Snapshots let you capture your page layout so you can point and click where you want content to go, without waiting on engineering. Use them to anchor Hotspots or Product Tour steps, and to design modals, banners, and other UI in the context of the page.
This guide is about previewing and placing content on a page using Snapshots. Snapshots help you choose where content goes. URL rules ensure it only appears on the right pages. To learn more about URL targeting, see this guide.
How to Take or Update a Snapshot
Candu automatically takes a snapshot on your behalf when you create new content. You can also capture or update a snapshot manually using Candu's Chrome Extension (works for inline or overlay content), or directly from the toolbox at any time.
Taking a New Snapshot
You’ll be prompted to use the most recently captured snapshot, Take a New Snapshot, or choose from Saved Snapshots.
If you’re not ready to place it yet, you can skip this step by clicking on Start without a page and take it later from the Placements tab on the editor. Here's how:
In the Placements tab, enter the URL where you want to place content and click Grab a Snapshot.
Choose your viewport: Desktop, Tablet, or Mobile.
(Optional) Set a 5 or 10 second timer (helpful for capturing modals or slideouts).
Click Grab a Snapshot to capture the layout.
Once the snapshot is taken, click Go back to Candu to continue.
Selecting a Placement
Using Snapshot Selection
Now that the snapshot is captured, you’ll choose where the content should live:
In the Placements tab, hover over available selectors. You’ll see a green highlight on the elements Candu can target.
Click the target icon to pick the selector.
(For inline content only) Choose where to place the content:
Above existing content
Below existing content
Replace existing content
When to define selectors manually
Snapshots automatically identify selectors for you, but these auto-generated selectors may not always be stable. For more control and reliability, you can define your own selector instead.
Setting up URL Rules
After choosing your selector, configure URL rules to control where content displays. This step is critical for preventing content from appearing on unintended pages (See URL Targeting guide).
URL Rules Options:
On all pages (if the selector exists).
On specific pages with URL rules such as:
URL contains / does not contain
URL starts with / ends with
URL exactly matches
Wildcard rules
📌 Note: To update or change your Placement rules after content has been created, head to Settings > Placements > Existing Placements.
Updating or Replacing a Snapshot
In the floating bar to the right, click Placements.
Under Snapshot options at the bottom:
Retake: Create a new snapshot
Use Existing: Choose from your snapshot library
Remove: Delete the current snapshot
📌 Note: Placement changes take effect immediately. You do not need to republish content.
⚠️ Prevent Duplicate Content Issues
Many products reuse the same HTML structure across multiple pages (for example, the same .user-header selector appears on dashboard, settings, and profile pages). If you place content using a selector alone, your content will appear on every page where that selector exists.
Always use URL rules to limit placement to specific pages unless you intentionally want content everywhere that selector appears.
Need more help? Reach out to us via chat or email us at [email protected].
My snapshot is not working
First identify what failed: capture never completes, the captured page is missing the intended element, or the snapshot looks right but the live placement fails.
Capture fails: confirm the Candu Chrome Extension is installed and up to date, and that you can open the actual destination page. Check the selected workspace and record any visible error. Extension installation and the Candu SDK installation are separate checks.
The element is missing: capture the intended viewport and page state. Open the menu, modal or slideout before capture; use the documented 5- or 10-second timer when useful. A closed or not-yet-loaded element is different from an invalid selector.
The snapshot looks correct but live content fails: verify the selector on the live page and check URL rules and audience separately. Dynamic classes or conditional rendering may differ from the captured state. Retaking the snapshot alone does not establish that the placement is fixed.
Where supported, use a manual selector or the extension’s inline/overlay preview to investigate. These are not interchangeable with every tour or hotspot capture workflow. If capture keeps failing, contact support with the content link, destination page, viewport, page state, extension version and exact error, plus a recording if available. Do not include passwords or private keys.
Validate interactive transitions in your application
A snapshot captures a page state for design and targeting. A share-link review does not establish that native tabs, menus or modals will perform their live actions, or that a checklist will launch another experience correctly. Open the installed application as an eligible test user and verify each required click, the resulting page state, and the next anchor. Save and reopen snapshot selections to check that the intended association persisted.
See Build a checklist that launches contextual tours for a complete setup and live validation recipe.