Design Constraint

A restriction applied to a specific block in a CE.SDK scene that controls what an Adopter can modify about that element. Design constraints are set by a Creator and enforced when the scene is opened in the Adopter role. They are the mechanism that allows a designed template to be safely personalized without breaking the layout, violating brand guidelines, or exposing controls that end-users should not access.

Creator

The unrestricted role for designers and template authors. Has full control over the scene and is where constraints are configured.

Adopter

The restricted role for end-users. Can only interact with elements the Creator has explicitly unlocked.

Viewer

Read-only access for reviewing or previewing a design without any editing capability.

Presenter

Read-only access optimized for displaying designs in full-screen or slideshow contexts.

CE.SDK uses a two-tier permission system. Roles define a user type with default scope settings. Scopes are the granular capabilities: moving a layer, editing text, changing a fill, deleting an element, selecting a block.

By default, all scopes are set to Allow at the global level, meaning any user can do anything. To introduce constraints, a Creator sets specific global scopes to Defer, which tells the engine to fall back to individual block-level scope settings. Block-level scopes default to disabled, so once Defer is set globally, no block can be manipulated unless its scope has been explicitly enabled at the block level by the Creator.

This model allows fine-grained, per-element control. One text block can be made editable while another is locked. One image placeholder can be swappable while the logo beside it is immovable. Each constraint is independent and configured at the block level.

Constraints can be applied to the full range of block-level capabilities, including selection, movement, style changes, fill type changes, text editing, and deletion. The specific scopes available map to the actions a user can take on a given block, enabling only those appropriate for the Adopter’s task.

Brand template enforcement

A marketing team designs a social media template in Creator mode, locking the logo position and brand colors. The Adopter (a regional marketing manager) can update the headline text and swap the campaign image, but cannot touch the locked elements. The output is always brand-compliant.

Web-to-print personalization

A print platform allows customers to personalize products from a catalog of templates. Constraints define which text fields are editable (name, date, message) and which elements are fixed (layout, colors, brand marks). The Adopter interface shows only the editable controls, reducing friction and preventing errors.

Employee self-service design tools

HR or internal communications teams can open constrained templates and update variable fields without needing designer involvement. The constraint system guarantees the design remains within spec regardless of who edits it.