Revolutionize the Client Editor! [Feature request]

Community resources General
1

Hey community!

I have an idea of how Webflow could revolutionize the Client Editor and I want to hear your thoughts about it.

Webflow_Editor_Vision_E1
Webflow_Editor_Vision_E12400×1155 294 KB

Component List (left). Editing the component (right).

Now hear me out…

The goal of the Client Editor should be to give the Client as much control over the website as possible WITHOUT enabling them to destroy the design or functionality of the website.

The problem I have with the current Editor:
Today it is not possible to…

  • Add, move, or delete elements on static pages
  • Move elements on dynamic pages
  • Create new pages or delete pages

…without the access to the Designer.

This means that our clients can ONLY replace text and images on static pages. And they are limited to the structure of CMS pages that were created by the Designer.

Now… here’s my idea:
→ Adding Webflow Components to the core-features of the Editor-mode.
This means that clients can use all the Components that were created by the designer before and they can palace them anywhere on their website.
With the functionality of editing the content of Components (which you’re already able to do in the Designer), clients can change text, images, videos, links, rich text and the visibility of elements.

→ Adding the ability to add/remove pages as an Editor
This functionality would make much sense in combination with the Component feature.

→ Adding more editing functionality to Components
Webflow Components are awesome! But there are still many things you cannot edit in components:

  • Lottie Files
  • Background Videos
  • Add/remove nested components inside the parent component. This would be very practical when clients want to add/remove/restructure the links inside the navigation.

What’s your opinion on this?
I can hardly imagine that I am the only one thinking of this… or am I?

1 Like
2

I think this is a sound idea, although some aspects overlap with the current CMS and the Designer mode itself (the use of page builder tools). Some of it would definitely hurt Webflow’s hosting model since many users could ditch the CMS plan and achieve more with a “basic” plan. I bet it won’t be implemented for these reasons alone. $$$

  1. Some of your requests dovetail with my wishlist votes for a repeater field in the cms. I currently have to manually create the repeating fields and guess what the maximum number of items my client might use and then set conditional visibility so blank fields don’t use up space. Sometimes I’ll have to go back in and add more fields to accommodate. See repeater wishlist link below.

  2. On sites with a static plan, I’ll occasionally use components for editing purposes only. For example, when some piece of content is set to display=none and not accessible in the visual editor. I’ll create a non-indexed page with the component and call it (for example) “Menu page editing” and then I have to tell the client they must edit the page content here vs. the real page where the content will display.

  3. Really wish there was an option to create new, single static pages too. See that wishlist link below.

https://wishlist.webflow.com/ideas/WEBFLOW-I-240
https://wishlist.webflow.com/ideas/WEBFLOW-I-193