📚 Portal Cloud 9 Documentation

Dashboard Access

Portal Cloud 9 automatically creates a unified dashboard at www.mywebsite.com/user-portal/ upon plugin activation. This dashboard serves as a central hub for all users, with dynamic interfaces that adapt based on user roles and permissions. All users can access their personalized dashboard through this single URL without needing WordPress admin access.

Key Features & Selling Points

Intelligent Image Processing

Portal Cloud 9 includes revolutionary automatic image optimization that eliminates technical barriers for users. When uploading featured images for products, users can upload any common format including PNG, JPEG, or GIF without worrying about file size or dimensions. The system automatically converts all uploaded images to optimized WebP format at exactly 700px by 700px with a perfect 1:1 aspect ratio. This automatic compression and conversion ensures fast page loading, consistent product displays, and professional appearance without requiring users to know image editing software or compression tools. This feature works identically when adding new products and when editing existing products.

Flexible Product Display

The Products section offers dual viewing modes to accommodate different workflows. Users can toggle between Grid View, which displays products as visual cards perfect for browsing and getting an overview, and List View, which presents products in compact rows ideal for quickly scanning large catalogs and comparing details side by side. The toggle buttons are prominently placed in the toolbar, and the system remembers user preferences for future sessions.

Adaptive Theme System

A Dark/Light mode toggle button is positioned at the top left of the side menu, allowing users to instantly switch between themes based on their preference or lighting conditions. The dark mode features the signature glassmorphic design with deep backgrounds and enhanced contrast, while light mode offers a bright, clean aesthetic. This preference is saved automatically and applies across all dashboard sections.

Complete Mobile Responsiveness

The entire dashboard is fully optimized for mobile devices, tablets, and desktops. The interface adapts intelligently to screen sizes, with touch-friendly controls, swipeable elements, and reorganized layouts that maintain full functionality on smaller screens. Navigation transforms into mobile-friendly menus, cards stack vertically for comfortable scrolling, and all features remain accessible regardless of device.

Product-Centered Messaging

The Inbox system enables direct communication that starts from individual product pages. When customers view a product, they can initiate a conversation using the product inquiry shortcode, which automatically references the product being discussed. This creates contextualized conversations where both parties can see which product is being discussed, complete with product image, name, and price. Sellers and administrators receive these messages in their Inbox and can reply directly, with responses appearing in the customer’s Inbox. This bidirectional messaging keeps all product-related communication organized and accessible.

Installing Shortcodes

Portal Cloud 9 provides several shortcodes that add interactive features to product pages and site navigation. These shortcodes can be placed anywhere on your site using the WordPress block editor, page builders, or widget areas.

Available Shortcodes

Product Inquiry Widget

Add this shortcode to single product pages to display a messaging button. When customers click this button, they can send messages to sellers about the specific product. The message automatically includes product context and appears in both the sender’s and recipient’s Inbox with product details attached.

Seller Phone Display

Add this shortcode to single product pages to display the phone number of the user who posted the product. When customers click the displayed phone number, the interaction is tracked in the Phone Contacts section, providing sellers with analytics about customer interest.

Favourite Button

Add this shortcode to product pages or product listings to display a heart icon button. Customers can click this to save products to their Favourites list for easy access later. The button shows filled or outlined states to indicate whether the product is currently favorited.

Favourites Counter

        
            ❤️
            0
        
        

Add this shortcode to navigation menus or header areas to display the current user’s total number of saved favorite products. The counter updates in real time as users add or remove items from their Favourites, providing constant awareness of their saved items.

How to Add Shortcodes

Method 1: Single Product Pages

1. Navigate to WooCommerce > Products in WordPress admin
2. Select the product you want to edit
3. Scroll to the product description editor
4. Switch to the “Text” or “Code” tab if using the classic editor
5. Paste the desired shortcode where you want it to appear
6. Save the product

Method 2: Template-Wide Implementation

1. Go to Appearance > Theme Editor
2. Locate your single product template file (usually single-product.php)
3. Add the shortcode using PHP: <?php echo do_shortcode(''); ?>
4. Place the code where you want the feature to appear
5. Save the template

Method 3: Page Builders

1. Open your product page in your page builder (Elementor, Divi, etc.)
2. Add a Shortcode element or widget
3. Paste the desired shortcode into the shortcode field
4. Position the element as needed
5. Update the page

Method 4: Navigation Menus (Favourites Counter)

1. Go to Appearance > Menus
2. Create a custom link menu item
3. In the URL field, enter: #
4. In the Navigation Label field, paste: ❤️ 0
5. Save the menu
6. The shortcode will render as a counter badge in your navigation

1.Overview

The Overview provides a personalized dashboard landing page with role-specific metrics. Sellers and admins see quick stats including total sales, orders received, new messages, and published products, along with a 7-day sales performance chart showing daily order trends with visual sparklines. Recent orders appear below with order numbers, customer names, and totals. Customers see their shopping activity including cart items, saved favorites, unread messages, and total orders, presented in colorful visual cards that serve as navigation shortcuts.

2.Orders

The Orders section manages all order-related activities. Sellers view and manage every order in the store with powerful filtering by status, search by customer details, date range selection, and export capabilities. Clicking any order opens a detailed modal showing customer information, complete product lists with images, order totals breakdown, payment details, and quick action buttons for common tasks. Order statuses can be updated individually or in bulk.

Customers view only their personal order history with visual status indicators, can reorder past purchases with one click, download invoices, and track shipments. Both interfaces include search, filtering, and pagination defaulting to 15 orders per page for sellers and 10 for customers.

