Lanlan.docs

Live data

Show a number or status that changes — a fundraiser total, seats left, what's on today — and update it from anywhere.

What live data is

Live data is one piece of information on your site that changes over time:

  • A fundraiser — "$12,847 of $20,000 raised."
  • Stock or seats — "3 places left this month."
  • A status — "Currently brewing: Mexican Chiapas."
  • Open or closed — "We're open until 6pm today."

If you'd ever want to show a list of similar things — every blog post, every event — you want a collection instead. Live data is for one thing whose value changes.

Live data values are public, so don't put private details in them.

Set one up

Ask Lanlan in Tell Lanlan, naming the pieces it should hold:

  • "Add a fundraiser tracker to the home page: how much we've raised and our goal. Show it as 'Raised $X of $Y' with a progress bar."
  • "Add a 'Currently brewing' line to the menu page that I can change each morning."

Lanlan creates it, puts it on your page, and can work out extra values for you — like the percentage raised — so a progress bar fills itself in.

Ask for it to show the latest value each time someone opens the page: "Make sure it always shows the latest number."

Change the value

  • Ask Lanlan: "We've raised $14,200 now."
  • From another service: each live data entry has a private webhook address that other services, like Zapier or a spreadsheet automation, can send updates to (as JSON). Lanlan gives you the address once, when it creates the entry — save it. If you lose it, press Regenerate key on the Live Data page for a new one (the old one stops working). The service must send the same field names your entry already has; it updates those fields and leaves the rest alone.
  • From Stripe payments, on a Pro site: Connect Stripe can add each payment to a running total.

You can't type a new value on the dashboard page; ask Lanlan instead.

See your live data

The Live Data page (under More in the sidebar) lists each entry with its current value and the address your site reads it from. It's also where you can regenerate the webhook key (if it may have leaked — the new key is shown once) or delete an entry.

What it costs

  • Free sites: 1 live data entry.
  • Pro sites: as many as you need.

Plans and billing.

What to try next

If you get stuck

Ask Lanlan. In Tell Lanlan, "I can't figure out how to…" almost always gets you unstuck. For anything Lanlan can't help with, email support.