Post Slider

Post Slider

The post slider is an optional feature that goes below the global navigation (About, Admissions & Aid, etc), and above your page title and site menu. The post slider draws its content from (surprise!) posts, not pages. The big photo is the "featured image," the gold text is the title, and the white text comes from the "excerpt box." You can add the post slider to individual pages. This is good especially for landing pages and areas that could use a visual boost.
postslider

Instructions

Remember, content first. You need to create the posts before you can add the post slider to a page. So, select "new post" and add a title and the content as usual. Now, there are three special steps you'll need to take. First, upload a featured image. This image should be landscape and approx. 900 px wide. Second, include an "excerpt," which can just be the first few lines of your post's content. Lastly, make sure you add the post to a category. The post slider will pull ALL the posts from the category you choose, so you may want to create a new category that is dedicated to the post slider. Up to you.

Now that you have some content, edit the page where you want the post slider. At the bottom of the screen, you'll see "Add post slider or video at top of page." Choose Panel Type: Posts Slider, then select that category you just assigned your new post. Publish or update your page, and that's it.

Troubleshooting

I can't find the excerpt area on the post. The excerpt box should be right below the main text editor. However, if you can't find it, try clicking "screen options" at the very top-right of your screen, and checking the box that says Excerpt.

Posts Slider

You can now include pages or individual posts in the "Posts Slider" rotation, instead of just a single category. Under "Pages & Posts," select the order you want the items to appear. The slider will pull in the featured image and excerpt from the item. Of course, you'll want to make sure your photos are no larger than 900px wide and compressed for the web (need help with this? Try Pixlr).postslidermaker