Objects and Order exhibitions are built with Blocks specifically designed for exhibition projects. Blocks help you add and style content for headings, text, quotes, media, objects, and more.
Starting Blocks
In this guide, we’ll be adding Blocks to an exhibition called Over the Moon. We selected EXH-1 as the exhibition type for a minimal, clear, and focused look.
When you create an exhibition, you'll begin on the home page, and you'll see 3 placeholder Blocks: an Image Block, a Header Block, and a Text Block, respectively.
Block UI
Click the Image Block to get better acclimated with the interface. You'll see the Block Bar (the black tab) at left and the Floating Editor at right. Both elements appear when you select or add any Block.
The Block Bar
The Block Bar appears in the upper left corner of every block.
A. The dragger icon (6 dots, at left) lets you drag the Block to another location.
B. The icon with 3 vertical dots (at right) opens a drop-down menu.
C. The menu has options to add, copy, cut, duplicate, move, or delete the Block.
When you copy a Block, you can paste it anywhere; when you cut it, it's removed from its current position, and you'll have the option to paste it elsewhere; and when you duplicate it, it creates a duplicate below the current Block.
The Floating Editor
The Floating Editor appears when you click on any Block. You can relocate it on your screen, or dock it at left or right, for ease of use and access. Close it by clicking the X in the upper right corner.
Block options will change according to the type of Block. For example, for an Image Block, in the left tab, you'll see menu items for Source (where you choose your image); Display (where you select display options); Layout (where you position elements and adjust padding); Typography (where you style captions); and Link (where you can add a link).
At the bottom of the Floating Editor, you can reset a Block to its default settings (resetting any updates you’ve introduced), duplicate, or delete it. As you build your pages by adding Blocks, remember to Save along the way.
D. Position the Floating Editor (dock left, right, or float)
E. Properties Tab
F. Advanced and Animation Options Tab
G. Reset Block to Default Settings
H. Duplicate Block
I. Delete Block
J. Save
Adding Blocks to a Page
On every page, below the existing Blocks, you’ll see a plus sign (+). Click to add additional Blocks to build exhibition pages. You’ll select from Blocks related to text and layout, media, or your collection.
You can also add a Block above or below an existing Block in the Block Bar (click the icon with the three vertical dots).
Let's take a closer look at the available Block types.
Page Title Block
Every page you add to the Structure tab of the exhibition will automatically display a page title (except Home).
- In the Floating Editor, you can update Layout, Typography, and Colors.
- If you don't want to display the page title, delete the Page Title Block.
- To change the name of a page, from the Structure tab at left, hover over the page name and click the ellipsis icon (...), then Page Settings, where you can update the name.
Heading Block
Add a Heading Block to introduce text or other exhibition content. Type or paste in your heading, and highlight text to add bold, italics, or links.
While you can update global styles for headings in Settings (Color, Typography, etc), it’s also easy to update headings individually.
In this example, we've docked the Floating Editor at right.
Text Block
Paste in or type in your text. Highlight a word or selection of words to add bold, italics, an underline, or links.
You can also add Notes to a Text Block. Just highlight a word, phrase, or longer selection, click the Notes icon, and add your citation or descriptive note. You could even use this to provide definitions or translations.
To add italics, bold, or links to a Note, you’ll use Markdown:
- To italicize a title, add an asterisk on either side.
- To add bold, add double asterisks on either side.
- To add a link, add brackets around the linked word or phrase [Page Title] and follow it directly, with no spaces between, with the URL in parentheses (url).
In Preview Mode, or when the exhibition is published, the note will appear on hover. See also the Notes Block section below.
Quote Block
Add a quote and attribution to your page. You can adjust typography, spacing, and colors, and you can add a bar to the left side to help set off the quote.
Links Block
You can add links to other pages (those inside your exhibition or external) or to a particular exhibition object by adding a Links Block. This is perfect for highlighting exhibition programming, related articles, etc.
