Office 365 - SharePoint Online - Exploring OOB Hero Webpart

Introduction

Details

In Communication sites, the Hero web part is included by default and the web part is pre-populated with default images, text and links that can be modified later for our needs. The default Hero web part comes in a tiled layout with five tiles.

Creating a Communication Site, from <SharePoint Admin site>/_layouts/15/online/AdminHome.aspx#/siteManagement

Figure 1:Office 365 – SharePoint Online – Creating a communication site

Choosing a Site Design while Creating a Communication Site

There are 3 types of Site Design you can choose while creating a new communication site:

Figure 2: O365 – SharePoint Online – Choosing site design while creating Communication Site

Topic Communication Site design

In a communication site, when we choose a Site design as a Topic, then by default, the Hero WP comes with a tiled layout with five tiles (this can change from one to five) and is pre-populated with default images, text, and links that can be modified later according to your needs.

Figure 3: Office 365 – SharePoint Online – Hero WP from Topic site design – Tiled layout

Showcase Communication Site design

In the communication site, when you select choose a Site design as Showcase, then by default Hero WP comes with a vertical layout with three layers (this can change from one to five) and is pre-populated with default images, text, and links that can be modified later according to your needs.

Figure 4: Office 365 – SharePoint Online – Hero WP from Showcase site design – Vertical layout with three layers

Blank Communication Site design

In the communication site, when you select to choose a Site design as Blank, then by default there is no Hero WP added in the page.

Steps to add and modify Hero WP on page

• Click page edit button in a page

Figure 5: Office 365 – SharePoint Online -Adding / Updating Hero WP on the page

• Click on the add button and find HERO WP

Figure 6: Office 365 – SharePoint Online -Adding / Updating Hero WP on the page

• After adding web part, you will get following default layout depending on the Communication Site design selected. The following layout is for the Communication Topic site design.

Figure 7 : Office 365 – SharePoint Online -OOB Hero WP added on the page

• To edit the layout, click on the edit button.

Figure 8: Office 365 – SharePoint Online – editing OOB Hero WP

There are 2 types of layout options:

1. Tiles
2. Layers

Figure 9: Office 365 – SharePoint Online – Hero WP – Layout options – Layers

Figure 10 : Office 365 – SharePoint Online – Hero WP – Layout options -Tiles

• Click on the select link for adding an image or link:

Figure 11: Office 365 – SharePoint Online – Adding image or link to OOB Hero WP

• After clicking on Select link, the following popup will appear, we can select an image or link from the following options.

Figure 12: Office 365 – SharePoint Online – Image popup

• After selecting an image, the following options will ask for an edit.
  
  
• Link

Title – add title for image. we can hide or show title

Auto-selected – Automatically selects an image from the page

Custom image –You can select custom image

Color only – select any color corresponds to your site theme color

Call to action text – You can add your Call to action text (for example, “See more”).

You can show a call to action link by switching the toggle to Yes.

Figure 13:Office 365 – SharePoint Online – Hero WP – edit properties

In layers, the following sessions are added:

Link

Description – we can add a Description that will appear in an image

Options

Show topic heading- we can add a heading for an image

We can show a topic heading link by switching the toggle to Yes.

Figure 14:Office 365 – SharePoint Online – Hero WP – Adding images / links

Hero WP Images are stored in the Asset Library SitePages folder:

Figure 15: Office 365 – SharePoint Online – Images of Hero WP are stored in “Site Assets” library under “Site Pages” folder