> Portal Navigation:
> 
> - Append `.md` to any URL under `https://dev.wix.com/docs/` to get its markdown version.
> - Pages are either content pages (article or reference text) or menu pages (a list of links to child pages).
> - To get a menu page, truncate any URL to a parent path and append `.md` (e.g. `https://dev.wix.com/docs/sdk.md`, `https://dev.wix.com/docs/sdk/core-modules.md`).
> - Top-level index of all portals: https://dev.wix.com/docs/llms.txt
> - Full concatenated docs: https://dev.wix.com/docs/llms-full.txt

## Resource: About Auto Panels

## Article: About Auto Panels for Editor React Components

## Article Link: https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/auto-panels/about-auto-panels.md

## Article Content:

# About Auto Panels for Editor React Components

<blockquote class="caution">

__Alpha:__
Editor React Components are currently in alpha. This feature is subject to change and may have bugs, issues, and limitations. We're actively improving it based on your feedback.

</blockquote>

Auto panels are how Wix users customize your [Editor React Component](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/about-editor-react-components.md) in the editor. When a Wix user selects your component, Wix builds the panels automatically from the declarations in its manifest. You don't render any UI yourself.

The CLI auto-generates most of those declarations in the [`editorElement`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/editor-element.md) portion of the manifest by reading your React component source. For details, see [auto-generated manifest](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/about-the-manifest.md#auto-generated-manifest).

To see auto panels built up from scratch, see [Tutorial | Configure Auto Panels](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/panels/tutorial-configure-auto-panels.md).

## How Wix users open auto panels

When a Wix user selects your component in the editor, an action bar appears with buttons for the auto panels available on it. Each button opens a panel populated with the controls you declared.

Auto panels are available for the root component and, if you define them, for [inner elements](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/elements.md). Inner elements can be selected independently, each with its own action bar and auto panels.

> **Note:** Auto panels appear only in the editor, while a Wix user is editing the site. They aren't shown on the live site.

## Available auto panels and controls

The following panels and controls appear in the editor for your component, depending on which manifest properties you define.

- [Settings](#settings)
- [Edit Text](#edit-text)
- [Design](#design)
- [Explore Designs](#explore-designs)
- [Animation](#animation)
- [Action bar buttons](#action-bar-buttons)
- [Sizing behavior](#sizing-behavior)

### Settings

The **Settings** panel exposes editable content for your component. Each entry in your manifest's [`data`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/data/about-data.md) becomes a labeled control, with the `dataType` determining the control type. For example, text becomes a text input, images open the Wix Media Manager, and dates show a date picker.

The values Wix users enter here are passed back to your component as React [props](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/runtime-props.md) at runtime.

![The Settings panel for a testimonial card, with controls for an image data item](https://wixmp-833713b177cebf373f611808.wixmp.com/images/0de9a85121d8df161fa570b4dbba7423.png)

### Edit Text

When your `data` includes one or more text-based items (`text`, `richText`, `textEnum`), an **Edit Text** panel is generated alongside **Settings**, exposing only the text inputs. This gives Wix users a focused way to update copy without scrolling through unrelated controls.

![The Edit Text panel with inputs for quote, author name, and author role](https://wixmp-833713b177cebf373f611808.wixmp.com/images/ff1a30b6a7d7af5981ff5006f6de9cf4.png)

### Design

The **Design** panel exposes style controls. Each entry in [`cssProperties`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/css/standard-css-properties.md) and [`cssCustomProperties`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/css/css-custom-properties.md) you declare becomes the appropriate control: `backgroundColor` gets a color picker, `borderRadius` gets a corner radius slider, `boxShadow` gets a shadow editor, and so on.

When a Wix user changes a value, the editor applies it as an inline style on the matching DOM element. Your component doesn't need to read or handle these values.

![The Design panel with color, spacing, corners, and shadow controls](https://wixmp-833713b177cebf373f611808.wixmp.com/images/868c0d3de03e7b08fecb20755c9775b3.png)

If your manifest also defines [`states`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/states.md), a state selector appears at the top of the **Design** panel so Wix users can style each state separately.

### Explore Designs

If your manifest defines [`presets`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/presets.md), an **Explore Designs** panel appears. Each preset is a named visual variation with its own thumbnail, default values, and optional preset-scoped CSS. Switching between presets is a one-click change for Wix users.

![The Explore Designs panel with Card and Minimal preset variants](https://wixmp-833713b177cebf373f611808.wixmp.com/images/794cd89fcb40d5e52f00110c4195f1b4.png)

### Animation

If your manifest defines [`interactions`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/interactions.md), an **Animation** panel appears with controls for declarative entrance effects, scroll triggers, and other interactions you opted into.

