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Frequently asked questions about EntryThingy
General
What's the best way to find out how this works?
Watch the videos here. They'll show you how it works. Please contact us if you have any questions.
What's the best way to stay informed on new features and other EntryThingy news?
Subscribe to the EntryThingy blog here. You can subscribe via newsreader, email or Twitter!
Where does EntryThingy and my data live?
EntryThingy runs in the 'cloud'.
That's a fairly new term and doesn't really mean anything to most people. But it's sort of fun to say. So.
EntryThingy runs on Amazon Web Services (AWS). The server and database run on EC2 instances.
Those are basically Linux machines that can be easily started up when needed and stopped when not needed.
The big advantage for us is that the cost is relatively low, and we have the flexibility to add servers or move up to bigger and faster machines when the need arises.
Your data is stored in two different areas.
We use a MySQL database in a master/slave configuration. This is where all data except files are stored. This means that there are 2 copies of all metadata on two different computers at all times.
Files are stored in Simple Storage Service (S3) buckets.
We use these services to give you access to the same highly scalable, reliable, fast, inexpensive data storage infrastructure that Amazon uses to run its own global network of web sites.
How is my data backed up?
- All data (except image files) is stored in a MySQL database and mirrored through a master/slave setup to another database on a different computer. The Slave MySQL data is stored in an AWS EBS volume. The EBS volume is automatically replicated within the same Availability Zone. This prevents data loss due to failure of any single hardware component.
This means that there are two copies of all data (except image files) on two different machines (and replicated!) at all times.
- All data (including image files) is backed up nightly to S3 buckets in a data center on the west coast. So while the servers and data are in a data center on the east coast, the backups are on the west coast. So even if the east coast gets sucked into the ocean (which we really really hope won't happen) , we can start everything right back up on the west coast. So how about that! And: We keep full daily copies of all data for one month.
- Image file backups are stored in a separate S3 bucket - files are not deleted nor does the EntryThingy system have read or delete access to the backup bucket.
- This is what Amazon says about the reliability of S3: "Amazon S3 gives any developer access to the same highly scalable, reliable, fast, inexpensive data storage infrastructure that Amazon uses to run its own global network of web sites. The service was designed for 99.99% availability..." - and "Amazon S3 uses proven cryptographic methods to authenticate users."
Who's behind all this?
We're Uta Ritke and Chris Ritke and we're located in beautiful Ojai, California, USA. That's just east of Santa Barbara.
Installation
How do I put an EntryThingy on my site?
Watch the short Installation video here. It'll show you how it works. Please contact us if you have any questions.
I don't want to put it on my site. Can you host my EntryThingy for me?
Sure! You can:
- Fill out the form here - but instead of grabbing the code, bookmark and click the link to your EntryThingy hosted at entrythingy.com (a little further down on the page). You can link to that page on your site and do everything there.
- Contact us and we'll host your EntryThingy for you with your site's design.
By the way - if it's just a matter of you not quite knowing how to put it on your site - no problem - contact us and we'll work with you to put your EntryThingy on your site - we'll even design your site for you!
My EntryThingy is all squished
EntryThingy should have a minimum of 650px horizontally or it'll look weird and squished. Please make sure you give it at least that much horizontal space.
Please contact us if you have any questions.
I don't see a login form on my site, it just says Loading... with a twirly thing.
This happens when the EntryThingy code somehow gets messed up by something. That 'something' can be a whole slew of things.
Like when you're using an online site builder tool. They sometimes translate stuff into other stuff that in turn breaks things.
So if you see Loading... with the twirly thing instead of your form, please contact us by phone or email. We'll figure it out!
It keeps jumping to the top of the page. What can I do?
Depending on the view and what you're doing in EntryThingy it'll jump to the top of the page. This is great if the EntryThingy is near the top of the page -
it makes it easier to use.
But if you put your EntryThingy further down, it can make it really difficult to use - and possibly drive you nuts.
To stop it from jumping to the top, add the following line to your EntryThingy code, right above the entryThingy(); statement:
w_['scrollupto']="no";
It might even be better to tell it where to jump to. Measure how many pixels down your EntryThingy is and add this to your EntryThingy code:
w_['scrollupto']="xpx";
replacing xpx with the number of pixels down from the top. If it's 200px, for example, set it like this:
w_['scrollupto']="200px";
Can I change the text that shows to the right of the entrant registration form?
