Dock - Nuxt.js | IMG.LY Docs

The dock is the vertical sidebar containing buttons that open asset library panels. This guide covers dock-specific features like appearance settings, edit mode contexts, and the asset source relationship.

Dock customization example showing large icons, hidden labels, and a custom settings button

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For adding and configuring dock buttons, see Add Dock Buttons. For general component manipulation (reordering, inserting, removing), see the Component Order API Reference.

import type { EditorPlugin, EditorPluginContext } from '@cesdk/cesdk-js';

import {
  BlurAssetSource,
  ColorPaletteAssetSource,
  CropPresetsAssetSource,
  DemoAssetSources,
  EffectsAssetSource,
  FiltersAssetSource,
  PagePresetsAssetSource,
  StickerAssetSource,
  TextAssetSource,
  TextComponentAssetSource,
  TypefaceAssetSource,
  UploadAssetSources,
  VectorShapeAssetSource
} from '@cesdk/cesdk-js/plugins';
import { DesignEditorConfig } from './design-editor/plugin';
import packageJson from './package.json';

class Example implements EditorPlugin {
  name = packageJson.name;
  version = packageJson.version;

  async initialize({ cesdk }: EditorPluginContext): Promise<void> {
    if (!cesdk) {
      throw new Error('CE.SDK instance is required for this plugin');
    }
    await cesdk.addPlugin(new DesignEditorConfig());

    // Add asset source plugins
    await cesdk.addPlugin(new BlurAssetSource());
    await cesdk.addPlugin(new ColorPaletteAssetSource());
    await cesdk.addPlugin(new CropPresetsAssetSource());
    await cesdk.addPlugin(new UploadAssetSources({ include: ['ly.img.image.upload'] }));
    await cesdk.addPlugin(
      new DemoAssetSources({
        include: [
          'ly.img.templates.blank.*',
          'ly.img.templates.presentation.*',
          'ly.img.templates.print.*',
          'ly.img.templates.social.*',
          'ly.img.image.*'
        ]
      })
    );
    await cesdk.addPlugin(new EffectsAssetSource());
    await cesdk.addPlugin(new FiltersAssetSource());
    await cesdk.addPlugin(new PagePresetsAssetSource());
    await cesdk.addPlugin(new StickerAssetSource());
    await cesdk.addPlugin(new TextAssetSource());
    await cesdk.addPlugin(new TextComponentAssetSource());
    await cesdk.addPlugin(new TypefaceAssetSource());
    await cesdk.addPlugin(new VectorShapeAssetSource());

    await cesdk.actions.run('scene.create', {
      page: {
        sourceId: 'ly.img.page.presets',
        assetId: 'ly.img.page.presets.print.iso.a6.landscape'
      }
    });

    const engine = cesdk.engine;
    const page = engine.block.findByType('page')[0];
    const pageWidth = engine.block.getWidth(page);
    const pageHeight = engine.block.getHeight(page);

    // Create gradient background
    const gradientFill = engine.block.createFill('gradient/linear');
    engine.block.setGradientColorStops(gradientFill, 'fill/gradient/colors', [
      { color: { r: 0.18, g: 0.42, b: 0.71, a: 1 }, stop: 0 },
      { color: { r: 0.31, g: 0.58, b: 0.8, a: 1 }, stop: 0.5 },
      { color: { r: 0.13, g: 0.7, b: 0.67, a: 1 }, stop: 1 }
    ]);
    engine.block.setFloat(gradientFill, 'fill/gradient/linear/startPointX', 0);
    engine.block.setFloat(gradientFill, 'fill/gradient/linear/startPointY', 0);
    engine.block.setFloat(gradientFill, 'fill/gradient/linear/endPointX', 1);
    engine.block.setFloat(gradientFill, 'fill/gradient/linear/endPointY', 1);
    engine.block.setFill(page, gradientFill);

    // Create centered text
    const titleText = engine.block.create('text');
    engine.block.appendChild(page, titleText);
    engine.block.replaceText(titleText, 'Dock\n\nimg.ly');
    engine.block.setWidth(titleText, pageWidth);
    engine.block.setHeightMode(titleText, 'Auto');
    engine.block.setPositionX(titleText, 0);
    engine.block.setPositionY(titleText, pageHeight * 0.35);
    engine.block.setEnum(titleText, 'text/horizontalAlignment', 'Center');
    engine.block.setFloat(titleText, 'text/fontSize', 24);
    engine.block.setTextColor(titleText, { r: 1, g: 1, b: 1, a: 1 });

