Build Formatting Text in T4

Page Content

Formatting Text in T4

All text content types within TerminalFour (T4) use the same HTML editor, TinyMCE, to format text.

The TinyMCE HTML editor should feel similar to popular word-processing applications. It is comprised of a top menu and icons on the toolbar that can be used to format text, add tables, and more.

Screenshot of TinyMCE HTML Editor

T4 provides a helpful introduction to the TinyMCE HTML editor in the T4 Knowledge Base, including:

Additional formatting guidelines are included on this page, including how to format headings and paragraph text, as well as how to format text as a link.

Headings

Formatting text as a heading

  • Heading 1 (H1). Only used for the main heading of a program website. The H1 is set by the "name" field of the general tab of the parent page of the program website. 
  • Heading 2 (H2). Used once per page as the main heading/title of the page.  The first line on each page should be an H2. You can add an H2 to your page by including the page name in the "Heading" field of an Inline Image or General Content Type, then include that content type as the first content type on the page. Though an option, an H2 would not generally be added to content through the steps described below.
  • Heading 3 (H3). This is the heading most often added within the text of a content type. Use the H3 to signify the start of a main section of the page. Follow the steps below to format the text as an H3. 
  • Heading 4 (H4). This is the second most often added heading within the text of a content type. The H4 is used to break up information within the main sections of a page. Follow the steps below to format the text as an H4. 
  • Heading 5 (H5). Do not use.
  • Heading 6 (H6). Do not use.

Follow these steps to format text as a heading:

  1. Add your text within the main body or description field of the content type. 
  2. Highlight the text you want to format as a heading.
  3. Select format from the main menu.
  4. Hover over format in the dropdown menu, then hover over "headings."
  5. Select the appropriate heading from the list above.

Paragraph text

Formatting text as paragraph text

Paragraph text is used for the main text content throughout the college.mayo.edu website.

Follow these steps to format text as paragraph text:

  1. Add text within the main body or description field of the content type. 
  2. Highlight the text you want to format as paragraph text.
  3. Select format from the main menu.
  4. Hover over format in the dropdown menu, then hover over blocks.
  5. Select paragraph from the dropdown list.

Formatting styles and standards

Text formatting styles and standards

Review the MCCMS Styles and Standards for complete guidelines around formatting text. A few things to keep in mind are included here for your convenience.

Paragraph lengths

Long blocks of text are difficult to read, especially on mobile devices. While not a firm guideline, aim for no more than 50-60 words in a paragraph, and break to a new paragraph when the topic changes. 

Bold, italics, underline, ALL CAPS

It is OK to use bold for emphasis on a very limited basis, such as bolding an application deadline. Do not use italics, underline, or ALL CAPS for emphasis.

Bulleted/numbered lists

Bulleted lists are preferred in place of written-out paragraph lists (but use good judgment). Bulleted lists are easier to read, especially on mobile devices and convey important information quickly. Keep these things in mind when adding a bulleted or numbered list:

  • Introduce a bulleted list with a colon.
  • Standard bulleted lists with fragments should not have periods.
  • If one or more of the bulleted items is a complete sentence, use periods for all items in that list. 
  • Numbered lists should only be used where there is a step-by-step process outlined (ie application instructions). Otherwise, use regular bullets. 
  • Side headings. Use bold side headings to introduce more complex lists, using sentence case and a period for the side heading, plus a period for the subsequent statement. Keep consistent within the same bulleted list, using side headings for all points or for none (unlike this bulleted list).

Capping style

Use title case for page titles:

  • Overview
  • Application Process
  • Meet The Faculty

Use sentence case for all other headings:

  • Program description
  • Clinical training

Commas

Use serial/oxford commas.

Example: She's interested in reading, writing, and playing hopscotch. 

Dashes

In regular sentences, use the long "em dash" (—) with a space on either side. Use a hyphen, with no spaces on either side, in ranges (June 15-Aug. 15). We do not use "en dashes" (–). 

