Card

A card is a link to a page, used in carousels, grids and other page lists. The linked page supplies the card's image and text.

#Where card images come from

The Social media image, also called the social share image or meta image, is the image selected in the page's NationBuilder settings.

Card type Image rule
Default page cards, including news, ordinary events, Reading Room and Digital Library listings Use the page's own Social media image. If it is missing, the card has no thumbnail.
Group posts Use the post's Social media image first. If missing, use the first image attachment.
Group-linked events Use the event's Social media image first. If missing, use the first image attachment.

The group exceptions support the existing submission forms, which save uploaded photos as attachments. Group posts are the posts in the organisation-posts blog (org_posts). Group-linked events are events linked to an organisation using org_event:ORG_ID. An ordinary event without that group link follows the default rule.

For the group fallbacks, non-image files are skipped. If neither source provides an image, the card has no thumbnail. Other page cards do not use an attachment or the website's default social image to fill a missing thumbnail. No extra page tags or per-grid image setting are needed for the default rule.

Choose or replace a card image

  1. Prepare the image before uploading it, following the Image Guidelines.
  2. Open the page, post or event represented by the card in NationBuilder. For example, edit the news post itself, rather than the carousel module that lists it.
  3. Open Settings > Social media and upload or replace its Social media image.
  4. Save, then preview the card wherever that page is listed. A shared page can appear in more than one grid or carousel.

For most cards, uploading an image under Files alone will not create a thumbnail. To choose a particular thumbnail for a group post or event, set its Social media image explicitly; it takes priority over attached photos.

Start with 1380 × 900 pixels, using an optimised JPEG for photographs or PNG where transparency is needed. Aim for roughly 100–250 KB where practical, while keeping the image clear. The Image Guidelines also list smaller sizes with the same proportions.

Uploading to the social share field does not automatically make the file smaller. Resize and compress it beforehand to deliver the performance benefit.

Card text and other fields

Card Content fields
News blog post Headline supplies the title; publication date supplies the card date.
Event Headline supplies the title; event start date and venue name supply the event details.
Reading Room Page Name supplies the title; Excerpt supplies the card text.

Other image uses

Digital Library listing cards use the document page's Social media image. The Downloads tiles on an individual document page display the downloadable image itself or a file icon. Directory/map profile cards use their profile images. Follow the relevant page guide when editing those images.