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Popup in da hoot!

HootBox

The smart popup element for YOOtheme Pro. Place any content, then decide when it appears, how often, and who sees it.

Ten placements, six triggers, a schedule and per visitor frequency, on Joomla and WordPress. Everything on this page is live: the examples below are real smart popups on this page, not screenshots.

Ten ways to place it

A popup does not have to be a box in the middle of the screen. Pick the placement that fits the message: a centred dialog when you need an answer, a bar for an announcement, a corner panel for a quiet hint, a side panel for a form or a menu, full screen for a welcome mat. Every placement uses the card styles of your theme, so it matches the rest of the site without extra CSS.

Layouts

One header, six moods

Each popup can open with an alert header: an icon, a title, a short message and up to two buttons. Choose the tone and HootBox picks the colour and a matching icon, or pick your own icon from the list, or upload your own image. Everything under the header is yours to fill with builder elements.

Alert header

Anything you can build, in a popup

The popup is a container in the builder. Drop in whatever you need: text, an image, a video, a gallery, a form from your form component, a module, or dynamic content from your own data. The alert header is optional; switch it off and the popup is nothing but your own layout.

Content

Six ways to open it

A smart popup is mostly about timing. HootBox opens on page load after a delay you set, at a scroll depth, when a chosen element comes into view, on exit intent, after a period of inactivity, or on a click on any link or button you point at. Combine as many as you like; the first one that happens wins.

Two of them are running on this page right now. Scroll past the middle of the page and a corner panel appears. Move your mouse up towards the address bar and an exit popup shows up. Both only once per visit.

Triggers

Set it now, forget it later

Give a popup a start and an end date and it takes care of itself. Add weekdays and a daily time window and it only shows during opening hours, or only on the weekend. The Christmas banner disappears on the twenty sixth without anyone logging in.

Schedule

How often, and for how long

Nothing turns a visitor away faster than the same box on every page. Choose every page load, once per browser session, once per visitor, or again after a number of minutes, hours or days. Set a maximum number of views, decide whether a view counts when the popup opens, when it closes or only after a button click, and add a do not show again checkbox for the people who mean it. You decide how long that lasts: the browser session, a number of days or a year.

All of that is stored in the browser of the visitor: no cookies and nothing sent to our servers. NOTICE.txt in the download has a paragraph you can copy into your privacy statement.

Behaviour

New

Bring it back, or take the next step

A closed popup does not have to be gone. Switch on the teaser and a small tab stays in a corner. One click opens the popup again, also on the next pages, for as long as the frequency keeps it away. A visitor who ticks do not show again does not get the tab.

A button can also open a second HootBox. Ask a short question first, and show the form only to the people who say yes.

How to set it up. Teaser: tab Layout, group Teaser, switch it on and type the text for the tab. Two steps: give the second popup a Popup ID, then set the button of the first one to Open another HootBox and fill in that ID.

After the close

New

One at a time

Two popups that want to open at the same moment do not land on top of each other. The second one waits until the first is closed, and when both are ready, the priority you set decides which goes first. The same goes for a cookie banner: the automatic triggers wait until the visitor has answered it.

How to set it up: tab Display, group Closing and stacking. One at a time is on by default; give the popup that should win a higher Priority.

Queue

New

Video that stops when you close it

A video in a popup that is still closed costs your visitors nothing: the player loads only when the popup opens. Close it and the sound stops with it.

How to set it up: nothing to switch on. Put a Video element with a YouTube or Vimeo link in the popup, or an HTML element with an embed, and HootBox handles the loading and the pause.

Media

Only where it belongs

Show a popup to guests only, or to logged in users only. Limit it to phones or to desktops, and give phones a different placement so a modal becomes a bottom bar. Match the language of the page, an address that carries a campaign parameter, or a visitor who arrived from a particular site. Everything the visitor does not fit is simply never rendered.

Targeting

Popups that do not cost you rankings

Google penalises pages that cover their content with a dialog right after a visitor arrives from a search result on a phone. HootBox is built around that rule. The delay on the page load trigger starts at a value that keeps you on the safe side, phones can be given a bottom bar instead of a blocking modal, and the close button is a proper tap target from the first second.

