Getting Started
Can I control the initial experience of new wordpress sites?
Yes, by creating a custom blueprint. Creating a site from a custom blueprint allows you to determine what plugins, themes, configuration, and default data will be present when a customer creates a website. The initial experience of a site created for a particular customer can be further tailored to individual customers by making use of our real-time customizer. Our real-time customizer can be used to initialize website content with customer details.PopularHow can I build my website-as-a-service business on my existing website?
Installing our white-label hub plugin on your website allows you to build a fully comprehensive managed website hosting business directly within your existing website. The plugin achieves the following: connects to your dollie account to sync data and perform actions such as deploying and undeploying sites integrates with wordpress and woo-commerce fixtures such as short codes, customers and products, a customer portal into which customers can login to manage their sites, subscriptSome readersCan I use my existing website as my hub?
Yes. All that is required is to install the white-label hub plugin on your existing site, connect your the plugin to the Dollie API, and you can start selling managed website hosting directly to your existing customers.Few readersWhat plugins does the white-label hub plugin require?
The white-label hub plugin requires the following plugins to be installed in order to work as expected: Payment Plugins In order to bill your customers from within your hub website, you need to add one of the following plugin families WooCommerc & WooCommerce Subscriptions Easy Digital Downloads Supported Page Builders By default the site management pages will be generated for the Gutenberg. We also support Elementor. Elementor Gutenberg Other RequiredFew readersHow do I deploy my first site?
Launching a New Site via Your Hub. Once you have signed up for Dollie and you've connected your Hub you're able to launch sites via your Hub. Initially these sites are launched under a temporary domain, but once you've connected your own domain, everything will be 100% white-labeled for you and your customers. So let's walk through the process. The Launch Site Form. QuiFew readersAn Example Setup for Building a WaaS with Dollie
Introduction Are you looking for a complete solution to build a WordPress as a Service (WaaS) platform for your customers? Look no further! Dollie is the perfect alternative to traditional multisite installations like WP Ultimo + WP Frontend Admin. In this support article, we will provide a friendly and easy-to-read guide on how to set up Dollie to meet your specific use case. 1 - Understanding the Dollie Platform Dollie is designed with three main components, offering flexibility, controFew readers
Configuration
Is there a way to have advanced settings expanded by default on the site create page?
In the Elementor widget you will find the Advanced Settings State option which can be toggled to force the advanced settings to be expanded when a customer creates a site.Some readersHow can I test the customer signup flow?
The signup flow (also known as the checkout flow) typically starts on a landing page on your hub and depending on your configuration follows a scenario similar to the following: A customer clicks on a call to action button such as "Launch My Site" The customer fills a signup form that includes the name and initial URL of the site The customer provides their payment method The customer completes the order An account is created for the customer, and their first site is deployed To helSome readersDisable charges for deploying new sites
Sometimes, you'd like to disable charges for deploying new sites. This option is very simple and is available in the dollie settings menu. Go to /wp-admin/ -dollie -settings -Access Controls. Inside access controls, you'll see an option for "Charge for launching sites".Few readersHow do I customize or overwrite strings in the customer portal?
There might be situations where you would like to add or alter wording/phrases in your customer portal.The best way to do this is to create your own custom translation file, that gets loaded before the Dollie file. This is extremely easy to do with the Loco Translate plugin. Complete the following steps in order to do so: Install the Loco Translate Plugin. Activate the plugin Follow this custom translations guide on the Loco TranFew readersCan I use my deployment domain for my storefront hub?
Yes. In this case the domain must first be setup as a deployment domain. Subdomains will then be used as the default domains for newly created sites, and you can use the root domain and/or the www subdomain for your storefront/hub. In order to use the deployment domain with the storefront, the necessary records need to be created on domain zone. Please contact support in order to have this done for you.Few readersHow can I add menu items?
