Build pages

Build a Content widget

What's inside this article:


Basic information

The Content widget lets you share and promote content pages. This is a highly customizable widget that offers a wide variety of layout options. The Content widget is the most commonly used widget on Pangea sites.

A single Content widget might promote one or multiple content pages (all content types are supported). If desired, promote a mixture of content types on the same widget. A Content widget displays a simple teaser for each promoted content page. Visitors can tap or click a teaser to open the content page.

This article explains how to build a new Content widget from Pangea CMS.



Build a new widget

The following pages and segments might include a Content widget:

  • Section pages (including your homepage)
  • Infopages
  • Landings
  • Regions
  • You Might Also Like (YMAL)

To build a new Content widget:

  1. Go to Build in the primary navigation.
  2. Choose the type of page / segment where you want to display the widget.
  3. Select the specific page / segment where you want to display the widget.
  4. Ensure Editor is selected in the left panel.
  5. Select the empty area where you want to display the widget.
  6. Select New widget > Content to start building a new Content widget.

The widget builder opens in the same tab. The remaining sections in this article will walk you through each stage of the process.

NOTE: You can also build a new Content widget from the Widget library.



Choose the layout

In the Layout section, review the available layouts. A graphic is provided for each layout that shows how the layout is rendered on devices with different screen sizes (mobile, tablet, and desktop).

Select a layout to reveal additional settings. Depending on the selected layout, you might see some or all of the following settings:


Display Category/Date/Label

By default, the widget displays a title for each promoted content item. Optionally select one additional element to display with each item on the widget:

  • Category: The name of the Primary Category for each item. The Category name functions as a link to the Category page.
  • Label: A custom label. Labels are commonly topics (such as "Politics" or "Sport") that might help categorize the items on a widget. You can add a label in the Widget teaser or Website teaser settings for each item.
  • Exact time: The exact publication time (such as "12:30"). The format varies, according to your site configuration.
  • Relative time: The relative publication time (such as "20 minutes ago"). After some time, the relative time stamp changes to an exact time stamp. The precise behavior varies, according to your site configuration.


Display introduction

Tick to display an introduction for each promoted content item (if an introduction is available).

The introduction is taken as follows (if 1 is not filled, the data is taken from 2, and so on):

  1. The Introduction field in the Widget teaser settings for the item.
  2. The Introduction field in the Website teaser settings for the item.
  3. The Introduction field in the General settings for the item.

If none of the above fields are filled, an introduction is not displayed with the item.


Display Loop video

Tick to display a Loop video instead of an image for each promoted content item (if a Loop video is available).

The Loop video is taken as follows (if 1 is not filled, the data is taken from 2):

  1. The Loop video field in the Widget teaser settings for the item.
  2. The Loop video field in the Website teaser settings for the item.

If none of the above fields are filled, a Loop video is not displayed with the item. A horizontal image is displayed instead of a Loop video.

For information about using Loop videos on Pangea sites, see the following article:


Mobile app Top story

Tick to display the Content widget as the top story on the old version of the mobile app homepage. Mobile app users who have not yet updated to the latest app version still see the old version of the homepage.

IMPORTANT: The Mobile app Top story setting does not impact the latest version of the mobile app homepage.

To learn how to manage the latest version of the mobile app homepage, see the alternative article below:



Add content

In the Content section, choose which content is promoted on the widget.

First, select your preferred mode. The mode controls how the widget content is added and updated. The following options are available for a Content widget:

  • Auto: The widget promotes the latest items that meet the defined criteria in the widget builder. For example, a widget might be set up to always promote the 5 most recent Videos from a particular Category. When a new item is published that meets the defined criteria, the widget updates automatically.
  • Manual: The widget promotes the items that are manually selected in the widget builder. The items on the widget do not change unless the widget is updated manually.
  • Semi-auto: The widget promotes a combination of manual items (according to the rules for Manual mode mode) and auto items (according to the rules for Auto mode).

For more information about your preferred mode, see the relevant article below:



Add a header / footer

In the Settings section, you can add a header and / or a footer link to the widget. Review the sections below for details:


Add a header

The header is displayed above the widget on the public site.

Under Header options, select your preferred header:

  • Display title: Display a text title as the header. Enter the title under Title.
  • Use image as header: Display an image as the header. Select the image under Header image.

If desired, you can configure the header to function as a link.


Add a header link

You can configure the header to function as a link. Follow these steps:

  1. Under Header link, select the type of page you want to link to. Choose from:
    • Link to Category: Link to a Category page.
    • Link to Section: Link to a Section page.
    • Link to Infopage: Link to an Infopage.
    • Link to Special page: Link to a special page that is configured for your site.
    • Manual link: Manually define the URL for the link.
  2. A second drop-down menu appears. Select the specific page you want to link to. Start typing to quickly find a page.

If you select Manual link, define the following:

  • (A): URL: The URL for the link. For pages from the same site, you can enter a relative URL (such as /home). For pages from external sites, enter the full URL (such as https://rferl.org).
  • (B): Link option: The target for the link. Choose from:
    • Open in same window: Suggested for pages from the same site.
    • Open in new tab: Suggested for pages from external sites.


Add a footer link

The footer link is displayed below the widget on the public site.

Under Footer link, select the type of page you want to link to. The options are the same as for a header link.

Under Link text, optionally provide custom link text. If you do not enter custom link text, the default link text for your site is used.



Add a custom widget name

Via Settings > Widget name, optionally customize the default widget name.

The Widget name is visible only in Pangea CMS (not on the public site). We suggest providing a descriptive name if your site uses the Widget list tool in CMS to manage widgets.



Preview the widget

In the Preview section, check how the Content widget will look when it is published on the public site. Select Desktop, Tablet, or Mobile to preview the widget on devices with different screen sizes.



Set the status and save the widget

Before saving the Content widget, select your preferred status using the drop-down menu in the top-right corner:

  • Enabled: After you save the widget, it will be immediately visible on the public site (if it is included on a published page).
  • Disabled: After you save the widget, it will not be visible on the public site. However, it will be available for further editing in CMS.

Select Save or Save & close to save the widget.