Configure a carousel

Carousel overview

Carousels are dynamic slideshows you can add to your homepage or group pages to engage learners and highlight key information.

Carousel core uses

With a carousel, you can:

• Welcome learners to the platform or group.
• Showcase training content.
• Provide quick links to internal or external resources.
• Share important messages with a call to action.

How carousels work

• Each carousel is made up of individual slides.
  • Each slide can include an image, a title, a long description, and an integrated link (either embedded in the slide or attached to a button).
  • You can add up to 100 slides per carousel.
• Multiple carousels can be displayed per page. You can change the placement of the carousel relative to other widgets. For more information, see Configure the layout of a group page and Configure the layout of the homepage.
• Slides auto-advance by default. Learners can use the arrows to navigate manually or pause the carousel.
• Carousel content is specific to the group and does not carry over to subgroups.
• If your organization uses the Globalization solution, the carousel can be translated into each user’s preferred language. For more information, see Translate a carousel.

Carousel display on mobile

While the basic functionality of a carousel is the same on both the homepage and group pages, there are key differences in how they are implemented on mobile:

• Homepage: Carousel is not displayed on mobile apps.
• Group pages: Carousel is displayed on mobile apps (under the Discover tab), but the display differs from the web app due to screen size:
  • Postcard layout slides are not displayed on mobile.
  • Poster layout slides only display the image and title. The description is hidden.

Create a carousel

To create a carousel:

1. Access the page layout configuration panel:
   • For the homepage: In the left sidebar, click Homepage layout.
     • If Homepage layout doesn’t appear, click Configure page layout at the top right of your homepage.
   • For a group page: In the left sidebar, hover over a group and click Configure page layout.
     • If Configure page layout doesn’t appear, click on the group first, then click Configure page layout at the top right of the main section.
2. In the Configure page layout panel on the right, in the Add section, click Carousel.
3. Click Add slide.
   • The carousel is only displayed if it has slides. If a carousel widget is added to the page layout but doesn't have content, the carousel section is hidden.
4. Add an image:
   1. Click under Image.
   2. In the Select an image dialog box, you can Import a new image or Reuse an existing one. For optimal dimensions, see Carousel image recommendations.
5. Enter the text:
   1. Enter a Title (80 characters maximum).
   2. Enter a Description (150 characters maximum). 
      Note: The description for the poster layout is not displayed on mobile apps.
6. In the Link field, enter either of the following:
   • A standard URL address to redirect learners to a web page.
   • A mailto link (for example, mailto:recipient@domain.com) to open the learner's email client, allowing them to send an email to any recipient you specify. 
     You can use a free mailto generator like this one to generate a mailto link with multiple recipients, or with the subject line and the body pre-filled.
7. Select the Layout:
   • Poster layout (default): Displays a full image slide with the text overlaid. If you add a link to the slide, learners can click anywhere on the slide to be redirected to the specified URL. 
     Note: The poster layout is supported on both web and mobile apps.
   • Postcard layout (on the right): Displays the image on the left side of the slide and the text/button on the right. If you add a link to the postcard layout, learners can click the image or the button to be redirected to the specified URL. 
     Note: The postcard layout is supported only on the web app.
8. If you selected the postcard layout, enter the Button text (50 characters maximum). If you skip this, no button will display.
9. (Optional) You can select an audience to define who sees this specific slide.  If no audience is selected, the slide is visible to everyone. To select an audience:
   1. Under Audience, click Edit.
   2. Define your criteria using Groups, Roles, or User Custom Fields.
      • For a detailed breakdown of how audience logic works, see About widget audience.
   3. At the top, click Back to Audience.
10. In the bottom-right corner, click Apply.
    The slide will now display according to the audience settings.
11. To continue editing the carousel, click Back to carousel at the top of the right panel.
12. To close the right-side panel, click Close in the bottom-right corner.

The amount of text displayed in the carousel depends on the users' browser window size, the zoom settings, and the newsfeed display status (right-panel expanded or hidden).

Edit a carousel slide

You can edit the image, title, description, link, and button text of an existing carousel slide, and add new slides to the carousel.

