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Customizing your Hero Block: Customizing your Hero Block

Customizing your Hero Block
Customizing your Hero Block
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“Customizing your Hero Block”

Customizing your Hero Block

By Jamie Witman, OEN

This guide assumes you have Project Creator status on the OEN Manifold instance and have already created a Project. If you need Project Creator permissions please review the Request an Account form).

The Hero Block

You can customize the appearance of the Hero Block of your Project’s home page by modifying the following elements:

  1. Title
  2. Subtitle
  3. Author(s)
  4. Contributor(s)
  5. Description (accepts Markdown)
  6. Link(s)
  7. Social Links
  8. Hashtag
  9. Background Image (covers the entire background of the Hero Block)
  10. Cover Image
  11. Button(s)
  12. Image Credit
screenshot of manifold project "hero block" with the following elements highlighted: Title, Subtitle, Author(s), Contributor(s), Description, Link(s), Social Links, Hashtag, Background Image, Cover Image, Button(s), Image Credit

First, log in to your Manifold account by clicking on the user icon in the upper right hand corner of the screen and entering the email and password you used to create your account. Then, go to the backend of Manifold by clicking on the Enter Admin Mode button in the upper right hand corner of the screen (If you do not see the “Enter Admin Mode” button, please review the Request an Account form).

You will now be in the backend of Manifold and note that the screen has gone from light to dark. Now select your Project from the list displayed by clicking on the Project’s title which will take you to the Project home page where you can begin editing.

Properties

It is easy to change the Title of a Project or add a Subtitle. Select Properties from the left side menu and click in the Title and Subtitle fields to modify or add.

screenshot of Properties showing where to change title, subtitle, and other metadata

People

You can enter the name of the Author of the Text, if your Project has a single Text, and, if you are not the Author, you can enter yourself as a Contributor. If you are using a Text written by someone else, including yourself as a Contributor is a good idea because it will help others find Projects that you have created.

To add Author(s) and/ or Contributor(s), select People from the left side menu. Click and enter the name of the person(s) in the Author and Contributor fields. If the Author or Contributor already exists in Manifold, the field will populate with their name after you start typing. If the Author or Contributor does not exist, type their name in the appropriate field and then Return or Enter on your keyboard. This will add the person to Manifold and create a Maker record for them. Even if you are a Project Creator, you will not show up in the Author or Contributor list until you have a Maker record.

screenshot of People section showing where to add authors and contributors

Layout

To access and customize your project’s Hero Block, select Layout from the left side menu. The Hero Block settings are organized into three groups: Description + Images, Calls-to-Action, and Social Links.

Description + Images

To enter/edit a Project Description, add a Background image, add a Cover Image, and add image credits, click on Description + Images. A drawer will open from the right where you can:

  • Switch to Dark Mode
  • Enter a description for your Project (accepts Markdown)
  • Add background and cover images
  • Add credit for the images used

screenshot of layout section showing where to add description and images

Calls-to-Action

You can add a wide variety of Buttons and Links, called Calls-to-Action, to the Hero Block of your Project. It may be helpful for Readers, especially students, to have Buttons or Links in the Hero Block that allow them to start reading a Text, access the table of contents and/ or provide the option to download your Project’s Text.

To add Buttons or Links to the Hero Block of your Project’s home page, click on Calls-to-Action then select the appropriate type and location, i.e. Left Side Buttons or Right Side Links. A drawer will open from the right where you can give your Button/Link a Title and select its action: Link, Start Reading, Table of Contents, and Download.

  • Link: select visibility, add URL
  • Start Reading: select a Text (you must have already added a Text to your project)
  • Table of Contents: select a Text (you must have already added a Text to your project)
  • Download: select visibility, upload a file

screenshot of layout section showing where to add CTA buttons

If you change your mind and would like your Button to be a Link or on the right rather than the left, you just click and grab the double lines, or drag bars, and drag the item to the new selection.

screenshot of CTA button example to download the epub

Social Links

If your Project has a social media presence you can add it to your Hero Block. Select Social Links and a drawer will open from the right. Here you will be able to add a: Hashtag, Facebook ID, Twitter ID, and Instagram ID. All the IDs will appear as their corresponding icons and the Hashtag will appear below them in the Hero Block - you don’t have to add the #.

screenshot of layout section showing where to add social integration links

For more detail on the Hero Block be sure to check out Mainfold’s documentation.

“OEN Manifold Community Guide: Customizing your Hero Block” is licensed under a CC BY NC 4.0 licenseCC BY NC 4.0 license. Last updated September 2024. It is adapted from “Customize Your Hero Block" By Krystyna Micheal and Robin Miller at CUNY and licensed under a CC BY NC 4.0 license.



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