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Group Details

Configuring Group Details

Set up the Group Details widget.

The Group Details widget works with the Group Finder widget. Use both to help people find the group that works for them. See the Quick Start Guide to get the Group Detail widget up and running.

Note: Because the Group Finder and Group Details widgets work together, you must set them up at the same time to function correctly. See Finder Widgets + Details Widgets to learn more about how they interact.

If the shared script hasn't been added to your website, add it to the appropriate webpage, replacing "YOUR-BASE-MP-URL" with the base URL with your base MinistryPlatform URL.

<script id="MPWidgets" src="https://YOUR-BASE-MP-URL.com/widgets/dist/MPWidgets.js"></script>

Create or identify a page on your website where you want to display the widget. To add this widget to your church website, add the code you generate in the Widget Configurator widget (with the required attributes) in the body of your chosen website page.

Tip: While not mandatory, this snippet would typically be placed inside a <div> element with the class "container".

Widget Configuration

Required Attributes

Return URL
This is the URL where the Group Finder lives on your website.
  • Attribute: returnurl
  • Valid Value: relative or fully qualified URL
  • Examples:
    returnurl="https://www.example-church.com/groups"
    returnurl="/groups"

Optional Attributes

Inquire About Full Groups
This allows people to submit inquiries to groups that are full. A group is considered full when the target size is met or Group is Full is set to Yes. The default is false.
  • Attribute: inquirefullgroups
  • Valid Value: true or false (or empty)
  • Example: 
    inquirefullgroups="true"
Count Group Inquiries
This allows group inquiries to count towards a group's target size. If the corresponding attribute is set to true for Group Finder widget, set to true for the Group Details widget too. The default is false.
  • Attribute: countgroupinquiries
  • Valid Value: true or false (or empty)
  • Example: 
    countgroupinquiries="true"
    Note: The Group Is Full field always overrides the Target Size field. For example, let's say the target size is 20 and 15 people have signed up. That group is not considered full. However, if you change Group Is Full to Yes, the widget reflects that the group is full.
Inquiry Email Template
This identifies a message stored in MinistryPlatform that sends to the person who submits a group inquiry. It is blank by default.
  • Attribute: inquiryemailtemplate
  • Valid Value: Message ID or empty for unspecified.
    Tip: This attribute uses a Message ID to send the email. If you don't see your message in the list, you'll need to mark the message to show as an option. If you want to use an existing template, you'll need to convert it to a message first.
  • Merge Fields and Snippets: Personalize your message with merge fields! Want to get fancy? You can use snippets in your widget messages! All you need to do is add the Domain_GUID and Contact_GUID to the default field list of the table on the record the widget created.
    1. Open the domain record and copy the Domain GUID.
    2. Open the page record and edit the default field list.
    3. Add Contact_ID_Table.[Contact_GUID] AS [Contact GUID].
    4. Add '<DOMAIN GUID HERE IN QUOTES>' AS Domain_GUID.
    5. Save Default Field List.
    6. Ensure your snippet includes both the Domain_GUID and Contact_GUID.
  • Example: 
    inquiryemailtemplate="1200"
Sign Up Email Template
This identifies a message in MinistryPlatform that sends to the person who submits a group sign up. This is blank by default.
  • Attribute: signupemailtemplate
  • Valid Value: Message ID or empty for unspecified.
    Tip: This attribute uses a Message ID to send the email. If you don't see your message in the list, you'll need to mark the message to show as an option. If you want to use an existing template, you'll need to convert it to a message first.
  • Example: 
    signupemailtemplate="1300"
Leader Contact Email Template
This identifies a message that sends to both the group's primary contact and anyone in the group with the leader group role type when someone signs up for their group.
  • Attribute: leadersignupemailtemplate
  • Valid Value: Message ID or empty for unspecified.
    Tip: This attribute uses a Message ID to send the email. If you don't see your message in the list, you'll need to mark the message to show as an option. If you want to use an existing template, you'll need to convert it to a message first.
  • Example: 
    leadersignupemailtemplate="159"
Note: The messages are optional. If you don't add them, users will still be allowed to sign up for the group but will see this message: "Invalid Email Template. Saving the record is allowed, however no email notifications will be sent." To prevent this, add the appropriate message attribute.
Show Full Group Address
This determines whether a full or partial address displays based on a group's Offsite Meeting Address field. If set to Yes, a map displays with the full address. If set to No, the widget only displays the city, state, and ZIP code. An address must have latitude and longitude to generate a map. This is blank by default.
  • Attribute: showfulladdress
  • Valid Value: true or false (or empty)
  • Example: 
    showfulladdress="true"
Hide Contact Tab
This hides the Contact This Group tab and the related form. This is blank by default.
  • Attribute: hidecontacttab
  • Valid Value: true or false (or empty)
  • Example: 
    hidecontacttab="true"
Hide Sign Up Tab
This hides the Sign Up for This Group tab and related form. This is blank by default.
  • Attribute: hidesignuptab
  • Valid Value: true or false (or empty)
  • Example: 
    hidesignuptab="true"

Attributes must be included before the opening widget tag is closed. Attributes may be listed in any order and should be separated by a space or other whitespace. An attribute's value should be wrapped in quotation marks.

