# Your first day in conduit

## Your first day in conduit

Conduit gives you two ways to start: sign in with an existing account or create an account,
then open a profile. The profile route uses a username and provides the person's profile details,
article lists, and—depending on whose profile you open—profile actions.

| If you need to… | Go to |
| --- | --- |
| Sign in with an existing account | [Sign in or create your account](#sign-in-or-create-your-account) |
| Create an account | [Sign in or create your account](#sign-in-or-create-your-account) |
| Reach a sign-in, sign-up, or profile screen | [Reach the sign-in, sign-up, and profile screens](#reach-the-sign-in-sign-up-and-profile-screens) |
| Recognize the fields and actions on these screens | [Recognize the first-day screens](#recognize-the-first-day-screens) |
| Open and use a profile | [Visit a profile](#visit-a-profile) |
| Follow another author | [Follow an author](doc:follow-an-author) |
| View favorited articles | [View favorited articles](doc:view-favorited-articles) |
| Update your profile | [Update your settings](doc:update-your-settings) |
| Solve a general application error | [General error messages](doc:general-error-messages) |
| Find a solution to a common problem | [Common issues and solutions](doc:common-issues-and-solutions) |
| Get support | [Getting help](doc:getting-help) |

## Before you start

Have the details for the account path you want to use and the username of the profile you want
to visit. The first-day screens use these fields:

| Screen | Details to have ready | What the screen calls it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sign in | Your email address and password | **Email** and **Password** |
| Sign up | The username, email address, and password for the new account | **Username**, **Email**, and **Password** |
| Profile | The profile username | The username in the profile address |

These fields have no required marker, so enter the information needed for the account request before
submitting it.

## Reach the sign-in, sign-up, and profile screens

The sign-in screen is at `/login`, the sign-up screen is at `/register`, and a profile uses the
profile screen for `<username>`. You can also move between the two account screens using their
account links.

Prerequisites

- Know whether you are signing in or creating an account.
- Have the account details listed in [Before you start](#before-you-start).
- Have the profile username if you are opening a profile.

Steps

1. Open `/login` to reach the sign-in screen.
2. Select **Need an account?** to open the sign-up screen.
3. Select **Have an account?** to return to the sign-in screen.
4. Open the profile screen for `<username>`.

**Result:** The selected sign-in, sign-up, or profile screen is open.

## Sign in or create your account

Sign-in uses an existing account; sign-up sends the details for a new account.

Prerequisites

- For sign-in, have your email address and password.
- For sign-up, have the username, email address, and password for the new account.

Steps

1. Choose one account path and complete only that path:

   | Path | Complete path |
   | --- | --- |
   | Existing account | In **Email**, enter your email address. In **Password**, enter your password. Select **Sign in**. |
   | New account | In **Username**, enter the new account name. In **Email**, enter the account email address. In **Password**, enter the account password. Select **Sign up**. |

**Result:** The account request is submitted from the selected account screen.

## Recognize the first-day screens

The three first-day screens have distinct jobs: Login and Register collect account details, while
Profile displays profile information and article views.

| Screen | Fields or information | Controls and areas |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Login | **Email**, **Password** | **Need an account?**, **Sign in**, and an error area |
| Register | **Username**, **Email**, **Password** | **Have an account?**, **Sign up**, and an error area |
| Profile | Profile username, bio, and image | **Edit Profile Settings**, profile action, **My Articles**, and **Favorited Articles** |

On Profile, the page first has a loading state with `Loading profile...`. If loading fails, it
shows `This profile could not be loaded. Please try again later.`. When the profile is loaded, the
profile area includes the username and bio, followed by the profile action and article tabs.

The error area on Login and Register displays a dynamic entry in the form
`<field> <message>`, where the field name and message come from the account response. A network
failure uses `Unable to connect to the server`.

## Visit a profile

The profile page presents the selected username and bio, offers article views, and shows an action
that depends on whether the profile is yours and whether you follow it.

Prerequisites

- Know the profile username.
- Know the username in the profile address.

Steps

1. Open the profile screen for `<username>`.
2. Confirm that the profile area has loaded.
3. Read the displayed username and bio.
4. Select **My Articles** to view the profile's articles.
5. Select **Favorited Articles** to view the profile's favorited articles.
6. Choose the profile action that matches the profile state:

   | Profile state | Action |
   | --- | --- |
   | The profile belongs to you | Select **Edit Profile Settings**. |
   | The profile belongs to another person and you do not follow the profile | Select **Follow**. |
   | The profile belongs to another person and you follow the profile | Select **Unfollow**. |

**Result:** The profile information and the selected article view are on screen, or the selected
profile action has been started.

## Handle the first-day branches

The first-day flow branches according to the account path, the redirect address, the profile
owner, and the profile's follow state.

| Situation | What to use or expect |
| --- | --- |
| You already have an account | Use the sign-in path. |
| You need an account | Use the sign-up path. |
| The route includes a same-application redirect beginning with `/` | Successful authentication returns to that path. |
| No accepted redirect is present | Successful authentication returns to Home. |
| The profile is yours | The **Edit Profile Settings** control appears. |
| You follow the profile | Select **Unfollow** to stop following that profile. |
| You do not follow the profile | Select **Follow** to follow that profile. |
| The profile request fails after its retries | `This profile could not be loaded. Please try again later.` appears. |

**Result:** The account path, redirect destination, profile action, and profile error state match
the situation on screen.

## When the first-day flow goes wrong

When account errors are present, Login and Register display an error list above the form. When
account errors are present, each entry shows the field name followed by the first message for that
field. A network failure uses `Unable to connect to the server`.

Prerequisites

- Be on the screen that displays the message.

Steps

1. Choose the recovery action that matches the message:

   | If you see… | Do this |
   | --- | --- |
   | `Unable to connect to the server` | Check the connection, then retry the account request. |
   | A dynamic `<field> <message>` entry above Login | Correct the named account detail, then select **Sign in**. |
   | A dynamic `<field> <message>` entry above Register | Correct the named account detail, then select **Sign up**. |
   | `This profile could not be loaded. Please try again later.` | Check the profile username, then open the profile screen for `<username>`. |
   | `Loading profile...` | Confirm that the profile area has loaded before choosing a profile action or article tab. |

**Result:** The account request or profile screen is ready for the next action.

For reusable message explanations, see [General error messages](doc:general-error-messages).
For broader troubleshooting, see [Common issues and solutions](doc:common-issues-and-solutions).

## Continue after your first visit

After account access and a first profile visit, continue with the task that matches what you want
to do next.

| If you want to… | Continue with… |
| --- | --- |
| Understand the rest of the application surface | [Understanding the interface](doc:understanding-the-interface) |
| Move between the application's routes | [Navigation basics](doc:navigation-basics) |
| Read a profile in detail | [View a profile](doc:view-a-profile) |
| Follow or unfollow an author | [Follow an author](doc:follow-an-author) |
| Browse favorited articles | [View favorited articles](doc:view-favorited-articles) |
| Edit your profile information | [Update your settings](doc:update-your-settings) |
| Discover or read articles | [Discover articles](doc:discover-articles) or [Read an article](doc:read-an-article) |