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Snapshot Edit: Sharing Options ​

Once a shared snapshot is created in InstaWP, you may customize it by accessing the numerous sharing options for the user who can use your snapshot to create their new site such as Site validity, Send Credentials to Email, Enabling Site cloning, Auto Login to wp-admin, and much more.

In this documentation, we will explore:

Let’s get started 🚀

Go to the Snapshot page and click on the edit icon to set up the snapshot you want.

It'll take you to the snapshot settings page.

Shared Snapshot Sharing Options ​

InstaWP allows you to set up your shared snapshot by personalizing the sharing options from the following categories:

Email Collection ​

Here, you can configure the following options to set up your shared snapshot:

Collect Email ​

Collect email options, by enabling the following sub-options.

OptionsDescription
Collect NameThis collects the names of the users.
Email RequiredUsers will not be able to proceed without filling in an email address if this option is checked.
Email Spam VerificationThis will automatically verify the email submissions via a third-party service (quickemailverification) to ensure that only valid users/email land in your email list.
Send Credentials to EmailIf an email address is provided, the user will get the credentials on their email.
Reply-To emailHere, enter the reply that you want to give to the user's email an automated demo confirmation emails that allows you to foster direct communication with the audience.
Hide Privacy CheckboxThis hides the privacy checkbox for a user, effectively making it mandatory for users when they are using your shared snapshot link.
Skip Form if URL query parameters are setThis skips form if URL query paramaters are set that can pass data to a Form field when a user clicks on the URL.
Require Email OTP VerificationGuests are required to verify their email address using a 6-digit verification code before a site can created.
One Site Per GuestEach guest is limited to one active site per snapshot.

Set Magic Login User Email ​

Choose which email address is set as the WordPress admin email on every demo site created from this snapshot:

OptionWhat the demo site gets
Demo Site EmailThe email the visitor entered on your snapshot page. If no email was collected, your (the snapshot owner's) email is used.
Parent Site EmailThe parent site's admin email, unchanged. The visitor's email is not written to the demo site, even if they entered one.

The selected email is applied to both the site's admin email (Settings > General) and the email of the magic login user.

Use Demo Site Email if a plugin or tool on the demo site needs to know who the visitor is. Many tools (for example a "migrate" or "go live" button, contact forms, or WooCommerce notifications) read the WordPress admin email. With Parent Site Email they will see the parent site's email instead of the visitor's.

Once you're done making changes, Save it.

Customize Magic Login User Email ​

InstaWP lets you assign a default Magic Login User Role for Shared Snapshots, allowing precise control over user permissions on staging sites. This feature helps tailor product demos and client previews to specific needs.

Enable this setting using the toggle adjacent to Customize Magic Login User Role and enter the user role slug in lowercase. Here are the default WordPress user role slugs:

Administrator: administrator
Editor: editor
Author: author
Contributor: contributor
Subscriber: subscriber

For a custom user role, the slug is its unique identifier. You can find it in the functions.php file or a custom plugin where the role was registered using add_role().

Security ​

Here, you can configure the following security options to set up your shared snapshot:

Disallow File Modifications ​

Lock the site editing features in the snapshot site. Your users will not be able to upload a plugin or theme and cannot access the theme & plugin editors.

Randomize WP Admin password ​

Change/randomize WP admin password or keep as it is (i.e. parent site) for the user. This means, each WordPress site, spawned from your Shared Snapshot, will have a different password.

Redirect Non-whitelisted Users ​

This is a beta feature, that will allow you to add a whitelist IP address, Cookie, and User Agent. If the whitelisted parameters are not detected, then the users will redirected to a known Redirect URL (like wp-login.php).

| You can enter multiple values, separated by commas, in the IP Address, Cookie, or User Agent fields.

Once you're done making changes, Save it.

Integrations ​

Here, you can configure the following integration options to set up your shared snapshot:

Webhook URL ​

Connect to any CRM of your choice to create an effective lead generator every time a user creates a new snapshot site and change Webhook Request Type : urlencoded & json that allows you to effortlessly integrate and communicate with external systems using JSON payloads. For more information, you can refer to the Webhooks document.

In webhook, we send the following information:

  • Email
  • Name (if Name collection is enabled)
  • Site URL (demo site's URL)
  • Admin Username
  • Admin Password
  • Auto Login Hash (which can append to https://app.instawp.io/wordpress-auto-login?site=)
  • Extend Lifetime Hash (which you can append to https://app.instawp.io/wordpress-extend-site-life?site=)

Connect Email Provider ​

Select a provider by which the user sends WordPress emails using one of the transactional mailers or an SMTP server.

Once you're done making changes, save it.

Advanced Options ​

Here, you can configure the following sharing options to set up your shared snapshot:

Site Lifetime ​

Set the duration of the site that will be created by using this shared snapshot. This value depends on the use case, it can vary from 30 minutes to the maximum value of your plan limit.

Extend Site Lifetime ​

Users who created a sandbox from your shared snapshot can extend the site's lifetime limit (from 1 to 30 days) by clicking the link sent via a webhook.

Enable Site Cloning ​

Enable site cloning for the user by creating a replica of your existing website to make the changes.

Auto Login to wp-admin ​

This allows you to not show the credentials to users, instead, they will be re-directed to wp-admin Dashboard automatically.

Redirect URL ​

Provide a relative URL in the text box where you want the users to be automatically redirected once their site is ready.

Once you're done making changes, Save it.

| 💡 Did you know - The user could change Admin email without confirmation using a plugin directly from their WP admin panel that uses your shared template to create their new site. Learn about Admin Email.

Frequently Asked Questions ​

Why do my demo sites show the parent site's admin email instead of the visitor's email? ​

Your snapshot's Set Magic Login User Email option is set to Parent Site Email. With that option, every demo site keeps the parent site's admin email, even when the visitor entered their own. To use the visitor's email, change the option to Demo Site Email (see the next question).

How do I make demo sites use the visitor's email as the WordPress admin email? ​
  1. Go to Snapshots and open the snapshot you use for demo sites.
  2. Open the Email Collection tab.
  3. Make sure Collect Email is enabled.
  4. Change Set Magic Login User Email to Demo Site Email.
  5. Click Save.

Repeat this for every snapshot you use for demo sites.

A "migrate" or "go live" button on my demo sites sends the wrong customer email. How do I fix it? ​

These buttons send the demo site's WordPress admin email as the customer's email. If your snapshot uses Parent Site Email, that is the parent site's address. Switch the snapshot to Demo Site Email so new demo sites carry the visitor's email.

Will changing this option update demo sites that already exist? ​

No. The option applies to demo sites created after you save. For an existing demo site, update the admin email in that site's WordPress admin under Settings > General.

I changed the option, but the next demo site still had the old email. Why? ​

If your snapshot uses instant (pre-built) demo sites, the sites already waiting in the pool are rebuilt automatically after you save. This can take a few minutes. Demo sites launched after the pool has been rebuilt use the new setting.

Which email is used if the visitor did not enter one? ​

With Demo Site Email, the snapshot owner's email is used. With Parent Site Email, the parent site's admin email is used.

The Set Magic Login User Email option is greyed out. What should I do? ​

This option is part of the advanced snapshot options and is only available on plans that include them. Upgrade your plan or contact support.

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