The same care goes into the parts you cannot see. A blocking popup is a real dialog: focus moves into it, stays inside while it is open and returns to the button that opened it. Escape closes it, the close button meets the minimum tap size, status is never carried by colour alone, and a visitor who asked their system for less motion gets no animation at all.

Google safe

Frequently asked questions

No. HootBox is a builder element. You drop it into a section, fill the alert header or build your own layout inside it, and set the triggers and the schedule in the element settings. Every field has its own explanation next to it.

Only if you build it badly. Google penalises dialogs that cover the content of a page right after a visitor arrives from a search result on a phone. The defaults in HootBox steer you away from that: a delay on the page load trigger, a bottom bar instead of a modal on phones, and a close button that is visible and large enough from the start.

Yes. There is a close button, the Escape key works, and a click outside the popup closes it. You can switch the last two off for a dialog that really needs an answer, but the close button and the keyboard route stay.

In the browser of the visitor: no cookies and nothing sent to our servers. NOTICE.txt in the download has a paragraph for your privacy statement. Change the Popup ID and everyone sees it again, which is exactly what you want for a new campaign.

Yes. The same element, the same settings and the same behaviour on Joomla and on WordPress, as long as YOOtheme Pro is running. Joomla and WordPress each have their own edition and licence key.

No settings match your search.

HootBox YOOtheme Pro

This manual documents HootBox YOOtheme Pro, version 1.0.1.

The smart popup element for YOOtheme Pro. Place any content, then decide when it appears, how often, and who sees it.

What's new

1.0.1 (2026-11-02)

Fixed
  • Joomla: your licence key now works in either place you enter it, in the HootBox settings or as Download Key under System, Update Sites. A key that only sits under Update Sites used to give you updates while the licence panel said Not activated, with no daily check and no notice when the subscription ended. The plugin now activates that key by itself the next time you open the administrator. If the key is not accepted, the licence panel says why. A key you activated in the panel always wins.
  • Joomla: the help of the licence field mentions Update Sites, in all six languages.
  • WordPress: the plugin list shows the switch for automatic updates also when HootBox is up to date. Until now it only appeared while an update was waiting.

1.0.0 (2026-10-25)

Added
  • First stable release. HootBox has been in public beta since 0.9.0 (5 September 2026) and is now feature complete for 1.0: ten placements with the card styles of your theme, an optional alert header with two buttons, your own builder content inside the popup, six triggers, a period, weekdays and a daily window, frequency per visitor with a do not show again checkbox, a teaser that brings a closed popup back, a button that opens a second HootBox, a queue so popups never stack, waiting for the cookie banner, page rules, phone layouts, and a settings panel in six languages. The same element and the same settings on Joomla 5 and 6 and on WordPress 6.5 and later.
Fixed
  • A close button set to outside the card only sits above the card when the popup has an overlay and room above it. Without an overlay it showed a white X on a white page, and on a top bar or a top corner it fell above the screen; it now stays inside the card there.
  • The keyboard focus ring on buttons and the close button is now white with a dark edge, so it shows on every background. On a primary button in a white card it was invisible.
  • Licence panel: a screen reader now hears why an activation failed, and the keyboard focus stays on the button you pressed.
  • Licence panel: Deactivate without a stored key no longer reports an error.
  • Joomla: activating and deactivating the licence needs permission to edit plugins, not only to see the plugin list.
Changed
  • When a different licence key is activated and the previous one cannot be released, the panel now says so.
  • The help of Close button position says when the X really sits outside the popup, in all six languages.
  • From this release on, version numbers follow semantic versioning strictly: a minor release adds features, a patch release only fixes.

0.9.26 (2026-10-25)

Changed
  • A new popup now waits 5 seconds after the page loads instead of 3. Popups you already placed keep the delay they have.
  • Activating a different licence key on a site that already has one now activates the new key first and only then releases the old activation. A typo in the new key no longer costs the site its working activation.
  • Clearer help in the settings panel for Duration, Layout, Width, Style, Frequency, On phones, Priority, Escape key, In the editor, Show from, Weekdays and Daily from, in all six languages.
  • The README describes the four tabs of the settings panel and all five events that HootBox passes to Google Tag Manager.

