Carousel Banners

Carousel banners enable marketers to drive conversion by easily creating interactive rotating promotional content and delivering it to any screen.

Creating and modifying content featured in promotional banners can be time-consuming, limiting your ability to quickly publish new content or make it more targeted. Carousel Banners let you quickly create or modify rotating banners and add interactivity such as hotspot linking to product detail or related resources. You can deliver them to any screen, letting you bring new promotional content to market faster.

Carousel Banners are designated by a banner with the word CAROUSELSET:

On your website, a carousel banner can look as follows:

Here you can navigate through the images by selecting the numbers. In addition, the slides automatically rotate based on a time interval you can customize. Images in a carousel banner support both hotspots and image maps. Users can either select or to go to a hyperlink or access a Quickview window.

In this example, a user has selected an image map and accessed the Quickview window for gloves:

Watch how carousel banners are created

Watch a walkthrough on how carousel banners are created (Duration: 10 minutes and 33 seconds). You also learn about how to preview, edit, and deliver carousel banners.

Quick Start: Carousel Banners

To get you up and running quickly:

1. Identify hotspot and image map variables (only for customers using Adobe Experience Manager Assets + Dynamic Media)

   Start by identifying dynamic variables used by the existing Quick view implementation. Doing so helps you to enter hotspots and image map data properly during the carousel banner creation process in Experience Manager Assets.

2. Optional: Create a Carousel Set viewer preset, as needed.

   If you are an administrator, you can customize the behavior and appearance of the carousel by creating your own Carousel viewer preset. The main benefit is that you can reuse this custom viewer preset for multiple carousels. However, users can optionally customize the behavior and appearance of the carousel directly while authoring the carousel. This approach is preferred when you want a specific design for a given carousel.

3. Upload an image banner.

   Upload image banners that you want to make interactive.

4. Create a Carousel Set.

   In Carousels Sets, users navigate through banner images and select hotspots or image maps to access relevant content.

   To create a Carousel Set in Assets, select Create, then select Carousel Sets. Add assets to slides and select Save. You can also edit the appearance and behavior of the carousel directly within the editor.

5. Add hotspots or image maps to an image banner.

   Add one or more hotspots or image maps to an image banner. Then, associate each one with an action such as a link, a Quick view, or an Experience Fragment. After you add hotspots or image maps, you finish this task by publishing the carousel set. Publishing creates the embed code that you can use to copy and apply to your website landing page.

   See (Optional) Preview Carousel Banners - Optional. If desired, you can view a representation of your carousel set and test its interactivity.

6. Publish Carousel Banners.

   You publish a Carousel Set as you would any asset. In Assets, navigate to the Carousel Set and select it and select Publish. Publishing a Carousel Set activates the URL and Embed string.

7. Do one of the following:

   • Add a carousel banner to your website pageYou can add the carousel banner URL or embed code you have copied onto the website page.

     • Integrate the carousel banner with an existing Quick view. If you are using a third-party web content management system, you must integrate the new carousel banner with the existing Quick view implementation on your website.

   • Add a carousel banner to your website in Experience Manager. If you are an Experience Manager Sites customer, you can add the carousel set directly to the page using the Interactive Media component.

If you must edit Carousel Sets, see Edit Carousel Sets. In addition, you can view and edit Carousel Set properties.

Identify Hotspot and Image Map Variables

Start by identifying dynamic variables used by the existing Quick view implementation. This method helps you to enter hotspots or image map data properly during the carousel set creation process in Experience Manager Assets.

When you add hotspots or image maps to a banner image, you assign a SKU (Stock Keeping Unit). You can also assign optional extra variables to each hotspot or image map. Such variables are used later to match hotspots or image maps with Quick view content.

It is important to properly identify the number and type of variables to associate with hotspot or image map data. Each hotspot or image map added to a banner image must carry enough information to unambiguously identify the product in the existing back-end system. At the same time, ensure that each hotspot or image map does not include more data than is necessary. The reason is because that would make the data entry process overly complex and on-going hotspot or image map management more error-prone.

There are different ways to identify a set of variables to use for hotspot or image map data.

Sometimes it is enough to consult with IT specialists responsible for the existing Quickview implementation. They are likely to know what is the minimum set of data to identify Quick view in the system. However, it is possible to simply analyze the existing behavior of the front-end code.

Most Quickview implementations use the following paradigm:

• User activates a user interface element on the website. For example, selecting a Quickview button.
• The website sends an Ajax request to the back end to load the Quickview data or content, if needed.
• The Quickview data is translated into the content in preparation for rendering on the web page.
• Finally, the front-end code visually renders such content on the screen.

The approach then is to visit different areas of the existing website where the Quickview feature is implemented. Then trigger the Quickview and acquire the Ajax URL sent by the web page for loading the Quickview data or content.

