Simple and Pro modes: how much of the builder you see

Two audiences, one builder

A café owner updating their menu doesn't need to see a Content-Security-Policy, and a developer checking a client's page doesn't want to hunt for it. Rather than build two products, the builder has one switch. Simple mode keeps the screen to what you're making. Website builder Pro mode exposes how it's made and gives you the tools to change it precisely. Nothing about the site itself changes when you switch: the same checks run either way, and the same page is published.

What each mode shows

What Pro mode adds, tab by tab

Code

The page's HTML with line numbers and syntax colours. In Pro mode it's editable: text, section order and colour tokens sync back to the project, and scripts are refused. See the code editor.

Map

A drawing of the site's sections, forms and connectors, which also checks nothing broke after a change. See the builder map.

Report

Sentinel's twelve security checks and the Critic's nineteen design checks, each with a tick or cross and a line of detail.

Agent logs

During a build, each step (Architect, Designer, Builder, Critic, Sentinel) shows its log and how long it took, so you can see where the time went and what each one decided.

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcuts work in Pro mode whenever you aren't typing in a field:

• 1 to 4 switch between Preview, Code, Map and Report.
• E turns visual editing on or off.
• D switches the preview between desktop and phone width.
• / jumps to the box where you ask for a change.
• P publishes, or updates the live site.
• ? shows the list.

Arrow keys, Home and End also move between the view tabs once one has focus, in either mode.

Switching, and what's remembered

The Simple / Pro switch sits in the builder's toolbar. Your choice is remembered for next time. Switching to Simple while you're on a Pro tab returns you to the preview. On a narrow phone screen only the Pro button shows, and it works as an on/off toggle to save space. A screen reader announces the change and, for Pro, mentions the shortcut list.

Which mode suits which job

• Writing and arranging content: Simple. The preview, the visual editor and requests in words cover most day-to-day changes, and the status line still tells you when something needs attention.
• Checking a page before it goes live: Pro, for the Report tab. It shows which of the security and design checks passed and the detail for any that failed, page by page on a multi-page site.
• Handing a project to a developer, or reviewing one: Pro, for the Code and Map tabs, which show exactly what ships and how forms connect to where their data goes.
• Working out why a build took a while or chose something odd: Pro, for the agent logs and step timings.
• Teaching someone else to update a site: start them in Simple. Fewer controls means fewer ways to get lost, and nothing they need is hidden.

Limits

• Not a plan. Pro mode is unrelated to the Pro plan. What a plan adds, such as custom domains or a bigger allowance, is on the pricing page.
• No custom layouts. You can't choose which individual tabs to show; it's one switch.
• Shortcuts are fixed. They can't be remapped, and they're off while the cursor is in a text field so typing a letter never triggers one.

Questions people ask

Is Pro mode a paid feature?

No. It's an interface setting that every account can switch on, including Free. The Pro plan is a separate thing.

Do the security checks still run in Simple mode?

Yes. The checks run on every build in both modes, and publishing is blocked the same way if one fails. Simple mode just hides the detailed report.

Can I edit code in Simple mode?

No. The Code tab and its editor appear only in Pro mode. Simple mode has the visual editor and change requests in words.

Will switching modes change my site?

No. The mode only changes what the builder shows you.