Content Management System

Web Addresses

One CMS feature that web authors may notice from the start, is the unique structure of web addresses (URLs). CMS URLs have a tendency to be clunky and even difficult to decipher. The system must pass a complex string of session variables and directory paths in order to bring the page up for the visitor. To simplify the CMS URL and help you understand its structure, take a look at the following examples and explanations.

• EXAMPLE 1:
  The first part of the CMS web address will be familiar as it follows the standard URL structure:
  https://www.winthrop.edu/admissions
  • "https" is known as the protocol, and it determines the type of resource being accessed. In this particular situation, a web page (or hypertext transfer protocol secure) is identified.
  • "www.winthrop.edu" is the domain or hostname. All of Winthrop's CMS pages reside on this domain.
  • "admissions" identifies the location or folder on the server where the files reside. 
• EXAMPLE 2:
  Here is an example of a CMS web address that takes the visitor to a piece of content found deeper into a site (past the home page):
  /admissions/transfer/transfer-tuesday.aspx
  • Notice the first part of the address, "/admissions," is the same as the Admissions' URL discussed above. "Admissions" is the name of the web.
• EXAMPLE 3:
  This URL shows how a template AND an anchor (or bookmark) are pulled onto the screen:
  /audit/audit-timing.aspx#Jan
  • The name of the web is "audit."
  • The page name is called "audit-timing.aspx."
  • "#Jan" is the name of the anchor which points to a specific location on the page.
    Anchors/bookmarks are a helpful navigation tool typically used on long pages to help visitors more easily move to specific content on a web page.
• EXAMPLE 4:
  Forms - Note: If your department requires a form, please notify the Director of Web Development.