Support tools for administrators

When a member writes “it doesn’t work for me”, the quickest way to help is often to see the site through their eyes. Yclas gives administrators a few support tools for this, each recorded in an audit log so your team stays accountable:

• Log in as this user: see the site exactly as one member sees it.
• Reported conversations: read a conversation only when one of the people in it asks you to.
• Audit log: who used these tools, on whom and when.
• Staging copy: a private copy of your site to try themes and settings on.

These tools are for administrators only. Moderators can’t use them.

Log in as a member

1. In the admin panel, go to Users.
2. Open the menu on the member’s row and click Log in as this user.
3. Confirm. The message warns you that it is recorded in the audit log.

You’re now signed in as that member and can browse the site, open their listings, favourites and account pages, and reproduce what they describe. A bar on every page says You are logged in as name. Click Back to your account in that bar to return to your own account.

While you’re logged in as a member:

• Their messages stay hidden. Private conversations are private, even from you. If you need to read one, the member can report it (see below).
• They don’t get a login code. If your site uses two-step login or SMS codes, you aren’t asked for theirs and no text message is sent to them.
• They can’t download their data or delete their account through you: those stay with the member themselves.

You can’t log in as another administrator, a moderator, or a member who is marked as spam or inactive.

Reported conversations

Messages between members are private. A conversation only reaches you when someone in it asks:

• Report: any member can report a conversation from its menu (the ⋯ button in Nova), for example for harassment or a scam attempt.
• Open a dispute: when there is a paid order between the two members for that listing, either of them can open a dispute about it.

Reported and disputed conversations appear under Reported conversations in the admin panel menu, with the type, who reported it and when. Click Open to read the whole conversation, from both sides. When you have dealt with it, click Resolve: the conversation becomes private again and you can no longer open it.

Each time you open a conversation it is recorded in the audit log. The Report and Open a dispute options are in the Nova and Default themes; other themes with their own message pages may not show them yet.

Audit log

Audit log in the admin panel menu lists every time an administrator on your site:

• logged in as a member, and returned to their own account;
• opened a reported conversation, or resolved a report;
• made a staging copy of the site.

Each row shows when, which administrator, which member, and the IP address used. Nobody can edit or delete these rows from the admin panel. If a tool can’t record its entry, it refuses to run, so nothing goes unrecorded.

Try changes on a staging copy

A staging copy is a private copy of your site where you can try a new theme, a page builder design or different settings without your visitors seeing anything.

1. Sign in to your Yclas account and open My sites.
2. Open the ⋯ menu of your site and click Create a staging copy.
3. Confirm. After a short wait you see Staging copy ready with its address.
4. To work on it, open the same menu and click Open staging admin.

What the copy has, and doesn’t:

• It copies your settings, categories, locations, pages, email templates and page builder designs.
• It doesn’t copy members, listings, orders, messages, reviews or blog posts. Category icons aren’t copied either.
• It’s private and hidden from search engines, sends no emails and runs no scheduled jobs.
• Payment, email and other service keys are left empty, so it can never take a payment or contact your members.
• It’s free and doesn’t count towards your free sites. You can have one staging copy per site.

The staging copy doesn’t copy anything back. When you’re happy with a change, make the same change on your live site. To start again, click Remove staging copy in the same menu, then create a new one.

Related guides

• Manage users — find a member, change their status or password.
• Messaging — how members talk to each other.
• Roles — what administrators and moderators can do.
• My sites — everything else you can do with your sites.