Web Team Releases Three WordPress Plugins

The IS&T Web Team has recently announced the release of three new open source plugins for WordPress. Developed at Boston University, these free add-ons were made available on Wednesday, March 13th at wordpress.org and, for those interested in further customizing the plug-in, github.com.

These plugins have allowed Boston University to effectively use WordPress as a Content Management System on a large scale and provide the following features and enhancements:

• BU Navigation: With this plug-in, even the most unruly site structures can be tamed. With two lines of code any theme can benefit from this feature-rich custom menu alternative.
• BU Section Editing Plugin: This addition allows administrators crowd control for WordPress, allowing them to create section editing groups, assign editors to a group, and define what content members of that group can edit.
• BU Versions Plugin: This add-on allows users to clone, edit, and replace seamlessly, implementing a workflow that’s easy to use and “behind the scenes” without disrupting live content.

Boston University began using WordPress in Fall 2008 to replace a homegrown Content Management System used by the Medical Campus. In March 2013, Boston University launched its 800th WordPress-based website. In the process, the University has developed its own WordPress theme framework supporting a curated collection of standard University designs for hundreds of sites as well as dozens of custom themes for its highest-profile and most-trafficked sites. With WordPress, and through a close collaboration between development and design teams at BU, web publishing services are now offered to hundreds of University departments that are low-cost, easy to use, professionally-designed, and provide an intuitive interface with a consistent user experience for visitors to the BU Web.