Yes. You can show any html to the right of the registration form by adding a line to your entrythingy code like this:
w_['register_right']="Put any html here. Already have a login? <a href='javascript:displayLogin(false)'>Login here</a>";
Put it under the line that starts with sitecode=. Make sure it's all on one line - ie no line breaks. Also make sure you include the login link so that administrators, jurors and registered entrants can login. The login link looks like this:
<a href='javascript:displayLogin(false)'>Login here</a>
I want to show a list of my shows instead of the entrant registration form.
To enable this, add the following line to your EntryThingy HTML code, just above the entryThingy(); statement:w_['startwith']="list";
It'll look like similar to the image shown below:
I want to show the login form instead of the entrant registration form.
To enable this, add the following line to your EntryThingy HTML code, just above the entryThingy(); statement:w_['startwith']="login";
How do I get it to work in Wordpress?
You'll have to add a plugin that lets you use raw HTML. The Raw HTML plugin is here.
Pricing & Tokens
What's a token, what do they cost and how do I get them?
Each entry that you recieve costs one token. The price for one token is $2. To purchase tokens, login to your EntryThingy as admnistrator, click 'admin' and 'purchase tokens' to purchase your tokens through Paypal with your Paypal account or major credit card. You can also purchase tokens directly from us - plase contact us for more information.
How do tokens work?
Each entry that you recieve costs one token. The token is deducted from your account when
- an artist clicks the Submit button and finalizes their entry. This is when the status of an entry changes from 'not submitted' to 'submitted'.
- an administrator changes the status of an entry from 'not submitted' to any other status. This is also the case when you use the 'update status' macro on a show.
What about bogus or unwanted entries?
You can delete bogus or unwanted entries to receive a refund of one token per entry.
To receive the token refund, the entry's status must be set to 'submitted' - click the delete link for that entry to delete the entry and automatically receive your one token refund.
You will not receive a refund if the entry's status is set to anything other 'submitted' when you delete an entry.
We trust that you will use this feature in good faith. We reserve the right to cancel your account if we detect any misuse this feature.
How do I know if I still have enough tokens?
You can always login to your EntryThingy as an administrator, click into the Admin area and click [purchase tokens] to see how many tokens you have left.
In addition, all administrators receive alert emails when your token count reaches 50, 20, 10 and 3 tokens.
Setting up calls for entries
Show me how to set up a call for entries in a video!
I want to collect more information from my entrants.
When entrants sign up, they are asked for basic contact information after they've registered. If you want to collect any other type of data,
we can help you by adding any type and number of input fields to the right side of the form. Please contact us for more information!
How do I integrate payment options such as Paypal?
When entrants click the 'Submit this Entry' button for their entry, the text that you enter in the 'Default Instructions for Entrants After Entry is Submitted' field is displayed.
You can add any type of instructions for submitting payments - also dynamic links to Paypal (or any other payment gateway) that automatically populate the price and add the unique entry number to the item name
so that you can consolodate payments with entries as they come in.
Here's some sample code for a Paypal payment button - <$entrynumber$> is automatically replaced with the entrant's unique entry number.
You'll have to replace 'yourpaypalemail' with your Paypal account email and 'yourwebsite.com' with your website.
<form action='https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr' method='post'>
<input type='image' src='https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_buynowCC_LG.gif' border='0' name='submit' alt='Buy now.'>
<img alt='' border='0' src='https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif' width='1' height='1'>
<input type='hidden' name='cmd' value='_xclick'>
<input type='hidden' name='business' value='yourpaypalemail'>
<input type='hidden' id='item_name' name='item_name' value='Entry fee for entry <$entrynumber$>'>
<input type='hidden' name='item_number' value='<$entrynumber$>'>
<input type='hidden' name='no_shipping' value='1'>
<input type='hidden' name='return' value='http://www.yourwebsite.com'>
<input type='hidden' name='cancel_return' value='http://www.yourwebsite.com'>
<input type='hidden' name='no_note' value='1'>
<input type='hidden' name='currency_code' value='USD'>
<input type='hidden' name='lc' value='US'>
<input type='hidden' name='bn' value='PP-BuyNowBF'>
<input id='price' type='hidden' name='amount' value='35.00'>
</form>
There's a more detailed example with dropdowns to select payment options here. Please contact us for more information on how to setup dynamic Paypal links.
