Website Update Summary
Phase 3 Glass Works
Changes & enhancements — prepared October 1, 2026
Today — July 23, 2026
Gift Certificate Email Delivery
Gift certificates are now sent directly from the admin dashboard via Gmail, with a professional PDF certificate attached. No more manual Gmail composing — Ken fills in the recipient details, previews the PDF and email, then clicks Send.
Editable Email Body
When previewing a gift certificate before sending, Ken can now edit the email message directly in the preview screen. Any changes made will be included in the sent email instead of the default template text.
PDF Preview
The certificate PDF is generated and shown in an inline preview so Ken can review exactly what the recipient will receive before committing to send.
Email Delivery Confirmed
Verified that Gmail SMTP is successfully accepting and delivering gift certificate emails with PDF attachments. Recipients should check their inbox (and spam folder if not visible).
Most Recent Updates
New Contact Page
A dedicated /Contact page with a full inquiry form, auto-reply confirmation email to the visitor, notification email to Ken, Google Maps embed, and studio address/hours.
Order Logging
When a customer clicks PayPal or Venmo to pay, an order record is automatically saved in Admin → Orders and Ken receives a notification email with full order details.
"Made to Order" Badge
Custom/made-to-order products in the Shop now display a clearly visible colored badge instead of a small hard-to-notice clock icon.
Product Categories — Now Fully Dynamic
Product categories are now managed entirely from Admin → Categories. Previously they were hardcoded in the code and couldn't be changed without a developer edit.
About Page Photo Fix
Fixed a bug where the About page showed a broken empty box if Ken's portrait photo hadn't been uploaded yet. Now shows a friendly placeholder with instructions.
Contact Added to Navigation
The Contact page link now appears in both the desktop navigation bar and the mobile menu.
Previous Release
Admin Notes / To-Do List
New "Notes" tab in the admin dashboard — a persistent to-do list for Ken with the ability to add, edit, check off, and delete tasks.
Customer List (Admin → Customers)
Aggregated view of everyone who has registered for a class or is on the mailing list. Searchable, exportable to CSV, and supports bulk email.
Mailing List Import
Ken can import a CSV or Excel file of existing contacts directly into the Customers tab.
Configurable Feedback Recipients
Admin → Settings now lets Ken choose which email addresses receive site feedback notifications.
Event Reminder Email Settings
Admin → Settings has a full reminder configuration panel: toggle on/off, set timing (hours before event), and customize the email subject and body template.
Manage Registration Page
Customers can use the link in their confirmation email to edit their registration details or cancel on their own, without needing to email Ken.
Earlier Release
Shop — Made to Order / Custom Products
Products can be marked as "Custom" with a lead time. The cart shows a custom notes field and reference image upload for those items.
Shop — Category Filter Bar
A sticky filter bar at the top of the Shop page lets customers filter products by category, pulling live from the database.
Admin → Categories Tab
Ken can add, rename, reorder, enable, and disable product categories directly from the dashboard.
Admin → Portfolio Tab
Full portfolio management: add/edit/delete pieces, set category, mark as featured, control sort order, and upload images.
Admin → Site Photos Tab
Upload or URL-override all major site images including the home hero, about page, classes, studio gallery, and more.
Admin → Site Text Tab
Edit all website copy — headings, paragraphs, nav labels — without touching any code.
Portfolio Page (Public)
A public gallery page with category filter and full-screen lightbox for viewing pieces.
Portfolio Section on Home Page
Featured portfolio samples are shown on the home page, with an admin toggle to show or hide the entire section.
Event Waitlist
Classes that reach capacity automatically put new registrants on a waitlist with appropriate confirmation emails to both the customer and Ken.
Feedback Widget
A floating "Feedback" button appears on every page. Submissions are saved to Admin → Feedback and emailed to Ken.
Automated Daily Reminder Emails
A scheduled automation sends reminder emails to registered students approximately 20 hours before their class.
Google Reviews Widget
Customer reviews from Google are embedded on the About page via the Elfsight widget.
Terms, Privacy & Disclaimer Pages
Legal pages added and linked in the site footer.