# Preview Surfaces

Preview is not one separate stage of the product. It appears inside three
different parts of the desktop workflow.

Use this page as a support reference when you want to understand what each
preview is checking.

## 1. Widget preview in Collections

Collections can render a widget before you recompute the whole collection.

Use that preview to answer:

- does this block show the right data?
- are the selected parameters sensible?
- should the widget stay in the collection before I save and recompute?

This preview supports [collections.md](collections.md) and
[widget-catalogue.md](widget-catalogue.md).

## 2. Site preview in the Site Builder

The Site area previews page composition while you edit navigation, content, and
page structure.

Use that preview to answer:

- does the page layout still make sense?
- do the navigation choices feel right?
- are collection pages and shared pages fitting together?

This preview supports [site.md](site.md).

## 3. Generated-site preview in Publish

Publish can display the built site in a device frame once Niamoto has generated
the output.

Use that preview to answer:

- does the generated site still look correct after the build step?
- is this the version I want to deploy?
- do I need to go back to Site or Collections before publishing?

This preview supports [publish.md](publish.md).

## One concept, three questions

The three preview surfaces exist for different decisions:

- Collections preview checks a block
- Site preview checks a page
- Publish preview checks the generated portal

## Related

- [collections.md](collections.md)
- [site.md](site.md)
- [publish.md](publish.md)
- [../06-reference/gui-preview-api.md](../06-reference/gui-preview-api.md)