Understanding Blocks

Blocks are flexible content sections built using different layout templates.

They let you highlight important links, showcase image galleries, or promote key resources in a visually engaging way. Each Block style is designed for a specific purpose, helping you bring your content to life and enhance your Hail website.

Blocks Section Basics

• Navigate to the Blocks section in the left hand menu of Hail
• Here you can view your Blocks library, showing all the Blocks your organisation has created, listed in order of creation from newest to oldest.
• To create a new Block, click on "+Block" in the top left
• To edit an existing Block, click on any of the Blocks displayed in the table
• You can also sort the table by title or style alphabetically by clicking the title in the table - click once to sort A-Z, again to sort Z-A, and a third click will reset to the default date ordering

Creating a Block

• To create a Block, navigate to the Blocks section in the left hand menu of Hail and click on "+Block" in the top left
• A modal will open allowing you to choose different Block styles - this cannot be changed once you have created the Block. You can select your style either by using the dropdown on the left, or by clicking on one of the images.
• You also need to choose a title for your Block - recommended to keep this short and descriptive of the block content, as it will be used as a title for this block, displayed on your website. The title can be edited later as well if required.
• Once you've chosen your title and style, hit "Create" and you will be taken to the Block edit screen.

Block Style summaries

• Buttons: Coloured buttons with icons and titles - great for quick access to key info. ➡️ Guide here.

  

• Carousel: Rotating image gallery - ideal for values or visual storytelling.➡️ Guide here.

• Icons: Rows of icons with titles- perfect for showcasing multiple links. ➡️ Guide here.

  

• Image: Full or half-width images - best for high-quality visuals. ➡️ Guide here.

• Promo: Four-block layout with image, icon, and title—great for highlighting resources. ➡️ Guide here.

  

• Grid: Tidy image layout—excellent for sponsors or image galleries. ➡️ Guide here.

• Text: Rich text content with formatting, inline images, and button-styled links - ideal for welcome messages, announcements, and written content. ➡️ Guide here.

• Quote — Testimonials and quotes displayed in a rotating carousel with author attribution — great for showcasing feedback from staff, students, or community. ➡️ Guide here.

• Calendar — Upcoming events pulled from Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook, Apple iCloud, or any iCal feed — perfect for keeping visitors informed about what's happening. ➡️ Guide here.

• Map — An embedded Google Map showing your organisation's location — ideal for helping visitors find you. ➡️ Guide here.

• Video — Embedded Vimeo or YouTube videos with optional content overlay — perfect for promotional videos and event highlights. ➡️ Guide here.