This chapter is about sign-in and the member area for visitors and customers. It is not the admin sign-in.
| Admin (site staff) | Public members (visitors and customers) | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical address | /admin/login | /login, /signup, and /account/… after sign-in |
| Who can sign up | No public sign-up. An owner must invite you | Visitors can sign up themselves at /signup (the site must show the public sign-in) |
| What it is for | Edit the site, and manage content, orders, and inquiries | See your own orders, inquiries, addresses, subscriptions, and similar |
For the admin sign-in and roles, see Sign-in and roles.
When does the header show Sign in?
Whether the public header shows a member sign-in follows the rules below. If the platform has turned account access off for the whole site, it never shows.
- A brochure site can still show Sign in. That comes from the “public member entry” set when the site was created, or by the platform.
- If the shop or subscriptions are on, Sign in usually appears on its own (buyers need to see orders and manage plans).
- The admin usually has no switch named “member entry.” To change whether it shows, contact the platform, or follow the entry your site already uses.
A missing sign-in icon does not always mean something is broken. The site may simply leave public membership off, and also leave the shop and subscriptions off.
How do visitors sign up?
Public sign-up is at /signup. The sign-in card in the header also has “Don't have an account? Sign up.”
In the page editor, a button or link can insert the dynamic field Sign up ({{site.member_signup}}). It points at this page. You can also pick “Member → Sign up” in the link picker.
If the site asks for email confirmation, the visitor must open that email before they can sign in.
What the member area usually contains
Most of it lives under /account. The menu follows the modules that are on:
| You may see | It usually needs |
|---|---|
| Account overview and profile | Account access is available |
| My orders, and shipping addresses | The shop (online checkout) |
| My inquiries | The shop (the inquiry capability) |
| My subscriptions, licensed devices, and similar | Subscriptions (if the site has them; this handbook does not cover subscriptions in detail yet) |
If a module is off, its item does not appear.
What owners and editors should check
- After the shop goes live, walk through it with a test account: sign up or sign in, place an order, and confirm the order shows in the member area.
- If inquiries are on, send a test inquiry and confirm it shows under My inquiries. Then send a quote from a staff account.
- The header sign-in icon and Edit the menu are separate. If you want a “member area” item in the menu, pick the right target in the link picker.
- Members in the admin are the editing team. They are not a full stand-in for every public customer. Customer records mostly live with orders, inquiries, bookings, and forms.
- Customers can ask to delete their own account from the member area. Retention and platform access records are in Privacy and data deletion.