Normally there is no need for you to use any specialized debugging tools. Modern web browsers feature web inspectors that do an adequate job. The following are a few examples of web browsers that include web inspectors:

• To see all outgoing HTTP requests in Google Chrome, press F12 (Windows®) or Command-Option-I (Mac) to open the Developer tool panel. Select the Network tab.
• In Firefox, you can either activate the Firebug plug-in by pressing F12 (Windows®) or Command-Option-I (Mac). Use its Network tab, or use the built-in Inspector tool and its Network tab.

When network monitoring is turned on in the browser, trigger the Quickview on the page.

Now find the Quick view Ajax URL in the network log and copy the recorded URL for future analysis. Usually when you trigger the Quickview there are numerous requests that are sent out to the server. Typically, the Quickview Ajax URL is one of the first in the list. It has either a complex query string portion or path, and its response MIME type is either text/html, text/xml, or text/javascript.

During this process, it is important to visit different areas of your website, with different product categories and types. The reason is that Quick view URLs have parts that are common for a given website category, but change only if you visit a different area of the website.

In the simplest case, the only variable part in the Quickview URL is the product SKU. In this case, the SKU value is the only data piece that you need for adding hotspots or image maps to the banner image.

However, in complex cases, the Quickview URL has different varying elements in addition to the SKU. Some of those elements include category ID, color code, size code, and so forth. In such cases, every element is a separate variable in your hotspot or image map data definition in the carousel banner feature.

Consider the following examples of Quickview URLs and their resulting hotspot or image map variables:

Upload Image Banners

If you have already uploaded the images that you want to use, advance to the next step, Create Carousel Sets. The images used in the carousel must be uploaded after Dynamic Media has been enabled.

To upload image banners, see Upload assets.

Create Carousel Sets

To create Carousel Sets:

1. In Assets, navigate to the folder where you want to create the Carousel Set and go to Create > Carousel Set.

2. On the Carousel Banner Editor page, select Tap to open Asset Selector to select the image for your first slide.

   On the Carousel Banner Editor page, do either one of the following:

   • Near the upper-left corner of the page, select Add Slide icon.

   • Near the middle of the page, select Tap to open Asset Selector.

   Select to select assets that you want to include in your Carousel Set. Selected assets have a check mark icon over them. When you have finish, near the upper-right corner of the page, select Select.

   With the Asset Selector, you can search for assets by typing in a keyword and selecting Return. You can also apply filters to refine your search results. You can filter by path, collection, file type, and tag. Select the filter and then select the Filter icon in the toolbar. Change the view by selecting the View icon and selecting Column View, Card View, or List View.

   See Work with Selectors for more information.

3. Continue to add slides until you have added all the images that you want to rotate through in the Carousel Set.

4. (Optional) Do any of the following:

   • If necessary, drag slide’s to reorder images intheset list.

   • To delete an image, select the image, then select Delete Slide in the toolbar.

   • To apply a preset, near the upper-right corner of the page, select the preset drop-down list, then select a preset to apply to the set at once.

   To delete a slide, select the slide. On the toolbar, select Delete Slide on the toolbar. To move a slide, select the reorder icon and move to the desired location.

5. After you have added the images in slides, you can add a hotspot, image map, or both to your image. See Add hotspots or image maps to an Image Banner.

6. You can change the visual design and behavior of carousel sets. Select the Behavior and Appearance tabs if you want to adjust how your carousel banner appears or how specific components behave. See Manage Viewer Presets for more information on how to use the viewer editor.

   NOTE

   For carousel banners, you can adjust the following:

   • Duration that an image displays. By default, each image displays for 9 seconds.
   • Animation. By default, each slide transition is a fade. You can change that to a slide transition.
   • Style of the buttons. Users can rotate through the banners by selecting each dot or number. You can change where the set indicator buttons appear (and if they are numeric or a dotted style) and how large they are.
   • Change the highlight style of an image map or the icon used for hotspots.
   • Before you edit a viewer preset, choose the style on which you want to base the preset. If you do not choose a style, when you start to edit the viewer preset, you lose all of your changes if you change to a different preset.

   You can also preview the carousel banner’s appearance. See (Optional) Preview Carousel Banners.

7. Select Save when finished.

Add hotspots or image maps to an Image Banner

You can add hotspots or image maps to a banner using the Carousel Set editor.

When you add hotspots or image maps, you can define them as a Quick view pop-up display, as a hyperlink, or an Experience Fragment.

See Experience Fragment.

As you add hotspots or image maps to an image, remember to save your work. Undo and Redo options, near the upper-right corner of the page, are supported during your current creation/editing session.

