Sharing a portal
A portal reaches the client as a share link, and the access level on that link decides whether they can act on it or only read it.
Get this wrong and the client can see their invoice but not pay it, so it is worth two minutes.
Getting the link to the client
| Route | What it does |
|---|---|
| Send by Email, on the Portal Created screen | Creates a Can comment link and opens an email to the contact |
| Portals list → Share → Copy link | Reuses an existing link, or creates one |
| Portals list → Share → Open link | Opens the portal as the client sees it |
| Portal page → Actions → Share | The full share dialog, for expiry and email restriction |
| Client actions sheet → Send portal link | Emails the link to the contact's main address |
The routes that create a link for you use Can comment, which is what a client needs.
Check it the way they will
Share → Open link shows you the real portal with the real access level. Use it before you send anything.
Access levels
| Level | Read the page, hours and invoices | Download invoice PDFs | Comment | Approve, upload, request changes | Pay an invoice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View only | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| Can comment | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Can edit | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Can comment is the right level for almost every portal.
View only is a read-only window
A client on a view-only link sees the invoice and its amount, and has no Pay button and no way to approve anything. If a client says a button is missing, check the level on their link first.
Can edit adds nothing to the portal itself. The page body stays read-only for the client either way. It only matters if you have embedded a shared database you want them to write to.
Creating a link by hand
From the portal page, Actions → Share → Create link.
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Label | A note to yourself, such as Acme review |
| Expiration Date | The link stops working after this moment |
| Authorize to specific email | The visitor must enter that address and a code emailed to it |
| Send invite email | Emails the link on creation |
Set the access level to Can comment unless you have a reason not to.
Email restriction is off by default
Portals created through the normal flow are shareable immediately, with no code step to read them. Turn Authorize to specific email on for a portal carrying something sensitive, and accept that the client has one more hoop.
A portal page can carry several links, each with its own label, expiry and restriction, which is how you give two people at a client their own link.
Revoking a link
Open Actions → Share and click Revoke on the link.
Anyone using it loses access immediately and it cannot be undone. Create a fresh link and send that instead.
To end a whole engagement rather than one link, archive the portal. See Creating a portal.
What the link does not open
The token opens that one page. Links to your other pages appear on it as plain text rather than something the client can follow, and an embedded database reference is shown the same way.
Related
- Creating a portal — building one, and archiving it
- Asking your client for things — needs Can comment or above
- What your client sees — their side of the link
- Share Links — share links across the rest of Optivation