The Classic Editor doesn't offer the various options and the ability to switch between Editor, Settings, and Preview that the Content Designer does.

The Content Designer is spacious and modular, organizing content blocks in a flexible framework that adapts dynamically as you edit and gives you instant visual feedback. It has tabs you can switch between as needed.

Title and Description

Select Settings to update the title and description.

Title and Description

Select Settings from the top menu of the Content Designer.

Plus Sign to Add a Language

Select the plus sign to add a new language.

Use the Language Dropdown to Add Languages

Same purpose as in the Classic Editor, now accessible from the Language dropdown.

Choose How to Add Content

After adding a language, choose how to populate its content.

Choose How to Add Content

Same purpose as in the Classic Editor, after adding a language from the dropdown.

No Tab for Editor

Classic combines page settings into a single area, rather than splitting Editor and Settings into separate tabs.

Editor tab

Switch to this tab to build and edit the page's content.

Settings Icon

Opens a dialog with page-level settings, such as visibility and page owners.

Settings

Switch to this tab to configure page-level settings such as visibility, owners, and Space, without leaving the page.

Save

On a new page, select Publish Page. On an already-published page, select Save. Either way, your changes go live immediately.

Save / Publish / Update

You save changes as a draft, which is not visible to your audience yet. On a new page, select Publish to make it live for the first time. On an already-published page, select Update for your changes to go live.

Save and Live Preview

Select Save and Live Preview, then choose which mode to view.

Choose Desktop, Tablet, or Mobile to preview.

Preview

Shows how the page renders on desktop, tablet, and mobile before you publish or update it.

No Additional Actions Menu

Page management actions are not grouped into a separate menu in the Classic Editor.

Action Menu (Three Dots)

Groups together page management actions: open the page in the app, save as a page template, publish or unpublish, view version history, search chunks, copy the page link, copy the page content, move the page within a Space, or delete the page.

Version History

Lets you view and restore earlier versions of a page.

Action Menu (Three Dots) > Version History

Same purpose as in the Classic Editor, now one of the options in the page's action menu.

Linear Layout

The Classic Editor is a linear document with widgets. To place content side by side, you add predefined layout areas using the Sections button in the toolbar.

WYSIWYG Layout

The Content Designer offers a modern, WYSIWYG editing experience with flexible layouts, page templates, and improved usability.

Editor at the Top of the Workspace

You add paragraphs directly on the canvas. Dividers, tables, media, and widgets are available via the top toolbar. Settings such as visibility or styling are defined before you add the element, and changes only become visible when you save.

Side Panel and Contextual Toolbar

Content elements are replaced by blocks, available in a collapsible side panel. Text is also a block and not directly on the canvas. When selected, a block shows a contextual toolbar where you change settings and see the result immediately in a true WYSIWYG experience.

Undo and Redo in the Editor Toolbar

Undo and redo are available at the start of the top toolbar.

Undo and Redo in the Side Panel

Undo and redo sit at the bottom of the side panel. You can also use keyboard shortcuts and the Quick Actions menu (Ctrl+Shift+K or Cmd+Shift+K), or keyboard-based editing and navigation.

Text Formatting in the Top Toolbar

All formatting options are always visible in the top toolbar.

Text Block Contextual Toolbar

Formatting is contextual. Add a Text block from the side panel to see its formatting options.

The Text block additionally supports @mentions and emoticons.

Heading Options in the Top Toolbar

Heading options are always visible in the top toolbar.

Title Block Contextual Toolbar

Formatting is contextual. Add a Title block from the side panel to see its heading options.

This applies only to H1 headings; H2, H3, and H4 headings are available in the Text block.

Personalized Placeholders

Lets you insert personalized placeholders, such as a reader's first name, into page text.

Profile Tags in the Text Block

Same purpose as in the Classic Editor, now available from within the Text block.

Clear Formatting in the Top Toolbar

Clear formatting is always visible in the top toolbar.

Remove Formatting

Available in the Text or Title block's contextual toolbar.

Block Quote

Adds a visually distinct quoted passage of text.

Block Quote

Adds a visually distinct quoted passage of text.

Horizontal Line

Adds a horizontal rule to separate content.

Divider

Same purpose as the Horizontal Line, added as a block from the side panel.

Anchor Link in the Top Toolbar

Lets you link to a specific point within the same page.

Anchor Link in the Contextual Toolbar

Select the section or container > pen icon in the contextual toolbar > Visibility > Link to this section. See Copying an Anchor Link.

Add Table in the Top Toolbar

Inserts a table directly from the top toolbar.

Table Block

Add a Table block from the Blocks panel. Starts as a 2x2 grid; add or remove rows and columns as needed.

Media Options in the Top Toolbar

Insert images, video, and audio from the top toolbar.