When you finish creating your carousel banner, you can optionally use Preview to see a representation of how your carousel banner appears to customers.

See (Optional) Preview Carousel Banners.

To add hotspots or image maps to an Image Banner:

1. From Assets, navigate to the carousel set you want to make interactive.

2. Select the carousel set and select Edit. The Carousel Viewer Editor opens.

3. Select the slide you want to make interactive.

4. Near the upper-left corner of the page, select Hotspot or Image Map.

5. Do either of the following:

   • For hotspots: On the image, select a location where you want the hotspot to appear.
   • For image maps: On the image, drag from the upper left to the lower right to create the image map area. You can adjust the size of the image map by dragging the corners.

   If necessary, drag the hotspot or the image map to a new location. Or, use the keyboard arrow keys to control the position of a selected hotspot. Add more hotspots or image maps as necessary.

   To delete a hotspot or image map, select the Actions tab. Under the Maps & Hotspots heading, from the Selected Type drop-down list, select the name of the hotspot or image map you want to remove. Select the Trash icon next to the menu, then select Delete.

6. In the Name text field, type the name of the hotspot or the image map. This name also appears in the Maps & Hotspot drop-down list. Providing a name makes it easy to identify the hotspot or image map if you decide to change it in the future.

7. Do one of the following in the Actions tab:

   • Select Quickview.

     • If you are an Experience Manager Sites customer, select the Product Picker icon (magnifying glass) to open the Select Product page. To return to the Carousel Banner Editor, select the product you want to use, then select the check mark in the upper-right corner of the page.

     • If you are not an Experience Manager Sites customer:

       • Define variables. See Identify hotspot variables.

       • Then, manually enter the SKU value. In the SKU Value text field, type the product’s SKU (Stock Keeping Unit), which is a unique identifier for each distinct product or service that you offer. The entered SKU value automatically populates the variable portion of the Quick view template. The system now knows to associate the selected hotspot with a particular SKU’s Quick view.

       • (Optional) If there are other variables within the Quick view that you must use to further identify a product, select Add Generic Variable. In the text field, specify an extra variable. For example, category=Mens is an added variable.

       • See Work with Selectors for more information.

   • Select Hyperlink.

     • If you are an Experience Manager Sites customer, select the Site Selector icon (folder) to navigate to a URL.

       NOTE

       The URL-based method of linking is not possible if your interactive content has links with relative URLs, particularly links to Experience Manager Sites pages.

     • If you are a stand-alone customer, in the href text field, specify the full URL path to a linked web page.

   Be sure you specify whether to open the link in a new browser tab (recommended default) or the same tab.

   See Work with Selectors for more information.

   • Select Experience Fragment.

     • If you are an Experience Manager Sites customer, select the Search icon (magnifying glass) to open the Experience Fragment page. To return to the Hotspot management page, select the Experience Fragment you want to use, then in the upper-right corner of the page, select Select.
       See Experience Fragments.

     • Specify the width and height of the Experience Fragment as it appears on the banner.

       NOTE

       The social media sharing tools in Carousel Banner are not supported when you embed the viewer in an Experience Fragment.

       To work around this point, you can use or create viewer presets that do not have social media sharing tools. Such viewer presets let you successfully embed it in Experience Fragments.

   

   You can also preview the carousel banner’s appearance. See (Optional) Preview Carousel Banners.

8. Select Save.

9. Publish the carousel set. Publishing creates the embed code or URL that you can use on your website page. If you are an Experience Manager Sites customer, add the carousel set directly to your web page.

   See Publish assets.

   See Add a carousel set to your website landing page

Edit Carousel Sets

You can perform various editing tasks on Carousel Sets such as the following:

• Add slides to a Carousel Set. See also Work with Selectors.
• Reorder slides in the Carousel Set.
• Delete assets in the Carousel Set.
• Apply a viewer preset.
• Delete the Carousel Set.
• Add or edit hotspots and image maps. See also Work with Selectors.

To edit Carousel Sets:

1. Do any one of the following:

   • Hover over a Carousel Set asset, then select Edit (pencil icon).

   • Hover over a Carousel Set asset, select Select (check mark icon), then on the toolbar, select Edit.

   • Select a Carousel Set asset, then in the upper-left corner of the page select Edit (pencil icon).

2. To edit the Carousel Set, do any of the following:

   • To add a slide, select the Add Slide icon. Navigate to the asset you want to add to that slide, then select the check mark.
   • To reorder slides, drag a slide to a new location (select the reorder icon to move items).
   • To add a hotspot or image map, select the hotspot or image map icons and see Add hotspots and image maps to an Image Banner.
   • To edit the appearance or behavior of the carousel set, select the Appearance tab or Behavior tab, then set the options you want.
   • To edit hotspots or image maps, on the appropriate slide, select a hotspot or image map. Under the Actions tab, make your changes.
   • To delete a slide, select it, then select Delete Slide in the toolbar.
   • To apply a preset, near the upper-right corner of the page, select the Preset drop-down list, then select a viewer preset.
   • To delete an entire Carousel Set, navigate to the Carousel Set, select it, then select Delete.
   NOTE

   If you are editing interactive images with hotspots and crop the image, your hotspots are removed.

