Create a Department-Specific Alert Widget

If your website already uses a site-wide Alert Widget, you can also create a department-specific alert that appears for a specific department, such as Parks and Recreation, Public Works, or the Police Department.

This article will guide you on creating a new widget that displays department-only alerts. Due to system flexibility, there are adjustments you can make to reach your desired result. This is only a popular method of displaying department-specific alerts.

Who can use this feature?

System Administrator

Create the Department Alert Widget

Important Note:

Do not delete the original Alert Widget that displays sitewide alerts unless you no longer want site wide alerts to be posted on this department page and its subpages.

1. Sign In to Your Site

2. Navigate to the department landing page

   • Example: Parks and Recreation

3. Identify the container that displays sitewide alerts
   

4. Stop Container Inheritance

   Note:

   Select Start with a Copy of the Current Container in the Container Inheritance modal.

5. Drag and drop a piece of content from the Content drawer into the same container as the original alert, but in a blue box that says New Row
   

6. Adjust the widget options of the new widget to display the information in the desired format
   

   • If you would like information to be auto-populated based on content criteria, set the widget to automatically select relevant content

     • Consider how you post content for the sitewide alert, and ensure the settings for the department fold into the overall communication plan

     • Most municipalities use the Emergency Alert Content Type

     • If you’d like to be able to send notifications to subscribers, be sure the appropriate Category is a part of the criteria

     • If you post alerts that don’t need to go in the Alert Widget, a tag such as “Top Alert” may be helpful

   • Configure the Widget Format, Content Appearance, and Widget Options

     • How many items should display at one single time?

     • You may want to populate new items first

     • Do you want the 'View All' Button to display?

     • Select the same widget skin as the sitewide alert

     • Determine the fields to display

     • Do you want 'See More' to display?

7. Click the Save Page icon
   

Enable Container Inheritance

After the department Alert Widget has been configured, enable Container Inheritance so all its subpages display the same information.

All child pages beneath the department landing page will now display the inherited Alert Widgets. The inherited container is locked on child pages and is managed from the department landing page.

Exclude a Page from the Department Alert Widget

If a specific department page should not display the inherited Alert Widget, you’ll stop the Container’s inheritance.

Once inheritance is stopped, changes made to the department landing page will no longer affect that page's header container.

Update the Department Alert Widget

To update the department-wide Alert Widget in the future:

1. Navigate to the department landing page

2. Edit the Alert Widget

3. Save the page

All pages that continue to inherit the container will automatically display the updated Alert Widget.

Add Content to the Department Alert Widget

If you have set the widget to automatically display relevant content, to display content in the Alert Widget, you will simply create or modify content that meets the widget’s display criteria.