Install SeenIn on your website

New to this? The easy setup guide shows the same steps in pictures, in plain words.

SeenIn 1.0 for PHP hosting. About 10 minutes. You do not need to know how to code.

What you need

Your SeenIn zip file (seenin-1.0.0.zip), from your purchase email.
A website host with PHP 7.4 or newer (8.2 or newer is best). Almost every cheap host has this. No database is needed.
A way to put files on your host: the file manager in your hosting control panel, or an FTP program such as FileZilla. Your host's help pages say how to log in to either.

1. Unzip

Unzip seenin-1.0.0.zip on your computer. You get one folder called seenin.

Rename the folder to the address you want for your page. For example, rename it to picks if you want your page at https://your-site.com/picks/. Use only small letters, numbers and dashes.

2. Upload

Open your host's file manager or your FTP program and go to your website's main folder. It is usually called public_html, www or htdocs.

Upload the whole folder (for example picks) into it.

Upload everything, including files whose names start with a dot, such as .htaccess. Some FTP programs hide them: in FileZilla, open the Server menu and turn on "Force showing hidden files". Many file managers can also upload the zip and unzip it on the host, which keeps every file.

Only if your host uses nginx (your host's help pages or support can tell you): send your host's support the short block in the section "For nginx hosts" at the end of this guide and ask them to add it. Hosts that use Apache or LiteSpeed (most cheap hosts) need nothing.

3. Set your password (within one hour)

Open https://your-site.com/picks/admin.php in your browser (use your own address and folder name).

SeenIn checks your host and walks you through a short setup. Choose a password of at least 10 characters and keep it somewhere safe.

Do this within one hour of opening the page for the first time. If more than an hour has passed, the page asks for a quick check that the site is yours instead. That is normal; see "The page asks me to create a file" below.

4. Add your posters

In the Studio, paste a link to a product or add a picture, give it a name, and save. Your public page is at https://your-site.com/picks/. Put that address in your social media bio.

To come back later, open https://your-site.com/picks/admin.php and log in.

The page asks me to create a file

This is how SeenIn makes sure only the owner of the site can set or reset the password. It happens when you set the password more than an hour after the first visit, and when you choose "I forgot my password".

Press Show my file name. The page shows a name such as seenin-reset-k3f9a2b7c1d8e4f6a9b0.txt.
In your file manager or FTP program, open your SeenIn folder, then the data folder inside it (for example picks/data).
Create a new, empty file there with exactly that name. In most file managers this is "New file". Copy the name from the page to avoid typos.
Go back to the page in the same browser, type your new password and confirm.

The file is removed by SeenIn when the password is set. The name works for 30 minutes; after that, open the page again and press the button for a new name. Until you finish, nothing changes and your old password keeps working.

Something is not right

What you see	What to do
A page saying SeenIn needs PHP 7.4 or newer	In your hosting control panel, look for "PHP version" or "Select PHP version" and choose 8.2 or newer. Or ask your host's support.
"SeenIn cannot start yet" with a list	Each line says what to fix. Most often the `data` or `uploads` folder cannot be written: set its permissions to 755 in your file manager, or ask your host.
The setup check says the upload limit is too low	Ask your host to set `upload_max_filesize` and `post_max_size` to at least 16M. Until then, smaller pictures still work.
You see a list of files, or a "403" or "404" page, at your page address	Check that you opened the right folder name, and that `index.php` was uploaded into it.
"The file was not found in the data folder"	Check the exact file name (copy it from the page), that it is inside the `data` folder of your SeenIn folder, and that you are in the same browser.
"Too many tries"	Wait the time the page shows, then try again. Wrong passwords are limited to keep your Studio safe.
Still locked out after many tries	With your file manager or FTP, delete the file `data/throttle.json.php` in your SeenIn folder, then try again.
A pasted link does not fill in the name and picture	Some shops do not allow it. Type the name and upload a picture yourself.
Saving fails with a message about storage	Your host's disk may be full, or the `data` folder is not writable. Ask your host.

Back up and move

In the Studio, open Backups and choose Download full backup to get one zip with your page and pictures. Keep a copy now and then. To move to a new host, install SeenIn there and use Restore from a backup with that zip.

Updating to a new version

Download the new zip from the same place as before. Upload its files over your SeenIn folder, but never delete or replace your data and uploads folders: they hold your page and your pictures. Then open admin.php once. Your page keeps working the whole time.

Your licence

Your purchase covers the number of sites of your plan (Pro: 1 or 3 sites; Agency: unlimited). Install one copy of SeenIn per site.

For nginx hosts

Send this to your host and ask them to add it inside your site's server block. Replace /picks/ with your folder name.

location ^~ /picks/data/    { deny all; }
location ^~ /picks/server/  { deny all; }
location ^~ /picks/core/    { deny all; }
location ~ ^/picks/uploads/.*\.(php|phtml|phar)$ { deny all; }

Help

Write to the support address in your purchase email. Tell us your host's name, the address of your page, and what you see (a screenshot helps).