When looking at the way an article is set up, you can see that it consists of different parts: it will have a header, maybe a sub header, multiple paragraphs, perhaps one or more images with or without captions, and so on.
In a Digital article, each of these parts is represented by a 'component'. You will construct your story by adding all those components that your story needs by using the Digital editor.
In this article here, we describe how to work with the components in a Digital article.
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Notes:
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When working with components, you can:
- Add components
- Delete components
- Select multiple components
- Rearrange components
- Copy and paste components
- Change components
- Control how a component should look and behave
Each is described in the following sections.
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Adding components
When creating a new article, it will already contain components. Which components these are typically depends on the template that the article is based on. When needed, additional components can be added.
Note: Depending on the way the system is set up by the administrator, it may not be possible to add (certain) components.
To add a component, hover your mouse over an area between two existing components where you want to add the new component. Click the orange plus sign that appears. A Component window is shown containing various components, grouped by type. Find the component that you want to use and click it to add it to the article.
Figure: Adding a Slideshow component to the story.
Deleting components
To delete one or more components, do one of the following:
- Hover the mouse pointer over the component and click the Trash Can icon. When multiple components are selected, clicking the Trash Can icon for one of the selected components will delete all selected components.
- In the Properties panel, click Delete.
Selecting components
Components in an article can be selected so that they can be worked on in a particular way. The method of selecting and the actions that can be performed depends on the type of component that is selected and if a single component or multiple components are selected. When components are copied, the newly created components can be automatically selected as well.
Single components
Selecting a single component is done by doing the following:
- Clicking the component.
- Placing the text cursor in a component that can hold text.
- Using one of the following keyboard shortcuts:
| Key | Action |
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Up Arrow |
Move the selection from the component that currently has the selection to the component above it. |
| Down Arrow | Move the selection from the component that currently has the selection to the component below it. |
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Ctrl+Left Arrow Cmd+Left Arrow |
Move the selection to the beginning of the component. |
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Ctrl+Right Arrow Cmd+Right Arrow |
Move the selection to the end of the component. |
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Ctrl+Up Arrow Cmd+Up Arrow |
Move the selection to the top of the component. |
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Ctrl+Down Arrow Cmd+Down Arrow |
Move the selection to the bottom of the component. |
You can tell that a component is selected by the following:
- A blue border around the component.
- The Properties panel, showing the properties that can be applied to the selected component and the actions that can be performed on it.
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Notes:
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Tip: See how to check the version of Studio that is installed.
Multiple components
Multiple components can be selected to quickly perform the same action on these components:
- Delete
- Move
Note: Other actions such as changing the properties or applying styling are not yet possible.
Selecting multiple components can be done by doing one of the following:
- To select individual components: select one component and click another component while holding down Ctrl (Windows) or Cmd (macOS).
- To select a range of components: select one component and click another component while holding down Shift.
- With at least one component selected, press Shift+Up Arrow or Shift+Down Arrow.
- Use a combination of the above mentioned methods.
Tip: Deselecting components can be done by using the same methods as for selecting components.
You can tell that multiple components are selected by the following:
- The components have a blue fill except Container components and components that contain video, social media, or embedded content; these will have a blue border.
- The Properties panel shows the properties that can be applied to the selected components and the actions that can be performed on them.
Figure: The selection of multiple components is indicated by a blue fill or border, and the state of the Properties panel.
Automatic selection
When one or more components are selected and subsequently copied by moving them while holding the Alt key (see Copying components), the newly created components are automatically selected.
Example: Components A, B, and C are selected. When moving them while holding the Alt key, components D, E, and F are created and automatically selected.
Hover states
When hovering the mouse pointer over a component, actions become available and outlines become visible:
- A toolbar appears containing the following icons:
- A Move icon for moving the currently selected components.
- A Trash Can icon for deleting the selected components.
Note: To prevent the toolbar from obscuring text, the toolbar disappears when typing in a component that holds text. It appears again when moving the mouse.
- A gray border appears around the component. Does not apply to components that contain a single field that can hold text such as a Body component.)
- A label with the component name appears for Container components and components that contain video, social media, or embedded content.
Figure: When hovering the mouse pointer over a component, a gray border and a toolbar appears.
Moving components
To move one or more components to a different position, do one of the following:
To move a single component:
- Click and hold the component and drag it to the position where you want to place it.
- Hover the mouse pointer over the component, click and hold the Move icon, and drag it to the position where you want to place it.
To move multiple components:
- Select the components, hover the mouse pointer over one of the components, click and hold the Move icon, and drag it to the position where you want to place it. All selected components are now moved.
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Notes:
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Copying components
When working on an article, it is very possible that the content that needs to be added already exists. This could be in another component in the same article or in a different Digital article — either an article available in Studio or an article archived in Assets.
Think of a slide show, an image with a caption, a quote, a particular paragraph of text, and so on.
Components or their content can be copied and pasted for reuse elsewhere.
Many ways and scenarios for doing this exist. Some of the most common used methods are:
- Selecting a component or the content of a component and using the regular keyboard shortcuts for copying and pasting (Ctrl/Cmd+C and Ctrl/Cmd+V).
- Dragging a component to another position within an article while holding the Alt key.
For a full explanation about all the scenarios and methods, see:
- Copying components within a Digital article in Studio
- Copying components from one Digital article to another in Studio
Changing the component type
Sometimes a component of a certain type needs to be changed to a different type.
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Examples:
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Step 1. Select the component or (when possible) place the cursor inside the component.
Step 2. Do one of the following:
- Access the Properties panel and from the Change Component list, choose a different component.
- Use a keyboard shortcut. The available keyboard shortcuts are shown in the Change Component list in the Properties panel.
Note: The Change Component list in the Properties panel shows different components to choose from depending on the component type that you want to change. Keyboard shortcuts are defined as part of configuring Component Sets.
Figure: The Change Component option in the Properties panel.
Controlling how a component should look and behave
Using the properties of a component, you can control how a component should look and how it should behave.
Properties that can be controlled include the order in which images in a slideshow appear, the alignment of an image, the style to apply, line spacing , and so on.
Setting the properties
To set the properties for a component, select it and click the Properties icon in the toolbar on the right.
Figure: An image and its properties.
Applying a Style variant to a component
When a particular component for a particular output always needs to be styled in a particular way, a Style variant can be created for it.
A Style variant is a collection of style settings that are stored for repeated use. This makes it possible to apply these settings in one single action instead of having to set these manually.
To apply a Style variant to a component, simply choose it from the Style variant list in the Properties panel for that component.
Editing Interactive components
An Interactive component displays content that is hosted on the Internet somewhere, such as a Google Map, a video, a poll, a quiz, and so on, and also makes it possible to customize this content in the Digital editor.
Example: A basic Google Map could be made available to which one or more locations can be added, the map settings changed, and so on.
To edit an Interactive component, access the Properties for the component and under 'Configuration', click 'Edit'.
A window will appear in which you can change the settings for that component.
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