Lesson previews
A preview lesson is readable by people who do not have access to the course. It is the deliberate exception to whatever gate the course uses.
Where
Lesson settings → Configuration → This lesson is a preview — If checked, anyone can see this lesson without paying for the course.
What it does
The lesson bypasses the course's access rules. In the outline it stays selectable while the other lessons show as unavailable, so a visitor can see exactly what is open.
The one modifier
The course's Preview lessons also require login decides whether previews are public or reserved for signed-in students:
| Preview | Requires login | Signed out | Signed in, no access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Off | Readable | Readable |
| Yes | On | Blocked | Readable |
Set it on the course, not on the lesson. See Allow previews before login.
Choosing which lessons
Two or three per course, chosen to demonstrate quality without delivering the value:
- The first lesson, showing the format and the presenter.
- One from the middle, proving the course does not tail off.
- A self-contained practical lesson, useful alone and better in context.
Avoid previewing the lesson that contains the core technique, anything meaningless out of sequence, and any lesson that carries downloads the course sells.
Audit previews from outside
A preview flag is invisible in the administration and completely visible to the internet. The only reliable check is to look as a visitor:
- Open the course in a private browser window.
- The selectable lessons in the outline are your previews.
- Confirm the list is exactly what you intended.
Do it before launch and after any change.
Previews and progress
A preview is a lesson of the course, so it counts towards the completion percentage like any other.
Progress belongs to signed-in students, so an anonymous visitor reading a preview does not accumulate any.
Previews and permission overrides
A lesson can also carry its own permission rule. Combining a preview flag with a rule on the same lesson makes its behavior hard to predict and harder to test.
Choose one per lesson: it is either an open preview or it is rule-controlled.
Removing a preview
Clear the toggle and update. The lesson immediately follows the course's normal rules.
If the preview has been public for a while, expect links to it to exist. Anyone following one now sees the "Lesson not available" text, so make sure that text is written.
Verify
- Mark the lesson as a preview and update.
- Open the course in a private window: the lesson is selectable, the others are not.
- Open the lesson itself and confirm the content is readable.
- Sign in as a student without access and confirm the same.
- Enable Preview lessons also require login on the course and confirm the signed-out case is now blocked.
- Confirm no other lesson became readable by accident.