When creating an Episode in Cuez you will use Parts, Items and Blocks to build and structure your Script and Rundown. Cuez lets you start with a set of default building elements, but you can also custom create your own, so you can make your Episode look how you want or need.

In this article you can find out all the basics you need to know about Parts, Items and Blocks, after which you can continue with more details below.

As mentioned in the What are Parts, Items and Blocks? article, organising the content in your Episode will be done by using Parts to create the main structure of your Episode, followed by Items one level below, and finally Blocks that are created inside of Items.

For all content in your Episode, in both the Script and Rundown view, you can hover over the content with your mouse cursor to show a '+' button (1) as well as a button consisting of six dots (2).

The '+' button (1) allows you to add new content to your Episode, adding the selected content below the one where you used the '+'. From the menu that appears, select whether you want to add a new Part or Item (3), or if you want to add a Text or Cue Block (4).

More on Blocks and Block configurations further on in this article.

The six dots button (2) allows you to grab the content and drag it to another position in your Script or Rundown. When grabbing a Part, Item or Block and dragging it, a blue line will appear to help you move the content to a new position. Simply drag & drop your content to its new position.

When dragging a Part in the Rundown view, all Parts will automatically collapse to make the Rundown more compact, making it easier to drag your Part to a new position.
When dragging an Item, this works the same way, automatically collapsing all Items to make it easier to drag your Item to a new position.

Once you have at least one Part and one Item in your Episode, you can then add Blocks for your presenter text, clips, graphics, and more.

In case you haven't yet, make sure to read this article to understand the basics about Blocks, after which you can continue with more details below.

Adding Blocks to your Episode can be done in two ways, both lead to the same menu.

Cuez let's you start with a set of default Blocks, such as:

(The default Blocks available depend on the template selected when creating a Project)

'Prompter' and 'Presenter Tablet' are so called 'Text Blocks', or 'Block configurations', which give you a way to add your (Script) text to the Episode. 'Text Blocks' don't have a title or media, only a text area.

In addition to the default Text Blocks, you can create your own custom ones, such as one for each of your presenters, for example, so it is clearly visible which text is for which presenter. You could also add a Live or a Voiceover Text Block, or any kind of Text Block you need to organise your Episode.

In the 'Add block' menu, Text Blocks can be recognised by the 'T' in front of them.

In the Script, the Text Blocks have a coloured line in front of them.

Text Blocks are not shown in the Rundown.

'Clip', 'Graphic', 'Audio' and 'Strap' (a.k.a. Lower Third) are 'Cue Blocks', or Block configurations, which allow you to add different types of media and other cues to your Episode (VT's, graphics, straps, wipes, bugs,...).

Cue Blocks can have different combinations of fields, which you can configure.

In addition to the default Cue Blocks, you can create your own custom ones for different types of Straps, a Cue Block for prerecorded segments, and any other kind of Cue Block you need to organise your Episode.
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In the 'Add block' menu, Cue Blocks can be recognised by the 'CUE' in front of them.

In the Script, as well as the Rundown, the Cue Blocks have a coloured background.

Once Blocks have been added to the Episode, content can be added to them. Whether it is text, media or a label selection, adding content is easy and can be done in a couple of ways.

When viewing your Episode in either the Script, Rundown or both side-by-side layout, you can immediately click inside of a Block field and type your content as needed. In a similar way, labels can be selected and media can be added from the Block itself.

Depending on the Block's configuration, opening the Block's detail panel might be more helpful. To open this detail panel, either double-click in the white space to the side of the Block you want to edit, or click the six dots in front of the Block and select 'Open details'.

The panel will open on the side, clearly showing you the separate fields available in this Block, making it easy to add your content.

From the menu with the three vertical dots in the top left corner, select 'Manage Block configurations' to open the manager window. (This option is available to Project Admins only.)

At the top you will see 'Active' and 'Archived' tabs, allowing you to check the actively available Block configurations, as well as the ones that may have been archived for your Project.

From this window you can also create new Block configurations, as well as edit, duplicate or archive existing ones.

The 'Active' tab contains all Block configurations that you can actively use to build your Episode. Here you will find the Blocks that Cuez comes with by default, as well as the configurations that you may have custom created.

Active Block configurations can be changed in order by dragging them, which can be handy to put the most often used types near the top.

From here you can also edit the Block configurations (more info below) and you can duplicate an existing configuration to use as the base to create a variation on it.

Besides the available 'Text' and 'Cue Blocks' visible in the 'Add block' menu or the 'Active' tab in the Block configurations manager, your Project can also have archived Block configurations. These are Block configurations that you (your team) decided to not actively use anymore.

Active Blocks can be archived from the 'Active' tab using the actions menu at the back.

Archived Blocks can be unarchived from the 'Archived' tab via the actions menu at the back.

If you are an 'Admin' for your Cuez Project, you can create your own Block configurations or edit existing ones so that you can customize the project to your needs.

Below is a brief overview of which fields are available when creating or editing a Block configuration. For a more detailed look at how to create or edit Block configurations, as well as the different options for all the available field types, check out the dedicated article.