Platform Guide

Complete how-to documentation for managing your website, gallery, and auctions.

Platform Overview

Your platform consists of three main components that work together:

Accessing Admin Tools

1. Go to thewaterandoilartist.com
2. Click the ⚙ gear icon in the top navigation (right side)
3. Enter your admin password when prompted
4. Choose from:
   • Gallery Admin — manage artwork in the public gallery
   • Auction App — full auction management
   • Platform Guide — this documentation
   • Bidder Registration — public registration page

Website Structure

Your website has these main sections:

• Gallery — Dynamically loaded from the admin system (no HTML editing needed)
• Collections — Coastal & Harbor / Equine themed sections
• About — Artist bio and process photos
• Shop — Coming soon with email notification signup
• Auctions — Live auction data pulled from the API, with featured piece, bid ticker, and upcoming auctions
• Contact — Contact information and social links
• Client Portal — Links to the Bidder Portal for registered bidders

The auction section on the main website is dynamic — it pulls real data from your auctions:

• Featured piece — Shows the photo of the lot you set as "Featured" in Auction Setup
• Bid ticker — Shows the highest bid, total lots, and auction status
• Upcoming auctions — Lists your active and draft auctions with dates and venues
• "Enter the Auction" — Links to the Bidder Portal
• "Sign Up to Bid" — Links to the public registration page

Updating Website Content

Gallery images are managed through the Gallery Admin — changes appear instantly on the live site. For other content (text, layout), edit index.html and redeploy:

cd C:\Users\artis\Downloads\thewaterandoilartist-site
npx wrangler pages deploy . --project-name thewaterandoilartist-site

Gallery Admin

The Gallery Admin at /admin lets you manage all artwork in your public gallery. After logging in you'll see a stats row (total artworks, originals, prints, images), a category filter, and a grid of all your artworks.

Adding a New Artwork

1. Click "+ New Artwork" in the top bar
2. Fill in the details:
   • Title — Name of the painting (required)
   • Medium — e.g., "Oil on Canvas", "Watercolor on Paper"
   • Status — Original, Print Available, Sold, or Not for Sale
   • Visible — Yes to show on the public gallery, No to hide
   • Categories — Check all that apply
3. Click "Create Artwork"
4. The form switches to edit mode — now upload images by dragging or clicking the upload zone
5. Click image thumbnails to set the cover image

Editing an Artwork

1. Find the artwork in the grid
2. Click "Edit" on the card
3. Update any fields — title, medium, status, categories, visibility
4. Add or remove images as needed
5. Click "Save Changes"

Adding Images to Existing Artworks

Method 1 — From the Edit modal

Click "Edit" on any artwork, then use the upload zone to add more images.

Method 2 — Using the "+ Add Images" button

1. Click "+ Add Images" in the top bar
2. Search for the artwork by name
3. Select it from the results list
4. Drop or browse to upload new images
5. Click "Done" when finished

Bulk Upload

For adding many new artworks at once:

1. Click "Bulk Upload" in the top bar
2. Select multiple image files — each becomes a new artwork
3. Titles are auto-generated from filenames
4. After upload, edit each artwork to set the correct title, medium, and categories

Reordering Artworks

Drag and drop artwork cards in the admin grid to reorder them. The new order saves automatically and is reflected on the public website.

Multiple Images per Artwork

Each artwork can have multiple images — different angles, framed versions, detail shots, etc.

• Admin: Hover over a card to see left/right arrows to browse images
• Website: Visitors see arrows on hover and can click to browse. The lightbox supports arrow keys (← →)
• Cover image: In the edit modal, click a thumbnail to set it as the cover

Multi-Auction Support

The platform supports running multiple auctions simultaneously. Each auction has its own lots, bidder registrations, and settings. Use the auction dropdown in the top bar of the Auction App to switch between auctions.

