What are Elements?
Elements are the fundamental building blocks of your Composer pages. Learn more about how elements work in the article, "Understanding elements" and read about each of the 5 tabs in the element library: Standard, Module, Layout, Social, and Shared.
In this Article
- Shared Elements Work Differently!
- Create a Shared element
- Edit a Shared element
- Manage your shared element in Composer
- Quick Tutorial: Use Shared Elements
- Set permissions for Shared elements
A Shared element is any element that has been customized and then saved for later re-use on a different page or banner. Navigate to a Composer page and locate the Shared tab in the Element Library.
Shared Elements Work Differently!
You'll notice that Shared Elements work a bit differently than other elements.
- Site admins can drag and drop a Shared element just like any other element.
- However, when the Shared element is added to a page or banner, it will automatically retain the original customizations that were applied when it was first saved.
- Read more about how they work in this article.
Are you a visual learner?
Skip straight to the video tutorial!
Create a Shared element
Start by adding any type element to a page from The Element Library and customizing it. Open up the Element Settings window by clicking the gear icon at the upper-right corner of the element.
Click the Share toggle in the top right corner of the Element Settings window.
Give the element a unique name that describes its contents or functions, then click Save and Convert to Shared Element.
The new Shared element will appear in the Shared section of the element library.
Edit a Shared element
You can edit Shared elements after creating them by going to Composer > Elements in Composer left navigation.
Click on an element to open it for further editing. Any edits you make to an element here will be applied to all instances of that element.
Manage your shared element in Composer
When you drop a shared element onto a page or banner, the usual gear icon will be replaced with a Shared button.
Not seeing your Shared Element in a Banner?
Shared elements in banners may need a little extra push in order to update. You may need to republish the banner in order to see the update on your site.
Make a Shared element unique - "Orphan and Edit"
You can still edit Ehared elements that have been placed onto a page. When you click the Shared button, you'll be prompted to decide an option: Orphan and Edit or Edit Shared.
- Orphan and Edit means you can work on this copy of the Shared element in isolation. After a Shared element has been orphaned, it will act like an independent, non-shared element.
- Edit Shared means you will edit the saved master copy of the Shared element.
Share an Accordion or Tabs element
You may notice that an Accordion or Tabs Element does not have the Share button in the top right corner. It's not possible to share one of these Elements directly.
To share an Accordion or Tabs Element, first place the element into a Container element, then you can share the Container element.
Share a Container element
Container elements can be shared and reused on other pages. All elements inside the Container will be included when the shared Container is added to another page.
Important Note
Unlike regular shared elements, shared Container elements cannot be orphaned. This means that shared Container elements can only be edited in the Shared Element editor.
Delete a shared element
Shared elements can be deleted when no longer needed and when you want to remove this as an option showing up in the Element library for your users. To delete a shared element, back out of the Pages menu and click on the Elements tab in the left navigation of Composer. You may also click directly on the element in a banner and you will be taken straight to the Elements tab in Composer.
Choose the element you would like to delete. Click the trashcan icon in the bottom right corner.
Important Note
If you do not see the trashcan icon, it may be that you are trying to delete a Container element which cannot be deleted.
Quick Tutorial: Use Shared Elements
Here's an interactive tutorial
** Best experienced in Full Screen (click the icon in the top right corner before you begin) **Set permissions for Shared elements
Grant access for your admin users to also manage Shared elements by going in to your Composer Global Permissions area and locating the column labeled Shared Elements.
- Not Allowed means users will not see the Elements area in Composer left navigation.
- View means users will see the Elements area but not be able to edit or manage any of the Shared elements listed there. This level cannot Orphan and Edit a shared element on a page.
- View & Edit level allows for the ability to make changes to a Shared element in the Elements area, including the Orphan and Edit feature, but users cannot Publish their changes.
- View, Edit & Publish provides for the user to make changes, as well as Orphan and Edit, a Shared element. They can also Publish those changes.
- View, Edit, Publish & Delete means the admin user can make changes, Orphan and Edit a Shared element, and also has the added ability to Delete a Shared element from the Elements area.
- Admin permission level is the highest level which allows for all of the management of tasks within the Elements area and also includes the ability to manage Permissions levels of other admin groups in Global Composer permissions.
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