Use the Portal Template Builder

By the end of this guide, you will have a custom portal layout built with the drag-and-drop block builder.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• DeskPress installed and activated
• A portal page created (via the setup wizard or manually)

Steps

1. Assign the Custom template

Edit your portal page in WordPress and set the page template to DeskPress - Custom. This tells WordPress to use the DeskPress template builder for that page.

2. Open the builder

Go to DeskPress > Support Portal > Portal Builder tab.

3. Understand the layout zones

The builder has four zones where you can place blocks:

4. Arrange blocks

Drag and drop blocks between zones to create your layout. The available blocks are:

• Hero -- banner with title, subtitle, and optional search bar
• Search -- standalone search field
• Topics -- grid of support topic cards
• Actions -- quick action buttons (New Ticket, Live Chat, etc.)
• Conversations -- list of the customer's conversations
• Hours -- opening hours widget
• AI Chat -- the AI chatbot interface
• Login Prompt -- encourages visitors to log in
• Footer -- portal footer content

5. Enable or disable blocks

Each block has an on/off toggle. Disabled blocks stay in their position but do not render on the page. This lets you keep your layout organized even if you are not using every block.

6. Set alignment

Use the left, center, or right alignment buttons on each block to control how it sits within its zone.

7. Configure block settings

Click the gear icon on blocks that have extra settings:

• Hero -- toggle the search bar and opening hours display
• Topics -- toggle recommended badges on topic cards
• AI Chat -- toggle the Tickets and Docs tabs

8. Save your layout

Click Save. Changes are saved via AJAX -- the page does not reload.

9. Preview

Visit your portal page to see the final result.

Example Layouts

Here are a few starting points to inspire your layout:

Knowledge-first layout

• Top: Hero
• Left: Topics, then Conversations
• Right: Hours

Chat-first layout

• Top: Hero
• Left: AI Chat
• Right: Topics
• Bottom: Conversations

Minimal layout

• Top: Search
• Left: Conversations
• Right: Login Prompt

Tips

• When DeskPress adds new blocks in future updates, they appear in the Top zone (disabled by default). They will not disrupt your existing layout.
• Blocks placed in the Right column form a sidebar -- this works well for Hours, AI Chat, or Login Prompt.
• The entire layout is fully responsive. On mobile screens, the Right column collapses below the Left column into a single-column view.

Verification

Visit your portal page in a regular browser window. Confirm that blocks appear in the zones you placed them, with the correct alignment and settings. Check on a mobile device to verify the responsive behavior.