0.9.25 (2026-10-25)

Security
  • The message of a popup no longer accepts form fields (form, input, button and the like). A message that comes from a field an author fills in can no longer show a fake form. Put a real form in the popup as a builder element.
  • WordPress: the licence key sent with the update download is never passed on to a redirect.
Changed
  • Requirements now say YOOtheme Pro 5.0 or later; that is the version HootBox is tested with.
  • WordPress: tested up to WordPress 7.1.

0.9.24 (2026-10-25)

Security
  • Button links: a link with a hidden tab or line break inside "javascript:" is now blocked like any other script link. Before, such a link could get through when a button link came from a field that authors fill in (dynamic content).
  • Custom CSS of a popup: a < can no longer end the style block, an @import can no longer slip back in, and CSS with an extra } is not used. The builder says when that happens.
  • The licence settings only receive the fields they show, not the whole answer of the licence server.

Plugin settings

Basic

yc_state #

Where to find it Plugin settings › Basic › yc_state

This setting has no help text in the plugin.

Type
ychootboxstatus
Default
Not set
About HootBox adds a popup element to the YOOtheme Pro builder. No configuration needed here; add a HootBox to any page in the builder.

Licence

Licence key #

Where to find it Plugin settings › Licence › Licence key

Enter the key from your YOOzeCase account and press Activate. The key ties this site to your subscription and keeps updates coming. Deactivate frees the slot so you can use the key on another site. You can also enter the key as Download Key under System, Update Sites; the plugin then activates it by itself.

Type
ychootboxlicense
Default
Not set

HootBox

Content

content #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Content › content

This setting has no help text in the plugin.

Type
builder-fragment
Default
Not set
Popup content #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Content › Popup content

The popup content is a sublayout, built with ordinary builder elements. Under Builder at the top of this tab, click New Layout: that puts a row in the popup. Click the + in the row to add any element: text, images, forms, buttons, video. Library offers ready-made layouts. Everything you add shows up inside the popup in the preview. The alert header (below) is the optional coloured strip above that content. Use Preview as popup to see the result as visitors will.

Type
note
Default
Not set

Advanced

In the editor #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Advanced › In the editor

Inline in the editor, popup on the site is the default: the popup sits inline while you edit and is a real popup on the live site. The Preview as popup button above the inline popup opens it the way visitors see it. Choose Always inline to style it on a test page, and switch back before the page goes live. Always popup shows it as a real popup in the editor too, so you see the overlay and the animation while you work; a preview never counts as a view.

Type
select
Default
Inline in the editor, popup on the site
Options
  • Inline in the editor, popup on the site auto
  • Always inline inline
  • Always popup popup
custom_css #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Advanced › custom_css

Custom CSS for this popup only. Selectors are scoped automatically. Start a rule with & to target the popup box itself, for example & { border: 2px solid gold; }.

Type
textarea
Default
Not set

HootBox

Popup ID #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Popup ID

A short name for this popup, for example summer-sale. Used to remember that a visitor closed it, and to open it from a link: href="#hb-summer-sale". Change the ID to show the popup again to everyone. Each popup on a page needs its own ID: when you duplicate a HootBox, change the ID of the copy.

Type
text
Default
Not set
Alert header #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Alert header

The alert header is the coloured strip at the top of the popup, with an icon, a title and a short message. Switch it off for a popup you fill entirely with your own builder elements (added under Builder at the top of this tab). On by default, because it gives most popups their heading and their colour.

Type
checkbox
Default
1
Type #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Type

Colour and default icon of the alert header. Info is neutral, Success green, Warning amber, Error red, Brand uses the primary colour of your theme, and Plain leaves the header without a background so it blends into the card. The colours come from your theme, so the popup matches the rest of the site.

Type
select
Default
Info
Options
  • Info info
  • Success success
  • Warning warning
  • Error danger
  • Brand (primary colour) brand
  • Plain (no colour) plain
Icon #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Icon

The icon in front of the title. Match the type picks the icon that belongs to the alert type and stays correct when you change that type later, which is why it is the default. None leaves the space empty and moves the title to the left; the other choices pin one specific icon or your own image.

