Blog | Ashlar

Blog | Ashlar
6.0.5
** April 6, 2026**
Added automatic FAQ Schema generation on accordions containing FAQs
Fixed Drupal error generated by CTAs
Updated give link
Theme option added to adjust site name styles
Simplified markup for status alerts (refactor, no change necessary needed on existing implementations)
Removed NPM vulnerabilities
6.0.4
March 16, 2026
Style updates for
schedule component
Style fixes for announcements and dialogs
6.0.3
March 2, 2026
Documentation for component use updated throughout this site
New org chart styles to accompany block type
Style updates for Slate and MABEL
6.0.2
February 2, 2026
Docusaurus updated
Styles for MABEL updated for CEDAR launch
Slate style overrides added
Alert icons added
NPM audit
Minor accordion bug fixed
6.0.1
January 6, 2026
Card, banner, and navigation style fixes
Catalog implementation updates for 6.0 release
6.0.0
September 10, 2025 - Major Theme Update!
WebTech and University Marketing have been working for the past 10 months on a major visual overhaul of Western's Design system and Drupal/Wordpress/Standalone app theme. The most obvious changes with this update are the with the Western Header and Footer, but there are a number of visual updates to block types and components as well. This update is being rolled out to select sites at the beginning of next week. At the time that it goes live on these sites, it will become available on an opt-in basis to other Drupal sites. In December 2025, we will be rolling the theme update out to all Drupal sites. If you would like to
opt-in to the theme update now, fill out this form
Header and main navigation changes
The header has been totally overhauled so that it better utilizes space. Various elements of the header have been rearranged, so quick links, university links, search and display settings toggles are in new locations. The logo and site name have changed locations as well.
Old:
New:
New menu option
The default setting for the new main navigation looks and operates the same way it does now, but with style updates. Quick links and university links appear first on the page, followed by Search, display settings, the site name and logo. After this comes the main page navigation, before the page content.
We have also introduced a "hamburger always on" option, in which the navigation is toggled by the "menu" button. With this option on the quick links, university links, AND main navigation are all placed behind a menu toggle.
This option better accommodates larger menus with a lot of sub-menu options, and allows users to more quickly see the content of the page.
You can learn how to enable the hamburger always on option here
No matter which option is enabled, on smaller screens/mobile devices all menus will still be located behind the menu toggle.
New footer styles
Our new footer features a beautiful and graphic illustration of Sehome hill and Bellingham Bay, by local artist Gretchen Leggitt.
This update includes changes to the site footer regions that often contain custom content. Most of this content should adapt well to theme changes, with the content appearing in the same order and visual location as before, but images and identity marks that appear in this area may need to be updated to better suit the background color.
Theme color updates
In order to simplify and unify the theme visually, the
theme colors
have been updated, and essentially reverted to an earlier standard. The medium green has been removed and yellow has been added back. Light green is still available, but it's use on the web has been reduced. For Drupal sites, the available
background colors
on various block types have changed, to reduce visual clutter. Blocks with background colors that have been removed will default to another available color, e.g. light green blocks will become light blue.
Component style updates
There have been some style updates to components such as
links
call to action links
announcements
, and
images with descriptions
Section Classes
As we roll out the new theme, we are also rolling out a new feature: Section Classes. These allow you to set background colors and styles on layout
sections
in addition to blocks. This will allow for multiple column layouts with colored backgrounds.
Other changes
The old set up for "box headlines" has been deprecated, it is now a
style variant on banners
. In the long run this should be easier to use. WebTech will handle any conversions from the old set up, and new style options will be added in the future.
