reference
- StartDate – When this news item should begin showing (e.g., `2025-04-10`)
- EndDate – When this item should disappear or become visually "ghosted"
- Title – Headline that will be shown in bold
- DateText – Human-readable date shown to visitors (e.g., `October 1, 2025`)
- Link – URL for "read more" (optional)
- ImageURL – Optional image path (e.g., `GetFile.aspx?Page=News_20250415&File=P1010541.jpg`). If left blank, a fallback image will be used.
- Summary – A brief description (1–3 sentences)
Step 4: Example
{s:NewsPoster}
{s:NewsCard|2025-04-10|2025-11-05|401st in Colorado Springs!|October 1, 2025|News_20250415.ashx|{UP(News_20250415)}P1010541.jpg|The 401st will be joining the 8th Air Force Historical Society on October 1–5, 2025.}
{s:NewsCard|2024-11-20|2025-02-20|New Website!|November 20, 2024|https://401bg.org||The new 401st Website is now active and official.}
Step 5: Validate
Once saved, the NewsPoster script will:
- Highlight missing or invalid titles, summaries, or dates
- Hide items not yet active
- Ghost items that have expired
If errors are found, fields will be marked in red with "***".
Tips
- Maintain reverse chronological order (most recent first).
- Only one {s:NewsPoster} snippet is allowed per page.
- Keep summaries short and relevant.
- Use {UP(FolderName)}FileName.jpg to access uploaded images.
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