Documentation · Admin Reference

Layout Manager Reference

This document is a reference for the Layout Manager screen of the ADP Car Market Hub plugin (Car Market Hub → Layout Manager). It explains the zone-based workspace, how to add, reorder and configure elements, and the additional settings exposed for archive cards.

When to use this document

Use this reference when you need to control which fields, blocks or filters are visible on the frontend, the order they appear in, or how the archive grid is laid out. For colors, typography and buttons, see Design And Styles Reference.

Overview

The Layout Manager organizes the frontend into seven zones. Each zone has its own workspace with two columns: an Active Layout list (what is currently shown on the frontend) and an Available Elements list (what can still be added). For some blocks, an additional Configure fields panel exposes per-block field visibility.

The seven zones are:

Zone	Label	Purpose
`search_filters`	Search Filters	Which filter inputs appear on the archive page and in what order.
`archive_cards`	Car Archive Cards	Which fields are displayed on each vehicle card in archive and listing views.
`single_main`	Single Vehicle Main Content	Order and visibility of the main content blocks on the vehicle detail page.
`single_sidebar`	Single Vehicle – Sidebar	Blocks shown in the sidebar of the vehicle detail page.
`single_bottom`	Single Vehicle – Bottom Section	Blocks displayed below the main content on the vehicle detail page.
`compare`	Compare Cars	Fields shown in the side-by-side vehicle comparison view.
`favorites`	Favorites	Summary fields shown on favorites/wishlist cards.

The custom layout only applies on the frontend if the master toggle Use the custom block order instead of the built-in defaults is enabled in Design & Styles → Layout Manager.

Requirements or prerequisites

Permission to manage the plugin.
For the Compare and Favorites zones, the corresponding frontend features should be enabled in Settings → Frontend Features.
For the Financing Calculator block, the calculator must be enabled in Settings → Frontend Features.

Step by step instructions

Choose a zone

Open Car Market Hub → Layout Manager.
Use the zone selector at the top to switch between the seven zones. The active zone is also reflected in the URL via the lm_zone parameter.

Add an element to the active layout

In the right column Available Elements, choose an element from the dropdown and click Add Element, or use the + button on a row.
The element appears in the Active Layout list on the left.

Reorder elements

Drag the row by its handle (≡ icon) to reorder.
The counter "X / Y enabled" updates as you toggle items.

Enable, disable or remove an element

Use the toggle in the row to disable an element without removing it (Single Vehicle, Compare and Favorites zones).
Click the − button to move an element back to Available Elements.
For the Search Filters and Car Archive Cards zones, only enabled items are kept in the active list; disabled items are returned to Available Elements automatically.

Configure fields inside a block

For configurable blocks, the row exposes a Configure fields button.
Click it to open the right-side configuration panel and toggle individual fields shown inside that block.

Configure the Car Archive Cards zone

This zone has a dedicated layout with the field manager card on top and two side-by-side cards underneath:

Archive Layout Settings — controls the grid/list presentation.
Badges & Labels — chooses which condition badges appear on cards.

Configuration reference

Archive Layout Settings (Car Archive Cards zone only)

Field	Notes
Archive grid columns	Number of cards per row: `1`, `2`, `3` or `4`.
Default sort order	`Newest`, `Lowest Price`, `Highest Price` or `Lowest Mileage`.
Vehicles per page	Positive integer.
Archive layout	`Grid`, `List`, or `Both (Grid & List)` to let visitors switch.
List excerpt length	Number of characters shown from the post excerpt in List view. `0` hides the excerpt. Range 0–500. Visible only when the layout is `List` or `Both`.

Badges & Labels (Car Archive Cards zone only)

Field	Notes
Visible badges	Toggle each of: New, Used, Sale, Top offer.

Below the visibility toggles, the card also exposes an appearance matrix. Each row is a badge (New, Used, Sale, Top) and the columns let you style that badge individually:

Column	Notes
Background colour	Fill colour of the badge.
Text colour	Colour of the badge label text.
Weight	Font weight of the badge label.
Transform	Text transform applied to the label (for example UPPERCASE).
Size (px)	Font size of the badge label in pixels.

Financing Calculator placement

The Financing Calculator block can be placed in Single Vehicle Main Content, Single Vehicle – Sidebar, or Single Vehicle – Bottom Section. The plugin enforces a single live placement:

When the calculator is active in one of the three Single Vehicle zones, it is shown as locked in the Available Elements list of the other two, with a notice indicating which zone currently owns it.
If the calculator is somehow active in more than one Single Vehicle zone, the corresponding panels show a duplicate-active warning explaining that only one instance will render on the frontend.

Operational notes

Each zone is saved into its own option, so changes in one zone do not affect the others.
The Search Filters and Car Archive Cards zones use the "active-only" model: disabling a row also removes it from the active list, which mirrors the strict on/off nature of those areas.
The other zones use a stable order that preserves disabled items in place, so you can quickly toggle them back on later.
Field-visibility settings configured inside a block (via Configure fields) are stored per view (for example compare, favorites) and are independent of the block's enabled state.
The custom layout has no effect on the frontend until the Use the custom block order toggle is enabled in Design & Styles → Layout Manager.
After saving, the page reloads with the same zone selected (via the lm_zone URL parameter) so you can continue working in context.

Troubleshooting

Changes do not show on the frontend. Confirm the master toggle in Design & Styles → Layout Manager is on and clear any frontend or CDN caches.
Archive Layout Settings are missing. Those settings only appear in the Car Archive Cards zone.
The "List excerpt length" field is hidden. It is only visible when the Archive layout is List or Both (Grid & List).
Financing Calculator appears locked. It is already active in another Single Vehicle zone. Remove it there to add it here.
Financing Calculator duplicate warning. The calculator is enabled in more than one Single Vehicle zone. Disable it in all but one zone to remove the warning and ensure consistent rendering.
Available Elements list is empty. All elements supported by this zone are already in the active layout.
A drag-and-drop reorder did not stick. Confirm you saved after dragging. Some browsers also require trusting the page for clipboard/drag operations on first use.