Dashboard

The Dashboard is the first page you see when opening the Auction App. It shows a real-time overview of the current auction:

• Stats row — total lots, registered bidders, total bids placed, and hammer total (all displayed with proper currency formatting)
• Active Lots — shows each lot that's currently open for bidding, with the current high bid amount and the name of the highest bidder (matched from the bidder registry by paddle number)
• Recently Sold — shows the last 5 sold lots with the winner's name and hammer price

Creating a New Auction

1. Open the Auction App (⚙ → Auction App)
2. Click "+ New Auction" in the top bar
3. Fill in the auction name, venue, beneficiary, and description
4. Click Create Auction
5. The new auction appears in the dropdown — select it to start adding lots

Configuring Auction Settings

1. Go to ⚙ Auction Setup in the sidebar
2. Set the auction Status:
   • Draft — visible to admin only, shows as "Coming Soon" to bidders
   • Active — live and open for bidding, shown on the website
   • Closed — auction ended, no more bids accepted
3. Configure:
   • Live Event Date/Time — when the in-person event takes place
   • Buyer's Premium — percentage added to hammer price (default 15%)
   • Default Increment — minimum bid increment amount
   • Close Rule — how the auction closes
4. Click Save Settings

Setting the Featured Lot

The featured lot appears prominently on the website auction section and in the bidder portal when bidders select an auction.

1. First, add some lots with photos in the Catalog
2. Go to ⚙ Auction Setup
3. Find the "Featured Lot" dropdown at the bottom
4. Select the lot you want featured
5. Click Save Settings

Adding Auction Lots

1. Go to 📦 Catalog in the sidebar
2. Click "+ Add Lot"
3. Fill in lot details — number, title, artist, medium, year, estimates, minimum bid, buy now price
4. Click Save Lot — the form switches to edit mode
5. Now upload photos by clicking the upload zone
6. Photos appear as thumbnails — click the ✕ to remove any

Running a Live Auction

1. In the Catalog, find the lot being auctioned
2. Click "Sell" on the lot card
3. Enter the hammer price and the winner's paddle number
4. The lot status changes to "Sold" and appears in the Payments section

Buy Now

Lots with a Buy Now price allow bidders to purchase immediately at the listed price. Configure how Buy Now works in Auction Setup.

Managing Bidders

Go to 👤 Bidders in the sidebar to manage registered bidders for the current auction.

Adding a New Bidder

1. Click "+ Add Bidder"
2. Fill in name, email, phone, paddle number, and type (in-person or online)
3. Click Save

Registering an Existing Bidder for Another Auction

If a bidder is already in the system from a previous auction:

1. Click "+ Register Existing"
2. Search by name or email
3. Click the bidder to register them — enter their paddle number for this auction

Bidder Self-Registration

Bidders can register themselves at thewaterandoilartist.com/register:

1. They select an active auction from the list
2. Fill in their name, email, phone, and create a password
3. Check the consent checkbox
4. Click Register — they get a paddle number and a welcome email
5. After registering, they can click "Enter the Auction →" to go directly to the Bidder Portal (already logged in)

Bidder Portal

The Bidder Portal at /bidder-portal is where bidders log in and view their auctions:

1. Bidder signs in with email + password
2. They see a list of auctions they're registered for, each showing the featured piece and auction details
3. Clicking an auction shows all lots with photos, estimates, and current bids

Password Reset

Bidder Self-Service Reset

1. On the Bidder Portal login page, click "Forgot your password?"
2. Enter their email address
3. A 6-digit reset code is emailed to them (valid for 15 minutes)
4. Enter the code and set a new password
5. They're automatically logged in

Admin Password Reset (with Bidder Lookup)

1. In the Auction App, go to ⚙ Auction Setup
2. Find the "Reset Bidder Password" section
3. Type a name or email in the search box to find the bidder
4. The search results show the bidder's name, email, phone, and whether they have a password set
5. Click a bidder to select them
6. Click "Generate & Send Temp Password"

This will:

• Generate a random temporary password (e.g. Temp4827)
• Set it on the bidder's account with a force-change flag
• Email the temp password to the bidder with instructions to change it
• Show the temp password to you as well (in case you need to share it directly)

Forced Password Change

When a bidder logs in with a temporary password, they will be presented with a "Change Your Password" screen before they can access their auctions. They must set a new password to continue. This ensures temp passwords are never used long-term.

