Welcome to the TryDemo documentation. TryDemo turns a WordPress subdirectory multisite network into a self-service demo platform: visitors request a demo, TryDemo clones a template site into a private sandbox, emails them their login, and cleans the sandbox up automatically when it expires.
New here? Start with Getting started — it covers requirements, installation, and your first live demo in about ten minutes.
Documentation map
Get up and running
- Getting started — requirements, installation, and a quick-start walkthrough.
- Displaying demo buttons — shortcodes, Gutenberg blocks, and widgets for placing “Try Demo” buttons.
- The demo lifecycle — how a demo goes from request to sandbox to purge, and the statuses in between.
Configuration
- General settings — demo lifetime, expiration action, login role, auto-login, reset, reCAPTCHA, and logging.
- Notifications — the demo-user welcome email and admin notification email, with the full placeholder reference.
- Toolbar — the front-end demo toolbar with countdown and purchase call-to-action.
- MailChimp — sync demo requesters into a MailChimp audience.
- Restrictions — control which admin pages demo users can reach, per source site.
Measure & maintain
- Reports — demo creation and activation activity over time.
- Troubleshooting — fixes for the most common setup issues.
For developers
- Developer reference — hooks, filters, helper functions, and template overrides.
Reference
- FAQ — quick answers to common questions.
How TryDemo works at a glance
- Build a template site on your network with your product installed and demo content ready.
- Place a Try Demo button (block, shortcode, or widget) on a landing page.
- A visitor requests a demo. TryDemo verifies their email, clones the template into a fresh network site, creates a demo user, and emails them a personal login link.
- The visitor explores their private sandbox as an admin — restricted to the areas you allow.
- The sandbox expires on your schedule and is purged automatically by an hourly cron job.
Where TryDemo lives in the admin
| Screen | Location | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Demos | Network Admin → Demo | List, edit, extend, and delete individual sandboxes |
| Reports | Network Admin → Demo → Reports | Demo creation/activation activity |
| Settings | Network Admin → Demo → Settings | General, Notifications, Toolbar, MailChimp, System Info |
| Demo Restrictions | Source site → Demo | Per-site control of which admin pages demos can access |
Need help? Visit beautifulplugins.com for support.