--- title: "2-6. Overview of the Slate Layout" url: "https://support.sardius.media/knowledge-base/2-6-overview-of-the-slate-layout" category: "Intermediate Features (Level 2)" updated: 2026-08-20 summary: "In this video, we will present an overview of the Slate layout for a Sardius Channel. You will learn how to customize the player experience through 4 different event states, add Chat, curate Video on Demand, and several other features." --- # 2-6. Overview of the Slate Layout **Video** > **Transcript:** The Slate layout is perfect for clients who want to create an interactive experience around their live streams. This can be set up for public access, or it can even be set behind user registration or a ticket paywall. In this video, we will review how to customize this layout for your organization. On the channels page, hover over the channel card and select Customize The Customize Channel section has three sections in two columns. The first column is for experience options where you can customize the appearance of your layout. The second column is the channel preview. On top of this column is the preview timeline. You can use this timeline to see a preview of each state of your channel. Let’s focus on the settings column. This is divided into two sections: Event Timeline Features and Layout Features. Under Event Timeline features, you can customize the four event states: pre, live, break, and post. In the Pre state, you can select the pre-event asset from your library or even a YouTube video that can play before your stream goes live. The pre-event player is off by default, but it is easily activated once you assign an asset to it. You can also set this asset to play automatically or even to loop. And you can also add some custom text for your upcoming sessions. In the Live state, you can customize the asset connected to your channel player. Normally this asset is your channel stream. If you haven't named this channel stream in your assets, the name here will match the site ID found in the channel URL. The Break state is what will display in between two different events, no matter how far apart they are. You can choose to enable or disable this particular state and you can perform some minor layout adjustments as well. In the Post state, we had the same options as we did in the Pre state. This post state will only appear if there are no future events in your calendar. Again, you can customize the post event asset. Change the background image, and even add some custom HTML. Next, let's move on to the Layout Features section. Under common settings, we can choose to enable overlays for the player, which is the ability to insert graphics and links into the player while your stream is live. You have the option to enable active sessions. This feature is designed to work with users that are registered and logged in. if a user is logged in, active sessions will allow you to limit how many devices a user could be logged in on, and it will allow our system to track the user's watch history so that you know how users are engaging with your content. You can also bring in font families from Google and assign those families to different headings and paragraphs throughout the layout. You can also add information and text for your support or response team and for other sections of the player. Under common colors, you can set the primary, secondary and background colors for the page. If you change the page to a dark color, the paragraph text colors will adjust accordingly. Under chat settings, you can customize the live chat experience should you choose to have it enabled for your live streaming state. You can toggle loading previous messages for chat users, whether or not users can change their name in chat, and show the Q\&A and moderator chat rooms. You can also customize the level to which users can style their messages, how long their messages can be set available Emoji reactions create a list of banned words and even set an icon to distinguish moderators from regular users. Under sidebar, you can customize the visual appearance of the sidebar. You can select the different states that the sidebar can be available. You can also enable an event information tab and even change the title of the sidebar and its tabs. Under header, we can customize the very top of our channel. You can toggle the header on and off You can customize the logo image and link it to an external address such as your own website. You can also customize the navigation menu with off site links, buttons and modals. Under speakers, we can choose which of the four event states we want this section to show. We can customize the title. Add bios for speakers that are already in your account. Organize those speakers and even customize the background. Under Schedule, we can choose which of the four event states we want the schedule to show for. We can also change the section title and the background image. Under sponsors, you can create a list of event sponsors. This feature isn't just limited to sponsors, however. If you're a nonprofit organization, you could rename this section and show off different aspects of your organization. Or if you're using this channel to launch a new product, you can provide images for product features and some information about those features. You can also customize how this section is displayed and what event states it can appear in. Under call to action, you can customize a single Call to Action section that features an image, text, and an action button. Some examples for this are to entice a viewer to join a mailing list, visit a website, donate to a cause, and so on. You can also add a video on demand section using a feed that you previously created. This is handy for conferences that have multiple sessions and want to add the recordings from previous sessions so viewers can catch up on what they may have missed or want to rewatch. You can add multiple sections and even customize the look and feel for each one. Under footer, you can customize the logo, the background, and add links to any social media account. If you ask users to log in, you can also enable a logout feature. You can also choose to turn the entire footer on or off. And finally, we can customize our cookie banner. When a user logs in, we need to deposit a cookie on their device in order to keep them logged in. Due to regulations, both domestic and abroad, we are required to notify the user of this action. You, as the account owner, will need to add a cookie policy for the user to review and accept. That concludes our tour of the Slate Channel layout. For a look at our other layouts such as Player-Only and Collection, those videos are available in our knowledge base. We'll see you in the next video. In this video, we will present an overview of the Slate layout for a Sardius Channel. You will learn how to customize the player experience through 4 different event states, add Chat, curate Video on Demand, and several other features. > **Note:** _**Note:**_ A complete guide to the Slate layout is available **HERE**. **Onboarding Video Series (Level 2)**   - **Next Video:** [Overview of the Collection Layout](https://support.sardius.media/knowledge-base/2-6-overview-of-the-collection-layout) - _Previous Video:_ [Overview of the Player-Only Layout](https://support.sardius.media/knowledge-base/2-4-overview-of-the-player-only-layout)