Help needed re: Client galleries

mrigloo

Hi, I'm not sure if what I want to achieve is possible - it's very frustrating that SmugMug's help pages have so little information.

I want to have the following:

1. A page on my website entitled 'Client Login'
2. The Client Login page to show links to (eg.) Builders, Designers, Agents, Hotels etc
3. When you click on, say Hotels, I'd like to have a list of hotel clients by name
4. Only the named hotel can go any further from this point, via password - so that no other clients can see references to, or names, of, other clients galleries
5. Hotel client clicks on their name, inserts a password to enable them to see a list of galleries of jobs

Hopefully this can be done - it seems like a perfectly sensible way of organising clients and galleries to me, but then I'm not sure if Smugmug is designed mainly for hobbyists or online sales. Any help will be much appreciated thank!

Site is here but may not be much help in its current state - www.mattdavisphoto.co.uk

denisegoldberg

You could try this customization - http://www.sherlockphotography.org/Customisations/Client-login-system.

--- Denise

TheBradford

Seriously how is there not a better solution for this yet. This is likely the biggest (and potentially only) hold up for pro users from going live with their new sites.

mrigloo

denisegoldberg wrote: »

You could try this customization - http://www.sherlockphotography.org/Customisations/Client-login-system.

--- Denise

Thanks for the reply Denise, but I don't want to be relying on someone else for an account I have to register, and it doesn't sound like a perfect solution anyway. I must say I'm gobsmacked if that's the only option!!

Does anyone know if sites like Zenfolio or Photoshelter provide an easy-to-use client login system?

Motorsports

Matt

There is an easy way I found for this; I created a folder for each client and password protected it using the security feature in the folder properties. So any galleries in it are also hidden.

In your case you could make a secure folder for Hotels, then inside that another set of protected folders for each hotel and place the galleries in those (hiding them so search doesn't find them). This way your client gets into hotels, logs into his hotel and sees his pictures and nobody else can. It sounds long winded but its very quick to do.

I hope this helps.

Mike

ChancyRat

Does anyone know if sites like Zenfolio or Photoshelter provide an easy-to-use client login system?

A slight sideways issue, I discovered that the privacy function in Zenfolio, does not allow one to do these variations:
- Make a gallery that is locked down with no indication of the name of your site detectable to visitors
- Unlisted but with your logo or site name info visible.

The only option is the 2nd in Zenfolio. I.e., you cannot create a gallery that has no reference to your sitename.

The privacy function on Zenfolio, though, does keep google from finding the site.

Focused Frame

Matt,

What you're asking for seems like an easy enough thing to achieve by creating the structure you want in the organizer.
Client login (folder) > builders, designers, etc. categories (folders) > clients by name (folder) > galleries
Set the password to the client folder level. Once they enter their password they should be able to browse the galleries inside.

Also, remember you can always customize the folder "page" to show only the folders or galleries you want by customizing "just this folder".

Motorsports

Brenda

That was also my suggestion in #5 - works very well for me.

Mike

Focused Frame

Mike,
I understood you. Works just fine for me as well. Just hoping that understanding the terminology isn't the hang up. The tools are definitely there to create it!

Brenda

mrigloo

Hi guys, thank you all for your help - it's much appreciated. I'm afraid I still can't manage to achieve what you both suggested though!

I deleted the page I created called Client Login, and then created a folder called the same (set security to public), then I created a folder within it called Estate Agents (public), and then a folder in the name of one of my clients and a gallery within to test this out. I created a link to the Client Login folder in the whole site menu, yet I can only get my home page gallery when I click on the Client Login page. Obviously I don't have a clue what I'm doing, so any handholding over and above what you've already explained will again be much appreciated!

ThreeGuysPhotography

You can see what I did in my client section. Some names go to folders with several galleries and some go straight to a single gallery. I would love a single sign on for clients and hope they add this soon.

mrigloo

Thanks Wayne. I've managed to get as far as a login box for an individual client, but the gallery I've put in that folder is not even visible to me, despite me trying each different security setting. Let me repeat that - it's not even visible to me!! How the hell my clients are supposed to see it I have no idea. I'm now of the opinion that Smugmug's help section is truly pathetic.

Motorsports

Matt

If the Organiser confirms the gallery is indeed in the folder it should show of course - did you check that? Once thats established I set the gallery settings to 'Inheriting (public)' and change the 'web searchable' and 'smugmug searchable' options (also in security & privact) to NO. This way only the login to the folder is required before they can see the gallery - and whats in it can't be accessed by the search function which stops people getting the images without knowing the login.

Focused Frame

What are the settings on your content block on 'all folders' pages? You can have it point to the current location (whatever is contained in that folder) or a specific location or items. Maybe you pointed it only to the home page gallery?

If you're interested, I offer personal consulting and can walk you through the customization or do it for you remotely. Check out my site and http://studiokyk.com for examples of recent work.

mrigloo

Motorsports wrote: »

Matt

If the Organiser confirms the gallery is indeed in the folder it should show of course - did you check that? Once thats established I set the gallery settings to 'Inheriting (public)' and change the 'web searchable' and 'smugmug searchable' options (also in security & privact) to NO. This way only the login to the folder is required before they can see the gallery - and whats in it can't be accessed by the search function which stops people getting the images without knowing the login.

Thanks Motorsports.

This is what my site organiser looks like -



I've tried all manner of settings, including your suggestion, but I just cannot see the gallery when I click through the links.

mrigloo

Panic over. I discovered that you have to actually add a gallery content block to the particular folder. Why this simple instruction was not in any of the tutorials I watched I have no idea!! I'm afraid I still can't help but feel that the Smugmug help section is pretty useless.

Anyway, thanks very much for taking the time to help me out - you guys make the frustration a little easier to bear!

Motorsports

Hey, well done for sorting it out! It's hard at first but soon you'll find suddenly it all falls into place and the principles are pretty simple. Explaining it is much harder than actually doing it!

Don't forget the security changes I posted in #13 - without those your photos are accessible by anyone. Once thats done the single login works.

TheBradford

still confused a little here - is this easier to figure out once you go live with the site?

randallsim

I have tried following the advice in this thread, but can not get the login page to show. Instead, I get a lock icon at the top of a page, but no content. How do I get the login page to show when I click on the locked gallery?

Motorsports

Hi, welcome to the forum!

Make sure your gallery is not locked; in this thread we are talking about locking only the folder so make a folder, lock it as described using the security & privacy with a password and put your gallery in this folder. Then when you navigate to the folder you will see the login page.