You can add up to 10 links, and you can format these as buttons or text.
Card Block
Card Blocks allow you to add text over an image (either an object or an asset) or a background color.
In this example, we’re adding Card Blocks for each of the thematic section pages to the Explore page. You can select an Object, Asset, or URL, adjust your typography and text placement, and add a link.
In Display, you can change the height and aspect ratio and introduce rounded corners.
Separator Block
Add a Separator Block to help define and separate page content. You can add a solid, dotted, or dashed line, and change the color, thickness, and length.
Notes Block
The Notes Block displays the notes you add to a page, across Text Blocks (see above).
This Block type works especially well on an Article page, for an essay, article, or post about the exhibition.
As you add notes to the text in a Text Block, or after all notes have been added, you can add a Notes Block to the bottom of your page. This will automatically aggregate and number your notes across Text Blocks on that page.
You can rename the heading to Footnotes, Endnotes, Resources, etc.
Container Block
The Container Block is the most versatile Block type, as it allows you to add and arrange Blocks within it. Add one when you want more control over your page layout.
You’ll begin by choosing a layout option (here, we’re using a 1/3 to 2/3 split), and then adding the Blocks you need in each column. In the left column, we have three Audio Blocks. In the right column, two Video Blocks.
When you click an individual Block you’ll see the Floating Editor options for that Block.
To view the Floating Editor for the Container Block, click the ... in the Block Bar and choose Select Container from the drop-down menu.
Image Block
Add an Image Block to display an image for an object, an exhibition asset, or an image available at a publicly available, external URL.
You can adjust image quality and display and decide whether or not to show captions or allow zoom. You can also add a link.
Use the animations tab at right (*) to fade in or fade the image up, down, left, or right, or scale or rotate it.
Video Block
When you add a Video Block to your page, you determine if it autoplays, is muted, and how it's controlled. You can also decide whether or not to show a display title or caption. A video file can come from an object, an exhibition asset, or a URL.
Audio Block
Add an Audio Block if you’d like to share an audio file (for example, audio of the introductory text or an audio guide tour stop). You decide how you want the playback to function and style the display. An audio file can come from an object, an exhibition asset, or a URL.
Comparison Block
Add a Comparison Block to compare two states of a print, two prints of a photograph, or a painting and its infrared reflectogram.
You’ll add Source A (appears at left) and Source B (appears at right) from an object, exhibition asset, or URL. Try to make sure the images you’ll be comparing are as close in dimension and format as possible.
You can decide whether or not to show display titles and/or captions, and you can determine the position of the slider.
Object Block
Unlike an Image Block, an Object Block offers an opportunity to select and display object data. This Block type works well when you want to highlight single exhibition objects.
Under Fields, you can select and arrange information fields for display.
Objects Block
The Objects Block will automatically appear on two types of pages: Section and Object List.
All exhibition objects associated with the Exhibition Blueprint will appear in the Object List. To update the display order, go to the Object Manager, click the grid icon at upper right, and drag and drop into the preferred order.
When you organize objects into their respective sections in the Object Manager, those objects will automatically appear on section pages.
For an Objects Block, you can determine the format of the images and the number of columns in which they appear. You can also enable an overlay of information on hover.
To display fields below, ideal for a checklist, select and arrange the information you want to display.
You can also create a custom selection of objects (for example, a group of exhibition highlights).
Timeline Block (Coming Soon!)
The Timeline Block will let you select objects (either from an exhibition section or a custom group) and create a timeline.
Here we're using the Date field to sort, and we're also displaying the Credit Line below.
Module Block
Add a published Module to your exhibition with the Module Block. Easily add any type of Module to an exhibition page.
Please note: The selected Module must be published. If it is unpublished later, the Module will not display. For more on Modules, see the Sharing a Module guide.
Blocks allow you to customize the look and feel of your exhibition and the display of your objects and content.
If you’d like a short demo, need some help getting started, or want to strategize about Blocks for your exhibition, don't hesitate to reach out.