Media & Assets Blocks in the Side Panel

Image, Video, Audio, and Image Gallery are each available as separate blocks.

My Files in the Media Menu

Access your file library from the top toolbar's Media menu.

My Files in the Side Panel

Same file library, now accessible directly from the side panel.

Show Blocks

Shows a simplified outline of the widgets on the page.

HTML Source Code Editor

Lets you add custom HTML directly to the page.

Not available

The Content Designer is not HTML based. See Custom CSS Styling for advanced styling options instead.

Widgets

Choose a widget from the Add Widget dialog. See Overview of Widgets.

Blocks

Choose a block from the block panel. See Overview of Blocks in the Content Designer.

Sections in the Top Toolbar

Add predefined layout areas from the top toolbar.

Sections in the Editing Workspace

Add and rearrange sections directly on the canvas as you build the page. Layout consists of sections, and each section has containers inside it that house all content. You split containers into column layouts via their settings, and you drag and drop any container to rearrange large chunks of content.

Section Templates

Sections and containers can have background colors and images, giving you more design flexibility. See Overview of Section Templates.

Navigation Panel

Shows the full structure of sections, containers, and blocks on the page, and lets you jump directly to any of them.

Accordion widget

Displays content in expandable and collapsible sections.

Accordion block

Same purpose as the Accordion widget.

Anchor links

Lets readers jump to a specific point within the same page.

Anchor links

Same purpose, set via a section or container's Visibility tab.

Animation widget

Displays a general-purpose animated graphic on the page.

Button widget

Adds a clickable call-to-action button.

Button block

Same purpose. The button's color is drawn from the main brand color set on the Branding Page.

Custom widget

Lets developers build and embed a fully custom widget.

Custom block

Same purpose, rebuilt for the Content Designer's block framework.

Embedded Pages widget

Embeds an external web page within a Staffbase page.

Embedded Page block

Same purpose. The target page must allow itself to be embedded.

File List widget

Displays a list of downloadable files from My Files.

File block

Same purpose, rebuilt as a block.

Google widgets

Google Calendar and Google Drive widgets for embedding Google content.

Google blocks

Calendar and Drive blocks, each rebuilt individually.

Group Subscription widget

Lets readers subscribe to or unsubscribe from a user group.

Group Subscription block

Same purpose, rebuilt as a block.

Hero Image widget

Displays a large banner image at the top of a page.

Section or container background image

Set a background image directly on a section or container, with an optional color overlay.

HR widgets

User Payslips and User Absence widgets for HR self-service data.

Absence block and Payslip block

Same purpose, each rebuilt as its own block.

Infobox widget

Highlights important information in a colored box.

Infobox block

Same purpose, with four predefined message types: information, success, warning, and critical.

Link List widget

Displays a vertical list of links.

Quick Link block (List layout)

Same purpose, as one of the Quick Link block's layout options.

Link Tiles widget

Displays links as a grid of tiles.

Quick Link block (Tile layout)

Same purpose, as one of the Quick Link block's layout options.

Microsoft 365 widgets

File Viewer, Sites, Files, Tasks, Teams Feed, Calendar, Teams Overview, Viva Communities, and Document Library widgets.

Microsoft blocks

Document Library, Files, Calendar, and File Viewer blocks. Not every Classic-era Microsoft 365 widget has a direct Content Designer equivalent.

Navigation widget

Displays a custom navigation menu within a page.

Navigation block

Same purpose, rebuilt as a block.

News Feed widget

Displays a scrolling feed of news posts.

News block (Feed layout)

Same purpose, as one of the News block's layout options.

News Stage widget

Displays featured news as a rotating stage or carousel.

News block (Stage or Carousel layout)

Same purpose, as one of the News block's layout options.

News Section block

New in the Content Designer: a dedicated block for displaying a curated news section.

Plugin widget

Embeds a third-party plugin within a page.

Plugin block

Same purpose, rebuilt as a block.

Plugin widget > Survey

Embeds a survey via the Plugin widget.

Survey block

Surveys now have their own dedicated block, rather than sitting under the generic Plugin widget.

Portfolio widget

Displays links as image cards.

Quick Link block (Image card type)

Same purpose, as one of the Quick Link block's layout options.

Post widget

Lets readers create a post directly from the page.

Create Post block

Same purpose. Currently supports posting to channels only.

ServiceNow Ticket widget

Lets readers view or submit ServiceNow tickets.

ServiceNow block

Same purpose, rebuilt as a block.

Shorts widget

Displays short-form video content.

Shorts block

Same purpose, rebuilt as a block.

Static Content widget

Adds a plain content area with a background color.

Section or container background color

Set a background color directly on a section or container.

User Profile widget

Displays a user's profile and contact information.

User Profile block

Same purpose, rebuilt as a block.