Automating the course listing

Most course listings are pulled directly from Banner by the department with SZMCRSE.

For example, if the program is Photography, we display all courses with a department matching “Photography”.

This is automated using the standard Level 3 Program Courses Template, which uses the Course Listings by Department widget, widget174. This template does not allow for any custom content on the page.

e.g., for Anthropology, the widget looks like this:

<widget id="174_data_source_course_listings_by_department">
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_DEPARTMENT=Anthropology</arg>
</widget>

However, some programs don’t conform to this general search pattern. Some programs require courses from multiple departments; other programs require a handful of specific courses. These situations require a custom solution.

Customizing the course listing

  1. Go to the page details and change the page template to Level 3 - Program Courses Page (editable).
  2. Then edit the page and select the source code button to add widgets with custom arguments.

Refer to this table to see all the course data from Banner »

Once the customized course listing has been added to the courses page, you need to add it to the College Catalog.

You will need FTP access to the server.

  1. Open the College Catalog courses include located at: /_ingredients/templates/includes/college-catalog/courses.php
  2. Add a new conditional statement for the program by following the existing examples.
  3. Add the same customized courses widget and the “Courses” title inside the conditional (the same widget you just added to the program courses page).
  4. Scroll up to the top of the file and add a new not_equals statement to the first conditional, following the existing ones. It should look like this: 
    <if var="program" type="GET" not_equals="Your Program Name"/>

To show courses from a specific department:

<widget id="174_data_source_course_listings_by_department">
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_DEPARTMENT=</arg>
</widget>

To show courses listed under a specific subject:

<widget id="174_data_source_course_listings_by_department">
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_SUBJECT=</arg>
</widget>

To show courses with a specific subject and number:

<widget id="174_data_source_course_listings_by_department">
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_SUBJECT=</arg>
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_NUMBER=</arg>
</widget>

To show courses in a specific range:

<widget id="174_data_source_course_listings_by_department">
<arg id="search”>SZMCRSE_NUMBER>1000</arg>
<arg id="search”>SZMCRSE_NUMBER<2000</arg>
</widget>

For example, to show the Studio Production undergraduate composition courses, enter the following into the page source code:

<h3>Composition: Undergraduate</h3>

<widget id="174_data_source_course_listings_by_department">
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_SUBJECT=MCO</arg>
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_NUMBER=1010</arg>
</widget>

<widget id="174_data_source_course_listings_by_department">
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_SUBJECT=MCO</arg>
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_NUMBER=1020</arg>
</widget>

<widget id="174_data_source_course_listings_by_department">
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_SUBJECT=MCO</arg>
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_NUMBER=2010</arg>
</widget>

<widget id="174_data_source_course_listings_by_department">
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_SUBJECT=MCO</arg>
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_NUMBER=2020</arg>
</widget>

<widget id="174_data_source_course_listings_by_department">
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_SUBJECT=MCO</arg>
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_NUMBER=3020</arg>
</widget>

<widget id="174_data_source_course_listings_by_department">
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_SUBJECT=MCO</arg>
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_NUMBER=3030</arg>
</widget>

Please note that as of 2023, Global Studies, formerly Liberal Studies (LBS), and Law and Justice Studies (LEG) each have new fields to pull related, also known as Plus, courses.

 Global Studies: SZMCRSE_PLBS=Y
Law and Justice Studies: SZMCRSE_PLEG=Y

Also, Global Studies and Law and Justice Studies, as well as some other departments, require finessing to avoid course duplication. See examples below.

 Global Studies:

<widget id="174_data_source_course_listings_by_department">
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_SUBJECT=CAP</arg>
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_DEPARTMENT=Liberal Studies</arg>
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_COLLEGE=School of Liberal Arts & Sciences</arg>
<arg id=”search_mode">all</arg>
</widget>
                                        
<widget id="174_data_source_course_listings_by_department">
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_SUBJECT=LBS</arg>
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_DEPARTMENT=Liberal Studies</arg>
<arg id="search_mode">all</arg>
</widget>
<widget id="174_data_source_course_listings_by_department">
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_DEPARTMENT=Liberal Studies</arg><arg id="search">SZMCRSE_PLBS=Y</arg>
<arg id="search_mode">all</arg>
</widget>

Law and Justice Studies:

<widget id="174_data_source_course_listings_by_department">
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_SUBJECT=LEG</arg>
<arg id="exclude_search">SZMCRSE_DEPARTMENT=Arts Management</arg>
</widget>
<widget id="174_data_source_course_listings_by_department">
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_DEPARTMENT=Legal Studies</arg>
<arg id="search">SZMCRSE_PLEG=Y</arg>
<arg id="search_mode">all</arg>
</widget>