About Widgets

A widget is represented in Content Studio by a special kind of content item. If you click on File > New in Content Studio, then the displayed sub-menu should contain a Widgets option. Selecting it displays a further sub-menu containing a list of available widget types:

The Widget Framework includes a set of standard widgets for creating page components such as:

• Breadcrumbs

• Menus

• Search tools

• Teasers

• Stories

making it possible to meet most requirements "out of the box". If you have special needs that are not satisfied by the supplied widgets, it is possible to write custom widgets of your own (if you have the necessary HTML and JSP programming skills). This manual does not, however, cover the design and creation of custom widgets.

The standard widgets do, however, really satisfy a very wide range of requirements, since they are all configurable: that is, they have properties which you can use to control their appearance and behavior. This ensures that using the Widget Framework does not impose a generic, pre-packaged look and feel on publications - there is still plenty of scope for your creativity.