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Cascade Training & Support

All Feinberg sites are built in Cascade, our content management system. We regularly hold training sessions for full-time employees. Please complete our registration form linked below to get started:

Register for Cascade Training

If you’ve already completed training, our Cascade Basics manual is a good reminder of how to perform basic tasks, and our Frequently Asked Questions at the bottom of this page address some common roadblocks. For more advance tips on photo sizing and using our modules, review our Advanced Cascade manual.

Please fill out this form to request help with Cascade. A member of our team will get back to you quickly; please don't contact individual Web Communications staff members for support help.

Frequently Asked Questions

 What is Cascade?

Hannon Hill Cascade Server is the official web content management platform for Northwestern University, including the medical school. The Cascade system is accessible via web browser and offers a simple way for site owners to manage their own pages. We build our sites exclusively through Cascade.

 When and how will I be trained on using Cascade?

Generally, Cascade training occurs within days of a new site launch. The Web Communications team will work closely with you through the development process and will coordinate training with your team. We also host online training sessions throughout the year. Please complete our registration form to get started.

 Why do my pages appear different in Cascade than they do online?

You may need to publish the page. Some pages have elements on them that require some time to refresh. Some modules and object includes can take around five minutes to refresh on the active page.

 What is the difference between the page name, page title and display name?

The page name is the URL name of the page and the one that displays in the site tree. In Cascade, page names end in .html automatically. Please substitute spaces with dashes and use lowercase (i.e., medical-students instead of Medical Students).

The page title is displayed in the browser title bar and is used when populating the navigation. It can include spaces and does not need any file extension (no .html). This should use spaces and capital letters (Medical Students).

Display name is the label for the page that is used in the site navigation and will appear in the top navigation and the side navigation. Usually this is the same as the page title, but can be shortened (Medical Students or Students).

 What will my site’s URL be?

Depending on if your group is a department, center, institute, program, lab or core, we would place your site in the appropriate folder under the feinberg.northwestern.edu domain.

Departments,Centers,
Institutes, and Programs

feinberg.northwestern.edu/sites/yoursite

Labs

feinberg.northwestern.edu/labs/yourlab

Cores

feinberg.northwestern.edu/research/cores/yourcore

 What happens if my pages move from one location to another?

If you are moving a page to another location within your site, links will automatically redirect. Be sure to unpublish your page before moving it and then republish the page in the new location.

 How does the search box on Feinberg pages work? What exactly does it search?

The search boxes on our pages use Google Custom Search Engine, managed by Global Marketing & Communications, and search all Feinberg-related sites, the News Center, the school directory and the calendar of events.

 How do I prepare images to appear on the web correctly?

Images should be sized and edited outside of Cascade before you upload them. The correct dimensions for your site's images can be found in the Advanced Cascade Manual.

Visit the Northwestern University Information Technology site to find out more about no-cost access to the latest Adobe tools available to our faculty and staff — Adobe Photoshop CC (part of Adobe Creative Cloud) is a great tool for resizing images.

You can visit the LinkedIn Learning site and log in using your NetID and NetID password to view a tutorial on preparing an image for the web.

 How do I get my text to change sizes and styles?

In Cascade, use the Styles and Paragraph drop-down menus to change your text's appearance. It’s important that you follow these style guidelines for optimum usability, site cohesion and SEO. For more information, see our user manuals at the top of the page.

Heading 1

This is the style used for the page-level heading. Cascade applies this style to the content in the Title section of the page. It should not be used in the main body or right column.

Heading 2

Use this style for the high-level subheadings within the main body content of the page. 

Heading 3

This style can be used for second-level subheadings in main body content or as a heading in the right column. It should only be used as a heading and should not be used instead of bold.

external-link

Apply this style to any link that directs outside of your site.

link-email

This style should be used on links to email addresses.

 How do I add a form to my site?

We use the MachForm service to create and monitor responses to forms on our site. Email us at medweb@northwestern.edu to request help with MachForms and attend a training session.