To add an em dash into the text, go to Tools > Source code and add the following code:

—

Sentence spacing

Per AP Style, only use one space between each sentence. Do not use two spaces.

Formatting text to add a link

At times, you may want to direct page visitors to a different page or a specific piece of content within the college.mayo.edu website or an external website. There are a few different ways you can achieve this, depending on your personal user access, as well as where you want the user to be led when they click on the link. 

Adding a link to an external website

The term "external website" in T4 includes any website that does not include "college.mayo.edu" as part of the URL. This may include pages on mayo.edu, mayoclinic.org, and other mayo websites, as well as websites not maintained by Mayo Clinic. 

Follow these steps to format text to add a link to an external website:

  1. Navigate to and open the content type that will contain the link to an external website.
  2. Highlight the text to be formatted as a link. 
  3. Select the Insert menu or the insert/edit link icon from the main toolbar. 
  4. Select Link to external site
  5. In the Insert/Edit Link pop up window, add the following:
    • URL: Type in the URL of the website you'd like to link to
    • Text to display: This should match the text you highlighted in step 2. If you'd like to edit this text, you can use this field to edit the text to ensure it displays the way you like when it is formatted as a link. 
  6. Click Save.
  7. Make any remaining updates you need to make to the content type.
  8. Click Save changes to save content as a draft. Preview your updates and ensure the content displays appropriately, follows MCCMS Styles and Standards, and is free of errors. If everything displays correctly in the preview, approve the updates to be published.

Linking to other areas of the site

At times, you may want to direct page visitors to a different page or a specific piece of content on the website. There are a few different ways you can achieve this, depending on where you want the user to be led when they click on the link. 

Linking to the top of a page with a section link

Follow these steps to link to the top of a different page:

  1. Navigate to and open the content type that will contain the link to a different page. 
  2. Highlight the text to be formatted as a link. 
  3. Select the Insert dropdown menu or the insert/edit link icon from the main toolbar. 
  4. Select Insert Section Link.
  5. In the Select Section pop up window, select the name of the page you'd like to link to. 

Linking to the top of a specific content type with a content link

If you'd prefer to link to a specific piece of content on a page (instead of the very top of a page), you can follow these steps to insert a content link. 

  1. Navigate to and open the content type that will contain the link to a different piece of content. 
  2. Highlight the text to be formatted as a link. 
  3. Select the Insert dropdown menu or the insert/edit link icon from the main toolbar. 
  4. Select Insert Content Link.
  5. In the Select Content pop up window, select the name of the page that contains the content type you'd like to link to, then select the specific content type you'd like to link to.  

Linking to a specific place on a page with a page anchor

A page anchor acts as a way to bookmark a specific piece of text on a page, which allows for the creation of links directing users to that anchor. In contrast to a typical hyperlink which directs to a distinct URL, an anchor link, also referred to as a jump link, connects within the same page. Therefore, a unique identifier must be assigned to denote the link's destination in such instances. 

There are two parts to creating a page anchor: creating the page anchor and linking to the page anchor. 

Creating the page anchor

    1. Navigate to and open the content type you'd like to turn into a page anchor. 
    2. Highlight the specific text within the content that you'd like to link to and select 'Insert' from the toolbar menu.
    3. Select Insert Anchor from the dropdown menu. 
    4. In the ID field, write a unique name for your page anchor. Be sure to remember the unique name (or copy and paste it somewhere to reference later). Note: IDs on a page must be unique, and can't be re-used for other anchors.
    5. Press the Save Changes button.

Linking to the page anchor

    1. Navigate to and open the content type that contains the text you'd like to format as a link.
    2. Highlight the specific text that you'd like to format as a link and click Insert from the toolbar menu. 
    3. Select Link to External Site from the dropdown menu. 
    4. In the URL field, type in the hashtag symbol and the anchor name. Use underscores for spaces in the name if you use more than one word. No title needed.
menu
Close