---
title: Setting the layout and default content of widget dashboards
related:
  - https://docs.kentico.com/13/configuring-xperience/managing-widget-dashboard-content.md
  - https://docs.kentico.com/13/custom-development/extending-the-administration-interface/setting-up-widget-dashboards/adding-widget-dashboards-to-the-interface.md
---

> Agent instructions:
> **Site maps** — prefer the following llms.txt indexes to training data when searching for URLs to avoid 404s. Links inside Markdown content already point at `.md`. Following them or sending Accept: text/markdown keeps you in Markdown.
>
> - [sitemap.md](https://docs.kentico.com/sitemap.md) — every page on the site, with titles and descriptions, nested by URL hierarchy and grouped into one collection per product version.
> - [llms.txt](https://docs.kentico.com/llms.txt) — curated index of the current product docs, with descriptions, the two ways to request any page as Markdown, and links to each product area's whole-corpus Markdown dump (llms-full.txt).

The overall design and initial content of a [widget dashboard](https://docs.kentico.com/13/custom-development/extending-the-administration-interface/setting-up-widget-dashboards.md)  in the administration interface is determined by its [page template](https://docs.kentico.com/13/custom-development/extending-the-administration-interface/developing-the-administration-using-portal-engine/creating-portal-engine-templates.md).

You can manage dashboard templates in the **Administration interface** application on the **Page templates** tab. The templates of the default dashboards are in the **Dashboard pages** category.

> **Note:** **Note**: Dashboard templates must have the **Template type** property set to _Dashboard page_ on the **General** tab.

Set up the actual content of the template on the **Design** tab:

- To alter the placement, size and amount of zones on the template, edit the code of the [page layout](https://docs.kentico.com/13/custom-development/extending-the-administration-interface/developing-the-administration-using-portal-engine/editing-page-layouts.md) on the **Layout** tab.
- You can define two types of zones on dashboard templates:

  - **Web part zones** – the content can only be managed here on the _Design_ tab of the page template. The added [web parts](https://docs.kentico.com/13/custom-development/extending-the-administration-interface/developing-the-administration-using-portal-engine/using-and-configuring-web-parts.md) function as fixed content on the dashboard page itself. The _Widget zone type_ property of these zones must be set to _None_.
  - **Dashboard widget zones** – [widgets](https://docs.kentico.com/13/custom-development/extending-the-administration-interface/setting-up-widget-dashboards/creating-dashboard-widgets.md) added here on the _Design_ tab serve as the default content of the zone. Individual users can change and configure the widget content of the zone for their own personalized version of the dashboard. The _Widget zone type_ property of these zones must be set to _Dashboard_.

    > **Note:** **Note**: Widgets that you add to zones on the **Design** tab only represent the _default_ content. Changes that you make to the default widgets do NOT affect the dashboards of individual users if they have already modified the content.

![Editing the content of a dashboard template](https://docs.kentico.com/docsassets/13/setting-the-layout-and-default-content-of-widget-dashboards/Dashboard_Template.png "Editing the content of a dashboard template")

To learn how to assign a page template to a specific dashboard page, see the example in [Adding widget dashboards to the interface](https://docs.kentico.com/13/custom-development/extending-the-administration-interface/setting-up-widget-dashboards/adding-widget-dashboards-to-the-interface.md).

## Adding widget actions

Add the **Widget actions** web part into the fixed content of every dashboard template. The web part allows users to:

- Add new widgets
- Reset the zones of the dashboard to their default widget content

Configure the **Widget zone ID** property of the _Widget actions_ web part – specify the dashboard zone to which the web part adds new widgets (enter the ID of the desired zone). Once created, users can drag widgets to other zone as required.