diff --git a/src/qqq/components/widgets/CompositeWidget.tsx b/src/qqq/components/widgets/CompositeWidget.tsx
index b345487..b7347ff 100644
--- a/src/qqq/components/widgets/CompositeWidget.tsx
+++ b/src/qqq/components/widgets/CompositeWidget.tsx
@@ -22,16 +22,19 @@
 
 import {QWidgetMetaData} from "@kingsrook/qqq-frontend-core/lib/model/metaData/QWidgetMetaData";
 import {Box, Skeleton} from "@mui/material";
+import parse from "html-react-parser";
 import {BlockData} from "qqq/components/widgets/blocks/BlockModels";
 import WidgetBlock from "qqq/components/widgets/WidgetBlock";
 import React from "react";
 
 
-interface CompositeData
+export interface CompositeData
 {
    blocks: BlockData[];
    styleOverrides?: any;
    layout?: string;
+   overlayHtml?: string;
+   overlayStyleOverrides?: any;
 }
 
 
@@ -97,20 +100,34 @@ export default function CompositeWidget({widgetMetaData, data}: CompositeWidgetP
       boxStyle.borderRadius = "0.5rem";
       boxStyle.background = "#FFFFFF";
    }
-
    if (data?.styleOverrides)
    {
       boxStyle = {...boxStyle, ...data.styleOverrides};
    }
 
-   return (<Box sx={boxStyle} className="compositeWidget">
-      {
-         data.blocks.map((block: BlockData, index) => (
-            <React.Fragment key={index}>
-               <WidgetBlock widgetMetaData={widgetMetaData} block={block} />
-            </React.Fragment>
-         ))
-      }
-   </Box>);
+   let overlayStyle: any = {};
+
+   if (data?.overlayStyleOverrides)
+   {
+      overlayStyle = {...overlayStyle, ...data.overlayStyleOverrides};
+   }
+
+   return (
+      <>
+         {
+            data?.overlayHtml &&
+            <Box sx={overlayStyle} className="blockWidgetOverlay">{parse(data.overlayHtml)}</Box>
+         }
+         <Box sx={boxStyle} className="compositeWidget">
+            {
+               data.blocks.map((block: BlockData, index) => (
+                  <React.Fragment key={index}>
+                     <WidgetBlock widgetMetaData={widgetMetaData} block={block} />
+                  </React.Fragment>
+               ))
+            }
+         </Box>
+      </>
+   );
 
 }
diff --git a/src/qqq/components/widgets/DashboardWidgets.tsx b/src/qqq/components/widgets/DashboardWidgets.tsx
index f2d1dc0..38fe772 100644
--- a/src/qqq/components/widgets/DashboardWidgets.tsx
+++ b/src/qqq/components/widgets/DashboardWidgets.tsx
@@ -638,8 +638,28 @@ function DashboardWidgets({widgetMetaDataList, tableName, entityPrimaryKey, reco
 
                   if (!omitWrappingGridContainer)
                   {
-                     // @ts-ignore
-                     renderedWidget = (<Grid id={widgetMetaData.name} item xxl={widgetMetaData.gridColumns ? widgetMetaData.gridColumns : 12} xs={12} sx={{display: "flex", alignItems: "stretch", scrollMarginTop: "100px"}}>
+                     const gridProps: {[key: string]: any} = {};
+
+                     for(let size of ["xs", "sm", "md", "lg", "xl", "xxl"])
+                     {
+                        const key = `gridCols:sizeClass:${size}`
+                        if(widgetMetaData?.defaultValues?.has(key))
+                        {
+                           gridProps[size] = widgetMetaData?.defaultValues.get(key);
+                        }
+                     }
+
+                     if(!gridProps["xxl"])
+                     {
+                        gridProps["xxl"] = widgetMetaData.gridColumns ? widgetMetaData.gridColumns : 12;
+                     }
+
+                     if(!gridProps["xs"])
+                     {
+                        gridProps["xs"] = 12;
+                     }
+
+                     renderedWidget = (<Grid id={widgetMetaData.name} item {...gridProps} sx={{display: "flex", alignItems: "stretch", scrollMarginTop: "100px"}}>
                         {renderedWidget}
                      </Grid>);
                   }
diff --git a/src/qqq/components/widgets/blocks/BlockElementWrapper.tsx b/src/qqq/components/widgets/blocks/BlockElementWrapper.tsx
index dbfcce2..965522d 100644
--- a/src/qqq/components/widgets/blocks/BlockElementWrapper.tsx
+++ b/src/qqq/components/widgets/blocks/BlockElementWrapper.tsx
@@ -21,18 +21,19 @@
 
 
 import {QWidgetMetaData} from "@kingsrook/qqq-frontend-core/lib/model/metaData/QWidgetMetaData";
-import {Tooltip} from "@mui/material";
-import React, {ReactElement, useContext} from "react";
-import {Link} from "react-router-dom";
+import {Box, Tooltip} from "@mui/material";
 import QContext from "QContext";
 import HelpContent, {hasHelpContent} from "qqq/components/misc/HelpContent";
 import {BlockData, BlockLink, BlockTooltip} from "qqq/components/widgets/blocks/BlockModels";
+import CompositeWidget from "qqq/components/widgets/CompositeWidget";
+import React, {ReactElement, useContext} from "react";
+import {Link} from "react-router-dom";
 
 interface BlockElementWrapperProps
 {
    data: BlockData;
    metaData: QWidgetMetaData;
-   slot: string
+   slot: string;
    linkProps?: any;
    children: ReactElement;
 }
@@ -47,16 +48,16 @@ export default function BlockElementWrapper({data, metaData, slot, linkProps, ch
    let link: BlockLink;
    let tooltip: BlockTooltip;
 
