---
title: "Viewer Role - CE.SDK Glossary"
description: "A read-only role that renders a CE.SDK scene at full fidelity with no editing surface. Suited for approval workflows and template previews."
url: "https://img.ly/glossary/viewer-role/"
type: "page"
---

> This is the markdown version of [Viewer Role - CE.SDK Glossary](https://img.ly/glossary/viewer-role/). For all pages in one file, see [llms-full.txt](https://img.ly/llms-full.txt). For an index of all available pages, see [llms.txt](https://img.ly/llms.txt).

---

# Viewer Role

Viewer mode renders the scene at full fidelity without exposing any editing surface. Fonts, effects, and exact layout all appear as designed, but no element can be selected, moved, or modified. There are no Inspector Bar property edits, no Canvas Menu actions, and no scope-driven changes available in the session.

Viewer is the mode for any flow where a design needs to be examined but not edited. The two most common patterns are stakeholder review and template preview.

## Approval workflows

Stakeholders open a finished design to sign off before it goes to production. They see exactly what the customer or print pipeline will receive, with no risk of accidentally moving a layer or editing a headline during review. The Viewer role makes this safe by default: there is no editing surface to misuse.

This pattern shows up in print proofing (clients reviewing a design before the press), brand approval workflows (the brand team confirming a regional adaptation), and any context where sign-off matters more than editing access.

## Template preview before edit

Adopter-facing products often need to show users what a template looks like before they commit to editing it. The Viewer role is lighter than a full editor instance: it skips loading editing plugins, tool panels, and interaction handlers, which makes it fast to initialize and embed.

The standard pattern is to load the scene in Viewer mode, render the preview, then switch to Adopter mode if the user clicks "edit" or "customize." The same `.scene` file works for both, and the role change is a single API call.

## Viewer and Presenter

Both are read-only, but they are set up for different surfaces.

- **Viewer** is for static review inside a standard editor layout. The scene renders within the editor frame. Suited for approval workflows and design inspection.
- **Presenter** is for full-screen and slideshow contexts. Same read-only access, but optimized for presentation playback rather than inspection.

The Design Viewer Starter Kit is the Viewer-role implementation that ships with CE.SDK. It exposes zoom, pan, and multi-page navigation without any editing UI.

See [presenter-role](https://img.ly/glossary/presenter-role.md) for the presentation-focused variant, and [role](https://img.ly/glossary/role.md) for the four-role overview.

## Links

- [Viewer Role Reference](https://img.ly/docs/cesdk/react/rules/overview-e27832.md): How the Viewer role works and when to use it.
- [Advanced UI Demo](https://img.ly/demos/advanced-ui.md): Try the full-featured advanced editor UI with all CE.SDK capabilities.

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## More Resources

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