How to Use Master Components

A master component can be a text box, a heading, or an image. A common example is a disclaimer line or a company logo: set it once as a master component, and when it needs to change later, you update it in one place.

Where to find it: In your master template, right click any element and choose Set master component.

• Master Components only work in Designer 3.0. Designs that are not on 3.0 will not receive updates.
• Some elements cannot be master components. Upload zones, QR codes, links, and grouped elements are not supported. If you do not see the option, check that your element is not one of these.

1. Open the master template you want to work in.
2. Right click the element you want to link, such as a text box or an image.
3. Choose Set master component from the menu.
   
   
   
   
4. A window opens asking which designs should receive updates. Choose one of the two options described in Step 2.
   
   
5. Click Create.
6. Save your master template.

Tip: You can set as many master components in a template as you need. Any design that contains one will show a small icon letting you know linked elements are present.

When you set a master component, you decide how far your future updates reach:

• All user designs: every design made from this template is linked, whether it was created before or after you set the master component. Choose this when you need an existing element updated everywhere, like a disclaimer that has to change on work your users have already saved.
• New user designs only: only designs created from this point forward are linked. Designs your users already saved are left alone. Choose this when you do not want to disturb existing work.

After you create the master component, the element is highlighted in your master template so you can tell the two apart at a glance:

• Green highlight: set to all user designs
• Orange highlight: set to new user designs only

Note: This choice is made when you set the master component, and it decides which designs your later edits reach. It is worth pausing here, because a component set to new user designs only will never update the designs your users already have.

This is the part that saves you the most time. Once a master component is set, you only have to make your change in one place.

1. Open your master template and make your change to the master component, such as editing the text or swapping the image.
2. Save the master template.
3. Your users' linked designs are updated automatically.

Good to know: A design's preview thumbnail on the dashboard refreshes only after your user opens that design. Until they do, the old preview may still show even though the update has been applied.

The next time a user opens a design that was updated, a Component update message appears letting them know their admin made changes. It shows how many elements were updated and lists each one, for example "Heading, Page 1."

From here, your users can:

1. Click Review All to step through each change one at a time. Updated elements are highlighted so they are easy to spot, and a small bar at the bottom shows which element they are viewing along with a counter like 1/2.
2. Click Close to dismiss the message and keep working.

Updated elements are locked with an admin lock. Your users cannot edit or unlock them, so your changes stay consistent across their designs.

If you no longer want an element to stay linked, you can disconnect it.

1. Right click the master component in your master template.
2. Choose Break master component.
   
   
   
   
3. Save your master template.

The element stays exactly as it looks now, but it is no longer linked, so future edits will not flow out to your users' designs.

Master Components work alongside Insta-Rebrand. If you run a rebrand that changes a master component, for example switching a font from Times New Roman to Helvetica, that change can travel out to your users' designs the same way a manual edit would.

How you save the rebrand decides whether that happens:

• With Overwrite: your changes apply to the live master templates, and the master component update carries out to the connected user designs.
• With Duplicate and Create: your changes are applied to a hidden copy instead. Your users' existing designs are not changed and stay as they are until you publish the copy.

Tip: For the full rebrand walkthrough, see the How to Use Insta-Rebrand article.

Frequently Asked Questions

- What is a master component in plain terms?
It is an element in your master template that stays linked to the designs your users make from it. Update the element once in the template, and the linked designs update on their own.

- Will this change designs my users already saved?
Only if you set the master component to all user designs. If you chose new user designs only, designs your users saved beforehand are left alone and will not receive updates.

- Can my users edit or undo the changes I push?
No. Updated master component elements are locked with an admin lock, so regular users cannot edit or unlock them.

- Why does the design preview still show the old version?
The dashboard preview refreshes only after the user opens the design. The update has still been applied. Once they open it, the preview catches up.

- Why can't I set my element as a master component?
Upload zones, QR codes, links, and grouped elements cannot be master components. Check that your element is not one of these, and that your design is on Designer 3.0.

- How do I stop an element from updating going forward?
Right click the element in your master template and choose Break master component, then save. The element keeps its current look but is no longer linked.

- Can I use this together with Insta-Rebrand?
Yes. If you run a rebrand with Overwrite, changes to a master component carry out to the connected user designs. If you use Duplicate and Create, your changes go to a hidden copy and existing designs stay as they are until you publish.