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Configuring Online Directory

Set up the Online Directory widget.

Want to get your Online Directory in the hands of your church ASAP? See the Quick Start Guide to get the Online Directory widget up and running.

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

Optional Attributes

Hide Address
If true, the map icon will be hidden on all directory cards.
  • Attribute: hideaddress
  • Valid Value: true or false. The default is false.
  • Example:
    hideaddress="true"
Hide Email
If true, the email icon will be hidden on all directory cards.
  • Attribute: hideemail
  • Valid Value: true or false. The default is false.
  • Example:
    hideemail="true"
Hide Family Link
If true, the family icon will be hidden on all directory cards.
  • Attribute: hidefamilylink
  • Valid Value: true or false. The default is false.
  • Example:
    hidefamilylink="true"
Hide Birthday Icon
If true, the birthday icon will be hidden on all directory cards.
  • Attribute: hidebirthdayicon
  • Valid Value: true or false. The default is false.
  • Example:
    hidebirthdayicon="true"

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

The way your contact, participant, household, and congregation records are configured in the MinistryPlatform determines whether they display in the Online Directory widget. Set yourself up for success (and save your congregation some confused phone calls) by reviewing your records.

Accessing the Directory

To access the Online Directory widget, you must:
  • Be logged in.
  • Have a participant type with Can Access Directory set to Yes.
  • Have a member status with Can Access Directory set to Yes.

If you don't meet these criteria, you'll see a message that you're not currently authorized to view the directory.

Displaying in the Directory

Contacts that return in the search results are sorted by display name, date of birth, city, and then state. They are sorted by family first and then by date of birth, with the oldest listed first.

To display in the Online Directory widget, the contact must:
  • Belong to a congregation or parish where Available Online is set to Yes.
  • Have a contact status of anything other than Deceased.
  • Have Remove From Directory set to No.
  • Have a participant type where Show in Directory is set to Yes.
  • Have a member status where Show in Directory is set to Yes.
    Note: Contacts whose member status is not set can still display in the Online Directory if they meet all the other criteria above.

Directory Cards

Each contact in the directory displays on a directory card that has their basic contact information. This is a good time to ask people to update their household information and select what information they want to include in the online directory.

Note: If any contact information is missing, it (and the associated icon) does not display.
  • Image: The default image attached to the contact record. If there is no attached image, a placeholder image displays.
  • Name: The contact's nickname and last name. If the contact doesn't have a nickname, the first name displays.
  • Household Position: The contact's household position.
  • Mobile Phone: The contact's mobile phone number.
    Note: The mobile phone number does not display if Mobile Phone Unlisted is set to Yes on the contact record.
  • Home Phone: The household's home phone number.
    Note: The home phone number does not display if Home Phone Unlisted is set to Yes on the household record.
  • Birthday Icon: The month and day of the contact's birthday. Click to download an iCal/iCS file.
  • Email Icon: Tap the email icon to send a message to the contact's email address.
    Note: Emails sent through the Online Directory widget are logged in MinistryPlatform.
  • Map Icon: Click the map icon to open Google Maps and show the household's address on the map.
  • Family Icon: Click the family icon to show the directory cards for other household members, if they meet the criteria for displaying in the directory.

Remove Member Status or Participant Types from your Online Directory

Want to remove certain member statuses or participant types from your online directory? For example, you may not want records marked as Former Member or Guest to display in the directory.

  1. Depending on what you want to remove, go to Lookup Values > Member Statuses or go to Lookup Values > Participant Types or Member Types.
  2. Select the items you want to remove from the directory.
  3. From the Actions menu, select Assign.
  4. Select the Show In Directory checkbox.
  5. Select No.
  6. Click Assign.
  7. Click Ok to confirm.

Once those statuses and types are set to No, the associated members and participants no longer display in your directory.

Customization

Customize the Online Directory 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 change "Campus" to "Location" or "Parish" in the drop-down filter? 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-online-directory.congregationDropdownLabel: The label on the drop-down menu. The default is "Campus".
  • mpp-online-directory.viewMoreLabel: Instructions to prompt people to refine their search. The default is "To see additional results, please refine your search filters above".