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01 Getting started with the building blocks

Written by Marie Xhauflair

Ever built a beautiful piece of content, only to have nobody see it? Nine times out of ten, that is not a content problem. It is a building blocks problem.

Your platform runs on four building blocks: content, widgets, the stream, and automations. Get how they connect, and you will always know exactly why something is (or is not) showing up for a learner.


What you will be able to do after this

  • Identify the different types of content and their role in the learning experience

  • Explain how widgets shape what a learner sees

  • Explain how the stream turns widgets into a sequence

  • Describe how automations unlock content and trigger other actions


The four building blocks

  1. Content, what learners interact with

  2. Widgets, containers that display that content

  3. Stream, the order widgets appear in

  4. Automations, the rules that make it all unlock at the right time

👀 Four blocks sounds like a lot. Once you see how they connect, it clicks fast. Let's go through each one.


Content

Content is what learners actually interact with. You already know this part.

  • Activities are the smallest pieces: a single lesson, video, or quiz

  • Journeys group activities in order, guiding learners step by step

  • Programmes group journeys and standalone activities into something bigger

👀 In short

Content is the what. It does not control who sees it or when. That job belongs to widgets, the stream, and automations.


Widgets

Widgets decide how content is displayed. They do not decide who sees it.

Go to Behaviour > Stream > + to add one. A few examples:

  • Activities widget: shows a group of activities together

  • Spotlighted activity widget: highlights one key activity

See the full list in Widget overview. Widgets can also display content in grid or sliding form, depending on the type.

🚧 Be careful

Adding a widget only controls display, not access. You still need an automation to unlock the widget itself, and a second one to unlock the content inside it. More on both below.

Step-by-step instructions: How to add a widget to the stream


Stream

The stream is a learner's personal timeline. Find it in Behaviour > Stream. Every widget sits somewhere on that timeline, so learners move through content in a structured order.

For example:

  • A spotlighted welcome activity appears first

  • Two onboarding journeys follow

🚧 Be careful

The stream only arranges widgets. It does not unlock anything on its own. That is always the automation's job.


Automations

Automations are the rules that make everything run on its own. They all follow the same formula:

👀 When [event] and if [conditions], then [action].

You need automations for two things:

  • Widgets: unlock the widget for a specific group, for example Belgium, Netherlands, or Germany. This makes the widget visible, not its content.

  • Content: unlock the activities, journeys, or programmes sitting inside that widget.

Miss either step, and learners will not see anything. Automations do more than unlocking too. Use them to:

  • Send reminders or nudges

  • Move learners into a new group

  • Assign a programme or activity automatically

  • Trigger a follow-up action after completion

✏️ Tip

Unlocking content runs on the Check periodically event. Set your conditions (completion status, group membership) and the platform checks them for you every hour. Full details in Automation practice: Unlock content.


Recap

You can now:

  • Tell activities, journeys, and programmes apart

  • Explain that widgets shape display, not access

  • Explain that the stream puts widgets in order

  • Explain that automations unlock both widgets and content


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