Hello!

Widgets

A handful of widgets can be put to use by Non-Core users on their page. They vary a bit, so if you want to customize them it's good to know their characteristics.

DevID widget

This widget lets you encode info to add your own content, and on the bottom you can add a link to your website, as well as edit your Interests in the drop-down menu. The top part contains a profile picture, your name, your art style and location. If you don't choose a profile picture, your work medium and country won't display on your profile, saving up space. There is no way to remove or hide your name and username, though. Similarly, if you keep the website text box and the Interests empty, it won't display on your profile, which is a nice feature if you want to have it as much personal as possible.
A very important feature of this widget is the non-fixed width for its content. That means for smaller screens, the content will be displayed differently than it will on bigger screens, so it's important to keep this in mind when creating a heavily customized devID.

Donate Widget

This widget contains a little message and progress bar on top, and a "Donate!" button on the bottom. These features cannot be removed or recolored, as even Core members are unable to do so (but that's a story for another time ).
This widget is fixed at 386px, while the sides of the widget will be empty for all screen sizes. If you encode an image that is wider, it will simply be resized.

Other widgets

Other widgets that can be put on Non-Core profiles and can be customized are: Featured deviation, Newest deviations, Favorites, Prints, Featured Print, Wishlist, Critiques and Commissions. The Journal widget can be added and customized as well, but journal customization is a whole other topic, something I'll cover in the future.

Decorate with Deviations

Now when we know WHAT we can customize, it's time to discover HOW. It may seem like non-Core users cannot do anything to personalize their pages, but that's wrong.
First, the most obvious way to customize a page is to use images and Deviations. Using deviations is very simple - in most cases, pasting the thumb code will work just fine. As for the images (added as HTML code), it's important to remember that images cannot be wider than 386px (in most cases), unless you are okay with the resizing that will occur.
DeviantArt is full of graphic resources dedicated to decorate profiles dedicated to decorating profiles, both free-to-use (F2U) and those that cost points (P2U), because Core members can use them as well, so I won't be going into details. You can easily find interesting resources, starting with social media icons (to create links to your other social media sites), art status icons (to show people if you do commissions, requests, etc), through dividers and bullets (not only to help keep everything in order, but also to give a twist to your profile), finishing with whole themed packs of resources. There are also a lot of images created by deviants to decorate your profile with, such as pagedolls and stamps.

Below is a variety of resources I have chosen for a good start. To find more, simply browse for stamps, free pagedolls, art status icons, social media icons, or check out the "More like this" link for the deviation you like best:

Say Hello to HTML

I've talked a little bit about HTML in the last section, but there is much more you can do with it! It's the only way to customize the content of a Non-Core widget, but it has many possibilities.
All deviants can make their text smaller or bigger, bold or italic, but that's just the beginning. This topic itself is really wide, and may be hard to understand for those less experienced. At the same time, there are a lot of tutorials and overviews on DeviantArt regarding HTML, so I would suggest checking those out. Here are a few that I'd recommend:


Vast amounts of options can be used in Non-Core widgets that work just fine, but don't forget the image limitations I talked about in the last section!

Tricks For Clever Ones

If you are searching for something even more complex,  complex, you will definitely have to use your brains to demonstrate your creativity and ingenuity. From my own experience I can tell that any type of coding requires willingness and curiosity - so it may not be for everyone. I decided to share with you some of my ideas - treat it like a shortcut in your coding journey.

Font types and generators

Everyone on the internet is able to use Web Safe Fonts - font styles that don't require CSS or any other additions to change its look. Usually those fonts are installed in your system by default. You can simply change the font look using <font-face> property, for example:
CODE: <font face="Impact"> Suddenly, this is a different text,</font>< font face="Monotype Corsiva">and this one is different, too!</font>
OUTCOME: Suddenly, this is a different text, and this one is different, too!

A great list of web safe fonts is listed in Playing With Text in dA [Semi-Tutorial] UPDATED.

But if that's not enough for you, you may like to check out Font Generators. They are different than simple HTML codes, and you'll have to write your text in order to generate its new, fancy look. Some cool font generators can be found here or here -just write your own text, click "Generate", copy the pimped-up text and paste it in your widgets. Some styles that are possible to get:

𝕲𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖈 - 𝖑𝖎𝖐𝖊 𝖙𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖋𝖔𝖓𝖙
Ⓢⓞⓜⓔ ⓛⓔⓣⓣⓔⓡⓢ ⓘⓝ ⓒⓞⓞⓛ ⓒⓘⓡⓒⓛⓔⓢ
𝓥𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓼𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓽, 𝓰𝓲𝓻𝓵𝔂 𝓯𝓸𝓷𝓽
【S】【o】【m】【e】 【f】【o】【n】【t】【s】 【w】【i】【t】【h】 【f】【r】【a】【m】【e】【s】【,】░ ░a░n░d░ ░a░n░o░t░h░e░r░ ░o░n░e░!░
𝔸𝕟𝕕 𝕞𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕗𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕤!

