Portrait sign-up links for families

When a school runs a portrait engagement, Continental Studios generates a single unguessable sign-up link of the shape https://newcs.lovable.app/signup/<token>. The token is a random 12-character string minted server-side. The link is the one and only way a family reaches the sign-up page.

Why there’s no public directory

• Families should not be able to browse or search other schools’ sign-ups.
• There is no “find my school” lookup, no creator-email search, no autocomplete.
• The page is marked noindex, nofollow and is not listed in the sitemap.
• The link is safe to print on a flyer, embed in a QR code, or send by email.

How the link is shared

• Studio staff or the school advisor sends the URL directly to families (email, SMS, printed flyer, QR code).
• The link works on any device — no account, no password, no app install.
• After booking, each family gets a personal manage link to change or cancel their slot.

What families see

• The sign-up title, school name, and portrait date range.
• A branded shell that matches the Continental Studios site.
• The slot picker and booking form (rolling out in the next update).
• A contact number in case anything looks wrong.

When the link stops working

• Draft, closed, or archived sign-ups all show the same generic “This sign-up isn’t available” page.
• An unknown token shows the same page — the response never leaks whether a link ever existed.
• To reactivate, the studio flips the sign-up back to active in the admin console.

Booking an appointment

• Pick a day. Multi-day engagements show one tab per day. Locked days appear but can’t be booked.
• Pick a time. Each row shows the appointment window, slot type, and remaining capacity (e.g. “2 of 4 left”). Full times offer Join waitlist when the school has waitlists enabled.
• Fill out the form. First and last name, email, optional phone, plus any school-specific questions. Required questions are enforced on the page and re-checked by the server.
• Confirm. On success you’ll see “You’re booked” (or “You’re #N on the waitlist”) with a booking reference code.

Your booking reference code

After booking, we show a long random reference code (the manage token) and a manage link of the shape https://newcs.lovable.app/signup/manage/<code>. Copy either — both open the same private self-service page for that booking. The code itself is the credential; keep it as private as a password.

Managing your booking

• Edit details. Update your name, email, phone, and answers to school-specific questions. The appointment time itself stays the same.
• Cancel booking. Releases your spot. If the school enabled a waitlist and there’s someone waiting, the next family in line is promoted automatically. A cancelled booking shows a “book a new time” link back to the sign-up.
• Locked days & close-to-appointment window. Once the school locks a day, or you’re inside the sign-up’s pre-appointment lock window, edit and cancel are disabled and the page shows “changes are closed — contact the studio.”
• Wrong or missing code. Every invalid, expired, or purged code shows the same generic “No booking found for this code” page — we never reveal whether a code ever existed.
• Private page. The manage page is marked noindex, nofollow, isn’t listed in the sitemap, and has no navigation link. The reference code is the only way in.

Add to calendar

Confirmed bookings offer a one-click Add to calendar (.ics)download. The file contains the appointment window and the studio address (103-03 Metropolitan Avenue, Forest Hills, NY 11375) and works in Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, Outlook, and most other calendar apps. Waitlist entries don’t include a calendar file because the time isn’t guaranteed yet.

If a slot fills while you’re filling out the form

• The server refuses the booking with a friendly “this slot just filled” message.
• The page automatically refreshes availability so you can pick another time — or the waitlist if it’s enabled.
• Every write goes through the audited book_slot RPC; there’s no way to overbook.