Use this guide to publish a saved course, choose whether it appears in public listings and share it through a direct link or your website. It also covers archiving and restoring a course. It is for System Admins and Course Owners working in the Cademy admin dashboard.
Before you begin: You need System Admin or Course Owner access to edit a course and change its sharing options. A Facilitator can view courses but cannot open the course editor or change these settings.
Open the Share tab
Sign in to your Cademy admin dashboard.
Select Courses from the left menu, then choose List View.
Find the course, select the three-dot menu at the right of its row, and select Edit.
Select the Share tab.
You can also open a course and select Share at the top of the page. This opens the same sharing options in a window.
Save your course first: The Share tab becomes available after the first save. Save any further course changes before publishing so the published version includes them.
Choose who can see the course
You can change visibility from the Share tab or by selecting the current visibility label on the course row.
Select the current Public, Private, or Unpublished label.
Choose one of these options:
Unpublished - visible to you and enrolled users.
Public - visible to all.
Private - hidden from public listings and accessible with the direct course link.
Wait for the confirmation, such as Visibility updated to public, and check that the visibility label shows your choice. The visibility change saves immediately; you do not need to select the course’s Save button afterwards.
To publish a course, choose Public or Private. To check the course as a learner would see it, see Test a Course Before Launch.
A Public course is included in the course listing on your minisite, in the course listings of website embeds and in WordPress course listings. A Private or Unpublished course is left out of those listings. A Private course still opens through its direct link on your minisite. See Embed Courses or Forms on Your Website and Publish Cademy Courses on a WordPress Website.
To take a course out of use rather than only hide it, see “Archive a course” further down this guide. For what archiving changes, see Archive or Restore a Course.
Private courses: This option is available only when your Cademy plan includes private courses. The Starter, Pro and Teams plans include it; on an Enterprise plan it depends on your agreement. See Understand Cademy Plans, Limits and Fees. It does not limit access to named people. Anyone who has the direct link can open the course page.
If the course cannot be published
Cademy shows the reason that publishing failed. Common reasons include:
Your email address has not been confirmed.
Required course information is missing.
Your account has reached its published-course limit.
The course has a cost but your account has no payment method configured. Connected Stripe or PayPal, or enabled invoice/manual payments, can satisfy this requirement.
Correct the issue shown, then select Public or Private again.
Cademy publishes a course only when the email address of the person publishing it is confirmed. If Cademy says your email address is not confirmed, select Message Us at the bottom of the sidebar and ask Cademy Support.
Copy, open or change the course link
The link section is shown on the Share tab when the course is Public or Private. It is named Course Link by default. If this course uses another service keyword, such as Bootcamp, that word appears instead, for example Bootcamp Link.
Under Course Link, select Copy to copy the direct link.
Select Open to check the public course page in a new tab.
To share through a social network or email, select one of the icons below the link.
When the course is published, the Copy link and Open in new tab icons beside the Share button provide the same shortcuts.
Change the course address
Edit the part of the address shown after your Cademy website address.
Select Update.
Wait for the confirmation, such as Course URL updated. If this course uses another service keyword, the confirmation uses that word, for example Bootcamp URL updated.
Important: The old course link stops working and does not redirect after you change the address. Update every website, email, advert and saved link that uses it.
Create and use Tracked Links
A Tracked Link adds a tracking code to the course address. When a customer places an Order after using that link, Cademy records the code on the Order. This identifies an Order’s source; it is not a count of link clicks.
On the Share tab, find Course Link and select Create Tracked Links. If Tracked Links is already visible, start there.
Under Tracked Links, select Create Link.
Enter a short name that identifies the source, such as Autumn Newsletter.
Select Create. Cademy turns the name into a link-safe tracking code, copies the new link and lists the code under Tracked Links. Check that it appears before sharing it.
Select a saved tracking name to copy that link again. Select the red cross beside it to remove it from the saved list.
For example, name a fictional campaign Autumn Newsletter and share its copied Tracked Link in that newsletter. The generated code, such as autumn-newsletter, lets a System Admin identify resulting Orders using Tracking Code.
