Info: This article is work in progress and subject to change.
A widget is a turn-key, multi-component feature you drop onto a panel as a single item. Where a Field, Action, or Notification is a single building block, a widget is a small assembly that solves a recurring task — pinning collections, linking assets, stamping metadata, grouping selections, or generating a CSV report.
The Configurator ships five widgets. Each one is documented below with what it does, when to use it, and the options you can configure.
For the building blocks that widgets are built on top of, see 05a — Fields reference, 05b — Actions and buttons reference, and 05c — Notifications reference.
Pinned Collections
Displays the user’s pinned collections, providing one-click access to commonly-used groupings of assets.
| Option | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Display name | The label above the widget. Defaults to “Pinned collections” |
| Applies to (visibility checklist) | The asset kinds for which the widget appears. Most often No asset is ticked, so the widget is always visible |
Pinned Collections is a navigation aid more than a workflow tool. It helps users return to collections they work with often without having to navigate through folders.
Tip: A panel that includes Pinned Collections benefits from being placed at the top of the most-used tab. Users develop strong muscle memory for “the collections shortcut at the top,” which speeds up every session.
Asset Link Widget
Lets a user link multiple assets to a single asset, building cross-references that the panel and other systems can act on.
A typical use is “this image is referenced by these three briefs” — the user picks the briefs, and the widget writes the link.
| Option | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Display name | The widget’s label |
| Lead asset field | The metadata field on the lead asset that stores the linked asset IDs |
| Configure folder location | Optional. The folder the user can pick assets from. Leave blank to allow any folder |
| Allow changing path | When off, the user cannot change the folder location during use |
| Applies to | The asset kinds for which the widget appears |
The widget reads and writes the lead-asset field — same field on the same asset. Plan the field carefully; once it is in use, changing it without migrating data leaves stale links.
Metadata Stamp Widget
Lets users define and apply their own metadata stamps. Each stamp is a saved set of metadata-field values; clicking a stamp applies all the values to the selected assets in one operation.
This is the user-facing equivalent of the admin-defined Metadata stamper action covered in 05b — Actions and buttons reference. Where Metadata stamper is fixed at panel-design time, the Metadata Stamp Widget lets users build their own stamps after the panel ships.
| Option | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Display name | The widget’s label |
| Configure folder location | Optional. The folder where stamp configurations are stored. Defaults to /User if blank — that is, in each user’s own folder |
| Applies to | The asset kinds for which the widget appears |
Note: Metadata Stamp Widget stamps live as configuration files in the folder you specify. Two consequences worth knowing: stamps are scoped to the user (or the team, if you point everyone at a shared folder), and stamps survive panel rollback because they are stored in Assets, not in the panel configuration.
Group into Collection Widget
Groups the selected assets into a new Collection, in one click.
| Option | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Display name | The widget’s label. Default: “Group into collection” |
| Title is unique | When on, the user must give each new Collection a unique title. Useful for catalogues where collection names double as identifiers |
| Applies to | The asset kinds for which the widget appears |
The widget shows a small dialog where the user names the Collection and confirms. The selected assets become the Collection’s members.
Tip: Pair this widget with a Move path in a Metadata stamper — for example, group selected assets into a Spring 2026 collection and stamp status: ReadyForReview in a single panel section. Users learn that two clicks completes a step that used to take ten.
Metadata Report Widget
Generates a CSV report of the metadata for the selected assets. The report downloads as a file the user can open in Excel or any spreadsheet tool.
| Option | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Display name | The widget’s label |
| Metafields | The list of metadata fields to include in the report. Each entry has the technical field name and the column header to use in the CSV |
| Applies to | The asset kinds for which the widget appears. Note: Collections (containers) are not supported by this widget — only their member assets |
A typical Metafields configuration:
| Technical name | Column header |
|---|---|
id |
Asset ID |
title |
Title |
credit |
Credit |
assetDomain |
Kind |
status |
Status |
cf_clearance |
Clearance |
Note: The Metadata Report Widget operates only on assets, not on Collections. If your panel applies to Collections, the widget can still appear, but the report will be empty when run against a Collection. Use the visibility checklist to keep the widget away from Collection selections.
Choosing between widgets and components
A few patterns make the choice between a widget and a hand-built combination of components clearer:
| Goal | Widget | Hand-built equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Apply a fixed set of metadata changes | Metadata stamper Action | None — the action is the right tool |
| Let users define their own metadata changes | Metadata Stamp Widget | Possible but high effort. Use the widget |
| Show pinned collections | Pinned Collections | Not possible without the widget |
| Group assets into a Collection | Group into Collection Widget | Possible with a series of buttons but slower for the user |
| Generate a CSV of metadata | Metadata Report Widget | Not possible without the widget |
| Link two assets together | Asset Link Widget or an Asset-link field | The field is simpler; the widget is more flexible |
Pick the widget when the user needs the feature regularly; build with primitives when you need finer control.
Cross-references
- 05a — Fields reference — for the data layer the Actions read and write
- 05b — Actions and buttons reference — for the disabled-message companion to a Notification
- 05c — Notifications reference — for surfacing widget state to users
- 04b — Patterns and anti-patterns — Approve / Reject pattern and the Confirmation-popup habit
Revisions
- 8 May 2026: First publication of the manual
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