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# Setting up Double Opt-In |
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Double Opt-In makes a sign-up count only after the email address has been confirmed with a click on a link. The original form email is delivered after that confirmation. The free plugin supports Contact Form 7. Other form plugins are connected through add-ons of the Pro bundle. |
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## Setup wizard |
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After activation the setup wizard opens once. It can be skipped and started again under **Double Opt-In → Settings → Start setup wizard**. Four steps, all prefilled: |
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1. **Sender:** name and address of the confirmation email, ideally an address on your own domain. |
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2. **Forms:** the forms that should ask for confirmation, with their email field. Forms that already use Double Opt-In stay as they are. |
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3. **Confirmation email:** subject and one of four designs (Light, Dark, Accent, Text only). |
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4. **After the click:** create the page "Email address confirmed" or choose an existing page. **Send me a test email** sends a sample whose link confirms nothing (at most five per hour). |
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Forms are switched on only at the end, and only if their configuration is complete. |
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## Configuring a form |
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Under **Double Opt-In → Forms** the overview lists all detected forms. A form's switch can be turned on only when three required settings are present. The banner in the form names what is missing. |
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| Required setting | Where | Note | |
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| Recipient field | **Email** tab | The form field that holds the email address, usually `your-email` in Contact Form 7 | |
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| Subject | **Email** tab | must not be empty | |
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| Message body or template | **Email** tab | a custom text must contain `[doubleoptinlink]` | |
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The **General** tab holds the **Consent text (GDPR)**, the **Consent acceptance field**, the **Category**, the **Conditional trigger**, the **Confirmation page** and the **Error redirect page**. With an acceptance field selected, sign-ups without the checkmark are rejected. The **Mapping** tab is optional. |
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## Confirmation page |
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The link in the email leads to the selected confirmation page, or to the home page if none is selected. On the page the shortcode `[doi_confirmation_status]` shows the outcome of the link; all shortcodes are listed on the "Shortcodes and placeholders" page. |
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## Testing and checking |
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Submit the form, open the confirmation email, click the link. Under **Double Opt-In → Opt-Ins** the record appears with the status **Confirmed**. The detail view shows timestamps, IP addresses, the consent text and the delivery status of the confirmation email. While testing, the sign-up limit applies: by default three sign-ups per address and five per IP per hour. |
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## Key settings |
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Under **Double Opt-In → Settings**: |
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| Setting | Effect | Default | |
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| **Token Expiry (Hours)** | Validity of the confirmation link | 48 | |
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| **Delete Opt-Ins after** | Retention of confirmed opt-ins; `0` turns it off | 12 months | |
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| **Delete Unconfirmed after** | Retention of unconfirmed sign-ups; `0` turns it off | 7 months | |
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| **Rate Limit IP** / **Rate Limit Email** | Sign-ups per time window | 5 / 3 | |
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| **Rate Limit Window (Min)** | Length of the time window | 60 | |
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Deletion is physical and runs once a day. The record is also the proof of consent; very short periods weaken it. |
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Three more areas of the interface: **Categories** groups opt-ins, **Database** offers delete actions for opt-ins and a reset of the tables, and the **Audit log** lists system events and changes with timestamp and severity. |
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## Notes |
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- **Site Health:** Under **Tools → Site Health** the plugin checks the sender domain (SPF, DMARC), failed confirmation emails and orphaned acceptance fields. |
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- Help with problems is on the "Troubleshooting" page. |
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