Partner Control Center - User Guide

Page Location: ct/admin/preferred.php
Menu Path: Admin Panel → Import → Partners
Access Level: Administrator
Last Updated: 2026-01-01

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Overview

The Partner Control Center is a comprehensive management interface for administering partner accounts in your ComusThumbz installation. Partners are privileged submitters who can submit galleries with preferential status, access specific categories, and optionally be granted access to various admin modules. This page allows you to add, edit, delete, and manage partner permissions, send bulk emails, and import/export partner data.

[Screenshot: preferred-full-page-overview]

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Getting to This Page

1. Log in to the admin panel
2. In the left sidebar, click Import
3. Click Partners

Alternatively, navigate directly to ct/admin/preferred.php on your installation.

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System Requirements

 

 

PHP Requirements

Requirement	Minimum	Recommended	Notes
PHP Version	8.0	8.3+	Required for modern features
memorylimit	64M	128M	For large partner lists
maxexecutiontime	60	120	For bulk email operations

Required PHP Extensions

Extension	Required	Purpose
mysqli	Yes	Database connectivity
mbstring	Yes	Multibyte string handling for emails
filter	Yes	Email validation (FILTERVALIDATEEMAIL)

Required PHP Functions

 

 

Function	Required For
mail()	Sending email notifications to partners
md5()	Password hashing and session generation
filtervar()	Email address validation

Folder Permissions

Folder Path	Permission	Owner	Purpose
/ct/templates/	755	www-data	Email template storage
/ct/logs/	775	www-data	Error logging

Server Requirements

Component	Requirement
Web Server	Apache 2.4+ with modrewrite OR Nginx
Database	MySQL 5.7+ / MariaDB 10.3+
Mail Server	Configured sendmail/SMTP for email notifications

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Installation Requirements

Folders Required

Folder Path	Permission	Created By	Notes
ct/templates/	755	Install Script	Email templates storage
ct/logs/	775	Install Script	Error logging

External Dependencies

Dependency	Type	Required	Version	Notes
Mail Server	Service	Yes	Any	PHP mail() function must work

Install Script Checklist

• [ ] Database tables created (tblPreferred, tblPreferredCategories, tblBlacklist)
• [ ] Config variables documented in config.inc.php template
• [ ] ct/templates/ folder created
• [ ] Email template files created if needed
• [ ] Mail server configuration verified

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Page Layout

The Partner Control Center is organized into several distinct sections:

Page Header

[Screenshot: preferred-header-section]

The header section contains:

#	Element	Description
1	Breadcrumb	Navigation path showing Dashboard > Partner Control Center
2	Page Title	"Partner Control Center" with handshake icon
3	Description	"Manage partner accounts, permissions, and category access"
4	Action Buttons	Quick access buttons for Email, Export, and Import

Header Action Buttons:

Button	Icon	Action
Email Partners	Envelope	Opens email form to contact all partners
Export	Download	Exports partner data to text format
Import	Upload	Opens bulk import form

Statistics Cards

[Screenshot: preferred-stats-cards]

Three statistics cards display key metrics:

Card	Icon	Description
Total Partners	Users	Total number of registered partners
With Admin Access	Shield	Partners with at least one admin permission enabled
Blacklisted	Ban	Partners whose emails appear in the blacklist

Add New Partner Section

[Screenshot: preferred-add-form]

A simple form to add new partners:

Field	Type	Description
Email	Email input	The partner's email address (required)
Add Partner	Button	Submits the form to create the partner

Partner List Table

[Screenshot: preferred-partner-table]

The main data table showing all partners with the following columns:

Column	Type	Description
Email / Categories	Input + Checkboxes	Partner email and category assignments
Pass	Text input	Partner password (max 15 characters)
Rank	Dropdown (1-10)	Default vote/rank assigned to partner submissions
Max Submits	Number input	Maximum submissions per day (0 = unlimited)
Min Clicks	Number input	Minimum clicks before gallery expires (0 = no limit)
Review	Checkbox	Access to gallery review module
Partner	Checkbox	Access to partner management page
Blacklist	Checkbox	Access to blacklist management
Category	Checkbox	Access to category management
Settings	Checkbox	Access to site settings
Templates	Checkbox	Access to template editing
Import	Checkbox	Access to import functions
Autoscan	Checkbox	Access to autoscan tools
MySQLAdmin	Checkbox	Access to database manager
Proxy	Checkbox	Access to proxy settings
Logs	Checkbox	Access to system logs
Build	Checkbox	Access to site build tools
Edit	Checkbox	Access to content editing
Repair	Checkbox	Access to repair tools
Actions	Icons	Delete and email quick actions

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Features & Functions

Adding a New Partner

Purpose: Create a new partner account that can submit content with preferential status.

