Getting Started in the UI

In this section..

Learn about key screens in the user interface

  • Sites - a list of all your websites, showing which ad configuration is currently live
  • Revisions - a list of all revisions for a specific website, showing their deployment status
  • Edit Revision - edit your ad configuration
    • Setup Options - choose which modules to enable
    • Account Information - set your GAM Network ID
    • Ad Configuration - configure your ad slots

When you login to the user interface, you will be greeted with the Sites screen

Sites

All of your websites are listed on the Sites screen. From this screen, you can create a new site, search for a specific site, and see which revision is currently deployed.

  • Click on the name of a site to see Revisions
image
đź’ˇ
If your account is brand new, the first step is to Create a Site

Revisions

The Revisions screen shows every version of your ad configuration and which version is currently deployed. HTL BID is a version control system. A Revision is a snapshot of your ad configuration at certain point in time. Every time you edit your configuration, a new Revision is created.

Revisions allow you to review past changes, rollback to a specific code version, and perform A/B testing. Once you have been using the system for a few months, it is normal to have dozens or even hundreds of revisions.

đź’ˇ
If your site is brand new, you will see a single revision labeled “WIP” (Work in Progress). As you continue to make changes to your configuration, each edit will appear as a separate “revision” on this screen.
image

Click the Revision Number

To see a detailed view of that specific version and make edits to your ad configuration. Only the most recent version can be edited. Old versions are read-only, but you can edit them by pressing the “copy” button.

Build Status

The build status indicates whether the configuration was compiled successfully and ready for deployment. You may see the following statuses:

image

WIP - indicates a “work in progress” which contains the latest changes, but has not yet been compiled

Pending - means this build has not started yet

Running - means this build is currently being compiled

Success - means this build was successful and is ready to deploy

Failed - means an error occurred with this build

Deployment Status

The deployment status indicates which build is currently live on your website. You may see the following statuses:

image

Deployed - means this version is currently deployed to both production and staging

In Production - means this version is deployed to production (only)

In Staging - means this version is deployed to staging (only)

Deploy - press to deploy this version

Deploying - means this version is currently being deployed

Edit Revision

Click on the Revision Number to reach the Edit Revision screen. This screen is where you will spend most of your time. Here you can modify your ad configuration by defining your ad slots, and enabling/disabling modules.

image

The following tabs require your input. All other tabs are optional and depend on which modules you have chosen to enable.

  • Setup Options
  • Account Information
  • Ad Configuration

When you are finished modifying your ad configuration, click one of the save buttons.

  • Save - to save current work in progress
  • Save & Build - to finalize this configuration for deployment

Setup Options

On this screen, choose which modules to enable. If a module requires additional configuration, a yellow icon will appear in the sidebar. Navigate to the that module and input the additional configuration parameters. Modules are categorized as Ads and Site Configuration, Header Bidding, Monetization, Analytics, Identity, Monitoring & Blocking.

image

Account Information

In the sidebar, navigate to Account Information > Client Settings

image

Required:

Other fields on this screen are optional.

  • GAM API Email - allows use of the line item generator
  • AMS Global Var - allows renaming the javascript library itself

Ad Configuration

On this screen, configure the ad slots that will appear on your website. Properties on this screen are be set in the UI, but can be overwritten using javascript if you require a dynamic configuration.

image

Each ad slot has the following key properties:

Slot Name - a unique name for this slot

CSS Selector - used in the Code Package to place this ad on your webpage

Ad Unit - the GAM Ad Unit associated with this slot

Size Mapping - the ad sizes to render for this slot, with an option to render different sized ads depending on the screen size

Header Bidding IDs - option to enable header bidding and assign IDs to this slot

Additional slot features described later in this guide include: Cumulative Layout Shift, Slot-level Key-Value Targeting, Lazy-Loading, Ad Refresh, Sticky Ads, Interstitial/Out-of-page ads.

Next Steps

You’ve seen the primary screens in the UI that you need to get started

  • Sites - a list of all your websites, showing which ad configuration is currently live
  • Revisions - a list of all revisions for a specific website, showing their deployment status
  • Edit Revision - edit your ad configuration
    • Setup Options - choose which modules to enable
    • Account Information - set your GAM Network ID
    • Ad Configuration - configure your ad slots

The next step is to define your ad map.