5.5.14
** October 6, 2025 **
Email generator update
404 page fix
5.5.13
** September 2, 2025 **
Fix for table headers
Fix for CKEDitor font color
Icon fixed for x.com URLs
Function call error fixed
Support for Entity Print module added (in progress)
5.5.12
** August 18, 2025 **
Webform accessibility fixes (2d scrolling, dark mode)
Focus fix for navigation
Style fixes for accordion expand/collapse
5.5.11
** August 4, 2025**
Course fix for catalog links
Webform horizontal scroll fix
Styles for lightcast career widget
Video style fix
NPM Vulnerabilities update
5.5.10
** June 24, 2025 **
Added 403 page template to docs
Beginning deprecation of headline block, to be replaced by a style option in banners
5.5.9
** June 2, 2025 **
Update banner template to use media field
Add email option to social media icons
5.5.8
** May 19, 2025 **
catoid updated for catalog links
Remote access header template saved in theme
PNG versions of social media icons added
5.5.7
** March 31, 2025 **
Webform Progress Tracker improvements
Added image caption helper class
Autoload dialog option added
Thumbnail card style improvements
Contact URL in footer updated
5.5.6
** March 3, 2025 **
Social media link updates, Bluesky available as an icon
Reduced motion option for 404 pages
Update to email signature generator
5.5.5
** January 27, 2025 **
Handshake added to myWestern menu
link to report bias updated
5.5.4
** December 16, 2024 **
More ultimenu bug fixes
Reduced motion setting added for 404 animation
5.5.3
** December 9, 2024 **
Flickering menu bug fix
Column helper class fix for small displays
NPM updates
5.5.2
** November 19, 2024 **
Support for Ultimenu 3.0.5 upgrade
New 403 access denied template
Event list space fix
5.5.1
** October 7, 2024 **
NPM Vulnerability fixes and documentation updates
5.5.0
** September 23, 2024 **
New feature:
Expand all accordion buttons
Org chart style fixes
CORS fix for font loading
Gulp has been updated to version 5.0, which should reduce vulnerability warnings on npm install
Improved styles for code blocks
New card styles added
New banner styles added
5.4.0
** June 18, 2024 **
New Feature: Search Settings
New Feature: Option added to disable Google Tag Manager in theme settings
2D scroll fixes
Responsive table script added to contain horizontal scroll to table container only
Reduced font size for large headings on very small screens
Style adjustements for testimonials and profile photos
5.4.1
** July 15, 2024 **
Threads removed from WWU footer
Custom element bug fixed
Site name added to noscript header
Tag manager removed from theme
Converted jQuery to Vanilla JS in a few components
5.4.2
** August 19, 2024 **
CKEditor improvements
Repository fix for windows
Helper class added
5.3.10
** May 15, 2024 **
Improvements to Cypress testing
Converted material icons font to woff2 format
ceditor fix
styles in preparation for decorative hrs
fix for duplicated footer id from noscript
5.3.9
** May 6, 2024 **
Update catalog ID to match 2024-25 catalog
Improvements to Details styles
Updates to components docs to include scripts
Improvements to content switcher mobile styles
5.3.8
** April 22, 2024 **
Added code samples to status alert pattern page
Fix for list nesting on Wordpress
Acalog widget implementation
Remove off canvas reset styles
5.3.7
** April 8, 2024 **
Added an option for having accordion items expanded by default
Replace support for Block Type Templates module with theme suggestion hook
5.3.6
** April 1, 2024 **
Adjusted heading size in status alert links
Small adjustment for testimonial styles
5.3.5
** March 25, 2024 **
Duplicate component error fix
Improve documentation for background videos
Acalog widget API library fix
5.3.4
** March 18, 2024 **
Adjustment for font-size--smaller in views
exclude *.cy.js files from gulp builds
Clarify documentation on Material Icons
5.3.3
** February 27, 2024 **
Cypress automated deployment added
Better header component documentation
5.3.2
** February 12, 2024 **
Various styles for MABEL's Archipelago launch
Component fix to prevent duplication
Main Navigation component a11y improvement
5.3.1
** February 5, 2024 **
Ultimenu fix for Drupal 9.5
Helper styles for CKEditor 5
5.3.0
** January 29, 2024 **
New: Cypress Testing integration! Automated testing for component development, woohoo!
New
Byline Styles
available
Docusaurus upgraded to version 3.1.0
5.2.1
** January 16, 2024 **
Main navigation now useable as a standalone component
5.2.0
** January 4, 2024 **
New: Search now uses Google Search Console
Updates for Drupal 10
5.1.21
** December 11, 2023 **
Layout builder style bug fix
Pager style fix
NPM Updates
5.1.20
** November 20, 2023 **
Further markup fixes for alerts
5.1.19
** November 13, 2023 **
Markup fix for alerts
Wordpress style fix
Template declaration path fix
5.1.18
** November 6, 2023 **
Library cleanup for unused JS file
Pager style fix for views with cards
Statistics style fix
5.1.17
** October 16, 2023 **
Font size adjustment for event lists
NPM vulnerability fixes
5.1.16
** October 2, 2023 **
Backups for catalog customization added
cta fix
responsive table fix
5.1.15
** September 11, 2023 **
New CTA style options: .small and .no-animation
Gulp task: removed jQuery from js files in CDN
5.1.14
** September 6, 2023 **
Gulp tasks updated to generate CDN folder
some material icon fixes
5.1.13
** August 14, 2023 **
Centered CTAs with material icons and added additional documentation
Mobile header height issues fix
5.1.12
** August 7, 2023 **
Adjustments to accordion js, to fix some issues with svg icon/material icon discrepencies when used in views
5.1.11
** July 31, 2023 **
Social media icon updates in WWU footer- Threads added, Twitter icon updated
Styles added for upcoming MABEL update
Some small fixes for upcoming WCAG updates
5.1.10
** July 24, 2023 **
A few material icon fixes from last update
Readme update to make cloning and install more straitforward
5.1.9
** July 17, 2023 **
Visual fix for org charts
Some performance improvements around how fonts are loaded
Only essential fonts are preloaded now. The material icons font (which is quite larger) is no longer loaded by default. Instead:
Components with static icons (like the WWU Header and footer, and some components like content switchers) now use SVG versions of the material icons. So these are still packaged with those components
Drupal block types that use material icons in an open ended way (like Call to Action links and Announcements) will load the library when they are included in a page
They are loaded as part of the accordion library. So if you are already loading ashlar/accordion (say, in a view) then you also get material icons
They can also be included by themselves by loading the ashlar/material-icons library (for example, in a view using the
Views Attach Library
module)
If you notice a page where material icons were loading, but aren't any more, please [mailto
:masons7
@wwu.edu](contact Stephanie) so she can advise on the best way to get the library loaded in your use case.
