Now available: Gatekeeper, the content protection tool for Shopify.
Gatekeeper is built on CakePHP, using an extension of Shopify's official PHP api (to be released in the near future as a Cake component - leave a comment if you're anxious).
Automatic installation on shop templates
Single-click protection for pages and products
To preserve settings, locks can be disabled without deleting
Username/password or username-only users
SSL support
Storefront authentication without page reloads
Customize login message per-lock
Style gallery for Gatekeeper's login forms and messages
This project started out as a value-add for a client who maintains a Shopify storefront. They were looking for a way to lock down a single page of their store, such that only users who had a valid username could enter. Shopify does offer password protection, but it's applied globally - the store is either completely locked, or completely open. Thus, Gatekeeper.
Implementation was somewhat less than straightforward. There are no provisions for local scripting in Shopify, and because is sanely designed it does not provide access to arbitrary HTTP query data (so no POST/GET vars, let alone any session identifiers). This meant that the role that the Shopify storefront could play was limited at best. The solution I arrived at, and what is in production now, involves set on the requested resource (currently implemented for pages/products) and on the shop itself to control whether or not the resource should be delivered from Shopify, or retrieved from Gatekeeper. If the resource is locked, Javascript is used to pull the requested data from Gatekeeper's domain (necessitating JSONP). This data is only delivered if an authenticated user session is active - if not, a login form is returned, which points back to Gatekeeper.
This obviously means that Gatekeeper must actively maintain a cache of resource data, which it does. This same cache powers the lists of resources (again, just pages and products for now) that are offered to the user from the Gatekeeper dashboard, and is regularly validated and renewed. This allows Gatekeeper to capably handle thousands of resources per shop while keeping the user experience responsive, and keeping api calls to a minimum.
Gatekeeper spent exactly three weeks in the approval process. Dennis Theisen handled its review, and provided surprisingly practical and insightful feedback throughout. I'm thoroughly impressed with the level of care that Shopify gives to the user experience, even as it extends beyond Shopify to third-party applications. The is a walled garden, yes, but close communication throughout makes this a benefit, not a hindrance.
Gatekeeper is being released today into the wild, with a free one-lock-one-user trial and an unlimited-use subscription for USD$20 per month.
Multiple users per lock
Automated cache renewal to ensure locked content is up to date
User import/export
This past week, I had the pleasure of spending a few hours photographing my good friend Brittany Collins (fiancée of Anthony Hook, the lucky stiff). Partly a chance for her to get a few decent photos taken, partly for me to put a new camera through its paces, we headed out to Superior's Wisconsin Point.
I generally stick to environmental photography, and thus I'd never really done a formal photoshoot. I hastily scratched out a list of shots I wanted to get and the locations to get them in, but with no real experience in directing live subjects, I wasn't completely sure what to expect. Or what to do, really.
Things I learned, as an amateur:
Keep it loose. Formality is boring. Natural movement and posturing is everything, so give your subject enough room to be comfortable within the bounds of your direction.
Tell me a story. The best candid portraits happen when the subject is completely ignoring you, and has their mind on something totally different. (Surprise.) The most effective method I found for this was to have Brittany tell me a story, something notable from last week, or even a scene from The Office. Or several scenes from The Office.
Let me tell you a story. You've just ducked around the corner, and you're hiding from someone - try to see if you're being followed, without being seen. Alternatively, you're a professional model who takes herself far too seriously.
Plan for colors. We nailed this one, actually. Bring changes of clothing with a range of colors and patterns, bearing in mind the general location you'll be shooting in. I say "general", because it's important to --
Explore. The only place I had planned for was one stretch of beach. And the lighthouse. And we didn't even do the lighthouse.
Use the environment. People don't go out by old barns and pose next to classic cars of their own impetus. Someone might be expected play in the sand on the beach, though.
Shoot in RAW. Do it. Even if Lightroom . >_>
The full photoset is , and is roughly 2/3 complete. Turns out, I spend a lot of time in post.