Email Notifications

All notifications are sent via email through Resend. Go to 📱 Notifications in the Auction App sidebar.

Automatic Outbid Notifications

When a new bid is placed on a lot, the previous high bidder is automatically emailed an outbid alert. The email includes the new bid amount and a link to the Bidder Portal so they can place a higher bid. No manual action is needed — this happens every time a bid is recorded.

Sending to an Individual

1. Select a bidder from the dropdown (shows name, email, and paddle number)
2. Choose a notification type (outbid, lot won, reminder, custom)
3. For lot-specific notifications, select the lot and enter the amount
4. The message auto-fills with a template — edit as needed
5. Click 📧 Send Email to send via email or 📱 Send SMS if SMS is active

Sending to All Bidders

• 📧 Email All — sends the current message to all registered bidders with email addresses
• 📧 Email Auction Reminder to All — sends a branded reminder email with auction name, date, time, and venue
• 📱 SMS All / 📱 SMS Reminder to All — same via SMS (requires carrier registration)

Email Templates

All emails use professional branded HTML templates with The Water & Oil Artist branding. Template types include:

• Outbid alert — shows the lot, new bid amount, and a "Place Your Bid" button
• Lot won — congratulates the winner with hammer price and total due
• Auction reminder — shows auction name, date, time, venue, and a "View Auction" button
• Welcome — sent automatically on registration with paddle number and a "Enter the Auction" button
• Password reset — sent when a bidder requests a reset or admin generates a temp password
• Custom — your message wrapped in the branded template

SMS Notifications

SMS notifications via Twilio are also available (requires A2P 10DLC or toll-free verification). The Notifications page has both 📧 Email and 📱 SMS buttons for each action.

Stripe Payments

Stripe handles all payment processing. Your integration supports direct card payments and payment links sent to buyers.

Processing Payments

1. In the Catalog or Invoices section, click "Pay with Stripe" on a sold lot
2. The form shows lot details, hammer price + buyer's premium = total due
3. Enter card details and click "Pay Now"
4. Or click "Send Payment Link" to email a secure Stripe link to the buyer

Switching to Live Payments

1. Ensure your Stripe account is activated at dashboard.stripe.com
2. Get your live API keys from Developers → API keys
3. Update the Worker secret key:

   cd C:\Users\artis\gavels-worker\gavels-worker
   npx wrangler secret put STRIPE_SECRET_KEY

   Paste the sk_live_... key when prompted
4. Update the auction app's publishable key in Auction Setup
5. Redeploy the website

Test Card Numbers (Sandbox Only)

Use any future expiration date, any 3-digit CVC, and any ZIP code.

Multi-Admin Users

You can add up to 3 admin users who can log into the Auction App. This is useful for assistants, event managers, or co-auctioneers.

Adding an Admin User

1. In the Auction App, go to ⚙ Auction Setup
2. Scroll to the "Admin Users" section at the bottom
3. Enter the admin's name, email, and a password
4. Click Add Admin User

How Admin Users Log In

The Auction App login screen has two fields: Email and Password.

• Admin users — enter their email and the password you set for them
• Master admin — leave the email field blank and enter the master password (the ADMIN_PASSWORD secret)

Removing an Admin User

In the Admin Users section of Auction Setup, click "Remove" next to the admin you want to delete.

Deployment & Updates

File Locations

Deploy Website Updates

cd C:\Users\artis\Downloads\thewaterandoilartist-site
npx wrangler pages deploy . --project-name thewaterandoilartist-site

Deploy API/Worker Updates

cd C:\Users\artis\gavels-worker\gavels-worker
npx wrangler deploy

Managing Secrets

cd C:\Users\artis\gavels-worker\gavels-worker
npx wrangler secret put SECRET_NAME

Current secrets: ADMIN_PASSWORD, STRIPE_SECRET_KEY, RESEND_API_KEY, TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID, TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN, TWILIO_PHONE_NUMBER

Frequently Asked Questions