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Reuse content with components

This tutorial walks you through creating a reusable content block and referencing it from multiple Create and manage topics. You will also see how updating the source updates every reference instantly.

What you will build

A "Support contact" How component reuse works used across 3 topics. When you update the support email in the component, all 3 topics reflect the change without manual editing.

Before you begin

This feature requires the Enterprise capability tier (the Business ). During the beta, every project is on the free Solo tier, so this feature is locked by default: go to Settings ▸ Billing and request Enterprise access to unlock it.

Create a component

  1. Go to Components in the sidebar.

  2. Click New Component.

  3. Name it "Support Contact."

  4. In the editor, write: "Need help? Contact our support team at support@acme.com or visit the help portal."

  5. The component saves automatically.

Components use the same editor as topics: you can add formatting, lists, tables, or Add callouts inside a component.

Choose component names that describe the content's purpose, not its location. "Support Contact" works in any topic, while "Footer Block" implies a specific placement and limits mental reuse.

Reference the component from a topic

  1. Go to Topics and open any existing topic (or create a new one called "Getting Help").

  2. Place your cursor where you want the support contact to appear.

  3. Type / and select Component from the slash menu.

  4. In the picker dialog, search for "Support Contact" and select it.

A Insert component references block appears in your topic. It displays the component's content inside a dashed border, with a header bar showing the component name, a clear signal that it is a reference, not local content.

Add the reference to more topics

  1. Open a second topic and insert the same "Support Contact" component using the / menu.

  2. Do the same in a third topic.

All 3 topics now show the same support contact block.

There is no limit to how many topics can reference the same component. High-reuse components (used in 10+ topics) are common for elements like disclaimers, contact blocks, and authentication prerequisites.

Update the source

  1. Go back to Components and open "Support Contact."

  2. Change the email to "help@acme.com" and add a phone number.

  3. Wait for the auto-save.

  4. Open any of the 3 topics that reference this component.

The updated content appears immediately. Every topic referencing this component reflects the change, with no manual updates needed.

This is the core value of single-source authoring. Without components, changing that email would require manually updating 3 topics, and in a real project, you might have dozens of references to update. Components make this a one-edit operation.

Save a selection as a component

There is a faster way to Create reusable components from existing content:

  1. Open a topic and write a paragraph you want to reuse, for example, a standard disclaimer.

  2. Select the paragraph text.

  3. In the floating toolbar that appears, click the Puzzle icon (Save as Component).

  4. Name the component "Legal Disclaimer."

The selected text is extracted into a new component, and the original location is replaced with a reference to it.

Check component health

  1. Go to the Components page.

  2. At the top, review the filter cards. Each shows a count and filters the list when clicked:

    • All: every component in the project

    • Used: components referenced by at least one topic

    • Orphan: components with zero references

  3. The References column shows how many topics use each component. Components with no references show a red Orphan badge. These are candidates for cleanup or reuse. See Find and fix orphaned components for more on managing these.

What you learned

  • Components are reusable content fragments: write once, reference everywhere

  • Insert a component reference with the / menu or toolbar button

  • Update a component's source and all references update instantly

  • Save any selection as a component directly from the editor

  • The Components page tracks reuse statistics and flags orphaned components

Next, see Publish for multiple audiences to learn how Create conditional content blocks and Create variable sets let you publish different variants from a single source.

See also

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