The WordPress platform is available to faculty, administrators, researchers and staff interested in representing their research. At this time, we offer one branded template, and site owners add and manage their own content.
The menu items, copy, sidebars and images are all interchangeable and can be customized by the site owner to fit their specific site needs. Read more about the support that will be provided to site owners in the section below.
Below are a few examples of existing sites on the platform:
Support and Training
Our team has created a template WordPress site that answers some frequently asked questions about how to use the main features of a UAB WordPress site. Click through this site to see if any of your questions are answered on one of the template pages there.
Any further support beyond your original site request and what is answered on the WordPress Styles Website will be handled by CampusPress, our WordPress hosting and management provider. On the admin side of all WordPress sites are links to contact CampusPress support as well as a helpful knowledge base and documentation.
CampusPress offers user guides and video tutorials for all aspects of site management on their website. Training for WordPress is also available to all UAB faculty and staff from LinkedInLearning.com.
Need additional help building out your WordPress site?
There are currently two fee-for-service options available - UAB-approved digital marketing vendor, High Level Marketing, and freelancer Shawn Wright. Please review each vendor's information guide below for instructions on how to reach out for timeline and budget estimates.
Forms
Content
Do not collect classified data via an online form. This includes social security numbers and FERPA- or HIPAA-protected information. For more information on classified data, see UAB IT's Data Classification page.
The only UAB-approved payment gateway is Touchnet. To inquire about online payment options, consult
Always include the reCaptcha2 field on every form. This will help prevent spam form submissions which can trigger a takedown of the form and/or site by Marketing & Communications' Web teams or UAB Data Security.
Submissions
Please do not declare that submissions can be made anonymously. In UAB's email environment, all form submissions will include a traceable IP address for security purposes.
- Forms on your site are crawled by Google and included in Google's search results. If you are not using a form, please un-publish the form (and menu item if applicable) to remove public search availability.
UAB Web Brand Guidelines
Learn about our brand guidelines requires for UAB websites
Domain Name / Hosting
All sites will be hosted at no charge at sites.uab.edu. Site names/urls will typically be the name or BlazerID of the faculty member requesting or in charge of the site, i.e., sites.uab.edu/blazerid or sites.uab.edu/blazelab. Requests for exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Learn more about registrating a domain name here.
FAQ
For a site to be hosted on UAB's WordPress platform, Marketing & Communications will decide on a case-by-case basis if the site's purpose is appropriate for the platform. Site owners and contributors must follow the same guidelines for responsibility as users on any other platform offered at UAB.
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Who are these sites for?
WordPress sites are meant for researchers and faculty members and are to be professionally focused. If a site is currently hosted on labs.uab.edu, it should be moved to sites.uab.edu.
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Who are these sites not for?
WordPress sites on this platform are not for Schools, Colleges, departments, or other organizational units. Sites for these groups will continue to be hosted in Joomla at www.uab.edu. Student organizations should be hosted on Engage. Campus events should be listed on calendar.uab.edu.
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How do I get help?
All support beyond the original site request will be handled by CampusPress. On the admin side of all WordPress sites are links to contact CampusPress support as well as a helpful knowledge base.
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Which plug-ins are available? Can I add my own?
There are a wide variety of pre-installed plug-ins already available on the platform. CampusPress support controls all aspects of installation and maintenance of add-ons as well as the WordPress platform itself. Requests to install additional plug-ins should be directed to CampusPress support.
You can browse a complete list of available plugins here. -
Will I have access to add my own custom CSS to my site?
We keep CSS edit/addition permissions limited to our Marketing and Communications Web team for UAB Brand Guidelines and Standards purposes. Plugins are a great go-to for custom functionality and unique layout options as needed.
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How many themes are available?
There is one theme available based on Maisha Lite that features a relatively simple blog-style layout and easy controls. The theme displays the UAB logo and wordmark across the top and the standard footer along the bottom - neither of which can be removed.
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How do I log in?
The administration interface (a.k.a. the admin side) of sites.uab.edu is accessed by BlazerID only. Users identified as site admins when the site is requested will receive elevated privileges and can add additional users once the site is approved and launched.
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Do I automatically get a site if I send a request?
Sites must be approved by organizational units' admin office prior to creation, just as Joomla sites are currently approved and created.
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Will Web Services move my content from another site or platform?
All site content is the responsibility of the site admin. It will be the site admin's responsibility to migrate new or existing content to the site. The Web team can, however, provide a zipped archive of a current Joomla site's images directory upon request to aid in that process.