Type
select
Default
Match the type
Options
  • Match the type auto
  • None none
  • Info info
  • Check mark check
  • Warning warning
  • Error error
  • Bell bell
  • Megaphone megaphone
  • Clock clock
  • Gift gift
  • Cookie cookie
  • Own image image
Icon image #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Icon image

Your own icon instead of one of the built-in ones. It is shown at 48 x 48 px, so use a square SVG or PNG. Only used when Icon is set to Own image.

Type
image
Default
Not set
Title #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Title

The heading of the popup, shown in the alert header. It is also the name a screen reader announces when the popup opens, so keep it short and say what the popup is about. Leave it empty and the popup announces a generic label instead.

Type
text
Default
Not set
Message #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Message

Short text under the title, inside the alert header. This is not the popup content: for that, use Builder at the top of this tab (New Layout, then the + in the row) to add any element (text, images, forms, buttons, video).

Type
editor
Default
Not set
Button text #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Button text

The text on the primary button, for example Show me or Get the discount. Leave it empty and no button appears. Buttons sit under the content and carry the main action of the popup.

Type
text
Default
Not set

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Link

Where the button takes the visitor. Pick a page, an article or a file from your site, or type a full URL for an external page. Leave it empty and the button only closes the popup.

Type
link
Default
Not set
New tab #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › New tab

Opens the link in a new browser tab, so your page stays open behind it. Off by default, because a new tab is unexpected for a link inside your own site. Switch it on for another website or for a PDF.

Type
checkbox
Default
0
Action #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Action

What the button does. Follow the link is the default and opens the link. Close the popup only closes it. Follow the link and remember opens the link and keeps the popup hidden afterwards, exactly as closing it would. Open another HootBox closes this popup and opens the one whose Popup ID you fill in below, for a second step such as a form after a short question.

Type
select
Default
Follow the link
Options
  • Follow the link link
  • Close the popup close
  • Follow the link and remember link_remember
  • Open another HootBox open_popup
Popup to open #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Popup to open

The Popup ID of the other HootBox, for example newsletter-form. That popup has to be on the same page, for example in the footer or further down. It opens as if the visitor clicked a link to it, so its frequency does not hold it back; its schedule, devices and audience still do. Left empty, the button only closes this popup.

Type
text
Default
Not set
Style #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Style

The look of the button, taken from the button styles of your theme. Primary is the accented style and the default for the main action; Default and Secondary are quieter, Danger is the red style for destructive actions, and Text and Link render the button as plain text.

Type
select
Default
Primary
Options
  • Primary primary
  • Default default
  • Secondary secondary
  • Danger danger
  • Text text
  • Link link
Button text #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Button text

The text on the second button, for example No thanks. Leave it empty and only the primary button appears. Use it for the way out, so the visitor always has a clear alternative to the main action.

Type
text
Default
Not set

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Link

Where the second button takes the visitor. Hidden when the action is Close the popup, because that button does not go anywhere.

Type
link
Default
Not set
New tab #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › New tab

Opens the link in a new browser tab, so your page stays open behind it. Off by default. Switch it on for another website or for a PDF.

Type
checkbox
Default
0
Action #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Action

What the button does. Follow the link opens the link and leaves the popup rules untouched, Close the popup only closes it, and Follow the link and remember opens the link and keeps the popup hidden afterwards, exactly as closing it would. Open another HootBox closes this popup and opens the one whose Popup ID you fill in below. Close the popup is the default, because the second button is usually the way out.

Type
select
Default
Close the popup
Options
  • Follow the link link
  • Close the popup close
  • Follow the link and remember link_remember
  • Open another HootBox open_popup
Popup to open #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Popup to open

The Popup ID of the other HootBox, for example newsletter-form. That popup has to be on the same page. It opens as if the visitor clicked a link to it, so its frequency does not hold it back; its schedule, devices and audience still do. Left empty, the button only closes this popup.

Type
text
Default
Not set
Style #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Style

The look of the button, taken from the button styles of your theme. Default is the quiet style and the default here, so the second button does not compete with the primary one.

Type
select
Default
Default
Options
  • Primary primary
  • Default default
  • Secondary secondary
  • Danger danger
  • Text text
  • Link link
Checkbox #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Checkbox

Adds a checkbox. When the visitor ticks it and closes the popup, it stays hidden for that visitor for the time you set under Hide for, whatever the frequency setting says.

