Understanding Slots

Learn how slots organize blocks into header, body, and footer areas.

A slot is a layout area: header, body, or footer. Place blocks in these areas to choose what pages share and what editors can change on each page.

Watch the workflow

Use shared header and footer slots

Watch the workflow in Primo.

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Read the walkthrough

1. Open the page type template.
2. Header content is shared across this page type.
3. The body contains content editors can change per page.
4. Footer content stays consistent across these pages.

The three slots

Slot	Where it appears	Content and editing behavior
Header	Above the body	Structure and ordinary section content are shared across pages of this type
Body	Main page content	Each page has its own sections and content; the available-block list controls layout editing
Footer	Below the body	Structure and ordinary section content are shared across pages of this type

Use the header for navigation and the footer for shared links. Put content that varies by page in the body. These are uses for blocks you build or import; a slot does not create a navigation menu or footer design for you.

Editors can change content fields in shared header and footer sections, but they cannot add, remove, or reorder those sections on individual pages. A shared section can display each page’s own title through a Page Field reference.

Sharing is scoped to a page type. If two page types should use the same logo or navigation values, connect their blocks to Site Field references.

Fixed or flexible body layouts

The available-block list determines whether the body layout is fixed or flexible. These are two ways to configure a page type, not separate template presets.

Flexible body: choose available blocks

Enable the blocks editors can insert. Editors can add those blocks, remove sections, and change their order. New pages can start with body sections from the template and then use different layouts.

For example, you could create a General Page type with Hero, Text, and Image blocks. Your About page could use Hero and Text, while Services could use Hero, Text, and several Image sections.

Fixed body: leave available blocks empty

Add the starting body sections in the page type and leave its available-block list empty. Editors can change content but cannot add, remove, or reorder those sections.

For example, you could create a Team Member type with Profile and Biography blocks. Each new profile gets those sections and stores its own content.

The starting body sections are copied when you create a page. Changing the template later does not replace body sections on existing pages.

Watch: Configure fixed and flexible body layouts

Watch the available-block list change the layout controls, then compare two posts with independent content.

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Read the walkthrough

1. Enabling available blocks lets editors change the body structure.
2. Disable the last available block: Primo confirms that the page type becomes static.
3. Existing body sections remain. Editors can change content, but structure is fixed.
4. Enable a block again to restore flexible layout controls, including reordering.
5. This Blog Post type stays fixed: Post Content uses the first post’s own fields.
6. Another post keeps the same structure, with its own title and body.

Configuring Slots in Page Types

You need developer access to configure the layout.

1. Open the page type

   Choose Pages → Manage page types and open the type you want to configure.

2. Place shared sections

   Add blocks to the header and footer areas. Set their order and shared content.

3. Set the starting body

   Add body sections if new pages should start with a layout and sample content. You can do this for either a fixed or flexible body.

4. Choose editing options

   In the Blocks tab, enable the blocks editors can insert for a flexible body. Leave the available-block list empty for a fixed body.

5. Verify two pages

   Create two pages of this type. Confirm shared content appears on both, body content remains independent, and editors have the intended layout controls.

Example layouts you can create

The page type and block names below describe designs you can build or import.

Example	Header	Body	Footer
General Page	Navigation block	Flexible: selected Hero, Text, and Image blocks	Footer Links block
Team Member	Navigation block	Fixed: Profile and Biography sections	Footer Links block
Blog Post	Navigation block	Fixed: Post Content section using page fields	Footer Links block

A block that contains a search box, newsletter form, or registration form needs its own code and any required external service. Placing it in a slot does not add a search index or form-processing backend.

Check layout changes

Preview an existing page and a newly created page after changing a page type. Test mobile navigation, shared links, and empty content. Publish when the affected pages are ready.

Semantic HTML

The browser publisher wraps the body in <main> and adds <header> and <footer> when those areas have rendered content:

<header>
  <!-- Header sections -->
</header>
<main>
  <!-- Body sections -->
</main>
<footer>
  <!-- Footer sections -->
</footer>

Use <section>, <div>, or <nav> inside your blocks to avoid adding a second page-level wrapper. Check the generated HTML if you use the CLI static builder, whose wrappers can differ.

Next Steps

Defining Page Types

Learn how to create and configure page types

Working with Fields

Add editable fields to your blocks