Creating Custom Template Tabs

In this article, you will learn how to create custom template tabs.

This feature is available in all plans.
Users with manage template permission can access this page/feature.

To start, head to the project you want to work with. Then, from the project menu, go to Configuration > Templates.

Once you're on the template page, use the template selection dropdown to select the template to which you want to add a custom tab.

For the sake of this tutorial, we'll be using the default template as an example. Let's get started!

To create a custom template tab, click the add a new tab button. Name your new tab, press ENTER on your keyboard, or click the check button to save it.

General Fields

Your new custom tab will be empty. You will be using general fields to build it.

Click the add a new field button to reveal a dropdown selection of available general fields. Click on the one you want to add.

Currently, there are 9 general fields to choose from, but we are continuously adding new ones and refining the older ones.

If you want to see new fields or would like to suggest improvements, you can use the Suggest a Feature / Report a Bug button in the site's footer. We can't wait to hear your suggestions!

Here are the currently available general fields:

1. Single line text
2. Paragraph text
3. File/Image upload
4. Checkboxes
5. Radio buttons
6. Date
7. Dropdown select
8. Heading
9. Guidelines

Let's take a look at them in more detail.

Heading

The heading field allows you to add a heading text. You can use it for organizing your tab into different sections. You can think of it like a subheading on a blog post or article.

💡Note that this is not an input field, so whatever heading text you write here will appear as is in a content item.

Guidelines

The guidelines field allows you to add "global level" guidelines or rules. You can use a combination of headings and guidelines to organize your tab, especially if you have a complex structure.

💡Like the heading field, this is not an input field, so whatever text you write here will appear as is in a content item.

Single-line text field

The single-line text field allows you to add a single-line text input field.

• Set recommended length to - lets you set a recommended limit of words or characters for this field
• Required - when this option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty
• Field guidelines - lets you add a guideline specific to this field

Keep in mind that submission or approval actions will still go through even if the recommended limit is not met.

Paragraph text field

The paragraph text field adds either a rich text editor or a plain text area input field.

• Plain text - when this is enabled, this will become a plain text editor instead (no formatting)
• Set recommended length to - lets you set a recommended limit of words or characters for this field
• Required - when this option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty
• Field guidelines - lets you add a guideline specific to this field

File/image upload field

The file/image upload field adds a file uploader, similar to the one in the main content tab.

• Required - when this option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty
• Field guidelines - lets you add a guideline specific to this field

Checkbox field

The checkbox field adds a multiple-choice element.

To add choices, click the Add option link.

• Required - when this option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty
• Field guidelines - lets you add a guideline specific to this field

Radio Button field

The radio button field adds a radio button element.

To add choices, click the Add option link.

• Required - when this option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty
• Field guidelines - lets you add a guideline specific to this field

Date field

The date field adds a date picker element.

• Required - when this option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty
• Field guidelines - lets you add a guideline specific to this field

Select field

The select field adds a dropdown selection element. It works quite similar to the checkboxes field, but the difference is that users will choose items from a dropdown menu and you can limit the number of choices a user can make.

To add choices, click the Add option link.

• Limit the number of selected options to - set a maximum number of options that can be selected
• Required - when this option is checked, the content item can't be submitted or approved if this field is empty
• Field guidelines - lets you add a guideline specific to this field

Conclusion

Now you've learned how to create a custom template tab and how to add general fields to it. You've also learned about the different types of general fields.

By now, you should have a solid understanding of how to create and utilize custom tabs and general fields for your templates.