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Inspector Bar

The inspector bar is the contextual toolbar that appears above the canvas when a block is selected. This guide covers inspector bar-specific features like view modes, edit mode contexts, and how the bar adapts to different block types.

Inspector bar customization showing view modes and edit mode-specific controls

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For general component manipulation (reordering, inserting, removing), see the Component Order API Reference.

This guide covers switching between view modes, setting up edit mode-specific layouts, understanding how the inspector bar adapts to selected block types, and viewing the default component order.

Show or Hide the Inspector Bar#

Use the Feature API to control inspector bar visibility:

// Hide the inspector bar
cesdk.feature.disable('ly.img.inspector.bar');
// Show the inspector bar (default)
cesdk.feature.enable('ly.img.inspector.bar');
// Hide the advanced inspector panel toggle
cesdk.feature.disable('ly.img.inspector.toggle');

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

View Modes#

CE.SDK offers two view modes that control how the inspector displays. The 'default' view shows a compact inspector bar above the canvas, while 'advanced' shows a full inspector panel to the side. Use cesdk.ui.setView() to switch between them.

// Switch between default and advanced view modes
// 'default' shows the inspector bar above the canvas
// 'advanced' shows the full inspector panel to the side
cesdk.ui.setView('default');
View ModeBehavior
'default'Compact inspector bar above the canvas
'advanced'Full inspector panel to the side of the canvas

The ly.img.inspectorToggle.inspectorBar component provides a button that lets users switch to the advanced view. Include it in your component order to give users access to both views.

Edit Mode Context#

The inspector bar supports different component orders for different edit modes. Use the when option in setComponentOrder to define layouts that activate only in a specific mode. The following example sets a focused text editing toolbar for Text edit mode and a simplified layout for Crop mode.

// Set a custom inspector bar order for Text edit mode
cesdk.ui.setComponentOrder(
{ in: 'ly.img.inspector.bar', when: { editMode: 'Text' } },
[
'ly.img.text.typeFace.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.text.fontSize.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.separator',
'ly.img.text.bold.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.text.italic.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.text.alignHorizontal.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.separator',
'ly.img.fill.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.spacer',
'ly.img.inspectorToggle.inspectorBar'
]
);
// Set a custom inspector bar order for Crop edit mode
cesdk.ui.setComponentOrder(
{ in: 'ly.img.inspector.bar', when: { editMode: 'Crop' } },
['ly.img.cropControls.inspectorBar']
);

Available edit modes: 'Transform' (default), 'Text', 'Crop', 'Trim', or any custom value. Edit modes without specific configurations fall back to the Transform mode order. All Component Order API methods accept an optional when context. See the Component Order API Reference for details.

Custom Transform Order#

Replace the default Transform mode order with a simplified layout. The following example groups text controls, appearance settings, and visual effects into logical sections separated by dividers.

// Set a simplified Transform mode order with grouped controls
cesdk.ui.setComponentOrder({ in: 'ly.img.inspector.bar' }, [
'ly.img.spacer',
'ly.img.text.typeFace.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.text.bold.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.text.italic.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.text.fontSize.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.text.alignHorizontal.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.separator',
'ly.img.fill.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.stroke.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.crop.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.separator',
'ly.img.filter.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.effect.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.blur.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.adjustment.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.separator',
'ly.img.shadow.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.opacityOptions.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.position.inspectorBar',
'ly.img.spacer',
'ly.img.separator',
'ly.img.inspectorToggle.inspectorBar'
]);

Components that don’t apply to the selected block type are automatically hidden. For example, text controls only render when a text block is selected.

Block-Type Specific Components#

The inspector bar automatically shows and hides components based on the selected block’s capabilities. Components only render when their associated controls are relevant.

Block TypeRelevant Components
TextTypography, font size, bold, italic, alignment, text background
ImageFill, crop, filters, adjustments, effects, blur
VideoFill, trim, volume, crop, playback speed
ShapeShape options, fill, stroke, shadow
AudioTrim, volume, replace
CutoutCutout type, offset, smoothing
GroupGroup, ungroup

This means a single component order can include controls for all block types. When a text block is selected, only text-relevant components appear. When an image is selected, only image-relevant components appear.

Default Component Order#

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

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

Common Controls#

Component IDDescription
ly.img.fill.inspectorBarFill color/type controls
ly.img.stroke.inspectorBarStroke/border controls
ly.img.shadow.inspectorBarDrop shadow controls
ly.img.opacityOptions.inspectorBarOpacity and blend mode
ly.img.position.inspectorBarPosition and alignment
ly.img.crop.inspectorBarEnter crop mode
ly.img.adjustment.inspectorBarImage adjustments
ly.img.filter.inspectorBarImage filters
ly.img.effect.inspectorBarImage effects
ly.img.blur.inspectorBarBlur effects
ly.img.inspectorToggle.inspectorBarToggle advanced inspector

Text Controls#

Component IDDescription
ly.img.text.typeFace.inspectorBarFont family selector
ly.img.text.fontSize.inspectorBarFont size input
ly.img.text.bold.inspectorBarBold toggle
ly.img.text.italic.inspectorBarItalic toggle
ly.img.text.alignHorizontal.inspectorBarHorizontal alignment

Layout#

Component IDDescription
ly.img.spacerFlexible space between groups
ly.img.separatorVisual divider between groups

Troubleshooting#

  • Components not changing for edit mode - Verify the when: { editMode: '...' } value matches exactly (case-sensitive).
  • View mode toggle not working - Ensure ly.img.inspectorToggle.inspectorBar is included in the component order.
  • Component not appearing for block type - The component may not be applicable to the selected block type. Inspector bar components only render when relevant.
  • Inspector bar hidden unexpectedly - Check if cesdk.feature.disable('ly.img.inspector.bar') was called elsewhere.

Next Steps#