Published custom widgets from your agency and from the shared library are available on every one of your agency's sites. You add them from the Add panel like any built-in widget, then fill in their content.
How to add one to a page
- In the editor, click Add in the left rail.
- Scroll to the Custom category, or search for the widget by name. Widgets from the shared library carry a small ContentForge badge. In a white-label editor, the badge says Library.
- Drag the card onto the page. Or select a container first, then click the card to insert it there.
If Custom says there are no custom widgets yet, build and publish one first. Open Widget Builder opens it in a new tab. See Build a custom widget.
How to fill it in
- Select the widget and click Edit Content. The window lists the content fields its author set up, like text, images and links. Make your changes and save.
- The widget's Design panel holds its design fields, such as colors and sizes. It also has the usual spacing and animation settings.
In the editor, the widget runs in a safe preview frame. If its author turned off running the script in the editor, you'll see the layout without its animations or other script effects. The live site runs it fully.
Getting widget updates live
When someone publishes a new version of a widget in the Widget Builder:
- The editor shows the new version right away on every site.
- The live site keeps the version it was published with. It switches over the next time you publish the site. See Publish your site.
Examples
- Logo strip on a client's About page: add your agency's "Logo Strip" widget, click Edit Content, replace the placeholder logos with the client's partners, and set the scroll speed in Design.
- Rolling out a fix: you fix a bug in a widget and click Publish in the Widget Builder. Every editor shows the fix at once. Republish each live site that uses it.
- A client fills it in: a client person with Widget content opens the widget's Edit Content window and updates the text and photos, without being able to move or delete it.
Limits and what it can't do
- Only published widgets appear in the Add panel. Drafts don't.
- A widget can't be changed for one site only. Its code is shared; only its content and design fields differ per site.
- In the editor, script effects only run if the widget's author left Run the JavaScript in the site editor too on.
- Live sites only pick up a new widget version when the site is republished.
Who can use it
- Agency people with the Mount Olympus tool can add, fill in and style custom widgets.
- Client people need Editor to add, move, style or delete one, or Widget content to fill in the content of one already on the page.
- Client people don't see the Open Widget Builder link. Building widgets is for your agency's owners and admins. See Build a custom widget.
Troubleshooting
- "This custom widget isn't published or was deleted. Publish it in the Widget Builder, or remove it.": the widget was never published, or was removed from the library. Publish it in the Widget Builder, or remove it from the page. A deleted widget stays on live sites until they're published again.
- The Custom category says there are no custom widgets yet: nothing is published. Build and publish one, then reopen the Add panel.
- It moves or animates on the live site but not in the editor: the author turned off running the script in the editor. That's expected.
- The live site shows the old version: republish the site.
- Every site shows the same text or logos: the content is written into the widget's code. Ask an owner or admin to click Make it reusable in the Widget Builder.