Menu items allow you to easily maneuver through certain key pages with Dollie. In order to enable them, navigate to Appearance -Menus. At the top right of your screen, there will be a tab for Screen options. In here, enable the Dollie menu items. Then, in “Add menu items”, add the Dollie options to your menu structure Now you can see your live notifications, navigate to your dashboard, and even log out from the siteFew readersConfiguring Your White Label Domains for Your Platform - Read this First
Once you start building your own white-label platform with Dollie you'll quickly want to start connecting and setting up your domains. Many have gone before you and in this article we're giving you some tips that we believe will lead to the optimal setup for your platform. Tip 1 - Put your Customer Portal (Your WP installation with the Dollie Hub Plugin installed) on a subdomain. When it comes to setting up a customer portal or dashboard, it's important to consider how it will be integrateFew readersIs the Customer Portal translatable?
The customer portal is about 80% translatable. The best way to do this is to create your own custom translation file, that gets loaded before the Dollie file. This is extremely easy to do with the Loco Translate plugin. Complete the following steps in order to do so: Install the Loco Translate Plugin. Activate the plugin Follow this custom translations guide on the Loco Translate website.Few readersHow do I restrict the functionality available to customers?
You can control which Site Management features are available to your customers/clients. You will find access control options within the Dollie menu of the wpadmin. There, you can select what features you want to make available to your customers in their customer portal.Few readersHow can I customize the customer portal pages?
There might be times when there is something in the customer portal that you would like to change. For example you'd like to remove a section/block or change the design. This can be easily done by creating a child theme and copying over the template from the Dollie plugin folder into your child theme. What are child themes? A WordPress child theme is a theme that inherits the functionality of another theme, called the parent theme, and allows you to modify, or add to, the functionalityFew readersCan I control the default user role new Wordpress sites that are deployed?
Once a customer/client deploys a new WordPress site from the customer portal they are guided through setting up their new installation by giving it a name, admin email and password. By default, the customer is provided with full Admin access to the WordPress site they have just deployed, but if you’d like to change the default user role, you can do this by navigating to the Dollie settings page in the wordpress admin area of your Hub.Few readers
Customer Portal
What template pages does the white-label hub plugin generate?
The white-label hub plugin generates a set of template pages that make it easy and fast for you to get up and running with your managed hosting software-as-a-service business. Two page builders are currently supported: (the default Wordpress page-builder) Gutenberg and Elementor. The following pages are generated:Some readersWhat is the customer portal?
Your customer portal is a beautiful, fully responsive solution that competes with the best managed WordPress hosts in the industry. It let’s your clients upgrade/downgrade their subscription(s), access their payment history and manage their billing methods easily. The customer portal gives them detailed insights in the security, performance and activity of all their WordPress sites. Give them access to all Site Management features or disable advanced features (Database, SFTP access) as needSome readersUsing WooCommerce Plugins/Extensions inside your Hub
Your Dollie Hub is a powerful platform that allows you to use any WooCommerce plugin or extension. For instance, you can use Cart Flows or WPFunnels to create custom checkout flows, remove unnecessary fields, and provide customers with a seamless checkout experience. Here is an overview of how the Checkout process works inside your Dollie Hub using WooCommerce. Customers click on a checkout link for product/blueprint they like to purchase. They complete the purchase and are redirectedFew readersHow can I build my customer portal using Elementor?
Building a fantastic experience for your customers/clients inside your Hub is really easy with Dollie. In this guide we will show you how you can customize the experience to the needs of you team, clients/customers and yourself. Your Core Hub Pages When you install and activate the Dollie Hub plugin inside your WordPress installation we will automatically set up your Core Hub pages and using some Elementor templates that you can later customise. Here is what's being created.. CustomFew readersIs it possible for a customer to add their own domain to their website?
Yes indeed. The customer portal presents customers with a set of site management tools including the option to add/change the domain of a particular website. Adding a custom domain to a website requires DNS changes, instructions for which are provided on the relevant page.Few readers
Customer Billing
How can I sell a hosted website on my woocommerce store?