1. Access the page layout configuration panel:
   • For the homepage: In the left sidebar, click Homepage layout.
     • If Homepage layout doesn’t appear, click Configure page layout at the top right of your homepage.
   • For a group page: In the left sidebar, hover over a group and click Configure page layout.
     • If Configure page layout doesn’t appear, click on the group first, then click Configure page layout at the top right of the main section.
2. In the Configure page layout panel on the right, select the relevant carousel.
3. To add a new slide:
   1. Click Add slide.
   2. Modify the necessary fields (Image, Title, Description, Link, or Button text). For details on each field, refer back to the Create a carousel section.
4. To edit an existing slide:
   1. Hover over the slide you want to change.
   2. Click Edit.
   3. Modify the necessary fields (Image, Title, Description, Link, or Button text). For details on each field, refer back to the Create a carousel section.
5. In the bottom-right corner, click Apply.
6. To continue editing the carousel, click Back to carousel at the top of the right panel.
7. To close the right-side panel, click Close in the bottom-right corner.

Schedule the display of a carousel slide

To schedule when each slide appears on the group page:

1. Access the page layout configuration panel:
   • For the homepage: In the left sidebar, click Homepage layout.
     • If Homepage layout doesn’t appear, click Configure page layout at the top right of your homepage.
   • For a group page: In the left sidebar, hover over a group and click Configure page layout.
     • If Configure page layout doesn’t appear, click on the group first, then click Configure page layout at the top right of the main section.
2. In the Configure page layout panel on the right, select the relevant carousel.
3. Click on the slide you wish to schedule.
4. On the right side of Schedule display, switch the toggle to the on position.
5. Select a Start and/or an End date and time.
   • If you select only a Start date, the slide will be displayed starting from the selected date.
   • If you select only an End date, the slide appears immediately on the group page and will be removed on the selected date.
   • If you select both a Start and an End date, the slide will be shown on the group page between the selected dates.
6. In the bottom-right corner, click Apply.

You can edit these dates at any time.

To deactivate the display schedule, switch the toggle to the off position in step 5. The slide will remain on the page until you either delete it or set a new display schedule.

Reorder a carousel slide

To reorder a carousel slide:

1. Access the page layout configuration panel:
   • For the homepage: In the left sidebar, click Homepage layout.
     • If Homepage layout doesn’t appear, click Configure page layout at the top right of your homepage.
   • For a group page: In the left sidebar, hover over a group and click Configure page layout.
     • If Configure page layout doesn’t appear, click on the group first, then click Configure page layout at the top right of the main section.
2. In the Configure page layout panel on the right, select the relevant carousel.
3. Click on the right side of a slide to drag and drop it up or down.
4. In the bottom-right corner, click Apply.

Delete a carousel slide

To delete a carousel slide:

1. Access the page layout configuration panel:
   • For the homepage: In the left sidebar, click Homepage layout.
     • If Homepage layout doesn’t appear, click Configure page layout at the top right of your homepage.
   • For a group page: In the left sidebar, hover over a group and click Configure page layout.
     • If Configure page layout doesn’t appear, click on the group first, then click Configure page layout at the top right of the main section.
2. In the Configure page layout panel on the right, hover over the relevant carousel and click Edit.
3. Hover over the slide and click Delete.
4. In the bottom-right corner, click Apply.

If you delete all the carousel slides, the carousel section is hidden from the page.

Carousel image recommendations

Format

Carousel images can be in JPEG, PNG, or GIF format.

Image dimensions

We recommend the following image dimensions for each layout:

• Poster layout: 1600x400 pixels (4:1 ratio)
• Postcard layout: 800x400 pixels (2:1 ratio)

Smaller images may appear blurry or pixelated. Bigger images may be cropped.

No matter which image size you use, try to keep the main focus of the image near the center, with ample space above, below, and to the sides of that focus, whenever possible.

We recommend using an image that does not contain any text to avoid an overlap between your visuals and the slide description.

In the poster layout, the image is darkened with a dark gradient with the following CSS characteristics:

linear-gradient(rgba(255, 255, 255, 0), rgb(24, 25, 29))

Carousel vs gallery

Carousels and galleries allow you to showcase specific content on the homepage or group pages and redirect learners to internal or external URLs. Here are the basic differences between them:

• A carousel is a slideshow consisting of multiple slides.
  • Each slide can have an image, a title, a long description, and a hidden link or a button with a link.
  • The page displays 1 slide at a time. Learners can navigate the carousel using the arrows below each slide or pause the carousel to view content at their own pace. The carousel will also automatically switch to the next slide if not paused.
  • Carousels are ideal for conveying a message with a call to action.
• A gallery supports an unlimited number of blocks, displaying up to 3 blocks in a row. Additional blocks are automatically arranged into a new row.
  • Each block can have an image, a brief caption, and a hidden link.
  • The page displays all the blocks at the same time.
  • Galleries are ideal for categorizing content and improving the navigation experience inside and outside the platform.