How to use:

1. Locate the "Add New Partner" card
2. Enter the partner's email address in the input field
3. Click the Add Partner button

[Screenshot: preferred-add-partner-form]

What happens:

• A random 5-character password is generated
• The partner is added to the database
• An email notification is sent to the partner (if email templates exist)
• The page reloads showing the new partner in the list

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editing Partner Settings

Purpose: Modify partner permissions, password, voting rank, and category access.

How to use:

1. Locate the partner in the table
2. Modify any fields directly in the table row:

• Change the email address
• Update the password
• Adjust the rank (1-10)
• Set max submits and min clicks values
• Toggle permission checkboxes
• Check/uncheck category assignments in the dropdown

1. Click Update Partners button at the bottom of the table

[Screenshot: preferred-edit-partner-row]

Permission Checkboxes:

Permission	Grants Access To
Review	Gallery review and moderation
Partner	This partner management page
Blacklist	Email/URL blacklist management
Category	Category creation and editing
Settings	Site configuration settings
Templates	Email and page templates
Import	Content import tools
Autoscan	Automatic scanning features
MySQLAdmin	Database management interface
Proxy	Proxy server settings
Logs	System and error logs
Build	Site building tools
Edit	Content editing capabilities
Repair	Database repair utilities

Assigning Categories

Purpose: Restrict which categories a partner can submit content to.

How to use:

1. Find the partner's row in the table
2. Below the email field, expand the category list
3. Check the categories the partner should have access to
4. Click Update Partners

[Screenshot: preferred-category-assignment]

 

 

Deleting a Partner

Purpose: Remove a partner account from the system.

How to use:

1. Find the partner in the table
2. Click the trash icon in the Actions column
3. A confirmation dialog will appear
4. Click OK to confirm deletion

[Screenshot: preferred-delete-confirmation]

 

 

Email Functions

The Partner Control Center provides three email options:

Email All Partners

Location: Header button "Email Partners" OR "Email ALL" in Partner List header

How to use:

1. Click Email Partners or Email ALL
2. The email form opens with all partner emails pre-filled
3. Edit the subject line if desired
4. Remove any recipients you don't want to contact
5. Compose your HTML message
6. Click Send Mail

[Screenshot: preferred-email-partners-form]

Available Macros:

Macro	Replaced With
%name%	Partner's nickname (from tblTgp)
%password%	Partner's current password

Email Non-Partners

Purpose: Contact submitters who are NOT registered partners.

Location: "Email Non-Partners" button in Partner List header

How to use:

1. Click Email Non-Partners
2. The form shows all submitter emails that are NOT in the partner list
3. Remove any you don't want to contact
4. Compose your message using the available macros
5. Click Send Mail

 

 

Email All Submitters

Location: "Email ALL" button (emails everyone who has submitted content)

Sends to all email addresses in tblTgp (galleries table), regardless of partner status.

Export Function

Purpose: Export all partner data in a comma-separated format for backup or transfer.

How to use:

1. Click Export in the header
2. A text area displays the exported data
3. Copy the content to save

[Screenshot: preferred-export-view]

Export Format:

email,password,vote,icq,minclicks,maxsubmits,categories,controls

 

Where:

• categories are pipe-separated (e.g., Amateur|Teen|MILF)
• controls are pipe-separated permission flags (1 or 0 for each permission)

 

Import Function

Purpose: Bulk import partners from formatted text data.

How to use:

1. Click Import in the header
2. Paste partner data in the format shown
3. Click Import
4. Review the preview showing which entries are NEW vs already EXIST
5. Confirm the import

[Screenshot: preferred-import-form]

Import Format:

email,pass,vote,icq,minclicks,maxsubmits,categories,controls

 

 

 

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Step-by-Step Usage

Setting Up a New Content Partner

1. Navigate to Admin Panel → Import → Partners
2. In the "Add New Partner" section, enter the partner's email
3. Click Add Partner
4. Find the new partner in the list
5. Set their voting rank (typically 7-8 for trusted partners)
6. Assign any category restrictions if needed
7. Click Update Partners

Promoting a Partner to Moderator

1. Find the partner in the list
2. Check the Review checkbox (allows gallery moderation)
3. Optionally check Category if they should manage categories
4. Set a secure password in the Pass field
5. Click Update Partners
6. Send the partner their login credentials

Handling Blacklisted Partners

Partners whose emails appear in the blacklist are highlighted in red:

[Screenshot: preferred-blacklisted-partner]

1. Identify blacklisted partners (red-highlighted rows with "Blacklisted" badge)
2. Investigate why they're blacklisted via Admin Panel → Blacklist
3. Either:

• Remove them from the partner list (delete)
• Remove them from the blacklist (if cleared)

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Troubleshooting

Common Errors

Error Message	Cause	Solution
"Email already exists"	Partner email is already registered	Edit the existing entry instead of adding new
"Invalid email address format"	Malformed email entered	Check email format (user@domain.com)
"Cannot set password to match sysadmin password"	Partner password matches admin password	Choose a different password
"No partners selected for update"	Form submitted without partner data	Ensure partners exist in the list before updating
"Database error: Failed to delete partner"	Database connection issue or constraint violation	Check database connection and foreign key constraints
"Database error: Failed to update partners"	Transaction failure	Check database logs for specific error

Email Not Sending

Problem: Partner notification emails are not being delivered.

