Widget Visibility

These features available on All Plans

Getting There

You can access the Visibility settings for a widget in two ways:

1. Add a new widget or click the pencil icon to edit an existing widget. In the widget settings popup, find and click Visibility in the left-hand menu.
2. Hover over any widget in the Edit Widgets Panel and click the eye icon to jump directly to the Visibility section for that widget.

About

The Visibility menu allows you to control:

• Who can see content on your campaign.
• When they can see it.

Display State

The Display State settings determine how a widget is displayed based on user interaction or its active/inactive state:

Options

• Normal: The widget is visible as soon as the campaign loads on the visitor’s browser.

• Starts Hidden: The widget is initially invisible but is included in the page source. It can be activated by another widget (e.g., an Action Widget) or custom JavaScript. Once displayed, it appears in line with other widgets on the campaign.

• Pop-up: Similar to Starts Hidden, but the widget appears in a popup window when activated. You can set a popup title to display at the top of the popup.

• Inactive: The widget is neither visible on the campaign nor included in the page source. Use this to deactivate (but not delete) a widget, such as stopping form submissions. Inactive widgets collapse in the Edit Widget Panel for better organization.

• Builder-Only: The widget is visible only in the Campaign Builder and not to end-users.

Device Visibility

Device Visibility settings (desktop or mobile) are configured in the Style Panel. For more information, refer to our Style Panel video.

Time-Based Visibility

Time-Based Visibility allows you to schedule when a widget is visible. This is ideal for events, seasonal promotions, or timed content updates.

Settings

• Start Showing: The date/time the widget begins displaying. It remains hidden until this time has passed.
• Stop Showing: The date/time the widget stops displaying.
• Campaign Time Zone: The time zone used for scheduling visibility.

To set these times:

1. Click the Start Showing or Stop Showing fields to open a date picker.
2. Enter a specific time of day manually (e.g., "Jan 1, 3:00 PM").

Note: Time-based visibility runs off ShortStack's server clock, so ensure the correct time zone is selected for your campaign.

Country-Based Visibility

Use Country-Based Visibility to display content based on the visitor's country, determined by their IP address.

Steps

1. Click All Countries to access the country picker.
2. Select specific countries from the dropdown:
   • Click a country to select it.
   • Use the Select All button to select all countries.
3. Move selected countries between the Visible Countries and Non-Visible Countries columns using the arrows.

By default, widgets are visible in all countries.

Troubleshooting

Content Not Showing?

1. Check Widget Visibility Settings:
   If using time-based settings, ensure the widget shows in the Preview Panel by adjusting the current time dropdown to the time when the widget should appear.

2. Check Time Zone Settings:
   Campaign time zones may differ from your local time zone.

   • To check the campaign’s time zone, click the gear icon at the top of the Builder.
   • To verify your account time zone, navigate to Preferences:
     • From the Home page, click your account name in the top-right corner.
     • Select Preferences from the dropdown menu.

3. Check Hidden Containers:
   If a widget is inside a hidden container:

   • Minimize containers by clicking the down arrow to locate nested widgets.
   • Either change the container’s visibility or move the widget outside of the container.