<!-- TODO: Add a screenshot of the Animation panel here. -->

### Action bar buttons

The action bar that opens your auto panels also hosts non-panel buttons, like duplicating the component or opening a Wix-managed picker. You can opt out of the defaults with [`actions`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/actions/native-and-custom-actions.md), and you can add your own buttons with [`customActions`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/actions/native-and-custom-actions.md) that open URLs or trigger custom behavior.

### Sizing behavior

The editor reads [`layout`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/layout.md) to enable resize handles, content sizing, and stretch behavior in the editor, and [`installation.initialSize`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/root-properties/installation.md) to set the dimensions when the Wix user first drops the component on the page.

## Control what's in a panel

You configure panel contents through manifest properties. The properties you define determine which controls appear and how they behave.

- **Include or omit controls:** Only properties you declare in the manifest appear in a panel. For example, skip a `cssProperty` and that control doesn't show up.
- **Set labels:** Use [`displayName`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/editor-element.md) on data items, CSS properties, presets, and elements to control the text Wix users see.
- **Set default values:** Use `defaultValue` so controls show the same value the Wix user sees in the editor.
- **Constrain input:** Each data type accepts type-specific options that the editor enforces in the control. For example, `text.minLength`, `text.maxLength`, and `number.minimum`.

## Organize controls within a panel

Use grouping and conditional visibility to keep each panel focused and easier to scan.

- **Group related controls:** Use [`displayGroups`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/display-groups/display-groups.md) to organize properties into named sections inside a panel.
- **Show controls conditionally:** Use [`displayFilters`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/display-filters.md) to hide controls based on the value of another data item, preset, or state.

## Customize inner elements and states

You can expose advanced customization beyond the root component by configuring inner targets and state-based styling.

- **Configure inner elements:** Each entry in [`elements`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/elements.md) gets its own set of auto panels. Add `data`, `cssProperties`, `presets`, or `states` inside an element to customize its panels independently of the root.
- **Expose state-specific styling:** Define [`states`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/states.md) (like hover or disabled) for per-state styling.

## Manifest cheatsheet

Use this as a quick lookup for which manifest property configures which part of the editor experience:

| Manifest property | Where it surfaces | What it controls |
|---|---|---|
| [`data`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/data/about-data.md) | **Settings** panel, **Edit Text** panel, and other native controls based on the `dataType` | Editable content like text, numbers, images, links, dates, and toggles. Each entry becomes a control and a runtime prop. |
| [`cssProperties`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/css/standard-css-properties.md) | **Design** panel | Standard CSS properties exposed as design controls (colors, spacing, corners, shadows, typography). Applied as inline styles. |
| [`cssCustomProperties`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/css/css-custom-properties.md) | **Design** panel | CSS variables for cases the standard properties don't cover. Applied as inline custom property values. |
| [`elements`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/elements.md) | Independent action bar and auto panels on inner parts | Makes specific inner DOM elements selectable, each with its own data, CSS, presets, and states. |
| [`presets`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/presets.md) | **Explore Designs** panel | Named visual variations with thumbnails, default values, and optional preset-scoped CSS. |
| [`states`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/states.md) | **State** selector in the **Design** panel | Conditions like hover or disabled, each stylable independently in the **Design** panel. |
| [`interactions`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/interactions.md) | **Animation** panel | Declarative animation triggers and effect groups. |
| [`actions`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/actions/native-and-custom-actions.md) | Action bar | Opt out of, override, or rename default action bar buttons. |
| [`customActions`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/actions/native-and-custom-actions.md) | Action bar | Add your own buttons to the action bar that open URLs or trigger custom behavior. |
| [`displayGroups`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/display-groups/display-groups.md) | Inside auto panels | Organize related controls into named sections. |
| [`displayFilters`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/display-filters.md) | Inside auto panels | Show or hide controls based on the value of another data item, preset, or state. |
| [`layout`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/layout.md) | Editor (resize handles and stretching) | Resize direction, content sizing, and stretch behavior. |
| [`installation.initialSize`](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/root-properties/installation.md) | Editor (on insert) | The size the component takes when a Wix user first adds it to the page. |

## See also

- [Tutorial | Configure Auto Panels](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/panels/tutorial-configure-auto-panels.md)
- [About the Manifest](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/about-the-manifest.md)
- [Editor Element](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/editor-element/editor-element.md)
- [Runtime Props Reference](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/extensions/site-extensions/editor-react-components/manifest-reference/runtime-props.md)