1. Create or select an existing blueprint The first consideration is to decide on the website blueprint that will be deployed when your customer makes his or her purchase. You can select a pre-existing blueprint, or create a custom one for this purpose. 2. Associate a product with the blueprint 3. Use a short-code on your website The short code will allows your customer to demo and purchase the site. There are 4 main usecases for how you might use the short codes: EleSome readersHow do I setup WooCommerce products to sell websites?
Never used WooCommerce before? Our docs do not cover the basics of WooCommerce so please refer to the WooCommerce Docs and this excellent video to help you get started When developing Dollie we wanted to avoid re-inventing the wheel and give you as much flexibility as possible to sell your (Cloud) services. That's why we decided to tightly integrate Dollie with WooCommerce so you have the best eCommerce solution available with an rich ecosystem of extensions, payment gateways and excellent docuSome readersHow can I sell additional hosting services to customers?
Hosting services are just a WooCommerce products, you can display them in many different ways. In the following videos you will be able to find a step by step instructions: Tutorial on how to set up the Hub with subscriptions Tutorial on how to set up the productFew readersCan I use checkout flow builders like WPFunnels with the Dollie hub?
Yes, the Dollie Hub is compatible with any WooCommerce plugin or extension, including well known checkout flow builders such as WPFunnels and Cart Flows. If you are building a custom checkout flow, you can remove our thank you page redirect by adding the following code to your child theme functions.php or in any custom plugin you have on your site:Few readersHow can I turn my Wordpress theme into a SAAS product?
To use Dollie to turn a Wordpress theme or plugin into a SAAS product to which you can sell subscriptions to, complete the following steps. 1. Create a custom blueprint From within either the control panel or the hub, navigate to the blueprints section, and click Create Blueprint. Complete and submit the form. Creating a blueprint, deploys a blueprint related site that is used to build the blueprint itself. To change a blueprint, you make changes to this corresponding site, and thenFew readersCan I create an add-on in WooCommerce for the staging feature?
Yes, absolutely. You can create a dedicated staging product for your WooCommerce subscriptions.Few readersHow do I upsell the staging website feature to my customers?
You can upsell staging like you would any other WooCommerce product. You can link your customer directly to your staging product or include it in a premium subscription bundleFew readersHow do I add the staging feature to a WooCommerce product?
The first step is to create a WooCommerce subscription product. Within the WooCommerce section of your wordpress admin you will find the the Add New Product page. There you will discover fields that will let you configure what features or services and how much of them are provided to customers when they subscribe to your product.Few readersCan I offer my customers a free trial?
Yes indeed. The WooCommerce plugins handle the billing related functionality within the white-labeled hub. This billing related functionality includes the ability to offer free trials. Who pays for free trials? While trial sites might be free for your prospective customers, Dollie considers them to be just like any other customer site and as such you will be required to pay for them. What else should I consider when offering free trials? If the proper precautions are not taken,Few readers
Blueprints
What is the Real-Time Customizer?
The real-time customizer makes setting up new websites for your clients easier and faster than before. The Real-Time Customizer enables you to add additional fields to the site launching process, whose data can be injected into the newly launched site. This saves on the tedious work of replacing emails, names, addresses and other common variables. The real-time customizer only works with your custom blueprints, and not public ones. Defining Placeholders for a Blueprint From within ePopularHow can I create a blueprint in the hub?
Blueprints are so powerful and flexible because you can create them in any way you want. You can bundle plugins, themes and custom code together to create a site that is perfect for your needs and sell them as a hosted solution. You can tie Blueprints to your recurring subscriptions and so much more. In this document we will first explain you how to create your first Blueprint. Step 1 - Launch a new Blueprint. In your Hub you can create a new Blueprint by clicking on the Launch New BlueFew readersHow do I change the blueprint thumbnail?
Within your hub, navigate to the specific blueprint, and click the edit button. There, you will find the option to upload a custom image for your blueprint.Few readers