Entrants don't see a call for entries listed after they register.
Make sure you've set the call for entries status correctly. It can be either 'Do not show to entrants or jury', 'Show to entrants and jury' or 'Show to jury only'.
How do I ask for booth slides?
Select the 'Ask for art or booth/display' in admin/preferences.
Entrants will not be able to submit their entry unless they've selected the booth/display for one upload.
The booth/display upload will automatically be pushed to the bottom of the images. The booth/display image will not show up immediately in both the offline and online juror views.
There's a link for each entry that must be clicked to display the booth slide.
What information can I ask for in entries?
Go to admin/preferences to select the following:
- Ask for dimensions
- Ask for art or booth/display
- Ask for material
- Ask for price
- Ask for year
- Ask if images may be used for show publicity (and accepted entries gallery)
How do I ask entrants for their artist statement and resume?
To enable this, login as admin, click into a call for entries, click [settings] and then [edit]. Scroll down and select 'Ask for statement and resume',
scroll down a little more and select 'Show link to entrant profile' - then click 'Save'.
Now, when an entrant adds their entry, there will be a new page shown when they start their entry where they will be asked to paste their statement and resume.
They can also add and edit both in their profile by clicking 'My Profile' and [edit].
With the 'Show link to entrant profile' enabled for a call for entries, jurors will see a link to the entrant's profile that
they can click and view the statement and resume.
How can I set minimum and maximum upload/image sizes?
Go to admin/preferences to set the following options:
- Maximum file size
- Minimum file size
- Minimum image width
How can I determine which file types may be uploaded?
Go to admin/preferences and select from the following options:
Allowed entry file types: .jpg .png .gif .mp3 .pdf .doc .mov .mp4 .wmv
Managing entries
How do I add entries received by mail?
Login as an admin, click into a show and click [add entry]. Fill in the first and last name of the entrant (and email if you have it) -
or just fill in part of the first and last name. Click the 'Fund & Add »' button and you'll get a list of already existing entrants that match what you entered.
Select an entrant from the list or click a link to create a new entrant. When creating a new entrant, you only have to enter a first and last name.
If you want the entrant to be able to login and view their entry, enter their email address, create a password for them and send them an email with that information.
After you've selected or created an entrant, the process is the same as the entry process for entrants.
How do the entry list and image wall filters work?
In a show's entries list and image wall, there are 2 dropdowns and one textfield that you can use to filter the entries. You can use all three together to find exactly what you're looking for:
- Categories: This is only available if you've defined categories in the Show Details. Select a category from the dropdown to filter the list on that category. Select 'All Categories' to turn the filter off.
- Status: Select a status from the dropdown to filter the list on that status. Select 'All Statuses' to turn the filter off.
- Text field: Type a name or part of a name to filter the entries on entrant names. You can also enter entry numbers to find the entry with that number. Just type, it'll automatically filter. Clear the field to turn this filter off.
What are the entry statuses for?
Each entry can have one of the following statuses - use them to manage your entries. Simply select an status from the dropdown for each entry to change that entry's status:
- Not submitted: Before an entrant clicks the 'Submit this entry' button. They may not have uploaded all of their images yet. No token has been subtracted from your token account.
- Submitted: The entrant clicked the 'Submit this entry' button and can see the 'Instructions for Entrants After Entry is Submitted'. One token has been subtracted from your token account. If you set the status back to 'Not submitted', you will be credited one token. You may want to do this if an entrant needs to change their entry.
- Show to jury: Only entries set to this status will be visible to jurors. This applies to the online and offline jury views.
- Accepted: The entry has been accepted for the show. Use [update status] to automatically set this status based on juror points. Only entries with this status will show in the accepted entries thumbnail widget (click [download] -> [widgets] from the entries list).
- Not accepted: The entry has not been accepted for the show.
- Waitlisted: The entry is on the waitlist.
- Withdrawn/Refund: The entry has been withdrawn and a refund was sent.
- Withdrawn/No Ref.: The entry has been withdrawn and a refund was not sent.
What do I do if an entrant has submitted their entry but needs to make changes?
Set the entry's status back to 'Not submitted'. You will be credited one token.
