This article will describe how to make a widget and how each widget type is used. Widgets are added the same way that custom fields are, in the Customs Editor. However, rather than collecting data as custom fields do, widgets provide some kind of utility for a project, like instructions or buttons.
Adding widgets requires access to the Customs Editor Advanced tool.
Creating a Widget
- Open the “Create New Field Template” window. In the Customs Editor, choose the section that you would like to add the widget to. Scroll down, and under “Customs Section Setup,” click “+ Add Field/Widget.” This will open the “Create a New Field Template” window.
- Choose the widget type. Toggle the first field from “Field” to “Widget.” Click the “Widget Type” dropdown, and select the widget you would like to create. If you are looking for email, link, or taskflow buttons, click “Action Button” and choose the correct action button type in the next dropdown.
- Fill and save. Fill out the rest of the fields in the “Create a New Widget” window and click save.
For more information and tips on creating specific widgets, read further. For more in-depth descriptions on how to use the Customs Editor, read the Customs Editor article.
Action Buttons
Watch the video below to hear two of our Filevine experts explain how to use action buttons, or read further for a breakdown of the different types of action buttons and how to use them.
Link Button
Link Buttons, just as they sound, are buttons that take the user to a different webpage when clicked. Link Buttons are used when all or most projects require a link to a specific page, like a standard government form or a list of instructions.
Link buttons can also be configured to navigate users to a different section within the same project. To create a button linking to a different section in a project, when inserting the URL, click the small question mark next to the “Button URL” field, which will open up a menu of replacement codes. Go to the section you would like to link for in any project of this type (you will need to have created at least one project of this type) and copy the URL for that section. Use the “{{projectid}}” replacement code to replace the project ID in that section’s link. This replacement will make the button applicable to any project of that type, not just the section in one project.
To create a Link Button, select “Action Button” in the “Create New Widget Template.” Then select “Link Button.” Fill out the widget prompt, and choose a title and icon (if desired) for the button. Insert the URL you would like the button to like to link to, choose whether this webpage will open in a new tab, and save the new widget.
Send Email Button
Send Email Buttons are incredibly useful for saving time when drafting and sending any emails that will be sent for all or most projects.
This widget appears as a button in a project section which, when pressed, creates an email draft in your default email client with the addressee(s), subject, and message filled out. Any of these pieces can be edited in the email before sending.
Send Email Buttons require that your default email be set up in both your web browser and your operating system.
Filevine Send Email Buttons work by dynamically generating mailto: links. The content of the email draft is limited by the capabilities of the mailto: scheme itself: rich text formatting and HTML are not valid and in some cases, your email signature will be replaced with the body of the email draft. Longer email templates will often go over your web browser's character limit for mailto:links. In these cases, try shortening your email template.
To create a Send Email Button, select “Action Button” in the “Create New Widget Template,” and then select “Send Email Button.” Fill out the widget prompt, and choose a title and icon (if desired) for the button.
Fill out, as desired, the addressees, CC addressees, subject, and body. You will also have the option to CC the project email address, meaning the email will appear in the activity section in the project. Click on "Available Replacement Fields" to view the possible {{codes}} that can be used, like the client's email address or the date of accident. These codes will fill in information specific to the project in which the Send Email Button is clicked. For example, writing “Dear {{firstname}}” in the beginning of the email body will give you the first name of the client for that project in the generated email.
Taskflow Trigger Button
Taskflow Trigger Buttons allow you to create a taskflow independent from a project’s phase. Taskflow Trigger Buttons begin a taskflow when clicked in a project. The taskflow trigger button can be clicked once, and then can be reset by a Project Admin.
Creating a Taskflow Trigger Button is the first step in making a taskflow with auto-tasks. For further information, read the Taskflow Action Button Auto-tasks article.
To create a “Taskflow Trigger Button,” select “Action Button” in the “Create New Widget Template,” then select “Taskflow Trigger Button.” Fill out the Widget Prompt, and choose a title and icon (if desired) for the button.
DocGen and Fusion Buttons
Doc Generation Buttons and Fusion Buttons are both buttons that act as the trigger for complex processes in a section. Both DocGen and Fusion buttons have a basic option, which will generate a single template, and a multi-template option, which will allow you to attach and select from multiple templates.
These buttons require additional setup; consult the articles on DocGen and Filevine Fusion for more information on how these processes are used and how these specific widget types are added.
Headers and Instructions
Sub-section Header
Sub-section headers are one of two widget types that are used for display. These headers create sections in a custom section, with larger, formatted text and a dividing line, as shown below. Sub-section headers are also used to create a Table of Contents for the section--each sub-section header is displayed across the top of the section, making navigation easy. Learn more about the Table of Contents.
Instructions
Instructions are used solely for display and are not interactable. This widget type consists of simple text that is displayed for the Filevine user. This type of widget is often used as instructions for filling out fields beyond the field prompt.
Instructions can be formatted the same way that Activity feed items are formatted in Filevine. The instructions can contain bolded, italicized, or strikethrough text, headers, videos, and hyperlinks. Read the article on formatting codes to learn how to format instructions.
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