Configure the External Assets field in Theme settings

Misty Flowers

September 16, 2026 15:47

This article details the External Assets field in Finalsite Composer Themes, including what code belongs there, how to add a helper script, tracking code, or verification meta tag to every page of a site, and how to remove code that is no longer needed. External Assets is the single place in Composer where sitewide head-section code belongs, whatever the service that supplied it calls that code.

💡 Quick answers

What is the External Assets field? A field on each Composer theme that loads code in the head section of every page using that theme. It holds links to third-party CSS and font files, verification meta tags, tracking pixels, and vendor scripts.
Where is it? Composer left navigation, Themes, then the theme the site uses. Scroll to the External Assets box.
How is code added? Click at the very beginning of the first line already in the box, paste the code, press Enter so the existing entries move down, click Update, then publish the homepage.
Where exactly in the box does new code go? Above any code already there. Nothing already in the field may be deleted or edited; other tools on the site depend on those entries.
Can adding code here break the site? No. External Assets writes to the head section only. It does not change page content, layout, or the protected theme design files. Deleting the added line and clicking Update reverses the change.
Does existing code in the box need to be removed first? No, and it must not be. Existing entries stay exactly as they are.
Does the code need to be added more than once? The field is set per theme. A site running several themes, such as a separate athletics theme, needs the code added to each theme, and a district site needs it on every domain that should run it.
Why is the field grayed out? Refresh the page first. Access is granted by the implementation team at launch. If the field is still grayed out, contact the Project Management Team.
What does not belong here? Code for a single page, code a service requires just before the closing body tag, and the Google Tag Manager snippet, which Composer generates from a Container ID in Domain Settings.

What belongs in External Assets

External Assets loads code in the head section of every page using the theme it is set on. Anything a service describes as sitewide, or as belonging in the head, belongs here.

Links to third-party files not hosted on the site, such as external CSS files and font files. Use the full URL.
Verification meta tags from services such as Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
Analytics and advertising tags, including tracking codes and tracking pixels.
Vendor scripts that run across the site, described by the service as a helper script, helper code, install code, integration code, or JavaScript snippet.

Code for a single page does not belong here. Neither does code a service requires just before the closing body tag. See Adding third-party code to your site to choose the right placement.

How External Assets differs from theme design files

External Assets is separate from the CSS Assets, JavaScript Assets, and Form Assets fields on the same theme. Those fields control the design and behavior of the site and include files deployed by Finalsite under warranty. External Assets only adds to the head section. Editing it does not touch page content, layout, or any protected design file.

Find the instructions for a specific kind of code

Everything below goes in the same field and follows the same steps. The right column points to the article with the setup instructions for that service.

Kind of code	Services that supply it	Setup instructions
Verification meta tag	Google Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, Meta domain verification	Configure Google Search Console
Accessibility and document helper script	DocAccess, accessiBe, UserWay, Recite Me	Adding third-party code to your site
Analytics and advertising tag	Google Analytics, HubSpot, Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity, Meta Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag	Adding third-party code to your site
Ask AI widget snippet	Finalsite Ask AI	Ask AI Manage: Configure settings and knowledge base
Sitewide announcement banner	Finalsite banner snippet, attached to the article	Announce information in all domains' headers
Third-party CSS and font files	Google Fonts, externally hosted stylesheets	Composer Themes overview
Cookie consent banner	Termly, OneTrust, CookieYes	Manage website cookies and privacy compliance

⚠️ Code that does not belong in External Assets

Google Tag Manager. Composer generates the GTM code from a Container ID entered in Domain Settings. Pasting Google's raw snippet here as well loads the container twice and double-counts traffic. See Implement Google Tag Manager in Composer.
Code for a single page. Use Page Settings, SEO tab, Custom head Content instead. See Page settings.
Code a service requires before the closing body tag. Use an Embed element on the page, or in the default footer banner for sitewide placement. See Embed element.
Theme CSS and JavaScript files. Those belong in the CSS Assets and JavaScript Assets fields on the same theme, not here.

Add code to the field

Step 1: Copy the code from the service. Most services provide a copy button.
Step 2: In Composer, open the Themes tab in the left navigation and click the theme the site uses.
Step 3: Scroll to the External Assets box. Drag the handle in the bottom right corner to expand the box if the contents are hard to read.
Step 4: Click at the very beginning of the first line already in the box, paste the code, then press Enter so the existing entries move down to their own line. New code always goes above existing code. If the box is empty, simply paste.
Step 5: Click Update in the bottom right corner.
Step 6: Publish the homepage so the new code reaches the live site.
Step 7: Repeat steps 2 through 6 on every other theme and domain that should run the code.

⚠️ Important Note

Add new code above any existing code. Place the cursor at the very top of the box and paste there, so the existing entries move down.
Never delete or edit existing entries. Other tools on the site depend on them. Removing a line that another service relies on takes that service offline.
Adding code here cannot break the page design. External Assets writes to the head section only. Deleting the added line and clicking Update restores the previous state.
Code does not reach the live site until the homepage is published. Clicking Update alone is not enough.
The SSR Assets field directly below is a different field. Third-party code does not go there.

Add code to every theme and domain

External Assets is set per theme, not per site. Code added to one theme runs only on pages using that theme.

Sites with more than one theme. Repeat the steps above on each theme that should run the code. A separate athletics theme is the most common case.
District sites with multiple domains. Each domain has its own themes. Repeat the steps on every domain that should run the code.
Confirming coverage. Open a page that looked wrong and check which theme it uses in the Page Layout and Appearance window. See Composer Themes overview.

Remove or undo code

Removing code is the same process in reverse, and it is the fastest way to rule out a recently added script as the cause of a problem.

Step 1: Open the theme in Composer, Themes.
Step 2: Select the full line or lines that were added and delete them. Leave every other entry in place.
Step 3: Click Update, then publish the homepage.
Step 4: Repeat on every theme and domain the code was added to.

Restore access to a grayed-out field

Refresh the page first. A stale session is the most common cause.
Access is granted at launch. The implementation team enables this field when a site goes live, so a site that is not live yet may not have it.
Still grayed out after a refresh. Contact the Project Management Team.
The Themes area is missing entirely. That is a Composer permission, not this field. Ask the main site administrator for access.

Troubleshoot code that is not working

The service still reports the code as missing. Confirm Update was clicked, then publish the homepage.
The code works on some pages but not others. Those pages use a different theme. Add the code to every theme in use.
The code works on one domain but not another. Repeat the steps on every domain.
Checking the deployment domain instead of the live domain. Verify against the live site address.
An existing entry was overwritten by accident. Contact Finalsite Support with the name of the service whose code went missing.
The service requires a content security policy change. Some services, including DocAccess, ask for their domain to be allowed in a content security policy. Submit a request to Finalsite Support with the service name and the domains it needs.