Overview of the Resource Center

The Resource Center provides on-demand access to Guides, Announcements, Feedback, and integrated modules in a customizable menu that you can add to your app. Each app in your subscription can have one Resource Center. 

To set up and deploy a Resource Center, you need to:

• Create a Resource Center.
• Add modules to your Resource Center.
• Style the Resource Center and Modules.
• Add segments to a module.
• Delete a module in the Resource Center.
• Activate the Resource Center.
• Publish the Resource Center.
• Delete the Resource Center.

Note: The Resource Center replaces the previous Guide Center and launches guides created using the Visual Design Studio experience. The Resource Center can't use guides created with the Classic In-App Designer.

Customization options

You can choose whether the Resource Center is launched with a badge positioned over your app or with a target element in your UI.

The Resource Center can also be configured to show the right content to the right users at the right time. Use segments and pages to control the modules and guides you want users to see. Configuration and customization options allow you to build a Resource Center experience for all of your users or to fine-tune it for target Segments.

You can create a unique Resource Center for each web app in your subscription. 

Modules and the content they display are contextual, based on the Visitor ID and the page they're on. To prevent empty modules or unusable guides from displaying in the Resource Center, modules and guides only display in the Resource Center if the visitor:

• Matches the segment setup for that module;
• Matches the segment for a guide in the module; and
• Is on a page where that guide can be activated.

You can add multiple modules of the same type to group similar content or to target content at segments of users. For example, you can:

• Use one announcement module to announce product releases and another to promote marketing events.
• Create a different onboarding checklist for each persona.
• Segment each module to display according to your metadata.
• Present unique Support workflows and levels of service to your customer tiers with multiple Integrations or Sandbox Modules.

Prerequisites

• You must be an Admin user to create and edit the Resource Center.
• Pendo users who can create guides from layouts or scratch can create announcements and edit guides that have been added to modules.

Create a Resource Center

Creating a Resource Center involves several steps but can be designed and deployed without any developer involvement or custom code.

1. Navigate to Guides > Resource Center in the left-side navigation.

2. Select + Create Resource Center.

3. Add Modules to your Resource Center.

Add modules

The Resource Center contains modules, which must be added to use the Resource Center. Modules allow you to organize the content you serve to users in the Resource Center.

• Guide list module
• Announcements module
• Onboarding module
• Feedback module
• Code Sandbox - Allow your developers to create bespoke modules with custom code launched in the Resource Center.
• Integrations - Provide additional functionality with third-party tools to access knowledge base content, submit Support tickets, or talk to someone with live chat.

You can add each module in the Add Module workflow when you create your Resource Center. Hover over the module type you want to add to reveal the Select Module button. 

The same type of module can be added multiple times. Repeat the workflow to add multiple versions of the same module type. Use different styling and segments to deliver distinct groups of content or target content to different user groups.

To add an integration as a module option, select + Add Integrations, which takes you to the Integrations hub. For information on which integrations are available to you, see the Integrations section in Pendo.

The Module list shows the selected modules. 

To remove a selected module, hover it and select Deselect Module.

After choosing your modules, select Add Modules in the bottom-right corner. The Resource Center Details page shows all modules that have been added to your Resource Center.

If you already have a Resource Center that you'd like to add modules to:

1. Navigate to Guides > Resource Center in the left-side navigation.

2. From the list, select the Resource Center where you want to add the module.

3. Hover over the Resource Center's home preview and select + Add Module.

4. Choose from the list of available modules.

Style your Resource Center

The Resource Center can be styled to match your brand and naming conventions in the Visual Design Studio to make it feel like a native part of your app. Text can be changed for titles and subtitles. Styling, including color, size, and position, can be adjusted for the Container, Header, Modules, and Alert Badge.

Modules have unique options that are also available while styling the Resource Center in the Visual Design Studio.

Internal Name

The internal name is visible on your list of Resource Centers and anywhere that the Resource Center is identified. The internal name isn't the name published in the app. To change the internal name, hover over the name of the Resource Center on the Details page to edit the internal name of the Resource Center. 

Resource Center Styling

Manage the style of your Resource Center in the Visual Design Studio.

1. Navigate to your Resource Center Details page and select Manage in my app.

2. Enter your app URL to open the Visual Design Studio.

3. Edit your Resource Center in the Visual Design Studio. A preview of your Resource Center shows your Resource Center with any changes you've made. Here, you can edit:

• Resource Center and Module text
• Module display order
• Resource Center and Module styling
• Resource Center badge and alert badge styling
• The activation method for your Resource Center

Add segments

Use different segments to deliver distinct groups of content or to target content to different user groups. To edit the segment of a module:

1. Hover over the module in the Resource Center's details page and select View Module Details.
2. Select Edit in the top-right corner of the Segment section.
3. Choose a segment from the dropdown menu or select + Custom Segment. If creating a new segment, follow the instructions in the Segments article.
4. Select Save in the top right, and then Save Segment.

Delete a module

You can delete a module while the Resource Center is in Draft mode.

1. In the Resource Center list, select a Resource Center that is in Draft Mode.
2. In the Resource Center Settings, hover over a module and select View Module Details.
3. Select the trash can icon in the top-right corner of the page to delete it.
   
4. In the window that appears, select Delete Module to confirm this decision.

After you have deleted a module, push the Draft to Staging and/or Production to see the changes take effect on your live site.

Activate your Resource Center

You can activate your Resource Center in two ways:

• With a badge icon.
• Select an existing element in your application.

Badge Activation

The Resource Center can be activated by clicking on a Badge icon like the one you see in your preview.

