Client delivery overview

Capability overview

Client delivery on ArtInStack is how clients (not your staff) access galleries, resources, courses, submissions, and releases through the client portal. It lives under the Education module—the same capability family as courses and Portal Manager.

This section is not internal team collaboration. For Projects, pinned image comments, blog editorial review, and Settings → Teams, see Team and collaboration overview.

Two modules, two audiences

Module	Plan capability	Who uses it	Main sidebar areas
Education / client portal	Education module (Creator-tier client delivery)	Clients you invite or who purchase portal products	Portal Manager, client portal sign-in, course access
Teams / collaboration	Teams enabled	Staff you invite	Projects, Posts review, Settings → Teams

You may have both on Master-tier plans. They use different logins and permissions—clients never see your full dashboard.

How clients get access

Every signed-in client gets portal access to specific content—a gallery, course, downloads bundle, event, or similar. The platform assigns that access automatically when checkout completes or when the client verifies their invitation code. You configure what they receive on the product or Invite Client form; you do not manage access as a separate list in the dashboard.

Trigger	What happens
Purchase completed	Client buys a digital or portal-enabled product on your site → checkout completes → platform grants access from the product's portal settings → welcome email with access code → client verifies at /verify → client portal
Manual invitation accepted	Portal Manager → Invite Client → client receives email with access code → enters code at /verify → access matches the access type and resource you chose → client portal
Dashboard invite (no purchase)	Same as manual invitation—you choose access type and resource on Invite Client before send
Portfolio share link	No portal account—view/download via link privacy only (Share gallery links)

Product-based access is configured when you build digital products—see Digital vs print products and Set course access rules. Manual invites are covered in Invite clients to portal.

Typical flows

Purchase path (courses, portal-enabled digital products)

[Client buys product on your storefront]
        |
        v
[Stripe checkout.session.completed]
        |
        v
[Portal access from product settings]
        |
        v
[Email: access code + link to /verify]
        |
        v
[Client portal — same home as invitation clients]

Invitation path (proofing, bespoke access)

[You prepare work in Media / Portfolio]
        |
        v
[Portal Manager → Invite Client]  (access type + resource)
        |
        v
[Client verifies access code at /verify]
        |
        v
[Portal access assigned → client portal]
        |
        +--> View / download entitled galleries
        +--> Submit favorites (Client Submissions)
        +--> Sign releases (Releases tab)
        +--> Access enrolled courses (when granted)

Portal Manager at a glance

Area	What you use it for
Overview tab	Pending invitations, active clients, pending gallery approvals, purchase count, Courses section
Invitations tab	Send, resend, and track manual Invite Client rows
Client Submissions tab	Review client favorites and album picks
Releases tab	Model and property release signature status
Portal Settings (header button)	Configure which widgets appear on the client portal home—see Configure client portal widgets

The Total Purchases card on Overview links to purchase records (commerce settings); those purchases may have granted portal access when the product included it.

Prerequisites

Dashboard → Portal Manager → Overview

Plan: Education module on Settings → Subscription

Implementation steps

1. Confirm Portal Manager appears in your sidebar (Education module).
2. Open Overview and note invitation, approval, and purchase counts.
3. Open Portal Settings once to see which client-facing widgets you have enabled.
4. Skim Invitations, Client Submissions, and Releases so you know where each client action lands.
5. Decide per job: purchase (product with portal widgets), invitation, or portfolio link only.
6. Cross-check Invite clients to portal or your product setup before the first client send.

If Portal Manager is missing

The Education module is not on your current plan. Upgrade on Settings → Subscription, or use Portfolio share links until you need structured client portal workflows.

Verifying your setup

• You understand client portal vs internal Projects collaboration.
• You can explain purchase vs invitation paths and that both end in the same client portal.
• Portal Manager is available or you know which upgrade unlocks it.
• You can name Overview, Invitations, Client Submissions, Releases, and Portal Settings.