Use the Component wizard to create a custom rendering

With SXA, you can quickly create a copy of an SXA rendering by using the clone script. This can be convenient, for example, if you want many Promo renderings that are all styled differently. If you want to create a custom rendering that is not similar to an existing rendering, you can also use the Component wizard.

Because the standard SXA toolbox sections are overwritten with SXA updates, we recommend that you create a separate toolbox section for derivative renderings. You can do this by adding a new module to SXA.

To create a custom rendering using the Component wizard:

  1. In the Content Editor, navigate to sitecore/Layout/Renderings/Feature/ and create a folder for your custom rendering. This ensures that your rendering is not overwritten during SXA updates.

  2. Right-click the folder that you just created, click Insert, and click Component.

  3. In the wizard, fill in the following fields:

    Tab 

    Field

    Description

    General

    Component name

    Enter the name for the new rendering.

    Add to module

    Select the module the new rendering belongs to.

    Rendering CSS class

    Enter the CSS class for the rendering.

    Path to rendering view

    By default, the view name in SXA is resolved as the rendering definition item name. To provide a custom path, enter the location of the view here.

    Data source

    Data source

    Determine the data source origin by selecting one of the following options:

    • Use current page - data source item reads data from the current page.

    • Ask user for data source - lets the content editor choose the data source.

    • Automatically create data source under page - stores the data source as a page relative data source item under a given page.

    Rendering template

    Select the template.

    Base rendering parameters template

    Select the base template. By default, the Standard Rendering Parameters template is selected.

    Base data source template

    Select the data source template to specify the types of data sources users can create.

    Publishing grouping template

    Helps with publishing complex data source structures that have children, for example, Carousel, Tabs, Link List, and Gallery. Can only be used if Publishing Service is enabled.

    Additional compatible templates

    Enables you to select multiple templates for the data source. For example, for the Promo rendering, you could use the Promo templates but also other data sources, such as Text and Image.

    Behaviors

    Select Page as a data source 

    Lets you use a page as a data source. Select this option if you want the component to take content from the current page.

    Background image 

    Enables you to add a background image for the component. It will add a base template to your data source template that contains a field that lets editors pick an image used as background.

    Select data source behavior 

    Determines whether users can set data source behavior.

    Component variants 

    Determines whether the rendering can have variants. 

    Dynamic placeholders

    Enables a dynamic placeholder for a rendering.

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