Widgets - Using Manual mode

August 26, 2022 update January 27, 2023

What's inside this article:

Create a widget
About Manual mode
Add a content item
Add a placeholder
Update teaser settings
Further recommendations

Create a widget

This article explains how to add items to a widget with Manual mode enabled. The information applies for creating the following widgets:

About Manual mode

With Manual mode enabled, you need to manually select every item that is promoted on the widget.

The following additional customization options are available:

Set the order of the items according to your preferences.
Customize the teaser settings for any item.

Items will not be added or removed unless the widget is manually updated.

To add the widget content in Manual mode, ensure Manual is selected in the Content section of the widget settings.

You can add either of the following item types:

Content item: Promote a specific content page published by your own site.
Placeholder: Create a custom item that is fully configurable.

Add a content item

Follow the steps below to promote a specific content page from your website:

Hit Set manual content.
Adjust the search filters in the left panel according to your preferences, then hit Search.
Select + Attach (the plus icon) next to each item you want to promote on the widget.
You can manage the items under Attached items. The following options are available:
- Remove an item: Select Remove (the trash icon) to remove an item.
- Reorder items: Drag a box up or down to change its position.
Hit Save to confirm your choice and return to the Content screen.

The attached items appear on the Content screen. The following options are available:

(A): Reorder: Change the position of an item using the drop-down menu. You can also drag and drop the box.
(B): Add teaser / Edit teaser: Adjust the teaser settings for an item.
(C): Live site: Open the item on the public website.
(D): Delete: Remove the item from the widget.

Add a placeholder

A placeholder is a custom item that is fully configurable. Manually add the title, link, URL, and additional settings. This might be useful as follows:

Create a link to a Section page.
Create a link to a Category archive page.
Create a link to a page from an external website.

NOTE: Placeholders are only available for Content widgets.

To add a placeholder to a Content widget:

Hit Set manual content.
Go to + Add placeholder.

Only some of the settings on the Placeholder settings dialog will be valid for the current widget. This varies according to the widget Layout settings.

Provide only the relevant settings below:

Horizontal image: Valid for horizontal widget layouts.
Vertical image: Valid for vertical widget layouts.
Caption: The ALT text for the image. Used as follows:
- Read aloud by screenreaders for visually impaired visitors
- Displayed if the image fails to load on the public site
- Visible to search engines and helps index the image
Description: Not visible on the public site (might be helpful for creating the image caption).
Title (Required): Always displayed on the placeholder.
Label: Valid if Label is selected in the widget Layout settings.
Introduction: Valid for widget layouts that support introductions (if Display introduction is enabled in the widget Layout settings).
Loop video: Valid for widget layouts that support Loop videos (if Display Loop video is enabled in the widget Layout settings).
Link: Required if you want the placeholder to function as a link to another page.

Hit Save to confirm the placeholder settings. Hit Save again to return to the Content screen.

The placeholder is now listed on the Content screen. The following options are available for each listed placeholder:

(A): Reorder: Change the position of the placeholder using the drop-down menu. You can also drag and drop the box.
(B): Edit: Adjust the placeholder settings.
(C): Delete: Remove the placeholder from the widget.

Update teaser settings

When Manual mode is enabled, you can update the teaser settings for any content item promoted on the widget. To get started, hit Add teaser / Edit teaser on the item box.