Type
checkbox
Default
0
Checkbox text #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Checkbox text

The text next to the checkbox. Leave it empty for the built-in text, which is already translated into the language of the site. Change it only when you need different wording, for example a legal one.

Type
text
Default
Not set
Hide for #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Hide for

How long the popup stays away once the visitor has ticked the checkbox. A year is the default and keeps the behaviour of earlier versions. This browser session hides it until the visitor closes the browser, which suits a notice that is fine to see again on a later visit. A number of days suits an offer that runs for a week or a month. Stored in the browser of the visitor only.

Type
select
Default
A year
Options
  • A year year
  • This browser session session
  • A number of days days
Days #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Days

The number of days the popup stays hidden after the visitor ticked the checkbox, from 1 to 365. 30 is the default. Counted from the moment the popup was closed.

Type
number
Default
30
Layout #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Layout

Where the popup appears. Centered modal is the default and suits a question that needs an answer. A bar along the top or bottom suits an announcement, a corner panel a quiet hint, a side panel a form or a menu, and full screen a welcome mat. Every layout uses the card styles of your theme.

Type
select
Default
Centered modal
Options
  • Centered modal center
  • Top bar top
  • Bottom bar bottom
  • Top left top-left
  • Top right top-right
  • Bottom left bottom-left
  • Bottom right bottom-right
  • Side panel left left
  • Side panel right right
  • Full screen fullscreen
Width (px) #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Width (px)

Maximum width of the popup in pixels, 560 by default, between 240 and 1600. It never exceeds the screen width minus the margin. Not used for the top bar, the bottom bar and full screen, which always take the full width.

Type
number
Default
560
Margin (px) #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Margin (px)

Distance between the popup and the edge of the screen, for corner panels, side panels and bars. 24 px by default, which keeps the popup clear of the edge without wasting space. The centered modal and full screen ignore it, which is why the field is greyed out for those layouts.

Type
number
Default
24
Padding #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Padding

The white space between the edge of the popup and its content. Default suits most popups, Small tightens a bar or a small corner panel, Large gives a big modal more air, and None removes the padding completely for a popup filled with an image that has to run to the edge.

Type
select
Default
Default
Options
  • None none
  • Small small
  • Default default
  • Large large
Style #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Style

The card style of your theme that the popup uses, so it matches the site. Default is the default. Choose Custom colours to set your own background and text colour in the two fields below.

Type
select
Default
Default
Options
  • Default default
  • Primary primary
  • Secondary secondary
  • Muted muted
  • Custom colours custom
Background colour #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Background colour

The background colour of the popup, as a hex value or an rgba value. Only used when Style is set to Custom colours. Use rgba when the page should shine through, for example rgba(20,20,20,.95).

Type
text
Default
Not set
Text colour #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Text colour

The colour of the text inside the popup, including the title. Only used when Style is set to Custom colours. Always check it against your background colour: light text on a light card is unreadable, and screen contrast is a real accessibility requirement.

Type
text
Default
Not set
Corner radius (px) #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Corner radius (px)

How round the corners of the popup are, in pixels. 8 px by default, which matches the cards of most themes. Set it to 0 for square corners.

Type
number
Default
8
Shadow #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Shadow

The drop shadow under the popup, which lifts it off the page. Large by default, because a popup should read as a layer above the page. Use a smaller shadow, or none, for a bar that is meant to sit flat against the edge of the screen.

Type
select
Default
Large
Options
  • None none
  • Small small
  • Medium medium
  • Large large
Close button #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Close button

The X in the corner of the popup. On by default, and worth leaving on: a popup the visitor cannot close is the fastest way to lose them, and Google penalises it on phones. Switch it off only when one of your own buttons already closes the popup.

Type
checkbox
Default
1
Close button position #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Close button position

Where the X sits. Inside the popup is the default and always works. Outside, top right places it just above the popup, which looks cleaner on a popup filled with an image. That only happens when the popup has an overlay and there is room above it: without an overlay, on a bar or a corner at the top, on full screen, on a side panel and on phones the X stays inside.

Type
select
Default
Inside the popup
Options
  • Inside the popup inside
  • Outside, top right outside
Close button after (s) #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Close button after (s)

Delay before the X appears. Keep this 0 for popups that visitors did not ask for; a hidden close button annoys people and Google penalises it on mobile.