In Activation Settings, you can customize the Badge icon, color, Z-index, and location. You can also adjust the placement of the unread Announcement Alert.

Badge icon

The Resource Center badge is limited to a circle shape with a set size. However, like a Guide badge, you can also upload your own custom image. Image size upload is limited to a maximum of 30MB. It is recommended to keep the image as small as possible. The larger the image, the slower the load time will be for your end users. Keeping the image as small as possible while maintaining image quality helps to improve user experience.

The image will be automatically scaled to fit the badge size.

Badge color

The default color is set to Pendo Pink. To change this, click on the color and use the palette that appears. If you already know your color HEX code, you can enter the code manually.

Note: Color only applies to provided icon images in the dropdown. If you want to change the color of your custom image, change the color before you upload the image.

Z-Index

This specifies the stack order of the badge, or whether it appears in front of or behind another element on the page. By default, the Z-Index is set to a very high number (19000) so that it will appear above any other element. Increase or decrease this number according to your specifications.

Alert badge position

The Alert Badge appears when the Visitor has an unread Announcement in the Announcements module. The dropdown menu is used to reposition the notification bubble to any corner of the Resource Center badge.

Badge location

The Resource Center Badge can be placed in any corner or the middle of any side of the screen with the dropdown menu and then adjusted from its anchor location using Offset. The default location is the bottom-right corner with a 10-pixel offset from the bottom and right edges of the window.

Element activation

You can also choose to activate your Resource Center by clicking on an existing element in your application.

Preview your Resource Center

Previewing a module in-app opens the Visual Design Studio, where you can edit the look and feel of the Resource Center. The top action bar displays the home view of your Resource Center, as well as the modules you added to your Resource Center.

You can edit the following settings in Home View:

• Resource Center title
• Top Bar Color
• Close Button
• Module Names

Each module in the action bar also allows additional customization options, including:

• Progress Icon and Fill Colors
• Progress Bar and Fill Colors

Publish your Resource Center

Home page - Staging

In this state, you will see a preview that includes anything that’s currently in Staging or Production. If you made changes in your Draft state and you’re ready to promote it to Staging, be sure to click on the "Push to Staging" button from the Draft view.

Once you push changes to Staging, you will see your preview update accordingly.

Home page - Production

If you never pushed anything into Production (which makes content public), you will see a message telling you that there is no production content. Alternatively, if you have pushed content into Production before, you will see a preview of that content. Once you’re ready to promote your Staging updates to Production, you can use the button in the middle of the page to promote Staging.

Warning: For customers who already have Guide Center in production, be sure to disable it before pushing your Resource Center into your Production environment. Check out the FAQ below to learn how to disable the Guide Center.

Delete the Resource Center

The Resource Center can't be deleted. However, you can disable the Resource Center so that it doesn't display to customers, by disabling all methods of activation.

To disable the Resource Center:

1. Navigate to your Resource Center in the Pendo UI and launch Manage in my app to open the designer.
2. In the designer, select the activation tile, turn off all methods of activation and select Save.
3. Navigate back to the Resource Center and push your changes to Staging. 

Multiple Resource Centers

If your subscription has multiple web apps, each web app can have a unique Resource Center. A single Resource Center cannot be shared across multiple apps.

Navigate to Resource Center to see a list of created Resource Centers. If all web Apps have a Resource Center the + Create Resource Center button is disabled.

1. Select + Create Resource Center to add a Resource Center to a web app that doesn't have one.

2. Select the app you want to add the Resource Center to. The dropdown only shows web apps.

Resource Center localization

The Resource Center has the same Localization feature as Guides and can display the translated version automatically based on language metadata. Pendo can export the XLIFF file for the Resource Center, you can translate the contents of the file, and import the translation into the Resource Center.

Learn more about Localization in the Resource Center and the steps for translating an XLIFF file in our Localization article.

See Resource Center support for right-to-left languages for specific information about creating a Resource Center in a UI that uses a right-to-left language.

Frequently asked questions

Can I choose Guides that were created in the Classic Designer?

Yes. Choose any Guide that you would like to provide your end users within the Resource Center. You can also edit the display names if you want it to use a more user-friendly title. This will not disrupt your internal naming convention.

Why do I have these different stages?

The different stages will allow you to create updates in various states so you’re not pushing premature updates to your end users.

What if I have a module with no content?

If you have a module with no content and push the updates to production, the module will not display to your end users.

Are ‘What’s New’ Guides included in the Resource Center?

What’s New Guides have been named "Announcements." This module can be added and segmented like the Onboarding and Guides List modules. Learn more about it in the Announcements Module article.

Do I need to disable my old Guide Center before enabling the Resource Center?

Yes. Be sure to disable the Guide Center first before pushing the Resource Center to Production. Pushing the new Resource Center doesn’t disable the Guide Center automatically. However, you will be able to edit the Resource Center in "Draft" or "Staging" states so you can prepare for the switch as you need.

Why is the pointer showing a text cursor instead of the hand pointer?

If you are using your own CSS, it may be overriding Pendo’s CSS.

How do I disable the Guide Center from Production domains?

To disable the Guide Center, navigate to the in-app Classic designer and click on “Global Settings” at the top-right. In the new menu, click on “Guide Center” and perform the following steps:

1. Disable all of the sections shown
2. Click “Save” at the bottom
3. Re-open the “Global Settings” and click on “Copy to Production.”

Note: Disabling your Guide Center is only necessary when you want to enable your Resource Center in all of your Production domains. You will be able to customize and test your Resource Center in draft or staging states as needed without needing to disable your Guide Center.