Widget Locations

Summary

Widget Locations define where your widgets appear within the Zoho Writer interface. This guide explains the available location options and how to configure them in your extension's plugin-manifest.json file.

Available Widget Locations

1. Right Panel

Property	Value
Location Code	`writer.extensions`
Description	Widgets appear in the right sidebar panel of the Writer interface
Best For	Tools needing persistent access: formatting panels, integration dashboards, settings

2. Center Popup

Property	Value
Location Code	`writer.extensions.popup`
Description	Widgets open in a popup/modal dialog in the center of the document
Best For	Dialog-based tools, forms, wizards, confirmation dialogs

Location Hierarchy

writer.extensions           (Right Panel — Parent)
└── writer.extensions.popup (Center Popup — Child)

Location Selection Strategy

Use Case	Recommended Location
Feature needs persistent visibility	Right Panel (`writer.extensions`)
Users access it frequently	Right Panel
Widget contains multiple controls	Right Panel
Feature is used occasionally	Center Popup (`writer.extensions.popup`)
Requires focused user attention	Center Popup
Dialog-like or form-based	Center Popup
Temporary or one-time task	Center Popup

Design Considerations

For Right Panel

Layout: Vertical/scrollable layout works well
Persistence: Visible as long as Extensions panel is open
Size: Can use full panel width

For Center Popup

Layout: Dialog-appropriate, centered, focused
Persistence: User controls visibility (modal behavior)
Size: Contained popup dimensions

Right Panel Configuration Sample Request

Copied{
  "service": "WRITER",
  "modules": {
    "widgets": [
      {
        "title": "My Tool",
        "name": "my_tool_widget",
        "icon": "img/icon.png",
        "logo": "img/logo.png",
        "location": "writer.extensions",
        "url": "writer-widget.html"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Center Popup Configuration Sample Request

Copied{
  "service": "WRITER",
  "modules": {
    "widgets": [
      {
        "title": "My Dialog",
        "name": "my_dialog_widget",
        "icon": "img/icon.png",
        "logo": "img/logo.png",
        "location": "writer.extensions.popup",
        "url": "writer-dialog.html"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Widget at multiple locations Sample Request

Copied{
  "modules": {
    "widgets": [
      {
        "title": "Multi-Location Widget",
        "name": "multi_loc_widget",
        "location": "writer.extensions",
        "url": "writer-widget.html",
        "icon": "img/icon.png",
        "logo": "img/logo.png"
      },
      {
        "title": "Multi-Location Widget Popup",
        "name": "multi_loc_widget_popup",
        "location": "writer.extensions.popup",
        "url": "writer-widget.html",
        "icon": "img/icon.png",
        "logo": "img/logo.png"
      }
    ]
  }
}