Create & share a link

This guide covers creating a link in the portal and sharing it immediately after. Editing and organizing existing links lives in Manage links; the inherit/override model behind the form is explained in Link anatomy.

You need the Developer role or above to create links. With a lower role, the create page shows a "You don't have permission to create links" banner instead of the form, and the Links page hides the create button. Your organization also needs at least one registered app, or creation is blocked (see Troubleshooting).

Start from the template picker

1. Go to Links and click Create link (on an empty workspace, Create your first link). The template picker dialog opens. The button never jumps straight into a blank form.

2. Pick a starting point:

   Section in the dialog	What it offers
   Your templates	Templates your organization saved. Empty orgs see "No saved templates yet" here.
   Start from	OptoLink's built-in system starters.
   Custom / Start from scratch	A blank link.

3. The create form opens with the chosen template's values inherited. You can switch the starting template later in the form's Start from section.

Fill the form

The form has six collapsible sections: Start from, Destination & identity, Parameters, Attribution, Social preview, Advanced. The first two are open by default; each section header shows a completion chip ("Inherited", "Path set", or an override count).

Fields default to inherit: an inherited field takes its value from the template (or the org default) and is not saved with the link. To set your own value, switch the field to Override; it starts from the inherited value so you only change what you need. When you override nothing, editing the template later updates the link automatically. See Link anatomy for how inheritance resolves.

Short code. Type a custom code (3–100 characters: letters, digits, _, -) or leave it blank and OptoLink generates an 8-character code for you. While you type, an availability hint appears:

• "Checking availability…" while the check runs
• "Available" when the code is free in your org
• "Already in use in your org" when it's taken

Short codes are unique per organization, not globally. The hint is advisory: if someone claims the code between the check and your submit, the submit fails with a "Short code already in use" toast and you pick another.

Domain. Pick one of your verified custom domains, or leave the default. If your org has no verified domains yet, the preview shows the link on the OptoLink domain with the note "Custom domain shows here once verified — links use the OptoLink domain until then." Domains are covered in Domains: default vs custom.

Everything else. Destination paths, parameters, attribution settings (deferred delivery and match window), social preview (OpenGraph), tags, and expiry are covered field-by-field in Link anatomy.

Check the preview

A preview rail next to the form updates as you type. It shows the final short URL, the in-app destination path, and a resolved-values table where every value carries a provenance badge: link (set on this link), template, org, or default. The preview is computed in your browser from the same inheritance rules the server uses — it never resolves the link live. On narrow screens the rail stacks below the form.

Create and share

1. Click Create link. You land on the success page.
2. From the success page:
   • Copy the short URL (the button confirms with "Copied ✓").
   • Download the QR code as SVG or PNG.
   • View details to open the link's detail page, or Create another to start over.

Refreshing the success page keeps the card. Opening it directly (no link just created) shows "No recently created link".

Troubleshooting

What you see	Why	What to do
"Register your app before creating a link."	Your organization has no registered app. New orgs register one during onboarding.	Complete app registration, then retry.
"You've reached your links limit." with an upgrade prompt	Your plan's link quota is used up.	Upgrade your plan — the prompt links to the plans page. See Plans, quotas & entitlements.
"Short code already in use" toast	Another link in your org has that code.	Pick a different code.
"You don't have permission to create links"	Your role is below Developer.	Ask an admin to change your role — see Team & roles.