Setting up Widgets
This document provides instructions for setting up the Ask (place) widget and the Search widget on the Home page of your community.
Ask (place) Widget
The Ask (place) widget allows users to quickly pose questions in a specific space or group within your community, or across the entire community. After entering a question, the search function suggests possible answers based on matching keywords. If the suitable answer is not found, users can create a discussion directly from the widget, making it particularly useful in support environments for customers or employees.
You must have Manage Community permission to configure the community Home page or edit the place where you want to add the widget. For more information, see Adding Overview page and Customization permissions for Overview pages.
To add an Ask (place) widget to the Home page:
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In the user interface, click on your avatar in the upper right corner and select Overview Page to open the Home page for editing.
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From the widgets list, select Content > Ask (place).
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Drag the widget down into your layout area and drop it where you want it.
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Click the small triangle in the upper right corner of the widget and select Edit this widget.
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In Custom title, enter the title for the widget. You can use the default title (Ask (place)) or create your own, for example, Ask Us a Question.
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In Submit button text, enter the text to be displayed on the Ask button. You can use the default text or create your own, for example, Submit Your Question.
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In Search From, select a place to perform the initial search. You can search in the current place, in a specified place, or all public places in the community (the root space).
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In Number of Results, enter the number of results to return in the search.
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In Display Results, select which search results must be displayed. You can select one, some, or all of these options:
| All Questions | Displays in search results all questions that have been asked, whether or not they have been answered. | | All Discussions | Displays only discussions in search results. | | Answered Questions | Displays only Answered Questions in search results. | | Documents | Displays only documents in search results. |
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In Post Questions to, select the place where you want questions posted. The place can differ from where the Ask widget is located. For example, you could place the Ask widget in an Employee Questions group, but post the questions to the Employee Q&A group.
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Click Save Properties.
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When you're finished making changes to your place's layout, click Publish Layout. The changes are saved, and the updated page is available to other users.
Search Widget
The Search widget enables your users to search within a specific space or group in your community, or throughout the entire community.
You must have Manage Community permission to configure the community Home page or edit the place where you want to add the widget. For more information, see Adding Overview page and Customization permissions for Overview pages.
To add a Search widget to the Home page:
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In the user interface, click on your avatar in the upper right corner and select Overview Page to open the Home page for editing.
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From the widgets list, select Content > Search Widget.
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Drag the widget down into your layout area and drop it where you want it.
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Click the small triangle in the upper right corner of the widget and select Edit this widget.
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In Custom title, enter the title for the widget. You can use the default title (Search) or create your own, for example, Search Here.
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In Number of Results, enter the number of results to return in the search.
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In Place to Search, select the place to perform the search. Do one of the following:
- Leave the box blank to search the current place.
- Type a place name to search the selected place. This can be any place in the community, or the entire community (which would be your root space).
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Click Save Properties.
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When you're finished making changes to your place's layout, click Publish Layout. The changes are saved, and the updated page becomes visible to other users.