Configuring Group Finder
The Group Finder Widget is used in tandem with the Group Details Widget. Use both to help people find the group that works for them. See the Quick Start Guide to get the Group Finder Widget up and running ASAP.
Quick Start
Ready to get started? See the Quick Start Guide to get both Widgets up and running.
If the shared script hasn't been added to your website, add it to the appropriate webpage, replacing "example-church.com" with the base URL of your church's website.
<script id="MPWidgets" src="https://example-church.com/widgets/dist/MPWidgets.js"></script>Create a webpage on your website that will display your Group Finder Widget or identify the page on your website where it will be displayed.
Add the Group Finder Widget to your church website by placing this snippet of code in the body of your chosen webpage, modifying the required attributes.
<mpp-group-finder
targeturl="/group-details">
</mpp-group-finder>Widget Configuration
Required Attributes
- Target URL: The target URL determines the navigation path to Group Details. When a specific group is selected, the ID is appended to this path.
- Attribute: targeturl
- Valid Value: relative or fully qualified URL
- Examples:
targeturl="https://example-church.com/group-details"targeturl="group-details"
Recommended URLs
The easiest way to set up interaction between the finder and detail Widgets is to use querystring parameters to identify Groups. To use this method, specify a target URL (with or without a trailing slash). The Group Finder Widget will then append a querystring and Group ID to the target URL. For example, for the targeturl "/group-details" the link to Group 25 would look like this:
https://example-church.com/group-details?id=25
Advanced Routing Options
If you prefer to use more advanced routing, you can use different URLs. This may be an option if the querystring method does not integrate well with your CMS. If you choose to go this route:
- Define a route in your website to support the ID.
- Use a target URL with or without a trailing slash.
For example, for the targeturl "/group-details/" the link to Group 25 would look like this:
https://example-church.com/group-details/25
Optional Attributes
- Count Group Inquiries: Allows group inquiries to be counted towards the group's Target Size. Default is false.
- Attribute: countgroupinquiries
- Valid Value: true or false (or empty)
- Example:
countgroupinquiries="true"
- Show Full Groups: Allows groups that are full to be displayed. A group is considered full when the Target Size is met or Group is Full is set to Yes. When full groups display, they are marked with a badge. Default is false.
- Attribute: showfullgroups
- Valid Value: true or false (or empty)
- Example:
showfullgroups="true"
- Show Future Groups: Determines whether groups with a future Start Date display. Default is true.
- Attribute: showfuturegroups
- Valid Value: true (or empty) or false
- Example:
showfuturegroups="true"
- Show Suggest A Group Button: Determines whether authenticated users can see the Suggest a Group button and submit their suggestion information for a new group. Default is false.
- Attribute: showsuggestagroupbutton
- Valid Value: true (or empty) or false
- Example:
showsuggestagroupbutton="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-finder
targeturl="/group-details"
countgroupinquiries="true"
showfullgroups="true"
showfuturegroups="true">
</mpp-group-finder>Configure Your Widget
Fill out the Widget Configurator below, copy your generated widget code, and paste it into your website.
Platform Configuration
Ensure appropriate Congregations/Campuses display in the filter drop-down list. For each one you want to show, go to , open the Congregation, and set Available Online to Yes.
Ensure each Group Type has the appropriate Default Role configured. This Role will be used for each Group Participant record created by the Widget. Go to , open the Group Type, and select a Default Role.
Group Focuses can identify the subject/focus that each Group has (for example, missions, community-oriented or book study). If you want, add Group Focuses by going to and creating new records.
- Group Finder Sign-Up: A two-step Process that can notify the Group's Primary Contact through email and assign a follow-up task.
- Group Inquiry Follow-Up: A three-step Process that can notify the Group's Primary Contact along with the Primary Contact of the Group's Congregation through email and then assign a follow-up task.
- Group Suggested: A two-step Process that can notify a specified individual through email and then get their approval for the new group that was suggested. You can adjust this process for your church's needs.
Attach a compelling image to the Group, which will appear in the widget. If there is no image, a stock image will be displayed. Images can be added to use as the main Group image by attaching them as a file to the group record through the Platform. File formats supported both by browsers and the Platform are: bmp, gif, jpg, and png. The widget software will crop and focus on the center of the image according to an ideal ratio of 59/32. The finder images are 800x433 intrinsically but resized to fit at 295x160.
Group Configuration
Groups will display in the Group Finder when they meet the following criteria:
- Today's date is less than the End Date or the End Date is undefined.
- Available Online is set to Yes.
- Group belongs to a Group Type where Show on Group Finder is set to Yes.
- Group is Full is set to No, unless Groups that are full have been configured to display, which then show a Full banner in the upper left-hand corner of the group card. Sign up will not be available.
- Target Size (if defined) has not been reached. Group Participants always count toward Target Size, Group Inquiries can be configured to also count by setting countgroupinquiries=true. Note: If countgroupinquiries is set to True, Pending group inquiries (null or undefined) will be counted toward the Target Size. Pending group inquiries will not be included when calculating whether the Target Size has been reached.
- (Optional) If Meets Online is set to Yes, cards in the Group Finder will be identified by a badge in the upper left-hand corner and Group Details page will have a Meets Online tag. The Group Finder may also be filtered for Groups that meet this criteria.
- Want to exclude an entire Group Type from the Group Finder (for example, Parent Groups)? Set Show on Group Finder to No on the Group Type record. Note: If a group is both Full and Meets Online, the Meets Online banner will override the Full banner. (This circumstance assumes that the church has configured Full groups to show on the Group Finder.)
Customization
All Widgets are customizable, so change the button color and update the labels to match your church.
CSS: Every Widget accepts the Custom CSS attribute. Include it before the opening Widget tag is closed to customize your Widgets.
Application Labels: Does your church refer to Communities instead of Neighborhoods? Do you have Sites instead of Campuses? To make changes, go to and update the appropriate label(s). Note that you are responsible for all translations if the default is not used.
- mpp-group-finder.parentGroupLabel: Label that appears on the sign-up button. Default is "Neighborhood".
- mpp-group-finder.congregationPlaceHolderText: Congregation label. The default is "Any Campus".
- mpp-group-finder.parentGroupPlaceHolderText: Parent Group Neighborhood label. The default is "All Neighborhoods".