Music Players

Not many deviants know that embedding videos is possible for Non-Core users as well - not only YouTube videos, but Soundcloud and dA Films as well. Simply check out FAQ #81: How can I create links to other deviants, deviations, or websites? for the details.
It is also possible to change the size of the player! Here are a two examples:

It's easy to notice where you are changing size of the player (the sizes are in pixels). You can also put multiple players in your boxes!

(Fake) Columns

Once in a while I get asked how Non-Core deviant can add column sections on their page. I feel obligated to make clear that Non-Core deviants cannot add column sections. Well, not in an obvious way at least, because I found out a way to create fake columns. Those aren't really columns, but the content in a single row is separated from each other, giving a feeling of actually having two columns. This may feel like a complex idea for somebody that is new to coding. Below is an example, and on the right I marked the space.


I also have to add that the second section in this code (the one with stamp on the left and art status on the right) is not a column section, even though it looks like one. The stamp is added as an image aligned to the left, so art status icons wrap around it on the other side. The section I'm referring to shows by the To-do and Waiting lists.

What I personally use for this is a transparent image of tiny height and width, (no bigger than a line of text) that makes a noticeable space. It's better if the space image is submitted to dA because the thumbnail code is shorter than an HTML image code, and it's easier to keep track of the actual content. While doing these columns, you have to remember to add "dummy" content for the left section (like "empty slot"), or add two spaces to have a shorter column on the left, and a longer one on the right. If you want to have the left column appear longer, you don't have to add anything. Just break the line with the Enter key (or <br/>). My thumbnail code for the space image is :thumb611294894:. The code for columns looks like so:

Frames

This is a rather complex trick that that requires an understanding of HTML on a deeper level. Using multiple images, Non-Core deviants are able to create a frame around their content. Below is an example. On the right I marked actual images so you can understand what I mean.


To make it work well, you'll have to align all the images (aligning cannot be the default, otherwise images won't "stick" together leaving a noticeable space between them). Your images have to fit together pixel-perfect, so don't be discouraged if it won't work on the first try and just try a couple of times until you get the result you want. Lastly, you have to remember that the sides don't stretch or repeat, so if you are closing frames on the bottom, the height of the sides must be tall enough to fit all of the content you want to put inside.

My base code for the frames is as following:

"Smart" Links

This one is rather simple to use. Did you know there is a cool trick to create links that will send your friends to different parts of your dA site? (even filled with a template!), send points, or give Core or a cake badge! Here are a bunch of links I was able to find:


Direct note
This awesome method was found by SketchyRae . I found it a couple of years ago and have used it since then. It allows you to create a link that will lead people to the "Send a Note" pop-up filled with your template. It's very useful for people who ask to fill a form while sending a commission request - just encode the form in the "Send a Note" URL! More info and how to set it up can be found here:
Give Points
There is an easy way to create a link that clicking on will bring up a pop-up similar to the one from the "Donate" widget.
Just visit your Points page, and on the right side there will be a section that says "Ask for Points". Just copy the URL in bold, and you'll be able to paste it anywhere. You can even add an image that will link to this URL!


Give Core Membership
This is similar to the one described above, but for giving someone a Core membership. Simply add your username on the very end (in the place of YOUR-USERNAME), copy the following URL and paste somewhere on your profile to create a link that will send deviants to the page where they will be able to give you Core.

Give a Cake
This one requires your user number as well. Same as before, add your user number in the place of YOUR-NUMBER , and your username in the YOUR-USERNAME:

Normal Groups can be pretty, too

And now for great news for all deviants who own a group - even if your group doesn't have a Supergroup status, it can be pretty too! All of the options and tricks I described can be used in standard Groups as well! Obviously, groups don't have widgets like Wishlist or Commissions, but you can still add and customize a Custom Widget on your Non-Supergroup profile. Other widgets that can be put on Non-Supergroup profiles and can be Featured deviations, Collection, Journal Writers, Latest Gallery Contributors,  Latest Favourite Artists, Group Info, Admins and Affiliates - so there's quite a choice.

See more

The idea of customizing Non-Core pages the way I described today is quite fresh on DeviantArt. Those coding resources don't even have their own proper category (same as Core profile codes). It's obvious not everyone will have the time or ability to customize their profiles, but there are a bunch of people who've already created themed, Non-Core codes for anyone to use. I took my time to find some deviants, as well as Groups that have folders in their gallery dedicated to such resources.
At the same time, I encourage to discover them yourself, since each day there are more and more of those resources on DeviantArt - simply browse for Non-Core codes, or check out hashtags #noncore #noncorecustombox #noncorebox #noncorecode or #non_core . For a good start, I have chosen several Non-Core boxes from around DeviantArt.

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