Let the entrant know that they can login again using their email and password, click into the show and make any necessary changes
and then click the 'Submit this entry' button again. One token will then be subtracted again from your token account.
What do I do if I've received a payment for an entry but it hasn't been submitted by the entrant?
Set the entry's status to 'Submitted'. One token will be subtracted from your token account.
Can I send emails to the entrants based on their entry status?
Yes. Login as administrator, click into the Admin area and then click [emailer]. Watch the video here to see how it all works.
Show data and image download
How do I download all of my show data to my computer?
Click [download] in the entries list and then [download all]. This will create a ZIP file with all of your show's data and images.
After you've downloaded the zip file, extract the data to a folder on your computer (using Winzip,
for example). Then find the file starthere.html and double click it to open it in your browser. You will then be able to click into the different views.
Do I have to download everything every time?
No. After your first download, you'll see a new link [download all since _date_]. The data will automatically be set to the last time you downloaded.
Click the link to only download files that have changed or added since your last download. Extract the new ZIP file on top of your original download files to update your copy on your computer.
How often should I download?
This depends on how quickly your entries arrive. Once a week is probably a good idea.
What's the CSV file for?
CSV stands for 'Comma Separated Values'. You can import this file into Access or Excel, for example. Make sure you set the delimiter to tab.
The CSV file looks all wrong after importing into Excel (or other program)
Although CSV stands for 'Comma Separated Values', we decided to use tab as the delimiter. When importing into Excel or other programs, make sure you select tab as the delimiter - and deselect comma.
Users
Administrator and juror logins.
When you grab the code for your EntryThingy, you create a login that you then use to login to your EntryThingy on your site.
You are the first user with administrator permission. To add users that can then become members of your items,
click the Admin link at the top and then click the + add user link near the bottom.
Login permissions.
There are three different kinds of EntryThingy users: Admin, Juror and Entrant. Depending on your login permission, you will see different functionality in EntryThingy:
- Admin: Add and edit shows, view entries and set their status. View entrant profiles. Add admin and juror logins. Purchase tokens. Download all show data.
- Juror: Vote for entries in the shows the juror has been assigned to.
- Entrant: Add entries in active shows.
Jury
How do I add jurors to a show?
Go to admin/users. Click the +add user link and fill out the form to add a juror. Make sure you've selected the 'juror' permission.
Click 'Save'.
To add the juror to a show, click into the show from the main view, click [details & stats], then [edit] and select the juror(s)
you want to have access to the show. Click 'Save' to save your changes.
Jurors don't see a call for entries after they login.
You must assign juror logins to calls for entries so that they will see them when they login. Select the jurors for a show from the 'Jurors' list when editing a show.
Also make sure you've set the call for entries status correctly. It can be either 'Do not show to entrants or jury', 'Show to entrants and jury' or 'Show to jury only'.
What's the difference between voting per entry and voting per image?
This is a setting in admin/preferences. Whether you select voting per image or entrant depends on your show.
Art festivals and fairs usually vote per entry, while museum exhibitions usually vote per image:
- voting per entry: each entry consists of multiple uploads/images. Jurors vote for the whole entry, ie for all the images in an entry.
- voting per image: each entry consists of multiple uploads/images. Jurors vote for the each image in each entry.
Use the [images] link in the Entries list to see a listing per image ranked by juror's votes per image.
Can I use the online and offline jury presentations simultaneously?
Yes. They'll both display in the same order.
Display the offline jury presentation with a project and have each juror login to EntryThingy with a laptop to vote for the entries.
I want jurors to see artist statement and resume.
To enable this, login as admin, click into a call for entries, click [settings] and then [edit]. Scroll down and select 'Ask for statement and resume',
scroll down a little more and select 'Show link to entrant profile' - then click 'Save'.
Now, when an entrant adds their entry, there will be a new page shown when they start their entry where they will be asked to paste their statement and resume.
They can also add and edit both in their profile by clicking 'My Profile' and [edit].
With the 'Show link to entrant profile' enabled for a call for entries, jurors will see a link to the entrant's profile that
they can click and view the statement and resume.
Other questions
Yep - sure. There will be more questions. And more answers. We'll be adding them as they come in!
In the mean time: if you have a question, contact us - by phone or email. We'd love to hear from you!
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