3.Products

The Products section serves as the catalog management hub. The dual-view system allows switching between Grid View for visual browsing and List View for detailed comparison. Real-time search works across product names, descriptions, and SKUs. Advanced filters include category selection, status filtering (published/draft), and stock levels (in stock, out of stock, low stock).

Bulk operations enable selecting multiple products for simultaneous publishing, status changes, or deletion with confirmation. Each product card displays the featured image in 1:1 ratio, title, pricing with sale price highlighting, status badges, stock indicators, and metadata including SKU, category, and product type. Individual actions include edit, delete, view on frontend, and duplicate. Pagination defaults to 15 products for Pro and 10 for Free version.

4.Add New Product

The Add New Product section enables complete product creation without accessing WordPress admin. Basic information includes product title (required), rich text description with full formatting, and short description for excerpts. Pricing accepts regular price (required) and optional sale price with automatic currency symbol display.

Product organization includes category selection or creation, tag management, and SKU assignment. Inventory management offers stock status toggles, quantity tracking, low stock thresholds, and backorder settings. Product types include simple, variable, grouped, and external/affiliate products. Shipping settings capture weight and dimensions. Status options include publish immediately or save as draft, with catalog visibility controls and featured product toggle. Form validation operates in real time with specific error guidance.

5.Phone Contacts

Phone Contacts tracks customer interest through phone number clicks on product pages. The analytics dashboard displays six statistics cards showing total clicks, daily/weekly/monthly breakdowns, unique users, and unique products contacted. Top lists rank most contacted products and most popular sellers by inquiry volume.

The contact records table logs every interaction with date, customer information, seller details, product references, and displayed phone numbers. Advanced filtering includes multi-field search, date range selection, and data export. Administrators can message sellers about specific inquiries through a modal pre-populated with context, or view detailed contact information including user profiles, product specs, and technical click data. Pagination maintains performance across large datasets.

6.Inbox

The Inbox provides bidirectional messaging between customers and sellers about products. The two-panel interface shows conversation threads on the left and active conversations on the right. The sidebar header displays message counts and unread badges, includes real-time search across conversations, and offers bulk actions for managing multiple threads.

Real-time features check for new messages every few seconds, update unread indicators instantly, and can trigger push and email notifications. Empty state guidance encourages browsing products to initiate conversations. Mobile optimization includes swipeable threads and touch-friendly controls.

7.Account

The Account section organizes profile management into five tabs. The Profile tab handles personal information including display name, email (with verification), names, phone, and bio with rich text formatting. Avatar management allows uploading custom profile pictures with automatic cropping.

The Security tab manages password changes with strength indicators and requirement displays, plus optional two-factor authentication and login history. The Addresses tab (WooCommerce integration) stores billing and shipping addresses with “same as billing” convenience option. The Preferences tab controls dashboard settings (view modes, pagination), notification preferences (email toggles for various events), and display settings including the Dark/Light theme toggle. The Privacy tab manages data downloads, deletion requests, and visibility settings for profile information.

Real-time validation prevents errors, auto-save protects work, and unsaved change warnings prevent accidental data loss.

8.Favourites

Favourites creates a personalized wishlist for bookmarking products. The grid layout displays each saved product with 1:1 aspect ratio images, product names, category badges, pricing with sale price comparisons, and stock indicators. Quick actions include adding to cart directly from favorites, viewing full product details, and removing items.

Bulk management allows selecting all favorites or individual items for batch removal. The header shows total count and selection tools. Empty state displays friendly messaging with heart icon, instructions about the favorite button on product pages, and a call-to-action to start shopping.

Guest favorites are preserved in session storage and automatically merge with user accounts upon login, displaying success notifications. Synchronization ensures favorites appear across all devices when logged in. Pagination defaults to 10 items for Free and 15 for Pro users.

9.Cart

The Cart section finalizes shopping before checkout with instant AJAX updates. The header displays shopping cart icon, title, and real-time item count. Each cart item shows 1:1 ratio product images with sale badges, product details (name, SKU, price), quantity selectors with plus/minus buttons, subtotal calculations, and stock indicators.

Item actions include remove with confirmation, save for later (moves to favorites), and update quantity. The cart summary panel calculates subtotal, displays applied coupons with removal options and new coupon input, shows shipping options and costs, presents tax breakdowns, and highlights total savings from discounts. The order total appears prominently with all charges included.

Action buttons include continue shopping, update cart, and proceed to checkout with gradient styling. Empty cart state shows friendly messaging and start shopping call-to-action. Real-time features handle all updates via AJAX, validate stock continuously, apply coupons instantly, and display loading indicators. Mobile optimization includes responsive layouts, touch controls, swipe-to-delete, sticky summary, and full-width checkout button.

User Roles & Permissions

Portal Cloud 9 implements role-based access control:

Navigation adapts to show only relevant sections based on assigned role.

Technical Features

Theme & Design

Visual Style: Glassmorphic design with blur effects, teal gradients, light and dark modes accessible via top-left toggle, fully responsive across devices, and touch-optimized interfaces.

Accessibility: WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliant, keyboard navigation support, screen reader optimization, high contrast mode, and focus indicators.

Performance

AJAX-powered interactions without page reloads, lazy loading for images, optimized queries, caching support, intelligent pagination.

Security

Nonce verification on all forms, CSRF protection, SQL injection prevention, XSS protection, role-based access control, secure file uploads with automatic WebP conversion.

Integration

Full WooCommerce compatibility, WordPress multisite support, REST API endpoints, webhook support, third-party plugin compatibility.

Pagination & Limits