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Cidi Labs Introducing Content Blocks

Design Tools Feature Details

Content blocks are a method used to organize chunks of content using Design Tools.

Before we take a look at the tools themselves, it is important to understand the basic structure of content created using Design Tools.

Content Blocks

When you want to add page content, you will add a Content Block.

A typical Content Block will contain a heading and some content.

Heading

Content

All Content Blocks created by Design Tools are placed inside a container (an HTML div) so that styles and code used by Design Tools does not interfere with other styles within Canvas or your institution.

Design Tools Wrapper

Put them together and you end up with something like this:

Heading 1

Content

Heading 2

Content

The Content Blocks can be rearranged as needed offering flexibility when creating your content.

When you select a Theme for your content, it applies to everything inside the Design Tools Wrapper. Many Themes are styled to visually breakup the content. For example, this theme alternates between white and a light grey for the background color of each content block.

The Interface

Use the Add Content Blocks button and the Add/Rearrange Content Blocks inside the Create/Edit Content section of the tools to add and work with content blocks.

Add blocks dialog interface Add/Rearrange content blocks interface

Adding Content Blocks

The Add Blocks dialog appears when you click the Add Content Blocks button. Type the name for a new block in the Create New Content Block field to create a custom block. You can also click the links representing institutional or extended template blocks.

Design Tools Defaults

The stylized title banner block that appears when you choose a theme comes from core Design Tools code and cannot be configured through a customizations course.

Institutional Template Blocks

Template content blocks can be set at the instution level using the [Content Blocks] page in the Design Tools Primary Customizations course. The method for adding or editing content blocks is described in that page.

Extended Customization Template Blocks

Additional template content blocks can be added through the [Content Blocks] page in a Design Tools Extended Customizations course. The method for adding content blocks is described in that page.

User Level Customization

There is not currently a way for individual users to create reusable blocks outside a customizations course. Use the Create New Content Block field to create a custom block in the rich content editor.