Safe Mode

Overview

Jimdo's editor includes a built-in recovery mode called Safe Mode (?cmsEdit=1&safemode=1). Matrix Framework adds an optional Safe mode item to the sliding admin menu so you can enter it without editing the address bar.

One click from the Matrix admin menu — no URL editing
HTML / embed widgets render as inert source text so broken scripts can't choke the editor
Site-wide Head / Footer code (including Matrix) still runs — the menu and Hub stay available
Opt-in only — hidden until you set features.safeMode: true
Exit with Jimdo's own banner button — Matrix does not add a second exit control

Available from Matrix Framework v1.7.6. Upload the updated admin-menu.matrix.js, then enable the flag in your site Head config. Public pages are never affected — the menu only exists in the Jimdo admin iframe.

1 What it disables

Safe Mode is targeted, not a global JavaScript kill switch. Knowing what still runs (and what doesn't) avoids confusion when Variables, previews, or embeds look “broken” while you're repairing them.

Disabled in Safe Mode

Per-widget HTML / embed modules (j-htmlCode)
<script> tags inside those widgets — shown as plain source, not executed
Live DOM from widget markup (e.g. a <var> tag appears as text)

Still runs in Safe Mode

Site-wide Head custom code (where matrix.js loads)
Site-wide Footer custom code
Matrix sliding admin menu and Matrix Hub
Jimdo's own editor chrome and the Safe Mode banner

Code location	Normal edit	Safe Mode
Head / Footer custom code	Runs	Still runs
HTML / Widget module scripts	Run / rendered	Inert plain-text source
Published public page	Unaffected	Unaffected (admin only)

Why Variables look like plain text

A tag like <var>wow is-folded-left</var> lives inside an HTML widget. In Safe Mode that widget is rendered as inert text — there is no real <var> node for Variable Preview to read. The Variables feature itself is not disabled; the widget it would read was turned into text so you can edit it safely.

2 Getting started

Safe Mode is opt-in. Upload the updated admin menu, then flip the feature flag in Head.

1

Upload admin-menu.matrix.js

From Matrix Framework v1.7.6+, upload dist/admin-menu.matrix.js (replace the file already linked from your Head / Footer).

2

Enable the flag in Head

Add safeMode: true to the same inline MatrixConfig block that holds matrixAdmin: true — not only in the repo's matrix-config.js.

3

Reload the editor

Hard-refresh the Jimdo editor. Open the sliding admin menu — Safe mode appears between Custom layout and Upgrade.

Jimdo Head → MatrixConfig

<script type="text/javascript">
var MatrixConfig = {
  features: {
    matrixAdmin: true,
    safeMode: true
    // …other flags
  }
};
</script>

The flag lives in the inline config on your site. Editing src/matrix-config.js in the repo and re-uploading JS alone does not enable the menu item — you must set safeMode: true in Jimdo Head.

browser-frame

3 Using Safe Mode

Enter

In the Jimdo editor, open the Matrix sliding admin menu and click Safe mode. The editor reloads with safemode=1 added to the current URL (for example ?cmsEdit=1&safemode=1). Jimdo shows a banner explaining you can repair or remove broken HTML widgets or scripts.

Repair

Open the broken HTML / Widget module. Its markup appears as editable source instead of executing. Fix the syntax, remove a bad script, or delete the module entirely — then save.

Exit

Click Jimdo's own Exit safe mode button on the banner. Matrix intentionally does not add a second exit link — leaving Safe Mode is Jimdo's URL round-trip to own.

You can still enter Safe Mode by hand: add &safemode=1 to the editor URL while keeping cmsEdit=1. Dropping cmsEdit makes Jimdo redirect back and lose Safe Mode.

4 How it works

The shortcut ships in admin-menu.matrix.js. When features.safeMode is true (on either MatrixConfig or legacy MatrixPluginToolkitConfig), the menu renders a Safe mode link that reloads the Jimdo admin shell — not merely the content iframe.

Finds the same-origin ancestor window that contains #siteadmin (the URL in the address bar)
Sets safemode=1 on that URL while keeping cmsEdit=1
Assigns the new location so the editor reloads into Safe Mode

Navigating with window.top alone can fail when Jimdo nests the admin inside a cross-origin wrapper — Matrix climbs the frame chain to the correct admin window instead.

State	Result
`safeMode` unset / `false`	No menu item (default)
`safeMode: true`	Safe mode appears in the sliding admin menu
Click Safe mode	Editor reloads at `?cmsEdit=1&safemode=1`; HTML-widget scripts inert
Exit	Use Jimdo's Exit safe mode banner button
Public page	Never affected

Configuration

Safe Mode defaults to off.

matrix-config.js (defaults)

window.MatrixConfig = {
  features: {
    safeMode: false // Safe mode shortcut in sliding admin menu
  }
};

Set safeMode: true in the Head config on the live site to show the menu item. Requires matrixAdmin (or an equivalent admin menu load) so the sliding menu is present.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Fix
Safe mode item doesn't appear	Confirm `features.safeMode: true` is in the Head `MatrixConfig`, and that `admin-menu.matrix.js` from v1.7.6+ is uploaded. Hard-refresh the editor.
Click does nothing / URL snaps back	Keep `cmsEdit=1` in the URL. Navigating to `?safemode=1` alone makes Jimdo redirect and drop Safe Mode.
Matrix Variables show as raw text	Expected in Safe Mode — the HTML widget is inert. Exit Safe Mode after repairing to restore live Variable Preview.
Head scripts still run and break the editor	Safe Mode does not disable Head / Footer code. Temporarily comment out the problematic Head script, or fix the HTML widget that is the actual culprit.
Need Safe Mode but the menu won't open	Add `&safemode=1` manually to the address bar while leaving `cmsEdit=1` in place.