    // Deselect all blocks for clean hero image
    engine.block
      .findAllSelected()
      .forEach((block) => engine.block.setSelected(block, false));
    engine.block.select(page);

    // Configure dock to use large icons and hide text labels
    cesdk.engine.editor.setSetting('dock/iconSize', 'large');
    cesdk.engine.editor.setSetting('dock/hideLabels', true);

    // Set a simplified dock for Text edit mode
    cesdk.ui.setComponentOrder(
      { in: 'ly.img.dock', when: { editMode: 'Text' } },
      [
        {
          id: 'ly.img.assetLibrary.dock',
          key: 'ly.img.text',
          icon: '@imgly/Text',
          label: 'libraries.ly.img.text.label',
          entries: ['ly.img.text']
        }
      ]
    );

    // Add a custom asset source, create an entry for it, and add a dock button
    // Step 1: Create the asset source (stores/provides assets)
    cesdk.engine.asset.addLocalSource('my.brand.assets');

    // Step 2: Create an asset library entry (UI representation of the source)
    cesdk.ui.addAssetLibraryEntry({
      id: 'my.brand.entry',
      sourceIds: ['my.brand.assets'],
      previewLength: 3,
      gridColumns: 3,
      gridItemHeight: 'square'
    });

    // Step 3: Add a dock button that opens the entry
    cesdk.ui.insertOrderComponent(
      { in: 'ly.img.dock', position: 'end' },
      {
        id: 'ly.img.assetLibrary.dock',
        key: 'brand',
        entries: ['my.brand.entry'],
        label: 'Brand',
        icon: '@imgly/Favorite'
      }
    );

    // Register a custom component and add it to the dock bottom
    cesdk.ui.registerComponent('my.settings.button', ({ builder }) => {
      builder.Button('settings', {
        label: 'Settings',
        icon: '@imgly/Settings',
        onClick: () => {
          cesdk.ui.showNotification({
            message: 'Settings panel would open here',
            type: 'info',
            duration: 'short'
          });
        }
      });
    });

    cesdk.ui.insertOrderComponent({ in: 'ly.img.dock', position: 'end' }, [
      'ly.img.spacer',
      'my.settings.button'
    ]);

    // Retrieve and log the current dock order for reference
    const currentOrder = cesdk.ui.getComponentOrder({
      in: 'ly.img.dock'
    });
    console.log('Current dock order:', currentOrder);
  }
}

export default Example;

This guide covers configuring dock appearance settings, setting up edit mode-specific layouts, understanding the relationship between dock entries and asset sources, adding custom registered components, and viewing the default component order.

Show or Hide the Dock#

Use the Feature API to control dock visibility:

// Hide the dock
cesdk.feature.disable('ly.img.dock');

// Show the dock (default)
cesdk.feature.enable('ly.img.dock');

For more on the Feature API, see Show/Hide Components.

Dock Appearance Settings#

Two editor settings control how dock buttons look. Set dock/iconSize to 'large' for 24px icons or 'normal' for the default 16px. Set dock/hideLabels to true to show icons only.. When hidden, labels appear as tooltips on hover.

// Configure dock to use large icons and hide text labels
cesdk.engine.editor.setSetting('dock/iconSize', 'large');
cesdk.engine.editor.setSetting('dock/hideLabels', true);

Setting	Values	Description
`dock/iconSize`	`'normal'` \| `'large'`	Button icon size (16px or 24px)
`dock/hideLabels`	`boolean`	Hide text labels, show icons only

Edit Mode Context#

The dock supports different component orders for different edit modes. Use the when option in setComponentOrder to define a layout that activates only in a specific mode. The following example sets a simplified dock that appears only when the user enters Text edit mode.

// Set a simplified dock for Text edit mode
cesdk.ui.setComponentOrder(
  { in: 'ly.img.dock', when: { editMode: 'Text' } },
  [
    {
      id: 'ly.img.assetLibrary.dock',
      key: 'ly.img.text',
      icon: '@imgly/Text',
      label: 'libraries.ly.img.text.label',
      entries: ['ly.img.text']
    }
  ]
);

Available edit modes: 'Transform' (default), 'Text', 'Crop', 'Trim', or any custom value. All Component Order API methods accept an optional when context. See the Component Order API Reference for details.

