NC State Theme Release 4.12

We’re excited to announce the release of NC State Theme version 4.12! This update brings several enhancements designed to make your content creation experience smoother and more efficient. Here’s what’s new for content maintainers.

Enhanced Content Creation Features

More Responsive Post Type Filtering

One of the most significant improvements in this release is the addition of complete JavaScript-based filtering for all custom post types. This means your visitors will experience faster, smoother browsing when exploring academic programs, resources, non-credit programs and courses on your site. The filtering happens instantly without page reloads, creating a more engaging user experience.

You can see this in action on the Block Availability page of our documentation site.

Real-Time Character Count Monitoring for Page Headers and Buttons

Content creators now have a helpful new tool when writing and editing content. The WordPress editor will display clear labels to help you know when you might be using too many characters for specific fields. This feature is initially launching within page headers and buttons but will later expand to other blocks within the theme. This feature helps ensure your content displays properly across all areas of your site and maintains consistency with design standards.

Expanded Fancy Paragraph Options

The Fancy Paragraph now supports additional content types on the “paragraph” side of the block. In addition to standard paragraphs, you can now add:

• Lists – Perfect for organizing information in an easy-to-scan format
• Accordions – Great for FAQ sections or detailed information that users can expand when needed
• Headings – Helps structure your content within the two-column layout

You can mix and match these elements within a single Fancy Paragraph block, giving you more flexibility in how you present your content.

Archive Page Improvements

All custom post types now support intro text on their archive pages. This means you can add welcoming or explanatory text to the top of your academic programs, events, stories, and other content listing pages to provide context for your visitors.

Design and Usability Enhancements

Better Content Alignment

New alignment classes are now available for appropriate blocks through the “Additional CSS Classes” option. This gives you more control over how your content appears on the page, helping you create more polished and professional-looking layouts.

Compact Masthead Width Improvements

Several improvements have been made to navigation elements:

• Better visual appearance for dropdown items in the compact masthead
• Improved responsive design for mobile users
• Enhanced spacing and padding across different screen sizes

Immersive Post Template Aside Widget Improvements

The Aside Widget block within immersive post templates has been made wider to better use screen real estate and improve legibility. This improvement is backwards compatible and will automatically apply to content that has already been created.

What This Means for You

These updates are designed to make your content creation process more intuitive and efficient while improving the experience for your site visitors. The new filtering capabilities will help users find information faster, while the enhanced Fancy Paragraph options give you more creative flexibility in presenting your content.

The real-time character count feature is particularly helpful for maintaining consistency across your site and ensuring your content displays properly in all contexts. Meanwhile, the improved archive pages allow you to provide better context and guidance for visitors exploring your various content types.

Getting Started

These new features will become available on your site over the coming weeks as updates roll out to all university websites. Once your site has been updated, you will receive a notification within the back-end of your site.