Human-Readable URLs

On June 21, 2015, the new 15-theme based Gov site was launched which introduced Human Readable URLs.  

The URL structure has changed for assets and pages rendered on www2.gov.bc.ca. The new structure applies to all sites managed through CMS Lite, with the exception of MCFD.

Page URLs, by default, are based on the Information Architecture and can be modified by content editors.

  • For example: http://www.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/british-columbians-and-our-government/open-government/cms-lite-manual

Asset URLs are based on the asset folder structure plus the asset file name.

  • Sample: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-and-our-government/open-government/cms-lite-manual/back-to-top.gif

The Page Path on the Settings tab on the Topic template has been designed to a restricted character set. Only a-z,0-9 and - [dash] will be used to form the HRU.  All other characters and spaces will be replaced with a dash.  For example:  Programmes de langue française will be converted to programmes-de-langue-fran-aise

A content editor may choose to update the Page Path to read: french-programs.  When the [Save] action is invoked, system validation will ensure HRU is unique.  

  • Child pages within the same parent must have a unique Page Path value.  The CMS Lite will not allow you to save the page if the Page Path value is also used on a sibling page
  • Pages can have the same Page Path value if the page parent is different

Content editors may also choose to shorten the HRU.  For example:  

  • www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/training-and-professional-development/become-a-teacher-in-a-b-c-offshore-school/  
  • www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education/k-12/teach/training/offshore/

Permanent Link

Human Readable URLs may change over time; therefore, it is best practice to use the permanent link when embedding them into a document or sharing with a client.   In a web browser, the Share icon is available in the bottom-right corner of every page with the exception of the home page.  Click on the Share icon to display the Permanent link to the page.

share link icon  permanent link