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Theme template in CMS Lite

Last updated on August 6, 2025

Access to sub-theme templates is restricted to approved content editors. This page outlines the 'Gov Theme' and 'Newsfeed' tabs. 

  • Go to the Content pane section for details about the remaining tabs

On this page

Gov Theme tab in Theme template

 

Understanding the CMS Lite theme template

The B.C. government website is organized by themes (not by ministry).

  • Each theme can contain up to eight sub-themes
  • Each sub-theme can include up to eight topics

Theme and sub-theme pages are generally maintained by Corporate Online Services (COS), while ministry clients manage topic-level content.

COS manages the overall structure and core content of theme pages. This includes elements like Popular Topics and Feature Boxes. The linked tiles on theme pages are dynamically generated from their child sub-theme pages.

How linked tiles work

Theme pages automatically show tiles that link to their child pages. These tiles are created automatically. You can’t remove, change, or manage them directly from the theme page. They are managed by each child page.

How to control the tile descriptions

The way you manage the text on a tile depends on what kind of page the child is:

If the child page is a sub-theme

Use the Tile Text field (found on the Gov Theme tab) to control what shows on the tile.

The Intro field shows on the child page itself, but does not affect the tile.

If the child page is a topic page

The Intro field controls both the tile description and the top-of-page intro. 

If the Intro field is left blank, the tile will show without a description.

Keep tile descriptions short and scannable. 

Rearrange the order of the tiles

To rearrange tile order, change the order of the child pages in the information architecture (IA). Tile layout reflects page hierarchy.

Hide a page from showing on the theme page

To stop a page from showing up automatically on its parent theme page:

  1. Open the page you want to hide
  2. Go to the Settings tab
  3. Check the box for Hide from navigation?
  4. Save and republish the page

Important: Only use this option in specific, limited cases. Hiding a page from navigation removes it from:

  • The parent theme page
  • Breadcrumbs on its child pages
  • The left-hand navigation pane

This can make it harder for users to find content and negatively impact the user experience. Use with care.

Requesting changes or access to themes

Request changes to Theme content

Content editors will not be given access to theme page content.

To request a change to this content, submit a service request to the GDX Service Desk at GDX.ServiceDesk@gov.bc.ca.

Access sub-theme templates

COS handles the sub-themes, but the content comes from ministry clients, including introduction text and added boxes. The remaining content on the sub-theme page is automatically generated from the topic pages.

To gain access to a sub-theme template, a request must be submitted to the GDX Service Desk at GDX.ServiceDesk@gov.bc.ca.

How to add popular topics

The following steps allow you to add up to three popular topics at the top of each sub-theme page.

Note: For intranet templates, Popular Topics and Feature Items appear on a separate tab.

To add a Popular Topic:

  1. Click on the [Add New 3-Column Popular Topics] action button
    The Heading field will be displayed
     
  2. Enter Popular Topics in the Heading field

add a popular topic heading

  1. Click the [Add New Feature] action button
    The Feature component will be displayed below the Heading field
     
  2. Click the [Add New Feature] action button
     
  3. The Feature component will be displayed below the Heading field
     
  4. Enter up to a maximum of 40 characters into the Link Title field which will be displayed above the Text field and link to further information
     
  5. In the Link URL field, you may link to a page/asset, or enter an external URL
    •  Enter a secure external URL (include https://), or
    • Select the Browse drop-down menu and choose the applicable option
      browse menu
  6. Search or Navigate to the page/asset
     
  7. Choose the [Select] to complete the action
    The picker will be closed and the Link URL field will be populated
     
  8. Link Target field defaults to Current Window  
    • Links to a webpage, both internal and external, should be opened in the same (current) window
    • Links to another application, for example, Adobe Reader, should always open in a new window. If applicable, click the drop-down arrow and select New Window
       
  9. Repeat steps 3 - 8 to add additional topics. The [Add New Feature] action button will no longer be displayed when the maximum limit of three has been reached

Popular Topic fields

How to add theme feature items

Up to four feature items may be displayed at the bottom of each sub-theme page.

To add theme feature items:

  1. Click on the [Add New Theme Features Items] action button
    The Feature Items component will be displayed
     
  2. Enter an applicable title in the Heading field to appear above the image - maxiumum 40 characters
     
  3. To add an Image, click on the [Browse] button. (Refer to Graphics in the CMS Lite for specifications)
    The Image Picker will be displayed

theme feature component

  1. Search or Navigate to the applicable asset which has been uploaded into Asset folders
     
  2. Choose the [Select] to complete the action
     
  3. Enter up to a maximum 150 characters into the required Caption field to be displayed below the image
     
  4. Enter up to a maximum of 40 characters into the Link Title field which will be displayed below the caption to link to further information
     
  5. In the Link URL field, you may link to a page/asset, or enter an external URL
    • Enter a secure external URL (include https://), or
    • Select the Browse drop-down menu and choose the applicable option
      browse menuThe applicable picker will be displayed
    • Search or Navigate to the page/asset
    • Choose the [Select] to complete the action
      The picker will be closed and the Link URL field will be populated
       
  6. Link Target field defaults to Current Window  
    • Both internal and external links to a webpage should always open in the same window
    • Links to another application, such as Adobe Reader, should always open in a new window. If applicable, click the drop-down arrow and select New Window

Image Picker

How to add a newsfeed

Up to six news feeds may be added to the supplemental content boxes of a sub-theme page.

Newsfeed URL requirements

When adding a newsfeed, the Newsfeed URL must:

  • Be RSS 2.0 compliant
  • Exist in the CMS Lite database
  • Not require authentication

If you enter a feed and it does not render, please contact the GDX Service Desk at GDX.ServiceDesk@gov.bc.ca to have it added.

Add a newsfeed

  1. Click on the [Add New Feed] action button
    The Feed component will be displayed
     
  2. Add a Feed Title. 128 maximum characters
     
  3. Enter a valid news Feed URL*:
    • Example: https://news.gov.bc.ca/themes/british-columbians-and-our-governments/feed (xml page link)
       
  4. Enter an applicable max number of items to displayed in the feed
     
  5. Show date: Defaults to No. Use the drop-down arrow to set to Yes
     
  6. Show intro: Defaults to No. Use the drop-down arrow to set to Yes
     
  7. Sort by: Defaults to Descending. Use the drop-down arrow to set to Ascending
     
  8. Max words to display: if you selected Yes in the Show Intro field, enter an amount to truncate (shorten) large introductions
     
  9. Link text: 32 maximum characters.
    • Example: 'View more news'
       
  10. Enter a valid Link URL.
    • Example: https://news.gov.bc.ca/themes/british-columbians-and-our-governments
      (html page link)

Add New Feed action button

News feed component

Troubleshooting and best practices

Maximizing the content pane

Occasionally, the toolbar does not display in the maximized view. Therefore, it is recommended that you save your work before selecting the maximize icon icon.

  • If the issue occurs, you can try to use CTRL and - to find the toolbar. Then, use CTRL and + to fix the page view
  • If that doesn't work, hit F5 to refresh the page, which will take you back to the last save

Hyperlink best practices

Always test links in Quality Assurance (QA) web server and the Production web server to ensure correct functionality. 

  • When linking to applications or files, such as PDFs, opening new browser tabs or windows is acceptable.
  • When linking to other web pages, open hyperlinks in the same (current) window unless doing so will disrupt the workflow, confuse your audience, or terminate a secure session. 

Review Hyperlinks in the Web Standards for further explanation.