Creating and inserting reusable information with content blocks

Note: This feature is available through a closed EAP. The open EAP won't be available for a while, however you can sign up in advance and we'll be in contact nearer the time.

After you’ve enabled your article for content blocks, you can create and insert content blocks.

You can create a content block from a single unit of content (for example, a paragraph, a section heading, a code block, a bulleted list), or choose multiple consecutive sections of content in an article, or all the text in an entire article. You can use one or many content blocks within an article, alongside regular text. We use the term regular text to refer to any article text that you create that is not in a content block.

Guide admins can create and insert content blocks. Agents can create and insert content blocks in articles where they have permission to edit.

This article covers the following topics:

• Creating a content block for reuse
• Inserting a content block into an article

Creating a content block for reuse

After you’ve enabled your article for content blocks, you can create some reusable content.

To create a content block

1. In your article, select the content you want to make into a reusable content block.

   When you select content, a plus (+) icon appears beside the text.

   Note: If you select a fragment of text, for example, one sentence within a paragraph, the whole paragraph will be included in the new content block. A paragraph or section heading is the smallest fragment of content that you can include in a content block.
2. Click the plus (+) icon.
3. Give the content block a meaningful name, so that you can easily identify it when you reuse it in other articles.

   

4. Format the content within the content block as needed, using the toolbar, for example, adding bold or inserting a link.

   Formatting the content in a content block affects all articles that use this content block.

5. Click Create.

   The content is now a content block and is stored independently for reuse by other articles. In the article, the text appears with a gray background. You don't need to save the article to create a content block.

Inserting a content block into an article

After you’ve enabled your article for content blocks, you can insert some reusable content.

To insert content from a content block

1. In your article, click where you want to add reusable content.

   You'll see a plus (+) icon appear in the margin.

2. Click the plus (+) icon.

   A list of available content blocks appears.

3. Choose the content block that you want to add.
   Refine your results by:

   • Specifying part of the content block name. Only the content block name is searched, not the content block body.
   • Sorting by edited date or created date.
   • Sorting alphabetically.

   You can also specify the language of the content block, if translated versions are available.

   Click a content block to preview the content.

   

4. Click Insert.

   The content block is inserted into the article and appears with a gray background.

   In the source code view (), you won't see any HTML code for content blocks, only for your regular text. This is because content blocks live independently in the help center. Additionally, you'll only see the HTML code for the chunk of regular text where your cursor is placed, between content blocks. For example, if your cursor is above a content block and you click the source code view, you'll only see the HTML code for the text above the content block. Place your cursor below the content block and go to the source code view to see the HTML code below the content block.