Creating Custom Template Tabs

In this article, you will learn how to create custom template tabs.

This feature is available in all plans.
Users with manage template permission can access this page/feature.

To start, select a project in the project selection dropdown in the left sidebar menu, then, under the Configuration section, go to Templates.

From there, you will see all templates available in the current project. Click on the one you want to add a custom tab to.

To create a custom tab, click the new tab button. Give it a name and click the check button or press ENTER on your keyboard to save it. The custom tab is now created and is ready.

General Fields

You'll use general fields to build your custom tab.

ℹ️ Note that you can't add system fields to a custom tab (the default fields under Main Content and CMS Fields tabs are system fields).But you can add general fields to system tabs. You can learn more about field types here.

Click the add a new field button. This will reveal a selection of various general fields you can add.

Currently, there are 10 general fields to choose from, but we are continuously adding new ones and refining the older ones. If you want to see new fields or would like to suggest improvements, you can use the report an issue or request a feature link at the bottom of the project menu (right sidebar). We can't wait to hear your suggestions!

Here are the currently available general fields as of the time of this writing:

1. Single line text
2. Paragraph text
3. File/Image upload
4. Single Image
5. Checkboxes
6. Radio buttons
7. Date
8. Dropdown select
9. Heading
10. Guidelines

Let's take a look at each of them in more detail.

Heading

This field allows you to add a heading text. You can use it to organize your tab into different sections. Think about how you would structure your article or blog post in different sections using headings, this is the same idea, but for your templates. Note that this is not an input field, so whatever heading text you write here will appear as it is in a content item.

Guidelines

This field allows you to add tab-level guidelines. You can use a combination of headings and guidelines to organize your tab, especially if you have a complex template structure. Like the heading field, this is not an input field, so whatever text you write here will appear as it is in a content item.

Single line of text field

This field allows you to add a single-line text input field. Useful for adding input fields for short text like author name, product code, CTAs, tags, etc.

It comes with the following options:

• Set recommended length to - lets you set a recommended limit of words or characters for this field
• Required - when this option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty
• Field guidelines - lets you add a guideline specific to this field

💡Keep in mind that submission or approval actions will still go through even if the recommended limit is not met.

Paragraph text field

This field adds either a rich text editor or a plain text area input field. Great for adding input fields for your article's content or other long-form text that requires multiple sentences. Set it to rich text mode if you want users to be able to add text formatting, and plain text mode if you only want raw text.

It comes with the following options:

• Plain text - when this is enabled, this will become a plain text editor (no text formatting options)
• Set recommended length to - lets you set a recommended limit of words or characters for this field
• Required - when this option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty
• Field guidelines - lets you add a guideline specific to this field

File/Image upload field

This field adds a file uploader.

It comes with the following options:

• Required - when this option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty
• Field guidelines - lets you add a guideline specific to this field

Single image field

This field adds an single image uploader. It offers advanced commenting features such as the ability to add a comment on a precise point on the image.

It comes with the following options:

• Required - when this option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty
• Field guidelines - lets you add a guideline specific to this field

Checkboxes field

This field adds a multiple-choice element that can be selected using checkboxes. You can add choices by clicking the Add option link.

It comes with the following options:

• Required - when this option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty
• Field guidelines - lets you add a guideline specific to this field

Radio buttons field

This field adds a radio button element. This allows a user to select only one option from a list of options. You can add choices by clicking the Add option link.

It comes with the following options:

• Required - when this option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty
• Field guidelines - lets you add a guideline specific to this field

Date field

This field adds a date picker element.

It comes with the following options:

• Required - when this option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty
• Field guidelines - lets you add a guideline specific to this field

Dropdown select field

This field adds a dropdown selection element. It works quite similarly to the checkboxes field, but the difference is that users will choose items from a dropdown menu, and you can limit the number of choices a user can make. You can add choices by clicking the Add option link.

It comes with the following options:

• Limit the number of selected options to - set a maximum number of options that can be selected
• Required - when this option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty
• Field guidelines - lets you add a guideline specific to this field

Conclusion

You've learned how to create a custom template tab and how to add general fields to it. You've also learned about the different types of general fields. By now, you have a solid understanding of how to create and utilize custom tabs and general fields for your templates, so go ahead and start creating your custom templates!