---
title: "Creating a secure client area"
canonical_url: https://support.digitalphotogallery.com/articles/article/27b07bd0-8965-11e6-9171-be279144b405
short_url: https://dpg.support/afln
category: "Websites > Guides"
locale: en
updated_at: 2021-06-03T01:08:20Z
source: Digital Photo Gallery Support
---

# Creating a secure client area

![](https://cache.media.digitalphotogallery.com/hyqelgcvfopo/images/b35d4898-8992-11e6-a068-56388aee727f/267_support.jpg?generated=20161003185808)

In this guide we are going to show how to create a login-secured website from which you can distribute your work to clients. How many times have you had an urgent email from a client requesting images that you sent them months or even years ago? With the secure client area we aim to solve that, by having one place where clients know they can always download your work.

All downloads from the client area will be uniquely encoded so that they can be traced back to the user that downloaded them.

You can see a live demo of a client area [here](https://modernnarrativeclientsite.dpg.gallery).

### Create the site

[▶ Video](https://cache.dpg.media/hyqelgcvfopo/videos/3f2ad830-e015-11e6-b38c-8e12dd763e7d/bcb183a8-e015-11e6-b38c-8e12dd763e7d.mp4)

Visit the [websites screen](https://admin.digitalphotogallery.com/account/websites), click on the **New site** tab and follow these steps:

1. Scroll to the **Modern Narrative** template.
1. Choose the page collection **Client Delivery Site [Switchable]**.
1. Select an initial theme for the template (this can be changed later).
1. Click **Create**.
1. Enter a name for your website, this can be anything you like and can also be changed later on.
1. Click **OK**.

### Wait for the site to be created

![](https://cache.media.digitalphotogallery.com/hyqelgcvfopo/images/6d2a631c-d454-11e6-b995-967fcb7c1249/428_support.jpg?generated=20170106210951)

The new site may take a few minutes to build. Please be patient and stay on the screen while it does.}

### Set up default text

{video:252be214-e018-11e6-82e6-967fcb7c1249

Once the site has been created you can replace the default text with your own information.

### Create a set for client logos

[▶ Video](https://cache.dpg.media/hyqelgcvfopo/videos/ce962326-e01a-11e6-b117-8e12dd763e7d/26326ad6-e01b-11e6-b117-8e12dd763e7d.mp4)

1. Create a **New set** called logos inside the client area's **Content** set.
1. Click into the **Logos** set.
1. Move the **Logos** set to the **Assets** set.

We're going to use a DPG trick which will allow you to assign the logo of each client to their specific set. We create the set inside **Content** so images will have all the needed image profiles and then we move it to **Assets** so it's only visible to you.

### Upload logos

![](https://cache.media.digitalphotogallery.com/hyqelgcvfopo/images/01b60988-e034-11e6-837a-8e12dd763e7d/519_support.jpg?generated=20170121234831)

You can find most logos using a Google search. You should upload the logos as squares to avoid them being cropped in the sets view. Make sure to give the image a title so it's easy to find in the next step.}

### Creating sets for each client

{video:b409311a-e038-11e6-b2df-8e12dd763e7d

1. For each client that you work with create a set inside the **Content** set.
1. Click into the set you just created.
1. Click on the icon in the **Set information** panel and choose the relevant logo.

> 💡 **Tip:** It's best to lock the client set to avoid accidental deletion.

### Accessing advanced options

![](https://cache.media.digitalphotogallery.com/hyqelgcvfopo/images/9554ef22-e03b-11e6-868a-8e12dd763e7d/521_support.jpg?generated=20170122004234)

In order to access the website security features you'll need to switch the website **Edit mode** to **Standard** using the panel on the right.}

### Securing the site

{video:6ca92a5e-e04d-11e6-bd3c-8e12dd763e7d

Now we're going to enable the security options to restrict access to the site.

1. Toggle the **Enable log in** and **User permissions** switches to on. 
1. Turn off **Sign up screen**.
1. Create a **Restricted URL** which points to **/** with the **Authentication method** set to **User login**.

### Create a login for yourself

[▶ Video](https://cache.dpg.media/hyqelgcvfopo/videos/1540eebc-e040-11e6-932f-8e12dd763e7d/22ddc356-e040-11e6-932f-8e12dd763e7d.mp4)
With the site secured you should create a login for yourself and visit it. Make sure that your user is created with the role **admin** so that you can see all of the sets.

### Adding a project

[▶ Video](https://cache.dpg.media/hyqelgcvfopo/videos/d79cc818-e041-11e6-83e2-967fcb7c1249/e28f9b4c-e041-11e6-83e2-967fcb7c1249.mp4)

Create a set for each of your projects inside the relevant client's set.

### Add users

![](https://cache.media.digitalphotogallery.com/hyqelgcvfopo/images/08e6677a-e043-11e6-b805-8e12dd763e7d/526_support.jpg?generated=20170122013558)

Create the users that should be able to access the project. The new users won't receive their login details until you choose to send them using the send button.}

### Add user to the sets

{video:21458934-e045-11e6-ad85-967fcb7c1249

Use the **Set permissions** panel to add the user to the set. The user needs to be added to both the client set and the project set. You'll be able to check what they can see later.

### Upload your images

![](https://cache.media.digitalphotogallery.com/hyqelgcvfopo/images/fb457950-e045-11e6-a459-967fcb7c1249/528_support.jpg?generated=20170122015711)

Add or upload your images to the project set.}

### Check what the user can see

{video:2884b77e-e04a-11e6-9d6c-8e12dd763e7d

Visit the client area and log in with the admin user you created. In the top right you can switch to view the site as any user to check what they are allowed to see.

### Send the user their login

![](https://cache.media.digitalphotogallery.com/hyqelgcvfopo/images/22b01e8c-e04b-11e6-9666-967fcb7c1249/530_support.jpg?generated=20170122023334)

From the website's security section click **Send details** to send each user their login details.

### Adding a public host

Before you launch your site you should always add a [public host](https://support.digitalphotogallery.com/articles/article/acf006a6-f69b-11e5-a5da-16474ff850f4). It is indexed by search engines and content served from a public host loads faster in browsers than from a testing host.

### Tracking downloads

You can know the exact moment any image has been downloaded by enabling our [Slack integration](https://support.digitalphotogallery.com/articles/article/17eae8f2-0be3-11e6-8390-16474ff850f4).