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KU Connect widget

The KU Connect widget makes it easy for web developers to add visually attractive links to KU-related social media to their sites, along with tools that allow visitors to share a KU web page through their own social networking accounts.

By default, each icon in the widget is a direct link to the corresponding main KU social media account, including Facebook, Twitter, the KU iPhone app, the KU News RSS Feed, YouTube, Flickr, Foursquare and LinkedIn. This can be overridden so that each icon links to a custom URL (with optional custom text), displays a drop-down menu of up to five custom URLS, hides the main KU links, or hides the icon altogether. All elements have CSS classes and can be restyled.

A basic example of the widget in action, with no additional settings, can be seen to the right. To include the widget on your site, you will need to use SSI, have KU's "contained" version of JQuery turned on (it's on by default), and be on a central KU webserver such as www2.ku.edu. The basic code, without any additional settings, should look like this:

<!--#include virtual="/~http/ssi/2009/widgets/connect_include.shtml" -->

The widget itself does not contain the "Connect" heading above it, but you can add it to your page using the following HTML before the SSI include:

<div class="rightnavheader">
    <h2>Connect</h2>
</div>

Connect

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Settings

These settings must be placed on your page above the include statement. You will likely want to define all these in your header file.

connect_myserviceXX_link (5 for each service)

Full URL to your school, department or unit's social networking page. If the total number of links (including the default KU link) is greater than one, the icon automatically becomes a drop-down menu.

This parameter must contain the word "my" followed immediately by the name of the service and a number from 01 to 05.

Possible service names: myfacebook, mytwitter, myiphone, myrss, myyoutube, myflickr, myfoursquare, mylinkedin
Default Value: none
Example
<!--#set var="connect_myfacebook01_link" value="http://www.facebook.com/KU" -->

connect_myserviceXX_linktext (5 for each service)

This is the text that will show for the link you entered in the last setting.

This parameter must contain the word "my" followed immediately by the name of the service and a number from 01 to 05.

Possible service names: myfacebook, mytwitter, myiphone, myrss, myyoutube, myflickr, myfoursquare, mylinkedin
Default Value: Depending on the icon: "Our Facebook page", "Our Twitter page", "Our iPhone app", "Our RSS feed", "Our YouTube page", "Our Flickr page", "Our Foursquare page", "Our LinkedIn page"
Example
<!--#set var="connect_myfacebook01_linktext" value="Engineering's Facebook page" -->

connect_myservice_show (1 for each service)

This setting hides the icon for the corresponding service completely. Value can be "true" or "false."

This parameter must contain the word "my" followed immediately by the name of the service.

Possible service names: myfacebook, mytwitter, myiphone, myrss, myyoutube, myflickr, myfoursquare, mylinkedin
Default Value: "true" for all services except RSS and LinkedIn.
Example
<!--#set var="connect_myfacebook_show" value="false" -->

connect_myservice_showku (1 for each service)

This setting removes the link to the main KU social media link(s), which are on by default. The only possible value is "false".

This parameter must contain the word "my" followed immediately by the name of the service.

Possible service names: myfacebook, mytwitter, myiphone, myrss, myyoutube, myflickr, myfoursquare, mylinkedin
Default Value: none
Example
<!--#set var="connect_myfacebook_showku" value="false" -->

connect_showlikebutton

This setting removes the Facebook "Like" button that appears under the other icons by default. The only possible value is "false".
Default Value: none
Example
<!--#set var="connect_showlikebutton" value="false" -->

connect_showtweetbutton

This setting removes the Twitter "Tweet" button that appears under the other icons by default. The only possible value is "false".
Default Value: none
Example
<!--#set var="connect_showtweetbutton" value="false" -->

connect_showsharebutton

This setting removes the AddThis "Share" button that appears under the other icons by default. The only possible value is "false".
Default Value: none
Example
<!--#set var="connect_showsharebutton" value="false" -->

If you have any questions about this process, please feel free to contact webcomms@ku.edu.


The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression and genetic information in the University’s programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, IOA@ku.edu, 1246 W. Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS, 66045, (785)864-6414, 711 TTY.