(Optional) Preview Carousel Banners

You can use Preview to see how the carousel banner appears to customers. Using Preview also lets you test the carousel banner’s hotspots and image maps to ensure they behave as expected.

When you are satisfied with the carousel banner, you can publish it.
See Embed the Video or Image Viewer on a Web Page.
See Link URLs to your web application. The URL-based method of linking is not possible if your interactive content has links with relative URLs, particularly links to Experience Manager Sites pages.
See Add Dynamic Media Assets to pages.

You can preview carousel banners from the Carousel Editor (preferred method) or from the Viewers list.

To optionally preview Carousel Banners:

1. In Assets, navigate to an existing carousel banner that you have created and select to open it.

2. Select Edit.

3. In the viewer presets list in the right corner of the toolbar, select a viewer to preview the carousel banner.

   

4. Select Preview.

5. To test their associated actions, select the hotspots or image maps on the image.

To preview carousel banners from the Viewers list:

1. In Assets, navigate to an existing carousel banner that you have created and select to open it.
2. Near the upper-left corner of the Preview page, select the Content icon.
3. In the Viewers list in the panel on the left of the page, select the name of the carousel banner viewer preset you want to use.
4. To test their associated actions, select the hotspots or image maps on the image.

Publish Carousel Banners

To use the carousel, you must publish it. Publishing a Carousel Set activates the URL and Embed Code. It also publishes the carousel to the Dynamic Media cloud which is integrated with a CDN for scalable and performant delivery.

See Publish Dynamic Media Assets for info on how to publish carousel banners.

Add a Carousel Banner to your website page

After you have uploaded banner images to create a carousel, added hotspots, or image maps, or both, to the banner. Published the carousel set. You are now ready to add it to your existing website page.

However, if you are a stand-alone Experience Manager Assets customer you can manually add the carousel banner to your website landing page.

1. Copy the published carousel set’s embed code.
   See Embed the Video or Image Viewer on a Web Page.

2. Add the embed code that you copied from Experience Manager Assets to your web page.
   The copied embed code is responsive so it automatically fits the embedding area of the page.

Integrate the Carousel Banner with an existing Quickview

Note: this step applies only if you are a stand-alone Experience Manager Assets customer.

The last step in this process is integrating the carousel banner with an existing Quickview implementation on your website. Every Quick view implementation is unique and a specific approach is needed that usually involves the assistance of a front-end IT person.

The existing Quickview implementation normally represents a chain of inter-related actions that happen on the web page in the following order:

1. A user triggers an element in the user interface of your website.
2. The front-end code obtains a Quick view URL based on the user interface element that was triggered in step 1.
3. The front-end code sends an Ajax request using the URL obtained in step 2.
4. The back-end logic returns the corresponding Quick view data or content back to the front-end code.
5. The front-end code loads the Quick view data or content.
6. Optionally, the front-end code converts the loaded Quick view data into an HTML representation.
7. The front-end code displays a modal dialog box or panel and renders the HTML content on the screen for the end user.

These calls do not represent independent public API calls which can be called by the web page logic from an arbitrary step. Instead, it is a chained call where every next step is hidden in the last phase (callback) of the previous step.

At the same time that the carousel banner is replacing step 1, and partially step 2, when a user selects a hotspot or image map, such interaction is handled by the viewer. The viewer returns an event to the web page that contains all the hotspot or image map data previously added.

In such an event handler, the front-end code does the following:

• Listens to an event emitted by the carousel banner.
• Constructs a Quick view URL based on the hotspot or image map data.
• Triggers the process of loading the Quick view from the back end and rendering it on the screen for display.

The embed code returned by Experience Manager Assets already has a ready-to-use event handler in place that is commented out.

So, it is only necessary to uncomment the code and replace the dummy handler body with the code that is specific to the particular web page.

The process of constructing the Quick view URL is opposite of the process used for identifying hotspot and image map variables covered earlier.

See Identify hotspot and image map variables.

The last step to trigger the Quick view URL and activate the Quick view panel most likely requires the assistance of a front-end IT person from your IT department. They have the knowledge to know best how to accurately trigger the Quick view implementation from the proper step, having a ready-to-use Quick view URL.

Create custom pop-up Windows® using Quickview

See Create custom pop-up Windows® using Quickview.

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