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ID&D KB How-to Guide

Working together to enhance teaching & learning. If you need additional assistance, please reach out to the ID&D team.

In some cases, you might want to create a whole different look for a specific page, adding some visually appealing design or color.

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Menu
Menu
In this article we will provide step by step instructions about:

In this example, we will start with a fairly plain layout such as seen in the image below.

With the changes made to background colors, borders and spacing, our page now looks like this!

page 4.png
Tip

Tip!

You can click on the images in this article to see them larger and with more detail.

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Style-Editor
Style-Editor
Editing with the Style Editor

To complete the changes described in this page you will be using the Style Editor which is one of the Advanced Tools. Before beginning make sure you have enabled the Style Editor (see KB article Advanced Styling and Design Techniques) .

Note

NOTE! When using the Advanced Editing Tools, it is very important to ensure you are editing the correct element!

  1. First open your page in Edit mode and open the Sidebar.

    1. Select Advanced Tools using the icon at the top of the Sidebar

    2. Select the Style Editor

      style1.png
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  1. Place your cursor into the element on your page that you want to edit.

  2. At the top of the Style Editor a list of elements in the content area will appear.

  3. Hover your mouse over each element to determine which element you will be editing

  4. Select the element you are modifying

    select1.mp4

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Background-Colors
Background-Colors
Changing/Adding Background Colors

After you have selected your element following the steps above, you can change the color of the background for that element.

  1. To change the color of an element on a page, place your cursor on the page where you want the color added, and open the Style Editor:

    1. Scroll down and open the Colors panel

    2. Select the Background Color icon from the bar at the top of the Colors panel (first icon)

    3. The current background color of the element will display below the item

    4. Open the Basic Colors panel if it is not open

    5. Select a new color from the Basic Colors, or

    6. Open the Color Picker and select a color you want

      color1.png
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  1. Repeat this process for any items you want to add a background color. For example, you can add a background color to the heading of the content block:

    1. Place your cursor in the heading element of the content block

    2. Select the heading element at the top of the Style Editor

    3. Select the Background Color icon from the bar at the top of the Colors panel

    4. Select a new color from the Basic Colors or open the Color Picker and select a color you want.

      color2.pngImage Modified

  2. In this example using the page pictured previously, we changed the background color of the page heading, the background of the heading for the content block, and added a background color to the text in the first content block.

    page 2.png

Tip

Tip!

Be sure to preview your modifications using the “Preview Content” from the settings menu before saving!

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Text-Colors
Text-Colors
Changing Text Colors

In some cases, after changing the background color of the content block heading, the text does not contrast well and is difficult to read. You can change the color of text to make sure it is accessible.

  1. To change the color of text using the Style Editor, first select the text you will be changing:

    1. Place your cursor in the field of the element you want to change (in this case the content block header)

    2. Select the appropriate element from the item list at the top of the Style Editor

    3. Highlight the text you want to change

      text1.png
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  1. Then determine your color choice in the Style Editor:

    1. Select the Text Color icon from the Colors panel (second icon)

    2. Select the color from the Basic Color table or the Color Picker

      text2.pngImage Modified

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Borders
Borders
Adding Borders

Adding borders around a content block can draw attention to it.

  1. To add a border using the Style Editor:

    1. Place your cursor in the content block you want to add a border around

    2. Select the appropriate element from the item list at the top of the Style Editor – make sure it is for the entire block

    3. Scroll down and open the Border and Background panel

      borders1.png

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  1. Determine how you want a border to appear. Using Border Direction, select where a border will appear:

    1. All sides (for a border around the whole item) or

    2. Any combination of individual borders: Top (T), Bottom (B) Left, (L), or Right (R)

      borders2.png

  2. Customize your border using the following options:

    1. Determine the width of the border: Small (S), Medium (M), or Large (L), or set a specific size using pixels

    2. Select a Border Style for the line: Dashed, Dotted, Solid Line, or Double Line

    3. Select a Border Color from the presets (You can change later)

    4. If you want the bordered area to have rounded corners, select a Border Radius: Small (S), Medium (M), or Large (L), or set a specific size in pixels

      borders3.png

  3. Customize the area surrounded by the border:

    1. Select a background color if you want the area to have a background color (in this example we do not select one)

    2. Select a shadow if you want the bordered area to appear to float on the page

      borders4.png

  4. In this example, we have added borders and a shadow to change the appearance of the second content block:

    page 3.png

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Adjusting
Adjusting
Adjusting Margins, Spacing and Alignment

Sometimes when you add background colors or borders to a content block, the text runs right up to the edge, making it more difficult to read. You can adjust the margins of an item – in other words the space around the item on the page, the padding – the space inside the edges of the item, and the Alignment of items within the item.

  1. To make these modifications, using the Style Editor:

    1. Place your cursor in the content block. Select the appropriate element from the item list at the top of the Style Editor - make sure it is the entire block

    2. Scroll down to the Spacing and Alignment panel

    3. To set the margin (space between item and edges of page), you can either set them all equally with a preset (Small, Medium, or Large) or set each margin individually by selecting the cross icon

    4. To set the padding within the area (space between edges of item and the content), you can also select from a preset (Small, Medium, or Large), or set each edge individually

    5. You can determine how the items are aligned, floating items to the left, center or right.

      margins.png
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Visit the DesignPLUS Training Series Tutorials for more videos. For more step-by-step guides, visit the DesignPLUS User Guide. (These links will overwrite this page.)