A maxlet is a customized bit of Web design which can be displayed anywhere on your site. Starting with a base type such as a Text-HTML container, an image, or a specialty item like a clock or a puzzle, you create and customize a maxlet to suit your needs. All maxlets have a set of editiable properties which control things like colors, fonts, and, in many cases, content.

Base Maxlet vs. Customized Maxlet

A base maxlet is one which can be displayed on a page, but cannot be edited directly. Once you customize a base maxlet you have access to its properties. In some cases, customization requires that you specify a name which will identify the customized maxlet.

Creating Maxlets

For information on creating and editing maxlets on a Freeform page, please refer to documentation for the Freeform Template Page Editor.

To create a new maxlet or modify an existing maxlet click Maxlets at the top the Site Editor. From the Maxlets page you can also view and update your maxlets. Maxlets are organized by category. If you have Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher you will see a list of categories presented vertically. Click the category of interest to see a list of maxlets in that category.

Slots
One type of maxlet property is a reference to another maxlet. This type of property is referred to as a slot. When editing a slot property you are selecting a maxlet from the catalog (see below). If the slot is optional you will see a link to clear the current selection.

Sets
A Set is just that, a set of properties. These properties are usually things like colors, fonts, border widths, etc., which determine how an object looks. A Set is referenced by a parent maxlet through a (set type) property of the parent. The set will control some aspect of how the parent looks or behaves.

Maxlet Catalog
The maxlet catalog is a directory of all base maxlets. Sometimes your customized maxlets are included in a special directory beginning with the word Custom; e.g., Custom Menus.

Placing a Maxlet onto a Page

• To insert onto a Freeform page see Freeform Template Page Editor.
• To insert into a Page Field using the Java Field Editor see Field Editor.
• To insert into Maxlet HTML using the Advanced HTML Editor see HTML Editor.

To insert manually you must add a shorthand link to your field text or maxlet HTML. The format of the shorthand link you will need is shown below:

~maxlet_maxletname~

For example, if you have created a maxlet named "mypuzzle" and you want to display it on one of your pages add the following to your field text or maxlet HTML:

~maxlet_mypuzzle~

To allow your maxlet to be displayed on other people's Web sites, set its Allow Public Access property to true. A person referencing your maxlet must append your site name preceded by a dash:

~maxlet_mypuzzle-mysite~