How to Use the Article Templates

A plain-English guide. No HTML experience required.

The four files

You have four HTML files. Here's what each one does:

---

How to publish a new article

Every time you publish an article, you do two things: (1) create a new article page, and (2) add a card to the index page. Here's the full process:

Step 1 — Create the article page

1. Decide which template to use. Spotlight for member/community stories. Program update for Chamber initiatives and issue articles.
2. Open the correct template file in a plain text editor (Notepad on Windows, TextEdit on Mac — set to plain text mode). Do not open it in Word.
3. Use File → Save As to save a copy with a new name. Name it something short and descriptive with no spaces, like: article-jane-smith-bakery.html or article-enterprise-zone-2026.html
4. Fill in the fields marked REPLACE (explained in detail below).
5. Upload the finished file to ChamberMaster as a new page. The URL it creates is the link you'll use everywhere.

Step 2 — Add the card to the index page

1. Open articles-index.html in your text editor.
2. Find the section that says article-grid. You'll see blocks labeled <!-- ARTICLE CARD -->.
3. Copy one entire card block — from <!-- ARTICLE CARD --> to <!-- END ARTICLE CARD -->.
4. Paste it above the first existing card. Newest articles always go first.
5. Fill in the photo, date, headline, preview sentence, author, and link for the new article.
6. If you now have more than 6 cards in the grid, delete the oldest one at the bottom.
7. Also update the featured article at the top of the index page to match your newest article.
8. Save and re-upload articles-index.html to replace the existing index page.

---

What to replace in the templates

Every field you need to update is marked with a comment that says REPLACE in capital letters. Here's a reference for each one:

Field	What to put there	Example
Page title (top of file)	The article headline followed by the Chamber name	How Jane Smith Built Main Street Bakery | Aurora Chamber
Breadcrumb text	A short version of the headline (3-5 words)	Jane Smith, Main Street Bakery
Publication date	Month and year of publication	May 2026
Article headline (h1)	The full headline exactly as written	From One Table to a Full House
Author initials	First and last initial of the author, in capital letters	JS (for Jane Smith)
Author name + title	Full name and their role or organization	Jane Smith  |  Owner, Main Street Bakery
Hero image URL	The full web address of the photo (must start with https://)	https://growthzonecmsprodeastus.azureedge.net/...
Photo caption	One sentence describing the photo. Delete the line if not needed.	Jane Smith behind the counter at Main Street Bakery.
Article paragraphs	The article text. Each paragraph goes between <p> and </p> tags.	See formatting guide below.
Connect / CTA box	How readers reach the person or take the next step.	Website, Instagram handle, email, or phone
Author bio	1-2 sentence background on the author.	Jane has been baking professionally since 2016...
"More articles" cards	Links to 2 other recent articles. Update title and href.	The titles and links to your two most recent other articles

---

Formatting the article text

The article body lives inside a section labeled article-content. Here are the only formatting codes you'll need:

Regular paragraph

Section heading (if the article has named sections)

Pull quote (a short, impactful line set apart from the text)

Adding a second photo mid-article

Using an author headshot instead of initials

In both the header and the author bio, you'll see a byline-avatar or bio-avatar section. By default it shows initials. To use a photo instead:

1. Delete the initials (e.g. JS)
2. In its place, type: <img src="PHOTO-URL-HERE" alt="Author Name">
3. Replace PHOTO-URL-HERE with the full web address of the headshot photo.

---

How to get a photo URL

All photos need to be hosted online — you can't use a photo from your desktop. Here's the easiest way:

1. Upload the photo to the Chamber's media library in ChamberMaster (or your SharePoint/OneDrive).
2. Once uploaded, right-click on the photo and choose Copy image address (Chrome) or Copy image link (other browsers).
3. Paste that address in place of the placeholder URL in the template.

---

Monthly publishing checklist

Use this checklist each time you publish. Do it twice a month — once for the spotlight, once for the program update.

---

Quick reference — when something looks wrong

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Photo isn't showing	The URL is broken or the photo isn't publicly accessible	Re-upload the photo and copy a fresh URL
Text looks strange or runs together	A <p> or </p> tag was accidentally deleted	Make sure every paragraph starts with <p> and ends with </p>
The page looks like plain code, not a formatted page	The file was opened in the wrong program (e.g. Word)	Close and reopen in Notepad or TextEdit
The breadcrumb still says the placeholder text	Forgot to update the breadcrumb field near the top of the file	Find "REPLACE: short article title for breadcrumb" and update it
The "More articles" section still shows placeholder titles	Forgot to update the bottom of the template	Scroll to the bottom of the file and update the three more-card blocks

---

Aurora Chamber of Commerce  |  Article Template Guide v1.0  |  Questions: rdevall@aurorachamber.org