5.1.8
** July 10, 2023 **
Author tags unlinked in comments
5.1.7
** July 3, 2023 **
Sticky header class option/improvements for tables
Styles added for Wordpress blocks in preparation for Wordpress Ashlar themeing
Revert views html list template to default
5.1.6
** June 27, 2023 **
Search fix
5.1.5
** June 20, 2023 **
Keyboard use improvements for content switchers
5.1.4
** June 12, 2023**
Word break helper class added
NPM updates
5.1.3
June 5, 2023
Minor style changes for detail elements
Improvements to variable documentation
Configuration fix for docusaurus
5.1.2
May 30, 2023
Styles for new MABEL (not active, just backups for inline styles on Archipelego)
Card style fixes for hover cards and heading size overrides
Updates for incoming block configuration syncs
5.1.1
May 15, 2023
Readme has been updated
Clean up on block type templates in preparation to block configuration updates
Updates to docusaurus config for new url (
5.1.0
May 8, 2023
Search profiles are now configurable from Pre-Header & Search components
Site name links are now configurable from WWU Header component
5.0.4
May 8, 2023
a11y improvements to accordions
usability improvements for page menus
typo fix for noscript footers
style fixes for degree cards
5.0.3
May 1, 2023
CTA Styles added for extensions other than PDF
Forced color improvments for icons
Template fix for page menus
5.0.2
April 17, 2023
Miscellaneous fixes:
fix tagline color
better radio buttons
footer fix
add padding to land statement
make ultimenu region selector more specific
fix testimonial markup in template
set font color on light gray based bgs"
hide random ultimenu button again
tabindex on accordion views
enter/space key controls for accordion
change field label to h2
5.0.1
April 10, 2023
Various minor style adjustments and bug fixes for the major release, related to:
Cards
Image links
Statistics
Footer
Overlays
Print Styles
Call to Action Links
Font size helper classes
Background videos
Accordions (in views, specifically)
There have also been various configuration fixes. Github branch has been updated so that it deploys on the main branch.
Ashlar is the university's Drupal theme, and basis for its
component library/design system
and
Brand and Communication Guide
. And it is getting a major update this month!
Many of the updates are under the hood. We have refactored almost all the SASS/CSS and Javascript, take advantage of the latest features those languages. We have also completely redone the documentation and pattern library. We are moving away from Pattern Lab (which hasn't seen many update and is starting to fall out of maintenance) and into
Docusaurus
(the website you're looking at now.)
There have also been some changes that you will see reflected in the visual styles on Drupal sites. Most of these are minor, like subtle changes to heading and other text styles.
Some will be more noticeable, like changes to some card styles and Call to Action links. In this post, we outline what to expect.
We don't have an exact timeline for deploying this update, but you can expect to see the changes on Development sites in March, and on Production sites in late March or early April.
Front End Changes
These are the style changes that have been made in the theme, that you will probably notice on Western's Drupal websites.
Call to Action links and Buttons
This is one of the biggest style changes.
Call to action links
(or CTAs) have been update so that they no longer resemble buttons. The number of CTA style variants have also been reduced.
There is an important reason for this change, but it is somewhat technical. In short, links (eg

elements) and buttons (eg

elements) are semantically different in HTML. This means that assistive technology announces them differently, and they have different interactive behaviors. For sited, mouse-using folks, these differences aren't readily apparent. This means that when links are styled to
look like
buttons, they get
called
buttons. But when they are called buttons, it can (and does) create confusion for assistive technology users–particularly users who are site impaired and cannot see the visual button styles. In order reduce the barriers produced by that visual styling, we have opted to re-do call to action styles so that they visually resemble links, while still standing out on page to call attention to the text.