Type
number
Default
0
Overlay #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Overlay

Darkens the page behind the popup, so the popup gets full attention and the rest of the page cannot be clicked. On by default for modals and panels. Bars along the top or bottom never get an overlay, which is why the field is greyed out for those layouts.

Type
checkbox
Default
1
Overlay colour #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Overlay colour

The colour of the darkened layer behind the popup, as an rgba value. Leave it empty for the built-in rgba(0,0,0,.6). Lower the last number for a lighter overlay, raise it to hide the page almost completely.

Type
text
Default
Not set
Blur #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Blur

Blurs the page behind the overlay on top of darkening it. Off by default, because the blur costs performance on older phones. Use it when the page behind the popup is busy and pulls attention away from the message.

Type
checkbox
Default
0
Page scroll #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Page scroll

Stops the page behind the popup from scrolling while it is open, so the visitor cannot scroll away from the message by accident. On by default. Switch it off if a long popup on a phone no longer scrolls properly itself.

Type
checkbox
Default
1
Close on overlay click #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Close on overlay click

Clicking the darkened area closes the popup. On by default, because visitors expect it and it is the quickest way out. Switch it off only for a popup that really needs an explicit choice, and then keep the close button on.

Type
checkbox
Default
1
Animation in #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Animation in

How the popup appears. Scale up is the default and works for every layout; slide from top or bottom suits bars, slide from left or right suits side panels, Fade is the quietest and None shows the popup at once. Visitors whose system asks for reduced motion always get the popup without animation.

Type
select
Default
Scale up
Options
  • Fade fade
  • Scale up scale
  • Slide from top slide-top
  • Slide from bottom slide-bottom
  • Slide from left slide-left
  • Slide from right slide-right
  • None none
Animation out #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Animation out

How the popup disappears. Reverse of the in animation is the default and mirrors the opening, which is what visitors expect. Pick a specific animation only when the popup should leave in a different direction than it came from.

Type
select
Default
Reverse of the in animation
Options
  • Reverse of the in animation auto
  • Fade fade
  • Scale down scale
  • Slide to top slide-top
  • Slide to bottom slide-bottom
  • Slide to left slide-left
  • Slide to right slide-right
  • None none
Duration (ms) #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Duration (ms)

How long the animation in and out takes, in milliseconds. 300 is the default; between 200 and 400 feels quick without being abrupt, and 0 switches the animation off. Visitors who prefer reduced motion get no animation regardless.

Type
number
Default
300
On page load #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › On page load

Opens the popup by itself once the page has loaded, after the delay you set below. On by default, because most popups are meant to be seen without the visitor doing anything. Switch it off when the popup should only open on a click, a scroll or one of the other triggers.

Type
checkbox
Default
1
Delay (s) #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Delay (s)

Wait this long after the page loads. On phones, Google penalises blocking popups that appear right after arriving from a search result; 5 seconds or more, or a bar layout, keeps you safe.

Type
number
Default
5
On scroll #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › On scroll

Opens the popup once the visitor has scrolled a part of the page, so they have seen something of your content first. Off by default. It usually performs better than a popup on load, because it only reaches visitors who are actually reading.

Type
checkbox
Default
0
Scroll depth (%) #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Scroll depth (%)

How far down the page the visitor has to be before the popup opens, as a percentage of the whole page. 30 percent by default. Between 40 and 60 percent works well for long articles; below 10 percent the popup fires almost immediately and loses its point.

Type
number
Default
30
Element in view #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Element in view

CSS selector, for example #pricing, footer or .uk-section:nth-child(3). Opens as soon as the top of that element is one fifth into the screen; with several matches the first one in view wins. Tip: in the builder, give a section an ID in its settings and use #that-id here.

Type
text
Default
Not set
Exit intent #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Exit intent

Opens the popup when the mouse moves up out of the page towards the browser bar, which usually means the visitor is about to leave. Off by default. Use it for a last offer, and pick a frequency other than every page load so it does not come back on the next page.

Type
checkbox
Default
0
Exit intent on phones #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Exit intent on phones

Touch screens have no mouse, so exit intent uses a substitute there: a quick swipe up after the visitor has scrolled down. On by default. Switch it off when the popup should only appear on desktop.

