How Home Screen Works

Overview

The Home Screen is where users land when they open your app. Use the App Studio– Home Screen tool to create a layout that matches your brand, highlights key content and features, shows seasonal information, and helps guide your users where you want them to go. 

When & Why to Use Home Screen

1. Adding new content, seasonal information, or upcoming events
2. Reorganizing your home screen layout to keep it fresh  
   
3. Tweaking designs for prebuilt dynamic content blocks 

Tutorial Video

This short walkthrough will show you how to craft your home screen. 

[COMING SOON]

What to Expect

You'll be able to: 

1. Design your home screen layout using Blocks: Cards and Lists 
   
2. Create, edit or delete home screen Blocks
   
3. Enable Prebuilt Blocks that can dynamically show your content in your app
4. Preview your app layout as you build

Step-by-Step: Designing Your Home Screen

🔔 Before You Start

Heads Up: The Gallus Customer Service team typically handles the initial setup, but we encourage you to spend time in the Home Screen layout builder. It’s one of the best ways to keep your app fresh, relevant, and engaging for your customers.

🌐 Step 1: Log in to Gallus Manager

1. Log in to the Gallus Manager Dashboard 

1. From the Quick Start page, click App Studio 
   OR under Customize App, click Home Screen

This will open the App Studio - Home Screen in a new tab window. 

🧠 Step 2: Understanding Blocks

Blocks are the essential building blocks of your home screen, connecting users to your content. To streamline your content presentation, you can choose from two types: Cards or Lists. For even faster setup, consider using Prebuilt Blocks.

Use a Card block when you want to highlight a single piece of content prominently on your home screen. Opt for a List block when you need to group and display several pieces of content together, making it easy for users to navigate. To learn more about Cards and List blocks, keep scrolling! 

What are Prebuilt Blocks?

Look for the ⭐️ star icon — these prebuilt blocks are tied to specific app features.  You can customize the content in prebuilt Card Blocks, giving you some control. Prebuilt List Blocks are dynamic and can only be customized through visual settings.  Learn more about how Prebuilt Blocks work! 

Make sure to have Featured News enabled if you plan to use that capability when creating news articles! If no news items are set to 'featured' this block will not be shown on your home screen. 

What are Card Blocks?

Cards are single pieces of content on your Home Screen. They can link to an App Page, Website, Phone Number, Email address — or they can simply display information without linking anywhere.

Let's break down a Card: 

Tab	Field Name	What You Can Do
Content	Block Name	A name only you see. Helps you stay organized. Ex. Tim's Instruction
Content	Title	Shows a text heading above the card. Optional.
Content	Card Title	Shows a text title on the card. Optional.
Content	Card Description	Shows text description on the card title. HTML works if desired. Optional.
Content	Description Max. Lines	Limits how much text shows (like 2 or 3 lines). Optional.
Image	Image	You can upload an image to the card. Optional.
Image	Search for images...	Search for an image by typing a word to find an image. Optional.
Image	Alt Text	A short description of the image for accessibility (Ex. people playing golf). Required.
Image	Image Size	Choose how your image appears:  Full = Original size; minimal constraints Cover = Cropped to fit 16:9, recommended Contain = Fits inside 16:9 without being cropped; most restrictive Pro Tip: Use Cover for most cards.
Image	Image Alignment	Choose where the image displays: Top = Above the text (or with no text) Bottom = Below the text Left or Right = Next to the text
Action	Action Type	What happens when someone taps the card:  None = Shows card but not where to go Link to App Page Link to URL Link to Tel Link to Email Required.
Visibility	Start Date / End Date	Set when the card appears (and when it disappears). Optional.
Visibility	Audience	Choose who sees the item:  All users Logged-in users Custom segments created in CRM Learn more about Visibility.

View how the Card Block will display in the App

View all the available options here. 

What are List Blocks?

Lists allow you to group multiple cards together and display their content consistently. They’re great for organizing similar content or creating a carousel-style experience. You can style Lists as horizontal carousels, vertical lists, or wrapped lists (which are "button" esk) — choose the List Style that best fits your content and user experience.

Let's break down a List: 

Tab	Field Name	What You Can Do
Content	Block Name	A name only you see. Helps you stay organized. Ex. Property Amenities
Content	Title	Shows a text heading above the list. Optional.
Content	List Style	Choose how your list displays: Horizontal (swipe left/right) Vertical (scroll up/down) Wrap (side by side, scroll up/down) Required.
Content	Cards Per Row	Wrap list - 2 side by side is recommended.
Cards	Card Size	Choose how your card displays: Full Width, depending on Style: Horizontal, Vertical, Wrap Half Width, depending on Style: Horizontal
Cards	Image Size	Choose how your images display: Full = Original size; minimal constraints, could appear different from card to card Cover = Cropped to fit 16:9; recommended, cards will be consistent Contain = Fits inside 16:9 without being cropped; most restrictive, could appear different from card to card None = Will not display images Required.
Cards	Image Alignement	Choose where the image displays: Top: Above the text Bottom = Below the text Left or Right = Next to the text Required.
Cards	Show Card Description	Choose if you'd like the card description you create to show or be hidden.
Cards	Description Max Lines	Limits how much description text shows (Like 2 or 3 lines) to be consistent.
"View All" Action	Max Number of Cards	Number of cards you'd like to show before a 'View All' action button
"View All" Action	Action Type	What happens when someone taps the 'View All' button No Action Link to App Page Link to URL Link to Tel Link to Email
Visibility	Start Date / End Date	Set when the group of items will appear (and when it disappears). Optional.
Visibility	Audience	Choose who sees the list of items: All users Logged-in users Custom segments created in CRM Learn more about Visibility.

View how the List Block will display in the App

View all the available options here. 

✏️ Step 3: Create Your Cards and Lists

1. Toggle on or off Prebuilt Blocks
   
2. Add your Content
   
3. Style your Cards or Image
   
4. Decide on your an Action or not! 
5. Set Visibility options, if applicable 
   

Note: As soon as you create a Card or List Block, it will be toggled on. If you're not ready to display it in your live app, simply toggle it off. 

🎨 Step 4: Design & Order

1. Drag and drop blocks to reorder
   
2. Toggle items on/off at any time
   

Reminder: If all blocks are toggled off, the Home Screen will appear 'blank' in your app.

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