Place a block using layout updates
Layout updates make it possible to customize the layout of a page. Layout updates offer more flexibility than a widget, but require access to the server and a basic knowledge of XML.
The following steps show how to use a layout update to place a block on a page. For specific examples and help with syntax, see Common layout customization tasks in the Frontend Developer Guide.
Step 1: Create the block
-
Create the block that you want to place.
-
Take note of the
block_id
, because it is used in the layout update instructions.
Step 2: Compose the layout update in XML
-
Compose the layout instructions in XML to Reference a CMS Block.
-
Save the layout instructions on the server in the layout folder where XML files are saved for the theme.
For example:
<theme_dir>/<Namespace>_<Module>/layout
The layout handle is the filename that begins with
cms_page_view_selectable_
, followed by the URL key of the CMS page, the layout update option, and thexml
file suffix. In the following example,customer-service
is the URL key of the page, andChatTool
is the option that you select to apply the layout update to the page.cms_page_view_selectable_
<customer-service
>_
<ChatTool
>.xml
Element Description CMS Page Identifier The URL key of the page with any forward slash ( /
) replaced by an underscore (_
).Layout Update Name The option that appears for Custom Layout Update.