-   if(slot)
+   if (slot)
    {
       link = data.linkMap && data.linkMap[slot.toUpperCase()];
-      if(!link)
+      if (!link)
       {
          link = data.link;
       }
 
       tooltip = data.tooltipMap && data.tooltipMap[slot.toUpperCase()];
-      if(!tooltip)
+      if (!tooltip)
       {
          tooltip = data.tooltip;
       }
@@ -67,9 +68,9 @@ export default function BlockElementWrapper({data, metaData, slot, linkProps, ch
       tooltip = data.tooltip;
    }
 
-   if(!tooltip)
+   if (!tooltip)
    {
-      const helpRoles = ["ALL_SCREENS"]
+      const helpRoles = ["ALL_SCREENS"];
 
       ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
       // the full keys in the helpContent table will look like:                                    //
@@ -80,26 +81,39 @@ export default function BlockElementWrapper({data, metaData, slot, linkProps, ch
       const key = data.blockId ? `${data.blockId},${slot}` : slot;
       const showHelp = helpHelpActive || hasHelpContent(metaData?.helpContent?.get(key), helpRoles);
 
-      if(showHelp)
+      if (showHelp)
       {
          const formattedHelpContent = <HelpContent helpContents={metaData?.helpContent?.get(key)} roles={helpRoles} helpContentKey={`widget:${metaData?.name};slot:${key}`} />;
-         tooltip = {title: formattedHelpContent, placement: "bottom"}
+         tooltip = {title: formattedHelpContent, placement: "bottom"};
       }
    }
 
    let rs = children;
 
-   if(link)
+   if (link && link.href)
    {
-      rs = <Link to={link.href} target={link.target} style={{color: "#546E7A"}} {...linkProps}>{rs}</Link>
+      rs = <Link to={link.href} target={link.target} style={{color: "#546E7A"}} {...linkProps}>{rs}</Link>;
    }
 
-   if(tooltip)
+   if (tooltip)
    {
-      let placement = tooltip.placement ? tooltip.placement.toLowerCase() : "bottom"
+      let placement = tooltip.placement ? tooltip.placement.toLowerCase() : "bottom";
 
       // @ts-ignore - placement possible values
-      rs = <Tooltip title={tooltip.title} placement={placement}>{rs}</Tooltip>
+      if (tooltip.blockData)
+      {
+         // @ts-ignore - special case for composite type block...
+         rs = <Tooltip title={
+            <Box sx={{width: "200px"}}>
+               <CompositeWidget widgetMetaData={metaData} data={tooltip?.blockData} />
+            </Box>
+         }>{rs}</Tooltip>;
+      }
+      else
+      {
+         // @ts-ignore - placement possible values
+         rs = <Tooltip title={tooltip.title} placement={placement}>{rs}</Tooltip>;
+      }
    }
 
    return (rs);
diff --git a/src/qqq/components/widgets/blocks/BlockModels.ts b/src/qqq/components/widgets/blocks/BlockModels.ts
index 22a7c1e..c29f77c 100644
--- a/src/qqq/components/widgets/blocks/BlockModels.ts
+++ b/src/qqq/components/widgets/blocks/BlockModels.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
  */
 
 import {QWidgetMetaData} from "@kingsrook/qqq-frontend-core/lib/model/metaData/QWidgetMetaData";
+import {CompositeData} from "qqq/components/widgets/CompositeWidget";
 
 
 export interface BlockData
@@ -29,8 +30,8 @@ export interface BlockData
 
    tooltip?: BlockTooltip;
    link?: BlockLink;
-   tooltipMap?: {[slot: string]: BlockTooltip};
-   linkMap?: {[slot: string]: BlockLink};
+   tooltipMap?: { [slot: string]: BlockTooltip };
+   linkMap?: { [slot: string]: BlockLink };
 
    values: any;
    styles?: any;
@@ -39,6 +40,7 @@ export interface BlockData
 
 export interface BlockTooltip
 {
+   blockData?: CompositeData;
    title: string | JSX.Element;
    placement: string;
 }
diff --git a/src/qqq/styles/qqq-override-styles.css b/src/qqq/styles/qqq-override-styles.css
index ef5d407..c1de29c 100644
--- a/src/qqq/styles/qqq-override-styles.css
+++ b/src/qqq/styles/qqq-override-styles.css
@@ -787,3 +787,20 @@ input[type="search"]::-webkit-search-results-decoration
 {
    margin: 2rem 1rem;
 }
+
+/* default styles for a block widget overlay */
+.blockWidgetOverlay
+{
+   font-weight: 400;
+   position: relative;
+   top: 15px;
+   height: 0;
+   display: flex;
+   font-size: 14px;
+   flex-direction: column;
+   align-items: center;
+}
+.blockWidgetOverlay a
+{
+   color: #0062FF !important;
+}