Type
checkbox
Default
1
Inactivity #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Inactivity

Opens the popup when the visitor has not moved the mouse, scrolled, typed or touched the screen for a while. Off by default. It suits an offer of help; it suits an interrupting offer much less, because the visitor may simply be reading.

Type
checkbox
Default
0
Idle time (s) #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Idle time (s)

How long the visitor has to be inactive before the popup opens, in seconds. 30 seconds by default. Under 15 seconds it fires while someone is still reading, and over two minutes most visitors have already gone.

Type
number
Default
30

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Cookie banner

Holds back the automatic triggers while a cookie banner is on screen, and starts them once the visitor has made a choice, so the popup never lands on top of the banner. On by default. HootBox recognises the YOOtheme Pro consent manager and the common banners of Cookiebot, CookieYes, Complianz, OneTrust and Cookie Consent. Clicks on a link or button that opens the popup are never held back. A visitor who leaves the banner unanswered does not get the automatic popup on that page.

Type
checkbox
Default
1
On click #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › On click

Extra CSS selectors (comma separated) that open the popup when clicked. Links with href="#hb-{Popup ID}" and elements with data-yc-hb-open="{Popup ID}" always work, no selector needed.

Type
text
Default
Not set
Show from #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Show from

The first moment the popup is shown, as YYYY-MM-DD or YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM in the time zone of the site. A date without a time starts at the beginning of that day. Leave it empty and the popup has no start date.

Type
text
Default
Not set
Show until #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Show until

The last moment the popup is shown, in the time zone of the site. A date without a time runs until the end of that day. Leave it empty and the popup has no end date.

Type
text
Default
Not set
Weekdays #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Weekdays

The days on which the popup is shown, as numbers separated by commas: Monday is 1 and Sunday is 7, so 1,2,3,4,5 means working days and 6,7 the weekend. Empty means every day. Uses the time zone of the site.

Type
text
Default
Not set
Daily from #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Daily from

The start of the daily time window, in 24 hour notation (HH:MM), for example 09:00. It only takes effect together with Daily until. An end earlier than the start makes the window run across midnight.

Type
text
Default
Not set
Daily until #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Daily until

The end of the daily time window, in 24 hour notation. It only takes effect together with Daily from, and it limits the popup to a part of the day, for example your opening hours. An end that is earlier than the start makes the window run across midnight, so 22:00 until 06:00 is a night window.

Type
text
Default
Not set
Frequency #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Frequency

How often a visitor sees this popup. Every page load shows it on each page. Once per browser session is the default: once until the visitor closes the browser. Once per visitor shows it once and then never again in that browser. Again after a while shows it again after the waiting time you set below. Stored in the browser of the visitor; no cookies, nothing sent to a server.

Type
select
Default
Once per browser session
Options
  • Every page load always
  • Once per browser session session
  • Once per visitor once
  • Again after a while after
Show again after #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Show again after

How long the popup stays hidden before the same visitor sees it again, counted from the moment they closed it or clicked a button. Only used when the frequency is set to Again after a while.

Type
number
Default
7
Unit #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Unit

The unit of the waiting time above. Days is the default and suits most offers; use minutes or hours only for a notice that really has to come back within the same visit.

Type
select
Default
Days
Options
  • Minutes minutes
  • Hours hours
  • Days days
Count a view when #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Count a view when

Closed: only when the visitor closes it (a reload while it is open shows it again). Opened: as soon as it appears. Button: only after a button click.

Type
select
Default
The popup is closed
Options
  • The popup is closed close
  • The popup is opened open
  • A button is clicked action
Max views per visitor #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Max views per visitor

The highest number of times one visitor ever sees this popup, whatever the frequency allows. 0 means no limit and is the default. Two or three is a sensible value for an offer that should not keep nagging returning visitors.

Type
number
Default
0
Close after (s) #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Close after (s)

Closes the popup by itself after this many seconds. 0 keeps it open until the visitor closes it, and that is the default. Use at least eight seconds, because anything shorter is gone before the message has been read.

