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CoCounters User Manual

Table of Contents

Introduction

CoCounters makes it easy to count things collaboratively with others in real-time. This guide focuses on two powerful features: Shared Counters and Counter Groups, which allow you to share individual counters or collections of counters with anyone.

Shared Counters

Shared counters allow multiple people to increment or decrement the same counter, even if they don't have a CoCounters account. This is perfect for collaborative counting in teams, families, or at events.

Creating and Sharing Counters

  1. From your dashboard, create a counter by clicking the "New Counter" button
  2. Enter a name for your counter (e.g., "Team Goals", "Volunteer Hours")
  3. Once created, find the counter in your dashboard
  4. Click on the counter to view its details page
  5. Look for the "Share Counter" section
  6. Copy the share link provided
  7. Share this link with anyone you want to give access to the counter
Example: Sarah creates a "Smoothies Made" counter to track how many smoothies her small business has sold. She shares the counter link with all five employees so they can update the count whenever they make a sale, without needing to log into a shared account.

Named Share Links

Named share links allow you to create multiple different links to the same counter, each with its own name and permissions. This helps identify who's making updates.

  1. Go to your counter's details page
  2. Find the "Create Named Share" section
  3. Enter a name for the share (e.g., "Frontend Team", "Kitchen Staff")
  4. Choose permission settings (view-only or update)
  5. Click "Create Share Link"
  6. Share the new custom link with the intended recipients
Tip: Create different named shares for different teams or purposes. Updates made through named share links will display who made the change using the share name, making it easier to track activity.

View-Only Mode

View-only links let others see the counter value without being able to change it. This is useful for sharing progress or metrics with stakeholders who shouldn't update the values.

  1. When creating a named share link, select "View Only" from the permissions options
  2. Generate and share the link
  3. Recipients will be able to see the counter and its updates in real-time, but won't have buttons to change the value
Note: You can always change the permissions of an existing share link later by going to the counter details page and editing the share settings.

Using a Shared Counter

When someone clicks a shared counter link, they'll see a simple interface that lets them:

  • View the current counter value
  • See the counter name
  • Use plus (+) and minus (-) buttons to increment or decrement (if they have update permission)
  • See who else is currently viewing the counter
  • View a history of recent updates and who made them

No account is required to use a shared counter - anyone with the link can access it immediately.

Counter Groups

Counter groups allow you to bundle multiple counters together and share them as a collection. This is perfect for:

  • Project dashboards with multiple metrics
  • Event tracking with various counts
  • Team scorekeeping with multiple categories
  • Household chore or goal tracking

Creating Counter Groups

  1. From your dashboard, click the "New Group" button
  2. Enter a name for your group (e.g., "Project Metrics", "Family Chores")
  3. Click "Create Group"
  4. On the group details page, click "Add Counters"
  5. Select counters from your existing counters to add to the group
  6. Arrange the counters in your preferred order by dragging them
  7. Click "Save" to confirm your group setup
Example: Miguel creates a "Basketball Team Stats" group with counters for "Points", "Rebounds", "Assists", and "Steals". During games, the team manager can easily update all stats from a single screen.

Managing Group Members

You can add, remove, or reorder counters in a group at any time:

  1. Go to the counter group details page
  2. Click "Edit Group"
  3. Add new counters using the "Add Counters" button
  4. Remove counters by clicking the "Remove" button next to each counter
  5. Change the display order by dragging counters to new positions
  6. Click "Save Changes" when finished
Note: Removing a counter from a group does not delete the counter itself; it just removes it from the group.

Sharing Counter Groups

Counter groups can be shared just like individual counters, with added control over which counters in the group can be updated:

  1. Go to the counter group details page
  2. Find the "Share Group" section
  3. Enter a name for the share (e.g., "Team View", "Client Dashboard")
  4. Choose permission settings:
    • View only: Recipients can only view all counters
    • Allow updates: Choose which specific counters in the group can be updated by recipients
  5. Click "Create Share Link"
  6. Share the generated link with your intended audience
Tip: For team dashboards, you might want to create different shares - one for managers with update access to all counters, and another for team members with update access to only certain counters.

Using Shared Counter Groups

When someone clicks a shared counter group link, they'll see:

  • A grid layout of all counters in the group
  • Each counter with its name and current value
  • Increment/decrement buttons for counters they have permission to update
  • Visual indicators showing which counters are view-only vs. updatable
  • Information about who else is viewing the group

The interface is responsive and works well on both desktop and mobile devices.

Advanced Features

Offline Support

CoCounters works even without an internet connection:

  • If you lose connection while using a shared counter or group, you can continue making updates
  • Your changes will be stored locally on your device
  • When your connection is restored, your changes will automatically sync with the server
  • Other users will then see your updates
Note: While offline, you won't see updates made by others until your connection is restored.

Real-time Updates

When multiple people use the same shared counter or counter group simultaneously:

  • All changes appear instantly for all connected users
  • You'll see who is currently viewing the counter or group
  • When others make changes, you'll see their name (or share link name) alongside the update

Update Tracking

CoCounters keeps a history of changes:

  • On counter detail pages, you can see who made changes and when
  • For shared counters, updates show the name of the share link used
  • For logged-in users, updates show their email address
  • This helps maintain accountability and track participation
Example: The leader of a volunteer group creates a "Donations Collected" counter shared with all volunteers. At the end of the campaign, she can see exactly who recorded each donation and when, making it easy to verify the total and acknowledge everyone's contributions.