The Content Applet brings a host of new capabilities to Oak, allowing you to showcase all content types in a dynamic, interactive layout, or in a simpler list view. It can serve multiple purposes, from locating files to transforming your news content into visual banners.
In this guide, you'll find out how to add the applet to a homepage or content, and configure it to show the content you need.
Note: The Content applet is replacing the Area Content applet. The Area Content applet can still be used at this time, however, we recommend switching to the new applet when possible.
Before you start
- You must be assigned as a Homepage Manager to add the applet to a homepage
- You must be assigned as a Content Contributor to add it to content i.e. News, Blank Page, Policy
Adding the Content Applet to a homepage or content
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The applet can be added to a homepage or content, such as News and Blank Pages. To edit, go to the three dots in the top-right corner and select the edit option for the content type - i.e. Edit this homepage.
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Click on the pencil toolbox icon to open the applet picker and find Content. Drag and drop it onto the homepage or content page where the blue line appears.
Setting up the Content Applet
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To configure the applet, hover over it and click the three dots in the top-right corner. An options window will open, displaying 3 tabs: Content, Styling, and Advanced.
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Starting on the Content tab, enter a new title and choose an icon. To hide the applet title, toggle off 'Show title'. If you do choose to toggle off the title, still ensure you provide a meaningful title; it will help you when optimising the homepage for the mobile app.
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Choose your Source type from the drop-down. Depending on your intranet set-up, you may also have the option to choose from SharePoint, Smart Delivery, or Topics. Area allows you to only select areas within the site.
Note: SharePoint, Smart Delivery, and Topics can all be set up in Site Settings. If you're unable to see these options, please reach out to your Account Manager.
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If Area has been selected, go to Source Areas and click the Change button to choose the areas you would like to pull content from. The object picker allows you to choose from all areas within the intranet that you have access to.
By default, the page area will be selected as a source. This can be removed by clicking on the hyperlinked 1 area selected in the bottom left of the picker. Click the red cross to remove any areas.
Top tip: Under Related Areas, there's an option to select All areas the user is a member of'. This option is unique to the Content Applet and creates a personalised feed.
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Choose the default display order and toggle on/off allow reordering.
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If SharePoint is the source type, click the link icon to choose your SharePoint path.
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If Smart Delivery is the source type, decide which Smart Stream you prefer. Default will look to the entire Smart Delivery algorithm, including news that hasn't been read and Topic preferences. Promotions Only will only include news that is a should read or must read.
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Once the Content tab has been set-up, go to Styling to choose your preferred layout. Some source types only work with specific layouts, and you may find a layout is greyed out and unavailable. For example, if SharePoint has been selected, the only available layout is List.
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Choose from Feed, List, Carousel, and Smart Layout:
Feed: Emphasises visual elements in a vertical feed, such as images and thumbnails. Featured cards are now part of this layout, helping to break up the feed and give content more opportunity to stand out. This layout can also include Moments.
List: Prioritises text-based information, suitable for document browsing and management. Re-order content, click to browse folders, and directly edit/delete files.
Carousel: Gives your content a visual lift in a banner format. Useful for spotlighting a campaign or company news. Your primary branding colour is automatically applied to the carousel's icons.
Smart Layout: Transforms the standard Feed layout into a dynamic and interactive experience, cleverly mixing different content layouts, such as carousel and feed, to keep things fresh. When selected, it also spotlights your Moments strip. The Content Thumbnail Manager supports with ensuring thumbnail images look great in any layout. To read more about Smart Layout and Smart Area, click here.
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The additional options vary depending on the chosen layout - toggle on/off the search bar, background, and compact view (Feed only).
What's New?: Title and description text now scales with card size across Feed, Carousel and Smart Layouts - giving larger cards more prominence while keeping smaller cards clear and balanced. On mobile and in smaller columns, text sizing remains unchanged.
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The final tab is Advanced. Options vary depending on the chosen layout, although the applet can be further configured here by changing the way the content is displayed, the maximum number of items per page, and choosing the specific content types to include.
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To include content from the child-areas of the selected area(s), toggle on 'Include child areas'.
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In List layout, there's an additional option to toggle off 'Content-only view'. This organises content items into the folders where they have been published.
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The Content Applet allows for diverse feed configurations, allowing you to display a custom combination of content in the layout. Untick/tick the types of content you'd like to show within the applet, or use the Deselect/Select all options to speed things up.
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Once all selections have been made, click Close to save the applet changes, followed by publishing your homepage as usual.