Feature flags
Look up the settings that switch Studio features on or off, and what each one changes. When a button, tab or option you've read about is missing, check here first.
The example on this page is a Studio project called Blog, connected to a stack with a Blog post content type whose entries live under /blog. The names come from the team blog.
All flags
| Flag | Where | Default | Scope | What it changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enable Freeform Feature | In Studio, open Settings, then Configuration | Off | One project | Freeform templates, the Design and Data tabs, and pinning data. See Enable Freeform Feature. |
| Custom Preview URL | In Contentstack, open Settings, then Visual Experience, then the Preview URL tab | Set in Contentstack | The whole stack | The starting URL of new connected templates. See Custom Preview URL. |
| Live Preview | In Contentstack, open Settings, then Visual Experience, then the General tab | Set in Contentstack | The whole stack | Whether your site's Live Preview works, which is what lets the canvas show draft content. See Live Preview. |
Enable Freeform Feature is the only flag Studio has of its own. The other two are Contentstack stack settings.
Enable Freeform Feature
It's a toggle on the project's Configuration tab, under Environment and Localization. Its help text reads "Create compositions without a Content Type and access data beyond the linked entry." The change takes effect when you click Save.
| Where | When it's off | When it's on |
|---|---|---|
| Creating a template | Studio goes straight to Create Connected Template. | Studio asks you to choose between Connected Template and Freeform. |
| The right panel on a connected template or a section | Only the Settings panel, with no tabs. | The Settings, Design and Data tabs. |
| The guided first steps on an empty canvas | Bind Data on a template, or Connect A Schema on a section. | Pin Data is offered as well. |
A freeform template that already exists keeps all three tabs when the flag is off. You can still open and edit it.
With the flag on, the Blog project can have a connected Blog post template at /blog/{{entry.slug}} and a freeform About template at /about. With the flag off, only connected templates can be created.
For what a freeform template is, see Connected or freeform template.
Custom Preview URL
It's a stack setting in Contentstack. Studio reads it when you create a connected template, and when you use Sync Pattern on a template's URL.
| State | The starting URL of a new connected template |
|---|---|
On, with a row for the template's content type, or for all content types, on the main branch | Copied from that row, such as /blog/{{entry.slug}} for Blog post, if every variable in it is one Studio accepts |
| Off, or no usable row | The content type's own URL pattern, and if there isn't one, Studio's default |
Changing the setting doesn't change templates you've already created. To pick up a change, use Sync Pattern. See Edit or reset a template's URL. For the variables Studio accepts from a Custom Preview URL, see URL variables.
Live Preview
It's a stack setting in Contentstack. Studio doesn't read it. It matters because your site's Live Preview depends on it. Live Preview, with a preview token and the preview host for your region, is what lets the canvas show saved but unpublished content. Without it, the canvas shows published content only, and a template you have not deployed does not load. See Install Live Preview.
Where to go next
- Every field in the project's Settings: Project settings.
- Turn Freeform on during setup: Configure your project.