Shortening links using the URL Shortener

faculty staff student link url shortener

This service is for faculty, staff, and students.

The URL Shortener is a web application designed to provide students, staff, and faculty the ability to both shorten URLs as well as maintain an association with the University.

Shortening a link

Once you're signed into the application, the option to shorten a new link can be found on the right side of the page.

Faculty and staff are provided an option to set the value of the new link as well as the website it directs to. If no value for the short URL is included, a random URL will be created.
Do not paste the full URL into the short link, type the suffix only.

Students are provided the option of setting where the link directs to, but the value of the new link will be set to their username.
Double check your URL before submitting.

Modifying a shortened link

The left column of the page consists of already shortened links that can be viewed and modified. All users have the option to modify where links redirect to by editing the link and selecting the Modify button. Faculty and staff may have multiple results show at a time depending on how many links they have shortened.

Using IQRCode

IQRCode is a URL shortener plugin that adds the functionality of displaying a QR code for every shortened URL generated. QR codes are generated and cached for every new, modified, and existing URLs. Cached QR codes are deleted when its' corresponding shortened URL is deleted.

Click the 'QR Code' hyperlink on the left side of the page to display the QR code

Or add .qr at the end of your shorten URL to display the QR code.

The generated QR code should display with a St. Thomas frame, similar to the example below.

How to Remove the Google Analytics Tag

If your destination URL looks like the URL below with a "?_gl=" followed by long set of characters

or with a "#_ga=" followed by a long set of characters

This means your destination URL contains a Google Analytics ID which needs to be trimmed from the end of the URL.

To trim the Google Analytics ID delete the "?_gl=" or "#_ga=" and all the following characters, leaving the correct destination URL like below and hit the Modify button.