Every design setting is also editable in the WordPress Customizer, under Appearance then Customize then MLSImport Design. It is the same settings, the same values and the same storage as the MLS Import Design Settings screen, with a live preview of your site next to them.
Use whichever you prefer. Nothing is exclusive to one surface.
Before you start
The panel only appears in standalone mode. On the four supported themes the theme owns the front end look, so there is nothing for the plugin to expose there.
Editing with the preview
- Open Appearance then Customize.
- Click MLSImport Design.
- Pick a section, for example Colors or Maps.
- In the preview pane, navigate to a page that shows what you are editing, such as a property page or a search results page.
- Change a setting and watch the preview.
- Click Publish.
Expected result: the setting is live on the site, and the same value now shows on the Design Settings screen.
How the preview updates
Colour settings preview instantly as you drag the picker, with no reload. Every other setting reloads the preview pane once you stop typing, which takes a second or two on a busy page.
That difference is deliberate. A colour is a style token that can be swapped in the browser, while a page size or a section order changes what the server renders.
The preview shows whatever page is loaded in it, so navigate there first. Changing Similar listings per row while the preview sits on your home page shows you nothing, because the home page has no similar listings section.
How the panel is laid out
MLSImport Design holds one section per tab of the settings screen: General, Category page filters, Social and Contact, Maps, Property Card, Agent and Colors.
Property Page is the exception. It has six sub screens of its own, so the Customizer gives it a separate panel sitting directly below MLSImport Design, and you drill into General, Property Page Layout, MLS Attribution, Tour Details, Overview and Similar Listings from there, using the back arrow to come out.
The drag and drop arrangers for the property sections, the Overview tiles, the agent sections and the archive filters all work in the Customizer exactly as they do on the settings page.
Two editors, one set of values
Both surfaces write the same stored option. A value changed in the Customizer is the value the settings screen shows the next time you open it, and the other way round.
The one thing to be careful about is having both open at once in separate browser tabs. Whichever you save last wins, and the other tab has no way to know its copy went stale.
Customizer changes are not live until you click Publish, while the settings screen writes on Save changes. Closing the Customizer without publishing discards the edits, which makes it the safer place to experiment.
Frequently asked questions
Why do some settings not preview instantly?
Only colours can be swapped in the browser. Everything else changes the markup the server produces, so the preview has to reload to show it. The reload is automatic and needs no action from you.
Can I use the Customizer to change my theme’s own settings at the same time?
Yes. The MLSImport panel sits alongside your theme’s panels and does not interfere with them. Publishing saves both.
The Customizer preview shows my property page unstyled. Why?
The plugin’s stylesheets load only on pages that render its content. If the preview is on a page with no listings, there is nothing to style. Navigate the preview to a real property page.
I do not see the MLSImport Design panel at all.
Standalone mode is not active. Open MLS Import Settings, set Your WordPress Theme to Standalone (any theme), save, and the panel appears.
Related
- The Design Settings page
- Standalone mode: run MLSImport on any theme
- Arranging the single property page
- Property card styles V1, V2 and V3
Send us the setting that will not preview and we will check it on your install.