Orchard Core Layers - Prompt Templates

Configuring Layers for Conditional Widget Display

You are an Orchard Core expert. Generate configuration and code for managing layers and conditional widget visibility in Orchard Core.

Guidelines

• Layers are provided by the OrchardCore.Layers module and control when widgets are displayed in theme zones.
• A Layer has a name, description, and one or more conditions (rules) that determine when its widgets are visible.
• Widgets placed in a zone must be associated with a Layer; the widget renders only when the Layer's rules evaluate to true.
• Layers are managed from Design > Widgets in the admin panel.
• Available zones are configured in Design > Settings > Zones and must match theme layout sections.
• Conditions can be combined using All (AND) and Any (OR) condition groups.
• The Always layer uses a Boolean condition set to true, so widgets on this layer always render.
• Enable OrchardCore.Layers and OrchardCore.Widgets features for full widget/layer support.
• Always wrap recipe JSON in { "steps": [...] }.
• All C# classes must use the sealed modifier except View Models.
• Use file-scoped namespaces in C# examples.

Enabling Layer Features

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "Feature",
      "enable": [
        "OrchardCore.Layers",
        "OrchardCore.Widgets"
      ],
      "disable": []
    }
  ]
}

Available Conditions

Condition	Description
Homepage	True when the current page is the site homepage
Is anonymous	True when the current user is not authenticated
Is authenticated	True when the current user is authenticated
Role	Evaluates the current user's roles against a value
Url	Evaluates the current URL against a value
Culture	Evaluates the current UI culture against a value
Content Type	Evaluates the currently displayed content type against a value
Javascript	A custom script condition written in JavaScript
All	Condition group where all nested conditions must be true (AND logic)
Any	Condition group where at least one nested condition must be true (OR logic)
Boolean	A simple true/false condition

Common Layer Patterns

Always Layer

The Always layer uses a Boolean condition set to true. Widgets on this layer are always visible (e.g., site footer, header navigation).

Homepage Layer

Uses the Homepage condition so widgets only display on the homepage (e.g., hero banners, featured content).

Authenticated Layer

Uses the Is authenticated condition so widgets display only for logged-in users (e.g., dashboard links, user menus).

Anonymous Layer

Uses the Is anonymous condition so widgets display only for unauthenticated visitors (e.g., login prompts, signup banners).

Declaring Zones in Themes

Zones must be declared as sections in the theme layout. Widgets are rendered in matching zones.

Liquid

{% render_section "Header", required: false %}
{% render_section "Content", required: false %}
{% render_section "Footer", required: false %}

Razor

@await RenderSectionAsync("Header", required: false)
@await RenderSectionAsync("Content", required: false)
@await RenderSectionAsync("Footer", required: false)

Configuring Zones

Set available zone names in Design > Settings > Zones in the admin. Common zone names include:

• Header
• Navigation
• BeforeContent
• Content
• AfterContent
• Sidebar
• Footer

Recipe: Creating Layers

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "Layers",
      "Layers": [
        {
          "Name": "Always",
          "Description": "Widgets on this layer are always displayed.",
          "LayerRule": {
            "Conditions": [
              {
                "Name": "BooleanCondition",
                "Value": true
              }
            ]
          }
        },
        {
          "Name": "Homepage",
          "Description": "Widgets on this layer are displayed on the homepage only.",
          "LayerRule": {
            "Conditions": [
              {
                "Name": "HomepageCondition"
              }
            ]
          }
        },
        {
          "Name": "Authenticated",
          "Description": "Widgets on this layer are visible to authenticated users only.",
          "LayerRule": {
            "Conditions": [
              {
                "Name": "IsAuthenticatedCondition"
              }
            ]
          }
        },
        {
          "Name": "Anonymous",
          "Description": "Widgets on this layer are visible to anonymous users only.",
          "LayerRule": {
            "Conditions": [
              {
                "Name": "IsAnonymousCondition"
              }
            ]
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Recipe: Adding a Widget to a Layer and Zone

{
  "steps": [
    {
      "name": "Content",
      "data": [
        {
          "ContentItemId": "[js:uuid()]",
          "ContentType": "HtmlWidget",
          "DisplayText": "Footer Copyright",
          "Latest": true,
          "Published": true,
          "LayerMetadata": {
            "Title": "Footer Copyright",
            "Layer": "Always",
            "Zone": "Footer",
            "Position": 10
          },
          "HtmlBodyPart": {
            "Html": "<p>&copy; 2025 My Company. All rights reserved.</p>"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Using Condition Groups

Combine conditions with All (AND) or Any (OR) groups for complex rules:

Example: Show widget on homepage for authenticated users only

Use an All group with both Homepage and Is authenticated conditions:

1. Navigate to Design > Widgets.
2. Create or edit a Layer.
3. Add an All condition group.
4. Inside the group, add a Homepage condition and an Is authenticated condition.

Example: Show widget on homepage or for admin role

Use an Any group with a Homepage condition and a Role condition set to Administrator:

1. Navigate to Design > Widgets.
2. Create or edit a Layer.
3. Add an Any condition group.
4. Inside the group, add a Homepage condition and a Role condition set to Administrator.

Creating Custom Conditions

Implement custom layer conditions by following the Rules module pattern. Refer to the OrchardCore.Rules module for guidance on creating custom condition evaluators.

JavaScript Conditions

The Javascript condition allows writing custom rule logic in JavaScript. Use the scripting API provided by OrchardCore.Scripting:

// Example: Show widget only on URLs starting with /blog
url().startsWith('/blog')

Widget Management Workflow

1. Enable OrchardCore.Layers and OrchardCore.Widgets features.
2. Configure zones in Design > Settings > Zones.
3. Create layers with appropriate conditions in Design > Widgets.
4. Create widget content types with the Widget stereotype.
5. Add widgets to zones and associate them with layers.
6. Widgets display only when their associated layer's conditions evaluate to true.