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Documentation / Background Manager

Background Manager

Set the site’s background — image, video, or slideshow — with overlay, sizing, and a live preview, all from one panel.

What It Does

Background Manager controls what you see behind every page. Remember: the background is the site, so page surfaces stay transparent and this module sets the mood. You pick a mode (Image, Video, or Slideshow), tune the overlay and sizing, and save once. The chosen background applies site-wide immediately.

Getting Started

  1. Open Background Manager from the admin menu.
  2. In the Master panel at the top, pick an Active Mode: Image, Video, or Slideshow.
  3. The matching editor panel appears inline below Master.
  4. Upload or pick your media, adjust overlay and sizing, then click Save Master Settings.
  5. Reload a public page to confirm the new background.

Single-View Architecture

There is only one view. The Master panel is always visible, and the panel for the currently-selected mode inlines beneath it. You never leave the page to swap modes — flip the Active Mode radio and the corresponding editor slides in. One Save Master Settings button commits the whole configuration (mode + sizing + overlay + active media).

Image & Video Modes

Each mode has a drag-and-drop dropzone for uploading new media plus a thumbnail grid of existing files. Click a thumbnail to select it, then Save. For video mode you can also paste a YouTube URL as the source. Overlay color + opacity lets you darken or tint the background so page text stays readable. Sizing offers cover (fill the viewport, may crop) or contain (fit inside, may letterbox).

Slideshow Mode

Slideshow has its own editor with two save buttons by design. Build and order your playlist, click Save Playlist to persist the playlist itself, then click Save Master Settings to make that playlist the active background. That separation lets you edit playlists without changing the live background, and swap the live background without re-editing playlists.

Gotchas / Tips

  • Never add a solid body background — page surfaces use rgba() only. Background Manager owns the backdrop.
  • Click a thumbnail to select it — the save is what actually applies it.
  • Stale thumbnails? Hit Clear Cache to rebuild thumb cache.
  • Slideshow needs two saves: Save Playlist (the list) and Save Master (make it live).
  • YouTube backgrounds work in video mode — paste the full URL, not the embed iframe.
  • Overlay opacity of 0 shows raw media; bump it up if text contrast is weak.
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