---
title: "Custom view"
description: "How to create a custom view in TinyMCE."
canonical_url: "https://www.tiny.cloud/docs/tinymce/latest/custom-view/"
md_url: "https://www.tiny.cloud/docs/tinymce/7/custom-view/index.md"
version: "7"
last_updated: "2024-03-07T10:11:47Z"
tokens: 1003
---
Important This page documents TinyMCE 7. For new projects, Tiny recommends using the latest, most up-to-date version. [See TinyMCE 8 documentation](../../latest/custom-view/).
# Custom view

TinyMCE allows developers to create custom views and attach them to the main editor view. This feature enables the creation of additional UI components that can be toggled on or off. When toggled on, the custom view replaces the editor, providing a distinct visual space for specialized functionality.

> **Note:** This feature is only supported when TinyMCE is run in *classic* mode. It is not supported in *inline* mode. For more information on the differences between the editing modes, see [Classic editing mode](../use-tinymce-classic/).

## Editor View API

The `addView` API in the editor’s UI registry allows developers to register new view containers. These containers are initially hidden (off) and attached next to the main view. The visibility of these custom views can be toggled using the `ToggleView` command. The state of the custom view can be queried using the `queryCommandValue` method.

This is the syntax for the `addView` function: `editor.ui.registry.addView(name: String, obj: View.ViewSpec)`

### Parameters

| Parameter | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `name` | `String` | The `name` parameter is a unique identifier for the new view. |
| `obj` | `View.ViewSpec` | The `obj` parameter is the view specification object. |

### View Specification Object

| Property | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `buttons` | `Array` | The `buttons` property specifies an array of buttons to be displayed in the top right corner of the view. |
| `onShow` | `Function` | The `onShow` property specifies a function to be called when the view is displayed. It receives an API object. |
| `onHide` | `Function` | The `onHide` property specifies a function to be called when the view is hidden. It receives an API object. |

### Toggling the Custom View

To toggle the custom view, you can use the `ToggleView` command. Here is an example of how to use it:

```js
// Assuming 'myCustomView' is the name of your custom view
editor.execCommand('ToggleView', false, 'myCustomView');
```

### Querying the State of the Custom View

To query the state of the custom view (whether it is currently visible or hidden), you can use the `queryCommandValue` method:

```js
// Assuming 'myCustomView' is the name of your custom view
editor.queryCommandValue('ToggleView') == 'myCustomView';
```

## Interactive example

This example shows how to integrate a custom view using the `addView` API.

**Example**

```js
tinymce.init({
  selector: "textarea#custom-view",
  toolbar: "showCodeView",
  height: 600,
  setup: (ed) => {
    ed.ui.registry.addView('code', {
      buttons: [
        {
          type: 'button',
          text: 'Cancel',
          buttonType: 'secondary',
          onAction: () => {
            ed.execCommand('ToggleView', false, 'code');
            console.log('close');
          }
        },
        {
          type: 'button',
          text: 'Save code',
          buttonType: 'primary',
          onAction: () => {
            const codeContent = document.querySelector('.tox-view__pane_panel').value;
            ed.setContent(codeContent);
            ed.execCommand('ToggleView', false, 'code');
            console.log('save');
          }
        },
      ],
      onShow: (api) => {
        const editorContent = ed.getContent();
        api.getContainer().innerHTML = `
          <div style="height: 100%">
            <textarea class="tox-view__pane_panel" style="width: 100%; height: 100%; resize: none; padding: 0.5em">
              ${editorContent}
            </textarea>
          </div>`.replace(/\s+/g, '');
      },
      onHide: (api) => {
        console.log('Deactivate code', api.getContainer());
      }
    });

    ed.ui.registry.addButton('showCodeView', {
      icon: 'sourcecode',
      text: 'Show Code View',
      onAction: (_api) => {
        console.log('source code editor');
        ed.execCommand('ToggleView', false, 'code');
      }
    });
  },
  content_style: 'body { font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size:16px }'
});
```