Now that you've created your tour, it's time to decide how you want your tour to appear for users.
Tours can be triggered in several ways:
Tour Start Settings
Configure where the tour will start
Set the starting URL
Configure Tour Return URL
Set when the tour will be displayed
Choose between 'On page load' or other trigger methods
Configure display frequency ('Until dismissed' or other options)
Access device-specific settings (desktop, tablet, mobile) via the device icons at the top
All trigger settings can be modified later by clicking the 'edit' links next to each setting under the placements tab in the toolbox.
How do I access trigger settings?
Click the tour start settings icon in the floating tours menu at the bottom of the editor
This opens the placement tab in the editor with Tour Activation Rules
You can also access these settings under Content > Setttings > Placements
1. Triggering Tours on page load
To configure a tour to display automatically when a page loads:
Click the tour start settings icon in the floating menu at the bottom of the editor
In the Tour Activation Rules panel, you'll see 'When will it be displayed?'
Select 'On page load'
Configure how often it appears by selecting 'Until dismissed' or 'On every page load' which can be useful for debugging.
Set the URL targeting rules for where the tour should appear.
For a longer guide on using variables with URLs, see our guide on Daynmic URLs.
Click 'Update' to save your settings"
2. Triggering Tours from a URL parameter
Some single-page applications (SPAs) may "swallow" or remove URL parameters during route changes, preventing your tour from triggering.
URL parameters provide a simple way to launch tours when a user navigates to a specific URL. This approach is especially useful for:
Creating direct links to pages that automatically start a tour
Adding tour triggers to marketing emails or from help documentation
Building cross-page experiences where a button on one page launches a tour on another page
Configure the tour's display settings:
Create or edit your tour and select 'On page load' in the activation settings
Ensure the 'Trigger this content via code or another piece of Candu content' option is unchecked
Configure the URL targeting in the display settings modal
Under "Where should this appear?", add your URL, then add an additional parameter with format:
?YOURTOUR=true
Test your link by appending the proper parameters to your URL.
Create buttons or links that include your parameter:
When adding "Open URL" actions to buttons, include your parameter:
Example:
/styleguide/Typography?YOURTOUR=true
Test your implementation by:
Setting tour frequency to "On every page load"
Test loading your URL with your additional param to verify your tour launches consistently.
This method allows you to build dynamic, cross-page experiences that go beyond the limitations of same-page Candu CTAs.
Using Hash or Search Parameters to Trigger Tours
Candu also supports triggering tours using either hash fragments or search parameters in the URL. This provides additional flexibility when setting up tour triggers:
Tour Parameter Format:
Hash format:
#canduTour=[CONTENT_SLUG]Search parameter format:
?canduTour=[CONTENT_SLUG]Example:
https://steamery.candu.ai/draft#canduTour=multi-page-tours
To use this feature:
First identify your content slug by going to Content > Settings Tab
Look for the "Slug" field which contains your content's unique identifier
Construct your URL using either the hash or search parameter format shown above
Share this URL with users or implement it in your navigation system
This approach allows you to directly trigger specific tours without needing to configure additional URL parameters, streamlining the setup process for cross-page tour experiences.
Note that similar parameters are also available for other Candu content types:
Modals:
#canduModal=[CONTENT_SLUG]or?canduModal=[CONTENT_SLUG]Hotspots:
#canduHotspot=[CONTENT_SLUG]or?canduHotspot=[CONTENT_SLUG]
3. Triggering Tours on element click
To configure a tour to start when a user clicks on a specific element on the page:
Open the Tour Start Settings
Click 'Click to trigger' in the trigger options panel
When the targeting field appears, choose the element you want to set as the trigger
Optionally select 'Only trigger once' to prevent repeated triggering
Click 'Update' to save your settings
4. Triggering Tours from Candu CTAs
⚠️ The "Trigger Tour" action only works when the tour is configured to start on the same page. If you need to trigger a tour to start on a different page, use the Triggering Tours from URL Parameters method.
If you want to create an opt-in experience, e.g. a contextual help CTA that triggers a Tour or an Overlay with an option to begin a Tour:
To trigger a tour from another piece of Candu content, start by setting up your trigger tour.
Create your tour and set it up as a trigger tour
Ensure that the trigger this content via code checkbox is checked ✅
Publish your Trigger tour
Then, you'll need to set up your CTA trigger:
Go to the Candu content that will trigger the tour (like a checklist item or CTA)
Under the interactions tab in the toolbox, select the 'Trigger Tour' action
Select your target tour from the dropdown list
Publish your changes
Test out your content in the wild - the Tour should reappear whenever that CTA is clicked and begin from Step 1:
5. Triggering Tours programmatically
Once your Tour is published, you can check out our developer docs on triggering Candu Tours programmatically from JavaScript ➡️
⚠️ Known Issue: Once content has been published to the CDN, it can be called programmatically via JavaScript even if you later unpublish or archive it from the Candu editor. JavaScript-triggered tours bypass the publishing state and will continue to be accessible.
If you're using programmatic triggers, be sure to fully remove or replace unwanted triggers rather than simply unpublishing content to ensure users don't see outdated tours.