<mpp-group-details
     returnurl="https://www.example-church.com/groups"
     inquirefullgroups="true"
     inquiryemailtemplate="1200"
     signupemailtemplate="1300"
     showfulladdress="true">
</mpp-group-details>

Configure Your Widget

Use the Widget Configurator widget to configure your widget:
  1. Go to your Widgets Library by appending "/widgets" to your system domain. For example, https://example-church.ministryplatform.net/widgets.
  2. Click the Navigate to... drop-down menu, and select Widget Configurator.
  3. Select the widget you want to configure, then customize your widget.
  4. Click Try it Out to see what your widget will look like!
  5. Copy the generated code from the Embed Code box.
  6. Add the code to the designated page on your website.

Platform Configuration

To display in the Group Finder and Group Details widgets, groups must meet the following criteria:
  • Today's date is before the end date or there is no end date.
  • Available Online is set to Yes.
  • The group belongs to a group type where Show on Group Finder widget is set to Yes.
  • Group is Full is set to No. If configured to display groups that are full, the widget will display a Full banner in the upper left-hand corner of the group card. People can't sign up for full groups.
  • The target size (if there is on) has not been reached. Group participants always count toward the target size. You can also configure group inquiries to count toward the target size.
  • If the Meets Online field is set to Yes, the Group Details page displays a Meets Online tag.

This widget supports basic HTML text formatting (bold, italics, underline, unordered lists, ordered lists, and hyperlinks) for the group description. You can format the text in the Description field on the Group record. This field prevents unsupported HTML tags from displaying in the widget. While other formatting options may work, we do not guarantee or recommend using them.

Emails sent by the widget use the From or Reply To contacts set in the message template. Review your templates and make sure that your emails come from the correct person (and that the right person will receive the replies).

You can customize the text on the Sign Up and Send Inquiry buttons. Use the application labels mpp-group-details.signUpButtonText and mpp-group-details.contactGroupButtonText respectively.

When someone inquires or signs up for a group, the primary contact is notified through a Process. Make sure your group's primary contact email is updated.

When someone signs ups for a group, they are assigned the the default group role found on the group type record.

Note: If a group is full and meets online, the Meets Online banner overrides the Full banner. (This circumstance assumes that you configured full groups to display on the Group Finder.)

Mark a Message to Show as an Option

When configuring your widgets, there are fields where you can select an email template. To keep the list manageable, the messages that display as options must be marked as templates.

If the message you want does not display in the Widget Configurator, you can mark it as a template on the message record. (The Template field is hidden by default through System Setup > Field Management, so you'll need to unhide it first.)

  1. Confirm that the message you want is not an option in the Widget Configurator.
  2. In the navigation menu, click System Setup > Field Management.
  3. In the Field Name column, search for Template.
  4. In the Page column, search for Messages.
  5. Open the record, and click Edit Record.
  6. In the Hidden field, select No.
  7. Click Save.
  8. In the navigation menu, click Communications > Messages.
  9. Open the message you want to display as an option in the Widget Configurator, and click Edit Record.
  10. In the Template, select Yes.
  11. Click Save.
  12. Refresh the Widget Configurator if you had it open in your browser .

You can now select this message as an option when you configure the widget.

Convert a Template to a Message

Widgets use message IDs, not template IDs. You can use the Template Editor Tool to create the template you want, but you must turn the template into a message and use that ID in the widget. Here's how!

  1. Create and save your template using the Template Editor Tool. Make sure you can access the template.
  2. Open the New Message Tool, click Insert > Templates, and select your newly created template from the list. Click Send > Save as Draft.
  3. In the navigation menu, click Communications > Messages.
  4. Open the draft you just created.
  5. Click the subject line to open the message record. The Message ID is listed under the subject line.
  6. Use this ID for the Template ID attribute value when you configure the widget.

Customization

Customize the Group Details widget to change button colors, update labels, and more to match your church brand.

CSS: Every widget accepts the Custom CSS attribute. Include it before the closing of the opening widget tag to customize backgrounds, button colors, and more!

Application Labels: Want to get specific and identify groups as life groups, community groups, or small groups? Want the button to say "Join Group" instead of "Sign up"? To make changes, go to System Setup > Application Labels and update the appropriate label(s). Note that you are responsible for all translations if the default is not used.

  • mpp-group-details.signUpButtonText: The label that displays on the sign-up button. The default is "Sign Up".
  • mpp-group-details.formInstructions: Instructions on how to submit the form. The default is "Type a message and press the Sign Up button".
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Last updated: November 24, 2025

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