If you're interested in learning more about this, we recommend reading the article
A call to action – links are not buttons
Along with this change, we have also refreshed the actual semantic

styles.
Old Call to Action Links
New Call to Action Links
Call to Action
CTA with .blue class
Old Buttons
New Buttons
warning
It can take some time for us to get configuration on Drupal user interfaces synced up with theme changes. You may still notice block types referred to as
Button
or
Image Button
when they should actually be
Call to Action Link
and
Image Link.
Please don't hesitate to
get in touch
if you notice this discrepency!
Cards
This is the other major change. We no longer support styles for the following card variants:
Solid Round Blue/Green
Tag tile
Simple
Information/Split Information
Anywhere these variants are used will revert to the
basic card styles
Font/Text Changes
Condensed Fonts Removed
Fira Sans Condensed has been removed for style consistency and improved menu readability. This will be most noticeable in the main navigation.
Headings
Styles have been simplified. There are now only
two variations
for headings, and both make use of the title case Montserrat for level 1 headings.
Links
Link styles and borders in general have become a little less bold.
Old Link Styles
New Link Styles
This
link
appears outside of a paragraph.
This is a
link is very long, (it may overlap in smaller containers) has a descenders (yjgpq)
and is in a regular paragraph of text.
This is a list of links
It is not styled as a menu
It just has a lot of links
Forms
Minor style updates, particularly with radios and checkboxes which no longer rely on images.
Icons
Icon with text style removed as an atom. Instead, icons line up with text horizontally by default:
how_to_reg
Apply
Lightbox
Has been replaced with
Dialog
Link List
The Link List style has been removed (not widely used, this has already been replaced on pages it was used on)
Ribbon
This style has been removed.
Schedule
Round edges option has been removed.
Social Media Icons
custom element has been created for social media icons
, to simplify the markup, and the styles have changed slightly. Old instances of social media markup will still be supported, but we recommend switching to the new markup and styles at your earliest convenience.
Statistics
The markup and CSS for these has been simplified. Drupal blocks will update automatically, but any existing custom markup will need to be replaced.
Switcher
Styles have been updated to better match other component styles. There is also a column layout available now.
Old Switcher
New Switcher
Tables
Tables
are a little lighter by default, with less contrast between cells. Table styles in dark mode have been improved as well.
Western Header
On both mobile and desktop, the styes for fonts and icons have inherited change from elsewhere in the theme. The site name is also now larger on desktops.
Old Header
New Header
Western Footer
The footer has been rearranged, and links have been placed at the bottom of the page.
Old Footer
New Footer
Back End Changes
There have been a LOT of code changes on the back end. Many things have been simplified, reorganized, and condensed.
CSS Updates
One big change is that we are now using CSS variables to set things like link colors and font sizes. This makes inheritence a lot more logical, so that a lot less overrides are needed to make sure that things like contrast and font sizes are maintained when different user preferences are set, or in different situations like when a background color changes.
Another technical change is that we've converted nearly all of our jQuery to vanilla javscript, and many of our components are now available as custom web elements.
The SASS module Breakpoint has been removed. We are now using vanilla CSS media queries. (Note that the variables are still referred to as breakpoints, we're just not using the sass plugin anymore)
Support for IE has been removed (eg no more -ms- prefixes cluttering things up).
These changes, along with dropping out some extra style variants, has lead to a great overall improvement in the file size for our compiled stylesheets. Our
ashlar-base.css
stylesheet will go from
11,544
lines of code, and
796 kb
to
5991
lines of code, and
452 kb
on this release.
Helper Class Changes
Some class names and helper class names have changed. This will not affect any native Drupal blocks, but if you have custom styles, you may need to update them.
The "button" class is no longer supported for links. Use "cta" instead.
.block-- has been updated to .wwu-
.block__title has been updated to .title
File Reorganization
We moved .html.twig templates out of the _docs/patterns folders and directly into the templates folder. Since these are no longer being used for both the component library and Drupal, it makes more sense to me to keep them in the Drupal-only part of the theme files. This makes the templates a little less reusable, but easier to find.
With the move away from Pattern Lab, we no longer need YAML files. Component documentation lives in Markdown files, alongside the SASS and any Javascript for a component.
We have also continued to convert components to Custom Elements (eg Web Components, but without shadow DOMs). Generally, anything that requires Javascript to function outside of being a web component (like a content switcher or an accordion) will be scripted as a custom element. What this means is that markup for these types of elements has been greatly simplified, so that they are easier to implement across different platforms. For example, a content switcher previously needed the following markup:

Content 1