Check which orders used a Tracked Link
Sign in to the Cademy admin dashboard as a System Admin.
Select Orders.
Show the Tracking Code column, which is hidden by default. If the list has a Columns button, select it and then select Tracking Code. If it has a View button instead, select View and show Tracking Code in the Columns section. See Filter, Sort and Use Saved Filters.
Access: Course Owners can create Tracked Links, but only System Admins can open Orders and view the Tracking Code column.
Add the course to Collections
A Collection groups courses so you can organise course listings and display a chosen group on your website. To create and manage Collections, see Organise Courses with Categories, Tags and Collections.
On the Share tab, find Add to Collections.
Search for and select one or more existing Collections. To create one, type its name and choose the option to create that Collection. Typing the name alone does not create it.
Wait for the Collections updated confirmation.
Remove a selected Collection to remove the course from it. Adding or removing a selection saves immediately; check for Collections updated.
Embed the course on a website
Access and visibility: Creating or changing an embed requires System Admin access. Set the course to Public for it to appear in public website embeds. A Private course remains available through its direct link but is hidden from public embeds.
The Embed Course section is shown when the course is Public or Private. If this course uses another service keyword, the section name uses that word, for example Embed Bootcamp.
On the Share tab, find Embed Course.
Select Embed This Course.
Follow Embed Courses or Forms on Your Website to configure and add the embed.
Archive a course
Go to Courses and use List View.
Find the course and select its three-dot menu.
If the course is published, select Unpublish & Archive. If it is already unpublished, select Archive.
Confirm the same action in the warning.
Archive from an opened course
Open the course from the Courses list.
At the top of the course page, select the three-dot menu.
If the course is published, select Unpublish & Archive. If it is already unpublished, select Archive.
Confirm the same action in the warning.
Important: An archived course is unavailable to the public. Learners also lose access to archived on-demand and blended course content.
Restore an archived course
Go to Courses and use List View.
Open the current Saved Filter and select Archived Courses.
Find the course, select its three-dot menu, and select Restore.
Wait for the Course restored confirmation.
Restore from the archived course page
From Archived Courses, open the course.
Select Restore Course.
Wait for the Course restored confirmation.
A course archived through the current Archive or Unpublish & Archive action restores as Unpublished. Select Public or Private when you are ready to publish it again.
Archiving also removes the course from the memberships and Collections that included it, and restoring does not add it back. After restoring, check the course’s memberships and Collections and add the course again where needed.
Frequently asked questions
Why can I not see the Share tab?
The course must be saved first. You also need System Admin or Course Owner access.
Why can I not choose Private?
Your current Cademy plan may not include private courses. Ask a System Admin to check the account plan.
Why can I not see Course Link or Embed Course?
Those sections are hidden while the course is Unpublished. Choose Public or Private.
Can I add a promo code to a course link?
No. A course link does not apply or prefill a promo code. Share the normal course link and the promo code separately. Where the checkout shows Apply promo code or gift card, customers open it, enter the code and select Apply. See Create and Apply Discounts.
Does removing a Tracked Link stop the old link from working?
No. Removing it deletes the saved shortcut from the Share tab. A link already shared elsewhere can still open the course and send its tracking code.
Why can I not see Tracking Code on Orders?
Only System Admins can open Orders. The column is hidden by default, so show it as described in “Check which orders used a Tracked Link” above. The column shows a code when one was recorded on the Order.
Can I change a course link after sharing it?
Yes, but the previous address stops working and does not redirect. Update every place where you shared the old link.
Does restoring a course publish it again?
No. A course archived through the current Archive actions restores as Unpublished. Review its settings and connections before choosing Public or Private again. Archiving also removes learner access to Cademy-hosted On-demand and Blended content; it is different from simply choosing Unpublished. The steps are in “Archive a course” and “Restore an archived course” above. For what archiving changes and what to check after restoring, see Archive or Restore a Course.