Relationship with Asset Sources#

Asset sources, asset library entries, and dock buttons work together in three steps:

Create an asset source — Register a source with the engine that stores and provides assets
Create an asset library entry — Define a UI entry that references the source via sourceIds
Add a dock button — Insert a button that opens the entry via the entries array

// Add a custom asset source, create an entry for it, and add a dock button
// Step 1: Create the asset source (stores/provides assets)
cesdk.engine.asset.addLocalSource('my.brand.assets');

// Step 2: Create an asset library entry (UI representation of the source)
cesdk.ui.addAssetLibraryEntry({
  id: 'my.brand.entry',
  sourceIds: ['my.brand.assets'],
  previewLength: 3,
  gridColumns: 3,
  gridItemHeight: 'square'
});

// Step 3: Add a dock button that opens the entry
cesdk.ui.insertOrderComponent(
  { in: 'ly.img.dock', position: 'end' },
  {
    id: 'ly.img.assetLibrary.dock',
    key: 'brand',
    entries: ['my.brand.entry'],
    label: 'Brand',
    icon: '@imgly/Favorite'
  }
);

The entries array on the dock button takes entry IDs, not source IDs. If the entry ID doesn’t exist, the button won’t appear.

Adding Custom Registered Components#

Register fully custom components and add them to the dock. Use cesdk.ui.registerComponent() to define a component with the builder pattern, then insert it into the dock order. A spacer pushes the custom button to the bottom of the dock.

// Register a custom component and add it to the dock bottom
cesdk.ui.registerComponent('my.settings.button', ({ builder }) => {
  builder.Button('settings', {
    label: 'Settings',
    icon: '@imgly/Settings',
    onClick: () => {
      cesdk.ui.showNotification({
        message: 'Settings panel would open here',
        type: 'info',
        duration: 'short'
      });
    }
  });
});

cesdk.ui.insertOrderComponent({ in: 'ly.img.dock', position: 'end' }, [
  'ly.img.spacer',
  'my.settings.button'
]);

For the complete builder API documentation, see Register a New Component.

Default Component Order#

Retrieve the current dock order with getComponentOrder to inspect the default layout. For detailed descriptions of each component ID, see the Component Reference.

// Retrieve and log the current dock order for reference
const currentOrder = cesdk.ui.getComponentOrder({
  in: 'ly.img.dock'
});
console.log('Current dock order:', currentOrder);

Asset Library Buttons#

Component ID	Description
`ly.img.assetLibrary.dock`	Asset library button (configurable with `key`, `label`, `icon`, `entries`)

Layout#

Key	Type	Description
`key`	`string`	Unique identifier within the dock.
`label`	`string`	Button label. If a matching I18N key is found, it is localized.
`icon`	`CustomIcon`	A URL string pointing to an SVG, a built-in icon ID (see Icons), or a callback returning a URL.
`entries`	`string[]`	Asset entries shown when the button is pressed. A single entry opens directly; multiple entries show a group overview.
`onClick`	`() => void`	Custom click handler. If provided, overrides the default asset library toggle behavior.
`isSelected`	`boolean \| (() => boolean)`	Controls the selected state of the button.
`isDisabled`	`boolean \| (() => boolean)`	Controls the disabled state of the button.
`size`	`'normal' \| 'large'`	Size of the button. Defaults to `'normal'`.
`variant`	`'regular' \| 'plain'`	Visual variant of the button. Defaults to `'regular'`.
`color`	`'accent' \| 'danger'`	Color scheme of the button.

Edit Mode Context#

The dock order can vary based on the current edit mode. Pass an orderContext parameter to configure different dock orders for Transform, Text, Crop, Trim, or custom edit modes:

// Set dock order for Text edit mode
cesdk.ui.setDockOrder(components, { editMode: 'Text' });

// Get dock order for Crop edit mode
const cropOrder = cesdk.ui.getDockOrder({ editMode: 'Crop' });

API Reference#

Method	Purpose
`cesdk.ui.getDockOrder()`	Get current dock component order
`cesdk.ui.setDockOrder()`	Set complete dock component order
`cesdk.ui.updateDockOrderComponent()`	Update existing dock components
`cesdk.ui.removeDockOrderComponent()`	Remove dock components
`cesdk.ui.insertDockOrderComponent()`	Insert new dock components
`cesdk.ui.registerComponent()`	Register custom components for dock use
`cesdk.engine.editor.setSetting()`	Configure dock appearance settings