The Group Finder Widget is used in tandem with the Group Details Widget. Use both to help people find the group that works for them. See the Quick Start Guide to get the Group Finder Widget up and running ASAP.

Quick Start

Ready to get started? See the Quick Start Guide to get both Widgets up and running.

If the shared script hasn't been added to your website, add it to your desired webpage. Be sure to replace "{your platform domain}" in the following code with your church's base MP URL.

<script id="MPWidgets" src="https://{your platform domain}/widgets/dist/MPWidgets.js"></script>

Create a webpage on your website that will display your Group Finder Widget or identify the page on your website where it will be displayed.

Add the Group Finder Widget to your church website by placing this snippet of code in the body of your chosen webpage, modifying the required attributes discussed below.

<mpp-group-finder
     targeturl="/group-details">
</mpp-group-finder>

Widget Configuration

Required attributes must be included for the widget to function.

• Target Url: The target Url determines the navigation path to Group Details and is required. When a specific Group is selected, the ID is appended to this path.
  • Attribute: targeturl
  • Valid Values: relative or fully qualified URL

targeturl="https://ministyplatform.com/group-details"

targeturl="group-details"

Recommended URLs

The easiest way to set up interaction between the finder and detail Widgets is to use querystring parameters to identify Groups. To use this method, specify a target Url (with or without a trailing slash). The Group Finder Widget will then append a querystring and Group ID to the target Url. For example, for the targeturl "/group-details" the link to Group 25 would look like this: 

https://ministryplatform.com/group-details?id=25

Advanced Routing Options

If you prefer to use more advanced routing, you can use URLs like the one shown below. This may be an option if the querystring method does not integrate well with your CMS. If you choose to go this route:

• Define a route in your website to support the id
• Use a target URL with or without a trailing slash

For example, for the targeturl "/group-details/" the link to Group 25 would look like this: 

https://ministryplatform.com/group-details/25

Optional attributes may also be defined to expand or restrict Widget behavior.

• Count Group Inquiries: Allows Group Inquiries to be counted towards the Group's Target Size. The Default is false.
  • Attribute: countgroupinquiries
  • Valid Values: True or False (or empty)

countgroupinquiries="true"

• Show Full Groups: Allows Groups that are full to be displayed. A Group is considered full when the Target Size is met or Group is Full is set to "True." When full Groups are displayed they are marked with a badge. The default is False.
  • Attribute: showfullgroups
  • Valid Values: True or False (or empty)

showfullgroups="true"

• Show Future Groups: Determines whether Groups with a future Start Date will be displayed. Default is True.
  • Attribute: showfuturegroups
  • Valid Values: True (or empty) or False

showfuturegroups="true"

• Show Suggest A Group Button: Determines whether authenticated users can see the Suggest a Group button and submit their suggestion information for a new group. Default is False.
  • Attribute: showsuggestagroupbutton
  • Valid Values: True (or empty) or False

showsuggestagroupbutton="true"

All attributes must be included before the opening Widget tag is closed. Attributes may be listed in any order and should be separated by a space (or other whitespace). Each attribute's value should be wrapped in quote marks.

<mpp-group-finder
     targeturl="/group-details"
     countgroupinquiries="true"
     showfullgroups="true"
     showsuggestagroupbutton="true"></mpp-group-finder>

Platform Configuration

• Ensure appropriate Campuses display in the filter drop-down. Navigate to Church Structure > Congregations then open desired Congregations, and set Available Online to "Yes".
• Ensure each Group Type has the desired Default Role configured. This Role is used for each Group Participant record created by the Widget. Navigate to Lookup Values > Group Types, then open desired Group Type, and select a Default Role. 
• Group Focuses can identify the subject/focus that each Group has (for example, missions, community-oriented, or book study). If desired, add Group Focuses by navigating to Lookup Values > Group Focuses, and create new Records. 
• Life Stages can identify the various age/life season that each Group caters to (for example, college-age, young families, or empty-nesters). If desired, add Life Stages by navigating to Lookup Values > Life Stages, and create new Records. 
• Note: The Default Processes are included but configured as off during the initial MinistryPlatform installation. A SPoC can turn these on (or create new Processes): 
  • Group Finder Sign-Up: A 2-step Process that can notify the Group's Primary Contact via email and assign a follow-up task. 
  • Group Inquiry Follow-Up: A 3-step Process that can notify the Group's Primary Contact along with the Primary Contact of the Group's Congregation via email and then assign a follow-up task.
  • Group Suggested: A 2-step Process that can notify a specified individual via email and then get their approval for the new group that was suggested. You can adjust this process for your church's needs.
    

Attach a compelling image to the Group record so it displays in the widget. If there is no image, a stock image displays. The following file formats are supported by browsers and the Platform: bmp, gif, jpg, and png. The widget software crops and focuses on the center of the image according to an ideal ratio of 59/32. The finder images are 800 x 433 intrinsically but resized to fit at 295 x 160. We do not recommend using images with a transparent background; this results in a gray background in the widget.

Group Configuration

Groups display in the Group Finder when they meet the following criteria: 

• Today's date is before the End Date, or the End Date is undefined. 
• Available Online is set to "Yes".
• Group belongs to a Group Type where Show on Group Finder is set to "Yes".
• Group is Full is set to "No" unless Groups that are full have been configured to display, which then show a "Full" banner in the upper left-hand corner of the group card. Sign up will not be available. 
• Target Size (if defined) has not been reached. Group Participants always count toward Target Size, Group Inquiries can be configured to also count by setting countgroupinquiries=true. Note: If countgroupinquiries is set to true, Pending group inquiries (null or undefined) will be counted toward the Target Size. Pending group inquiries will not be included when calculating whether the Target Size has been reached.
• If "Meets Online" is set to "True," cards in the Group Finder are identified by a badge in the upper left-hand corner and Group Details page will have a "Meets Online" indicator tag. The Group Finder may also be filtered for Groups that meet this criteria. (Optional)
• Want to exclude an entire Group Type from the Group Finder (for example, Parent Groups)? Set "Show on Group Finder" to False on the Group Type record.
  

Customization

All Widgets are customizable, so change the button color and update the labels to match YOUR church!

CSS: Every Widget accepts the Custom CSS attribute. Include it before the opening Widget tag is closed to customize your Widgets.

Application Labels: Does your church refer to Communities instead of Neighborhoods? Do you have Sites instead of Campuses? No problem! You can change that by navigating to System Setup > Application Labels. (Note that churches are responsible for all translations if the default is not used.)

• mpp-group-finder.parentGroupLabel - Label that appears on the sign-up button. Default is "Neighborhood".
• mpp-group-finder.congregationPlaceHolderText - Congregation label. The default is "Any Campus".
• mpp-group-finder.parentGroupPlaceHolderText - Parent Group Neighborhood label. The default is "All Neighborhoods".