About
The NewsCard snippet displays a styled card with a title, date, summary, and optional image, used exclusively on the
News Page. These cards appear in a feed format and are date-sensitive—they appear or disappear based on the start and end dates supplied. This feed also powers the site’s News Ticker functionality.
The NewsPoster snippet is required and must be placed before any NewsCard entries. It activates the client-side logic that filters and validates the cards.
Required Snippets
To use this system, place the following snippets:
- {s:NewsPoster}
- One or more {s:NewsCard|...}
Basic Syntax
{s:NewsPoster}
{s:NewsCard|StartDate|EndDate|Headline|DisplayDate|LinkUrl|ImageUrl|Summary}
Snippet Details
{s:NewsPoster}
Initializes JavaScript validation and filtering. This must be placed once at the top of the News page. It will:
- Validate required fields (title, date, summary).
- Filter NewsCards based on the current date.
- Automatically hide or gray-out expired items.
- Parameters: None
- Must be placed before: All NewsCard entries
{s:NewsCard|?1?|?2?|?3?|?4?|?5?|?6?|?7?}
Creates an individual News Card, displayed in a grid with optional image and a clickable link.
- ?1? — Start Date: When the card should begin displaying (YYYY-MM-DD)
- ?2? — End Date: When the card should stop displaying (YYYY-MM-DD)
- ?3? — Headline: Large title of the news item
- ?4? — Display Date: Date shown on the card (can differ from ?1?)
- ?5? — Link URL: Page to open when the card is clicked (relative or absolute)
- ?6? — Image URL: Path to image (optional; fallback image used if missing)
- ?7? — Summary Text: Short description or announcement
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.}
Tips
- Leave the image URL blank (||) if no image is available. A fallback image will be shown.
- Invalid dates or empty fields will cause the entry to be marked in red with *** as a placeholder.
- Expired cards are visually “ghosted” but not removed.
- Cards without valid start or end dates may not appear as expected.
- Cards are only visible when the current date is within the start–end window.
Use Cases
- Upcoming reunions and public events
- Site news or technical updates
- Publication announcements
- Veterans' commemorations
Related Snippets