Solution:

1. Verify PHP mail() function is working: php -r "mail('test@example.com', 'Test', 'Test');"
2. Check if email templates exist:

 

• ct/templates/emailpartner.txt
• ct/templates/emailpartnersubject.txt

 

1. Verify $tgpemail is set in config.inc.php
2. Check spam folders for delivered emails
3. Review mail server logs for errors

 

Import Not Working

Problem: Partners are not being imported from pasted data.

Solution:

1. Verify the format matches: email,pass,vote,icq,minclicks,maxsubmits,categories,controls
2. Ensure each entry is on a separate line
3. Check that email addresses are valid
4. Categories should use pipe separators (|), not commas

 

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Related Pages

• Blacklist Management (ct/admin/blacklist.php) - Manage blacklisted emails/URLs
• Category Management (ct/admin/categories.php) - Create and edit categories
• Gallery Review (ct/admin/admin.php) - Review submitted galleries
• User Management (ct/admin/users.php) - Manage registered users

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Tips & Best Practices

1. Security: Only grant MySQLAdmin and Settings access to highly trusted partners who need database or configuration access.

1. Category Restrictions: Use category assignments to create specialized partner roles (e.g., a partner who only moderates "Amateur" content).

1. Password Management: The system stores plain-text passwords (for email retrieval). Consider this when setting partner passwords.

1. Rank System: Higher ranks (8-10) cause galleries to appear higher in rotation. Reserve high ranks for your best content partners.

1. Min Clicks: Use the Min Clicks feature to guarantee exposure for premium partners' content before it expires.

1. Regular Cleanup: Periodically review the partner list to remove inactive accounts and revoke unnecessary permissions.

1. Email Templates: Create the email template files (emailpartner.txt, emailpartnersubject.txt) in ct/templates/ for professional welcome emails.

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Translatable Strings

The following text strings appear in this page and should be added to backend_translations.md:

Page Headers & Titles

• "Partner Control Center"
• "Manage partner accounts, permissions, and category access"
• "Dashboard"

Buttons & Actions

• "Email Partners"
• "Export"
• "Import"
• "Add Partner"
• "Update Partners"
• "Send Mail"
• "Cancel"
• "Back to Partners"

Statistics Cards

• "Total Partners"
• "With Admin Access"
• "Blacklisted"

Form Labels

• "Add New Partner"
• "Enter email address"
• "Partner List"
• "Email ALL"
• "Email Non-Partners"
• "Subject"
• "Recipients"
• "HTML Message"
• "Exported Data"
• "Import Data"
• "Import Preview"

Table Headers

• "Email / Categories"
• "Pass"
• "Rank"
• "Max Submits"
• "Min Clicks"
• "Review"
• "Partner"
• "Blacklist"
• "Category"
• "Settings"
• "Templates"
• "Import"
• "Autoscan"
• "MySQLAdmin"
• "Proxy"
• "Logs"
• "Build"
• "Edit"
• "Repair"
• "Actions"

Help Section

• "Partner Help Guide"
• "Overview"
• "Partner Types"
• "Passwords"
• "Gallery Status"
• "Categories"
• "Min Clicks"
• "Max Submits"

Messages

• "Partner added successfully"
• "Partners updated successfully"
• "Partner deleted successfully"
• "Partner has been sent an email notification"
• "Total Sent:"
• "Completed"
• "Email already exists"
• "Invalid email address format"
• "Please enter a valid email address"
• "Cannot set password to match sysadmin password"
• "No partners selected for update"
• "Invalid partner ID"
• "Database error: Failed to delete partner"
• "Database error: Failed to add partner"
• "Database error: Failed to update partners"
• "Invalid email format for partner ID"
• "Sent to"
• "No partners found. Add your first partner above."
• "Are you SURE you want to delete this partner:"

Help Text

• "Mail submitters who are NOT partners. Remove those from the list you do not want to contact."
• "Mail all your submitters. Remove those from the list you do not want to contact."
• "Mail all your partners. Remove those from the list you do not want to contact."
• "Note: You can use %name% and %password% macros to insert the name and password into the message."
• "Format: email,pass,vote,icq,minclicks,maxsubmits,categories,controls"
• "Its okay to have blanks - 1 entry per line."
• "Categories should be separated by pipes"
• "Controls represent the pages that the partner can access"
• "Import functionality to be implemented. Lines starting with ! already exist, lines starting with : are new."

Email Templates

• "Attention [sitename] Partners"
• "Attention [sitename] Submitters"

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Changelog

Date	Version	Changes
2026-01-01	1.0	Initial guide created