Widgets: Basics – COYO Campus

#worthseeing

Get an overview of the widgets in COYO in our video tutorial.

What are widgets?

Widgets primarily display the content from the apps that are used. Imagine widgets as small building blocks that can be used to integrate additional functions into pages or communities. This modular principle enables you to add global widgets in specified areas, which are then visible for all users.

Homepages are exclusively based on widgets. They are the ideal way to present content from pages and communities and design the layout however you like. You can also decide which widgets and thus also what content should be shown on mobile devices.

Cloud version 28: Move widgets via drag & drop

Since the update to version 28, you can also easily move widgets on homepages and in wiki, blog, and content apps via drag & drop. Simply click and hold the mouse on the 9 squares in the top left corner of the widget.

You can then easily move the widget within the homepage or the stated apps.

What types of widgets are there?

You can find an overview of all available widgets in the Administration interface. There you also set which widgets you want to activate, or only approve for use by moderators.

Notes:

You require certain permissions for this ("access to Administration" + "Manage apps and widgets").
Some widgets allow various changes to be made in COYO and are thus not designed for the "standard user". As a result, it is sensible to restrict some widgets to experts. This is already mandatory for the code widget. We also recommend restricting the following widgets for use by moderators:
- HTML
- iFrame

Note:
The code widget is only available from the next login once it has been activated.

Since the version 33 Cloud release, you can use the smartphone icon to directly identify in the widget catalog of your COYO instance which widgets are also available for mobile use.

Dynamic widgets

The content of these widgets changes as dynamic widgets take content from sources that are constantly updating and changing.

Static widgets

These widgets take content from unchanging, fixed sources. As a result, the content of these widgets always remains the same – until you change it.

Personal widgets

These widgets are user-dependent. They make use of the user’s personal information. This means that they display content that the user has entered into COYO or has actively specified.

Tip:
The "subscriptions widget" offers a great function. To access your most important communities more quickly, you can mark these as favorites. This can be done very easily via mouseover. All favorites are indicated with a star and can be found right at the top of your community list. Automatically subscribed pages are also specially indicated in the widget: All pages with VIP status are shown at the top of the list and indicated with a pin.

Integrate widgets into pages or communities

You can add addition elements to pages and communities with the help of the widget. The widgets there are always global. This means that they are passed on to all of the sub-areas of the page/community and are visible there.

Note:
You require the permission "Manage global widgets" for this.

This is how it works: You first select the option "Edit view".

Then you can add the widgets to the specified areas of your page or community with the help of the green plus sign.

Depending on the respective widget, a window opens for the widget’s individual settings. Note that the settings really only relate to this individual widget, they do not apply globally to all widgets.

The widget menu

While you are in editing mode, there is a small menu bar in the top right of every widget.

The arrow changes position with the widget immediately above or below it.
If there are a lot of widgets, you can change the name and customize them however you like. You do this by clicking on the "T".
The scissors cut the widget out of the place where it was previously integrated. The green plus signs then immediately become an "insert symbol": ↥ This enables you to move the widget from one position to another.
With the small smartphone icon with the X, you decide whether or not this widget should be displayed on mobile devices.
The recycle bin deletes the widget.

Change name

Do you want to change the name of a widget? That’s also possible. As long as you’re in "Edit layout" mode and are hovering over a widget, the options for the respective widget appear in the top right. It’s possible to change a name wherever the T appears.

The most important thing comes at the end: Saving. If you go into another area of COYO without saving, all of the changes will be lost.

Tip:
Less is more! Widgets on pages or in communities should be used specifically to highlight certain topics. If there’s too much going on on a page or in a community, this tends to be counterproductive and overwhelm your users.