Your First Login

This guide explains what you will see when you first log in to DirectSale, how the dashboard is structured, and the essential configuration steps to get your store up and running.

Logging In

To access your dashboard, navigate to the login page (/login).

Login Methods

You have three ways to sign in:

1. Facebook -- Click the blue "Continue with Facebook" button at the top.
2. Google -- Click the "Continue with Google" button.
3. Email and Password -- Enter your email and password in the form below the social login buttons, then click Sign In.

Login Form Fields

Field	Description
Email	The email address you used during registration.
Password	Your account password.

After entering your credentials and clicking Sign In, you will be redirected to the main dashboard page.

Info: If you do not have an account yet, click the "Sign up" link at the bottom of the login form to go to the registration page.

What You See on First Login

When you first log in, the dashboard loads with the following layout:

1. Loading Screen

A brief loading spinner appears while the platform verifies your authentication and fetches your account data. This typically takes only a second or two.

2. Dashboard Layout

Once loaded, the dashboard is composed of three main areas:

Area	Location	Description
Sidebar	Left side of the screen	Navigation menu with all platform sections. Shows your store name, role, and navigation links.
Top Bar	Top right corner	Contains the notification bell for alerts and updates.
Main Content Area	Center of the screen	Displays the content of the currently selected page. On first login, this shows the Dashboard overview.

3. Dashboard Home Page

The first page you see is the Dashboard Overview. It includes:

• A welcome greeting with your store name (e.g., "Hello, My Store!")
• A subtitle describing the page purpose
• Four statistics cards showing key metrics
• Three quick action cards for common tasks

We will cover the Dashboard page in detail in the Dashboard Overview section.

Initial Configuration Checklist

After your first login, we recommend completing these steps to set up your store. You do not need to do them all at once, but completing them will help you get the most out of the platform.

Step 1: Verify Your Email

If you have not already verified your email address, do so now. Some features are restricted for unverified accounts.

1. Check your email inbox for the verification email from DirectSale.
2. Click the verification link.
3. Return to the dashboard.

Step 2: Configure Your Store Settings

Navigate to Account (Settings) in the sidebar. The Settings page has multiple tabs:

Tab	What to Configure
General	Update your store name, contact information, business description, and branding.
Security	Change your password and set up two-factor authentication (2FA) for added security.
Notifications	Configure how and when you receive notifications (email alerts, in-app notifications).
Integrations	Connect external services and configure API integrations.
Checkout	Set up payment methods and checkout flow for your storefront.
Data & Privacy	Manage data export, privacy settings, and GDPR-related configurations.
Backup & Restore	Create backups of your data and restore from previous backups.

Info: At minimum, review the General tab to ensure your store name and contact information are correct. These details appear in customer-facing areas like your storefront and chatbot.

Step 3: Add Your Products

Your AI chatbot and storefront need products to work with. You have several options:

1. Add products manually -- Click "Upload Products" on the dashboard quick action card, or go to Products in the sidebar and click "Add Product".
2. Import from a file -- Go to Products > Import to upload a CSV or Excel file with your product data.
3. Scrape from a website -- Use the Scraper tool to import products from an existing website.

Step 4: Generate AI Content

After adding products, the platform automatically begins processing them for the AI chatbot (embedding and indexing). You can also:

1. Go to the Products page.
2. Look for the AI Content card near the top.
3. Check the boxes for Descriptions and/or Images.
4. Click "Generate All" to have the AI create product descriptions and images.

Step 5: Set Up the Chat Widget

To enable the AI chatbot on your website:

1. Navigate to Widget in the sidebar.
2. Click "Generate API Key" to create your API key.
3. Copy the embed code provided at the bottom of the page.
4. Paste the embed code into your website's HTML, just before the closing </body> tag.

Step 6: Configure Your Storefront (Optional)

If you want to launch an online store:

1. Navigate to Storefront in the sidebar.
2. Complete the Setup wizard to configure your store basics.
3. Use the Homepage builder to arrange sections (hero, featured products, categories, etc.).
4. Customize the Header and Footer.
5. Configure SEO settings for search engine optimization.
6. Go to Deploy to connect your domain and publish.

Step 7: Invite Your Team (Optional)

If you work with a team:

1. Navigate to Team in the sidebar (visible to owners and admins only).
2. Click "Invite Member".
3. Enter the team member's email, name, and assign a role.
4. The team member will receive an invitation email to set up their account.

Warning: The number of team members you can invite depends on your subscription plan. You will see your current usage (e.g., "2 / 5 members") on the Team page header.

Understanding Your Account State

After logging in, the platform stores the following information about your session:

Property	Description
Store Name	Your business name, displayed in the sidebar and greeting.
Email	Your login email address.
Subscription Plan	Your current plan (e.g., "Starter", "Professional").
Role	Your role in the team (Owner, Admin, Manager, etc.). Determines what you can see and do.
Display Name	Your name as shown to team members (relevant for team member accounts).
Active Chatbot Version	The version of the AI chatbot engine your store is using.

If you are logged in as a team member (not the owner), the sidebar will display your display name and role beneath the store name.

Authentication Details

Session Duration

Token	Duration	Purpose
Access Token	15 minutes to 1 day	Used for authenticating API requests. Refreshed automatically.
Refresh Token	7 days	Used to obtain a new access token without re-entering credentials.

Your session will persist across browser sessions as long as the refresh token has not expired. If your session expires, you will be automatically redirected to the login page.

Automatic Redirects

• If you try to access any dashboard page without being logged in, you will be redirected to /login.
• If you access the login page while already logged in, you will stay on the login page (your tokens will be validated on the next dashboard page visit).

Notification Bell

In the top-right corner of every dashboard page, you will see a notification bell icon. This bell:

• Shows a badge with the count of unread notifications.
• Clicking it opens a dropdown panel listing recent notifications.
• Notification types include:
  • Low stock alerts -- A product is running low on inventory.
  • New orders -- A new order has been placed.
  • Sync errors -- An integration or connection has encountered an error.
  • Webhook errors -- A webhook delivery has failed.
  • New reviews -- A customer has left a product review.

Each notification shows its type, severity (info, warning, error), title, and message. You can click on a notification to navigate to the relevant page.

Dark Mode

If you prefer a darker interface, you can switch to dark mode:

1. Look at the bottom of the sidebar.
2. Click the moon icon (or sun icon if already in dark mode) to toggle the theme.
3. The change takes effect immediately across all pages.

Language Selection

To change the dashboard language:

1. Click the globe icon at the bottom of the sidebar.
2. A popup menu will appear listing all available languages.
3. Click your preferred language.
4. The page will reload with the new language applied.

Info: Your language preference is saved in a browser cookie and will persist across sessions. The interface supports 18 languages, including right-to-left (RTL) layouts for Persian, Arabic, Urdu, and Hebrew.

Next Steps

Now that you are logged in and have an overview of the initial setup, learn how to navigate the dashboard effectively in Navigating the Dashboard.