How do I change my Fresh Store homepage layout with widgets?

The widgetized homepage feature allows you the flexibility to change the layout of the homepage on your store.

Widget Areas

Each template will have implemented a base layout with defined “Widget Areas”. These widget areas are then where you will place the available widgets, in order to customize your homepage layout. Template developers will have made these widget areas available, and you will see them by going to Design=> Homepage Layout in your freshadmin.

Important Notes about Widget Areas

Widget areas only show if there are widgets assigned to them. Otherwise, they “collapse” and are hidden. This means you do not have to use all widget areas and you can create more layout variations by leaving areas blank.
When there are multiple columns in a row – like the “Middle Left” and “Middle Right” above – you need to use both columns. If you were to only put something in the Left Column, for instance, the Right Column would still display.
Do NOT try to put the following widgets into the Left or Right columns. They are TOO BIG to fit:Product Slider, Best Sellers, Special Products, Random Products
You CANNOT drag-and-drop from one widget area to another. If you accidentally put a widget in the wrong area, you need to delete and re-add it.

Adding Widgets

In order to add widgets, you want to start by clicking the Add NewWidget link on this screen as shown above. This will bring up the screen to add the widget like this:

The first dropdown will show you all the available widgets, and the second dropdown lets you select which widget area to put the widget into. The widgets available are defined by the template chosen and may include the following widgets:

Product or Image Sliders
Best Sellers, Special Offers and/or Random Products
Main Description (from the Homepage content fields)
Secondary Description (from the Homepage content fields)
Manufacturer Logos
Custom HTML blocks
Banner Add blocks
Page Title H1 (if not already defined somewhere in the template layout)
Other widgets as defined in the template

When adding your widgets, all the available widgets will be visible in the first dropdown select box.

Sorting Widgets

From the main screen, you can re-order the widgets within their widget areas by drag-n-drop. Remember, you cannot drag from one widget area to another, you can only sort within that widget area. Just drag with your mouse to re-arrange the widget and click the SAVE ORDER button when finished.