How to edit or add a VAMC detail page
Which pages use this content type?
The detail page content type is primarily used for the pages that fall under the About us menu on your system's site. The one exception is the Leadership page, which uses the Leadership List content type. About us detail pages include the following pages and any related sub-pages:
- Mission and vision
- History
- Performance
- Work with us
- Programs
- Research
- Policies
- Contact us
Additionally, pages for facility maps also use the detail page content type. Follow the guide for editing facility maps if you need to manage this content.
About the Detail Page content type
While most other pages, such as Locations or Health Services use content types that have fixed designs, the detail page content type allows more flexibility so health care systems can provide organizationally-focused information, like program, internships, research or special services.
In many cases, the About us pages for your VAMC site will already be set up, and all you’ll need to do is to edit them. However, if you need to add a new page, such as for a new internship program, you have the ability to do that yourself.
How to find an existing VAMC detail page to edit
- On your homepage after logging in, find the section you want to edit under Sections and click on it.
- Under the filter for Content type, select VAMC Detail Page.
- If you know one or more words in the page title, enter it in the Title contains field.
- Click Apply.
- Under the results, find the page you’d like to edit and click Edit next to its name.
- Proceed to the directions for editing page content.
How to edit page content
As a content editor, you have several page elements available to work with as you build or edit a page. Learn about how to use different page elements to create effective content for site visitors.
Title and introduction
Add a page title, and introduction following the guidelines provided by the edit form. The introduction appears directly under the page title. You should write the introduction in a way that helps site visitors get a sense of the page up front, and be sure to use sentence case capitalization. (See the VA content style guide for further guidelines.)
Table of contents
For long pages, you can add a table of contents titled “On this page” that appears directly under the page introduction. Veterans can click on items in the table to go directly to that section of the page. This helps visitors more easily navigate long pages or decide whether the page has information relevant to them. Skip this if your page is very short, or only has two H2 headings or fewer.
- Click Include table of contents to expand that panel.
- Check the box next to Generate a table of contents from major headings.
In-page alerts
[screenshot: in-page alerts]
In-page alerts draw attention to critical details relevant to information on the page. They provide more information about only the information on this page. An example is an alert that provides the contact information for emergency mental health services on a detail page about your mental health program.
If you need to create an alert that applies to your entire health care system, use a VAMC System Banner Alert instead. (See guide on how to edit a VAMC System Banner Alert,)
- Go to the Include alert panel.
- Click the Alert dropdown menu and browse for an existing alert that meets your need.
Note the link to create a new alert if you can't find an existing one that meets your needs.
Featured content
If there is critical information that site visitors need to know up front about the subject of your page, such as eligibility requirements, use the featured content to draw their attention to it. This block is optional, and you should not use it simply to present a summary of the page. There are two format options:
- Add Q&A - Use this to present information in a question and answer format.
- Add Rich text - This free form text field can be used for anything else.
Main content and content blocks
Main content is the middle part of the page that appears under the page introduction and any alerts or featured content. This is the place where as an editor, you have the most flexibility to make choices about how the content will appear to site visitors. Understanding what your options are and how to use them can help you effectively present information to Veterans and other site visitors.
Add content blocks to the main content. Each content block contains a chunk of information that will appear on the page, and uses a particular template for how that information is presented. Add as many content blocks as you need, and drag them around to arrange the order.
How to edit an existing content block
- 1. From the Main content section, click Edit next to the content block items to expand the content and find the information you want to edit.
- 2. Click the three vertical dots to the right of the Collapse button to Remove a content block.
How to add a new content block
1. Click Add content block.
2. A Browse window will open that shows the different content blocks available to use on the Detail Page. You can see thumbnail examples of how each content block will appear to site visitors that may help you choose which content block to use.
3. Click Add.
4. Complete the fields in the content block.
5. Some content blocks, such as Q & A, allow you to nest other content blocks inside of them. At the bottom of those content block fields you’ll see options like Add WYSIWYG, Add Alert, Add Accordion Group, etc. It’s generally a good idea to refrain from nesting too many content blocks within each other.
6. You can then click Collapse on the right side of the content block to better manage content block content, which is especially useful if you want to drag and reorder content.
7. To reorder the content blocks, collapse all the content block items, then click the arrow handles next to the name of the content block and drag to rearrange. Alternately, you can reorder them by clicking Show row weights and selecting a number order in the dropdown to the right of each item.
Related links
The related links section lets you add links to further resources that may be relevant to the information on the page. This section is optional, but may be helpful for providing further navigation on pages that aren’t directly linked from the left menu.
How to add related links
1. In the Related links section of the edit form, click Add list of link teasers.
2. Use the Title field to add a custom heading to fit the page content. If you don’t want to customize the heading, simply enter “Related links.” As always, be sure to apply sentence case capitalization (see the VA Content Style Guide for more information).
3. Add the URL that you want to link to.
4. Add text that you want linked in the Link text field.
5. Add a short teaser description of the link in Link summary.
6. To add another item, click Add link teaser.
Menu settings
Add a Menu link title that will be inserted by the front end tool into the page menu.
- On the right of the edit form, find the Menu settings panel.
- Usually the Menu link title will default to the page title. To change it, edit or enter text into the field.
- Click the Parent link dropdown menu and select from the options available (these are limited for national standardization). This menu is currently tied to your user permissions, so if you have access to multiple sections, make sure you're selecting the appropriate parent link for the specific section.
Editorial workflow
Complete all parts of the Editorial workflow panel.
- Click Save as and select a moderation state based on your business processes.
- Enter a Revision log message that tells other editors what changes you made.
- Click Save to save your changes and unlock the edit form.
How to add a new VAMC detail page
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On top toolbar after logging in, click Manage, hover over Content, hover over Add content, and click VAMC detail page.
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Enter a Page title.
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Enter a Page introduction.
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Enter a Meta description and click the inline link if you need meta description guidelines.
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If your page will have a lot of content, click to expand Include table of contents and check the box to Generate a table of contents from major headings. You'll need to use H2 headings to auto-populate the table of contents.
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Go to Main content and click Add content block.
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Find the type of content block you want and click Add.
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Complete all required fields for the content block.
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Continue to add content blocks as needed.
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Scroll up and go to the right to the Section settings panel, click Related office or health care system and select the system that this page is for.
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If you have access to more than one section, you may need to click Section and select the section that will manage this page. If you only have one section, this may already be selected for you.
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On the Menu settings panel, the Menu link title will auto-fill with your page title.
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Click Parent link and select from the available options. Your options will be limited. If unsure, select the Programs parent link.
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Scroll down to the Editorial workflow.
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Click Save as and select a moderation state.
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Enter a brief Revision log message.
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Click Save.
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By default, every new VAMC detail page will add a menu link to the left menu on your system's site when the page is published. Contact the Drupal CMS helpdesk if you want that menu link to be disabled.