Private Highlights
Overview
Fivestar introduces a ‘Private’ checkbox for creators who wish to restrict the visibility of their highlights and galleries. This option is unmarked by default and can be found on the Edit Highlight or Edit Gallery modal.
- Mechanics: A private highlight is hidden from the Fivestar search results when the Private checkbox is activated. A unique parameter (p=[6 characters]) is added to its URL, which is then displayed in the Edit Highlight modal for easy sharing by the creator. To revert to public visibility, uncheck the ‘Private’ box, and the URL parameter will be removed.
Private Galleries
Like individual highlights, galleries can now be made private by checking the ‘Private’ checkbox during creation or editing. This ensures that galleries are not searchable or visible on the front end without the correct URL.
- Mechanics: Private galleries will be hidden and have a unique URL parameter (p=[6 characters]) that can be shared directly. All highlights within a private gallery inherit this private status. However, if a highlight is already private before being added to the gallery, it will retain its status even if the gallery’s privacy is toggled off.
Important Considerations
- Accessing Private Content: A user with the correct URL (including the unique parameter) can view a private gallery and all contained highlights. Attempting to access private content without this parameter will lead to a notification page about the content’s privacy status.
- Error Validation: Creators must ensure consistent privacy settings when adding highlights to galleries. The platform will prompt with error messages if there is a status mismatch, such as adding a public highlight to a private gallery or vice versa.
- Status Indicators: Content statuses have been expanded to include Draft (not published), Public (published and searchable), and Private (published but hidden). A new ‘Private Highlights’ statistic widget has also been introduced for creators to track their private content.