Widgets in Xara
Can I insert external widgets in to my web page?
Xara Designer Pro and Web Designer allow you to replace any object with HTML code. This allows you to easily insert external objects in to your web pages such as forms, e-commerce, videos from YouTube, Google maps, social media, photo slideshows and galleries and many, many other types of widgets.
We include a selection of popular widgets in Elements and Designs Gallery, in the Components folder and we also Web Blocks with embedded widgets in Modular Websites > Web Blocks.
Open Elements, expand one of the widgets folders and import the desired widget into your document, or drag and drop them from the Designs Gallery.
There are two types of widgets; third party services that can be customized in the web browser, and locally editable widgets:
Web Editable Third party services
A browser window will open directing you to the widget providers site. Follow the onscreen instruction in order to create your widget or click on the help button within the browser window. Xara will automatically generate a placeholder image for the widget being inserted, allowing you to position it in a WYSIWYG manner.
For more info see: Web Editable Widgets
Internal widgets
Double click the widget placeholder from within your main document to be directed to the internal widget editor. The widget editor provides a full set of instructions on how to edit the widget. Upon completion, save the widget. Xara will direct you back to your main editing document and automatically generate a placeholder image for the widget being inserted, allowing you to position it in a WYSIWYG manner.
For more info see: Locally Editable Widgets
Can I resize the widgets?
Yes. To resize a widget, click on it to display its selection handles. Click and hold down your left mouse button on one of the corner selection handles and drag to resize the widget as required. The widget preview will automatically regenerate displaying the widget at its resized size.
Note: there are some exceptions, not all widgets are resizable.
How do I edit a widget I've inserted into my page?
Simply double click the widget to be directed to the internal editor/ cause the internal browser to open and be directed to the widget provider.
Can I edit all aspects of the widgets?
The widgets are pre-created effects which allow you to alter the main content that is displayed when viewing the widget within a web browser. It is currently not possible to edit every aspect of a widget and each widget displays instructions on editing the widget within the widget editing document.
As an example, the Accordion widget will allow you to:
Edit the Title Text label - Change the title text as required.
Edit the Heading Text label - Change the heading text as required.
Edit the Main Text - Change the main text as required.
Edit the link - Change the link to link to the address of your choice or delete the text link if its not required
Replace the image - Replace the image with your own and adjust the position of the image in its frame
However, altering the font family or size of the text, changing the target frame for the link or applying additional links to the text will have no effect in the exported widget.
Can I insert third party code/ widgets not provided via Elements?
Xara does not restrict you to only using the widgets in Elements. Any external widget can be inserted into the program.
For more info see: Widgets from other widget sites
Is there any license information related to the widgets?
Several of the internal widgets use a variety of plugins mostly available for use via the MIT license. License information is available from License information.
Can I insert widgets within layers that have transition effects applied?
Many widgets won’t work properly if they are used on pop-up layers or layers that appear with an animated transition effect. Some simple widgets will work fine in these circumstances, but many of the more complex widgets will not. Results will vary with different widgets and even with different browsers.
I cannot find the Magix widgets in Elements
The Magix widgets have been temporarily removed from Elements while the service is being updated.
In the meantime you can still access these widgets by going to www.magix-online.com then click the Sign In button in the top right corner and sign in with your Magix registered email address and password.
Once you've signed in, hover over 'Website Maker' and click the Quickstart button to dispay a menu.
From this menu select 'Create Widget' and you'll have the different types of widgets you can create on the left menu. The widget can be customized as it was before.
The only difference now is that once you get to step 3 you need to click the Copy button, then open Web Designer / Designer Pro and go to Edit > Paste > Paste HTML Placeholder (Ctrl + V) to paste the placeholder into your page.