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## Resource: Introduction

## Article: Side Panels

## Article Link: https://dev.wix.com/docs/sdk/host-modules/dashboard/internal/side-panel/introduction.md

## Article Content:

# About the Side Panel API

Side panels are panels that slide in alongside a dashboard page. Use the Side Panel API to open a side panel that renders one of your app's embeddable components, and to close it from the component's code.

The Side Panel API is a separate top-level module in the `@wix/dashboard` package. Import it directly. It isn't available as `dashboard.sidePanel`.

> **Note:** Side panels work only in the code of dashboard extensions, so they don't work when [developing sites](https://dev.wix.com/docs/develop-websites.md) or [building apps with Blocks](https://dev.wix.com/docs/build-apps/develop-your-app/frameworks/wix-blocks/about-wix-blocks.md).

## Setup

@package_metadata:@wix/dashboard

The Side Panel API is part of the `@wix/dashboard` package. If you already use the [Dashboard API](https://dev.wix.com/docs/sdk/host-modules/dashboard/introduction.md), you've already installed the package.

### Install the package

Follow the installation instructions for your development environment.

| Development environment   | Installation method                                            |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| CLI and self-managed apps  | Run `npm install @wix/dashboard` or `yarn add @wix/dashboard`. |
| Wix-managed headless      | Run `npm install @wix/dashboard` or `yarn add @wix/dashboard`. |

### Import the module

Import the `sidePanel` module in your code and call its methods directly:

```js
import { sidePanel } from "@wix/dashboard";

sidePanel.open({ componentId: "<componentId>" });
```

To use the `sidePanel` API in [self-managed apps](https://dev.wix.com/docs/sdk/articles/get-started/about-self-hosted-apps.md), set up a client as described in the [Dashboard API introduction](https://dev.wix.com/docs/sdk/host-modules/dashboard/introduction.md), and include `sidePanel` in the client's `modules`.