Getting started with SoftwareTrinkets: a step-by-step tutorial for every tool

Where the tutorial is

Open any tool while signed in and the tutorial box appears at the bottom right of the screen (along the bottom on a phone). Its header always shows the name of the tool, how many steps you have finished and a progress bar. Click the header to fold the box away and click it again to open it.

If you close the box, a short message tells you where to find it again: the Tutorial button in the header of the tool's main page, next to the button that creates a new item. The same button sits in the top section of each tool's introduction page, so you can open the tutorial before you have created anything.

How the steps work

1. Phases: the tutorial is split into phases, for example getting started, setting things up and checking automatically. Open a phase to see its steps, or skip a whole phase you do not need.
2. Steps: each step says what to do and why, with a few points for the details. Where it helps, a button opens the right page for you.
3. Your own items: a step about something you have made, such as a monitor or a form, opens your newest one. If you have not made one yet, the button is switched off and says so, so you create one first.
4. Mark as done or skip: nothing ticks itself. When you have finished a step, mark it as done. If it is not for you, skip it. Both can be undone.
5. Start again: at the bottom of the box you can reset the tutorial and go through it from the beginning, as often as you like.

Only what your plan can do

Steps for features your plan does not include are left out, so the list only holds things you can do now. If you upgrade, those steps appear. Prices are never written in the steps: the buttons in the tool show what an action costs before you use it.

Where to begin with each tool

• Uptime Monitor: add your first monitor, run a quick request, then a detailed one and read the result. Later phases turn on daily checks and webhooks. See also Is my website down?.
• Status Pages: create a page, add components, link them to monitors and post a test incident. See How to make a status page.
• Forms: build a form, choose its fields, publish it and read the first answer. The quiz mode is covered in How to make an online quiz that is hard to cheat on.
• Auto Reports: connect your data (a CSV or a Google Sheet), choose the numbers to report, send the report to yourself and then set a schedule. See How to turn a CSV into a PDF report by email.
• Key Value Api: create an API, store your first value with a fetch call and try the counters. See A free key value API.
• Inventory & Orders: set up the shop, add products and stock, then purchasing and selling. See Inventory management for a small shop.
• Catalog: connect your Inventory shop, arrange the page and publish it. See How to make an online product catalog.
• Referral Links: create a link per partner and read the clicks. See How to track clicks from influencers.

Good to know

Your progress is saved in your browser and follows your account, so two people on one computer do not share it. A new browser or device starts from the first step. The tutorial never changes your data by itself: it only points you to the page and waits until you say a step is done.

Questions about this guide

How do I open the tutorial again after closing it?

Use the Tutorial button in the header of the tool's main page, next to the button that creates a new item, or in the top section of the tool's introduction page.

Does the tutorial cost credits?

No. The tutorial itself is free. Actions you try along the way, such as a detailed request, cost what the button shows before you click.

Why is a step missing that I saw in another guide?

Steps for features that your plan does not include are hidden. They appear when your plan includes them.

Can I do the steps in any order?

Yes. The order is a suggestion that builds up from the basics. You can open any phase, mark steps as done or skip them.