How to use content blocks and groups

How to use content blocks and groups

On your website there are two types of content: sitewide content, such as the homepage or privacy page; and content that is specific to a project, such as events or surveys.

Content can be easily added to a page by using content blocks and content groups.

Type	Description
Content block	Content blocks allow you to add different types of content to your site or project. Content blocks include events, updates, HTML content, documents, pages, polls, surveys and questions.
Content group	With content groups, you can add related groups of content blocks together, and display the group as either an accordion, tab or container.

 

Content blocks

Content blocks allow you to create and display unique content types for your site or project.

Content block name	Purpose
​​Pages	List project pages in addition to the main project page to split up information on larger projects
​Maps​	List maps to share geographical information with the public
​Updates	List project updates to notify users of the latest project news
​Events​	List events and meetings related to this project
​Documents​	List documents to provide extra information to a project. File (Document) formats must be: doc, docx, pdf, txt, xls, xlsx, csv
​HTML Content​	Display HTML content on your project page
​Image gallery​	Display a thumbnail or carousel image gallery on your project page
​Regions	List cards to selected region pages on your project page
​Tags​	List cards to selected tags pages on your project page
​Idea boards​	List idea boards or a custom selection of the idea boards created for this project
Polls​	List polls or a custom selection of the polls created for this project
​Surveys​	List surveys or a custom selection of the surveys created for this project
Card list	Display a customisable grid of content cards that link to any content on your site

 

Content Blocks unique for your home page

There are additional content blocks that are only available for pages on the Site content level, not within a project page. They are used for adding a project search bar and project lists to your home page.

Content block name	Purpose
Projects list	Adds a list of projects. Can be filtered by consultation status (e.g. only display projects that are open for feedback)
Project search	Adds a project search block. You can configure your project search bar preferences under site settings

 

Adding a content block to a page

Content blocks can be added to a sitewide page, a project page or a project subpage.

Note: to preview how a content block looks when added to a sitewide page, a project page, or a project subpage, the content block needs to be first published.

The following instructions outline the steps to create a content block on a Projects page. The same logic also applies for content blocks on subpages or sitewide pages:

1. Log in to your District Engage website.
2. Click Projects in the left-hand menu bar. This will show you all projects you currently have access to.
3. Click on a project to open it.
4. Click on the Edit tab.
5. Scroll down to click Add block.
6. Select a block type, and follow the prompts to create the content block.
7. Click Add [Block type] to save your changes.
8. Drag and drop content blocks to change the display order.
9. Click Publish.

 

Delete a content block from a page

To delete a content block from a specific page:

1. Navigate to the page you want to edit, then click Edit.
2. Click on the specific content block you want to delete.
3. Click Remove. Note: if the content block is associated with content such as Events or Updates, this won't delete the content from the project, only this page.
4. Once you've finished, click Save.

 

Content groups

If you're adding a lot of content blocks to your project page, you can group them together to make it easier for participants to read and access.

 

Content group types

Content blocks will be sorted into either accordions, tabs or columns.

When the columns option is chosen, the group's content can be displayed in one of 6 Layout types: 1 column, 2 columns (50/50 split, 65/35 split, a 35/65 split), 3 columns or 4 columns. It is also possible to further customise the way columns appear by selecting a Minimal, Highlight or Full width highlight style from the Layout style menu.

 

Example of an accordion group

Example of a tab group

Example of a column group with 50/50 split, Minimal style

Example of a column group with 65/35 split, Minimal style

Example of a column group with Single column, Minimal style

Example of a column group with 50/50 split, Highlight style

Example of a 3 columns group with Full width background Layout style

 

Adding a content group to a page

The following instructions show you how to add a content group to your main project page. The same logic also applies for adding content groups to project subpages or sitewide pages:

1. Log in to your District Engage website.
2. Click Projects in the left-hand menu bar. This will show you all projects you currently have access to.
3. Click on a project to open it.
4. Click on the Edit tab.
5. Scroll down and click Add Group.
6. Give the group a Title. This will be publicly visible on the published website.
7. Select a Group type to choose how you want this content to be displayed:
   • Accordion will display the group vertically down the page
   • Tabs will display horizontally across the page
   • Columns display a group of content blocks in columns. If you choose this option you can also customise the Layout type. Choose from:
     • 50/50 split
     • 65/35 split
     • 35/65 split
     • a single column (refer to the screenshots above to see how each layout looks)
8. Drag and drop existing content blocks into the group.
9. Click on the grab dots to rearrange the order of content blocks.
10. Click Publish.

 

Deleting a content group from a page

N.B: Deleting a content group will also delete all its content blocks from the page. However if the content block is associated with content such as Events or Updates, this action won't delete the content from the project, only this page.

To delete a content group from a page:

1. Navigate to the page you want to edit, then click Edit.
2. Click on the specific content group you want to delete.
3. Click Remove.
4. Once you've finished, click Publish.

 

Advanced settings for content blocks

For content blocks that can be displayed in grid form such as Documents, Events, Pages, Updates, and Participation tools, the advanced settings allow you to customise how the content is displayed.

• Sort order: Choose the order in which content is displayed (e.g., Newest first, Oldest first).
• Limit number of items: Set the maximum number of items to be displayed within the block.
• Items per row: Define how many items will appear in each row of the grid.
• Display a link to all content: Tick this option to add a link that directs users to view all content beyond the displayed limit.
• Unique block settings 
  • Show upcoming events only: For Events blocks, you can choose to display only future events and hide past events.
  • Image gallery: For Image galleries you can format the display mode (e.g., "Thumbnail gallery") and Display ratio (e.g., "16:9")

To enhance the user experience, make sure to adjust these settings based on the volume and type of content you plan to display.