Type
number
Default
0
Countdown #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Countdown

Shows the visitor how much time is left before the popup closes itself. Progress bar is the default and the least distracting, Seconds shows a number, Bar and seconds shows both, and Hidden closes the popup without warning. Only used when Close after is set.

Type
select
Default
Progress bar
Options
  • Progress bar bar
  • Seconds number
  • Bar and seconds both
  • Hidden none
Pause #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Pause

Stops the countdown while the mouse is over the popup or the keyboard focus is inside it, so the popup cannot disappear while someone is reading or filling in a field. On by default; switching it off makes the popup considerably harder to use.

Type
checkbox
Default
1
Escape key #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Escape key

On by default: the Escape key closes the popup. Works for every layout, also bars and corner panels. Browsers protect visitors: when a popup with an overlay opened without the visitor clicking anything, Chrome still lets Escape close it whatever this setting says. Turn it off only for popups opened by a click.

Type
checkbox
Default
1
Priority #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Priority

When several popups want to open at the same moment, the highest number goes first; the others wait their turn when One at a time is on. 5 by default, from 1 to 10.

Type
number
Default
5
One at a time #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › One at a time

Makes this popup wait while another popup is open instead of stacking on top of it. On by default and worth keeping on: stacked popups block each other and confuse screen readers. As soon as the other popup closes, this one opens.

Type
checkbox
Default
1
Show to #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Show to

Limits the popup to a part of your visitors. Everyone is the default, Guests only hides it from people who are logged in and suits a subscribe or register offer, and Logged-in users only suits a message for members. The choice is made on the server, so a hidden popup is not even in the page.

Type
select
Default
Everyone
Options
  • Everyone all
  • Guests only guests
  • Logged-in users only users
Devices #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Devices

Limits the popup to a screen size. All devices is the default; Phones and tablets only shows it below 960 pixels wide and Desktop only from 960 pixels up. Use it for a popup that only makes sense on one of the two, an app download for example.

Type
select
Default
All devices
Options
  • All devices all
  • Phones and tablets only (below 960 px) mobile
  • Desktop only (960 px and up) desktop
On phones #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › On phones

How the popup appears on screens narrower than 640 px. Same layout is the default and keeps the layout above. Bottom bar turns it into a bar along the bottom, which respects the Google guideline against intrusive interstitials on mobile. Full screen fills the screen, and Do not show leaves phones out.

Type
select
Default
Same layout
Options
  • Same layout same
  • Bottom bar bottom
  • Full screen fullscreen
  • Do not show hidden
Language #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Language

Only show on pages in this language, for example nl-NL or de. Empty = every language.

Type
text
Default
Not set
URL parameter #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › URL parameter

Only show when the address contains this parameter, for example utm_source=newsletter or promo (any value).

Type
text
Default
Not set
Referrer contains #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Referrer contains

Only show when the visitor arrived from an address containing this text, for example google or facebook.com.

Type
text
Default
Not set
Only on pages #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Only on pages

One address part per line, for example /blog or /shop/. The popup only opens automatically on pages whose address contains one of these lines. Empty = every page where the popup is placed. Useful when the popup sits in the footer or a module that appears on the whole site.

Type
textarea
Default
Not set
Never on pages #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Never on pages

One address part per line, for example /checkout or /contact. The popup never opens automatically on a page whose address contains one of these lines, also when it matches the list above. A link or button that opens the popup still works there.

Type
textarea
Default
Not set
Tab #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Tab

After the visitor closes the popup, a small tab stays in a corner of the screen. A click on it opens the popup again. It also appears on later pages for as long as the frequency keeps the popup away, so the offer is never lost. Off by default. A visitor who ticks Do not show this again does not get the tab, and the small x on the tab hides it for the rest of the browser session.

Type
checkbox
Default
0
Tab text #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Tab text

The text on the tab, for example 10% discount or Newsletter. Keep it to two or three words. Left empty, the tab shows the title of the popup.

Type
text
Default
Not set
Corner #

Where to find it YOOtheme builder › HootBox › Corner

The corner of the screen where the tab sits. Bottom right is the default. Pick a corner that does not cover a chat button or the cookie banner of your site.

Type
select
Default
Bottom right
Options
  • Bottom right bottom-right
  • Bottom left bottom-left
  • Top right top-right
  • Top left top-left