Reuse content with components

By the end of this tutorial, you'll create a reusable content block, reference it from multiple Create and manage topics, and see how updating the source updates every reference instantly.

What you'll build #

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

Before you begin #

• Complete the Create your first help site in 10 minutes tutorial or have a project with at least three existing Create and manage topics

• Familiarity with the editor and Editor slash commands

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.

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 inline with a subtle border indicating it's 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 three topics now show the same support contact block.

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 three topics that reference this component.

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

Save a selection as a component #

There's 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 reuse statistics:

   • Reuse rate — percentage of components that have at least one reference

   • Total references — the number of times components are used across all topics

   • Orphans — components with zero references

3. Components with no references show an amber 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: 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 #

• How component reuse works — the conceptual model behind live references and impact awareness

• Structuring content for reuse — planning strategies for making content reuse-friendly

• Publish for multiple audiences — the next step after reuse: publishing variants for different audiences

• Classify content with tags — organize components and topics with tags for easier discovery