Optimizely Login Bookmarklet

One of the most common questions I get from content managers/editors on the Optimizely platform is an excited, “Where’s the login button?” Unlike everyone’s favorite social media or blogging site, Optimizely’s content management system is seamless by design so users aren’t distracted by administrative calls to action.

For those who do have the login URL (www.OptiSite.com/util/Login), they often get lost navigating the content tree to find  what they had been looking for. The bookmarklet below solves this problem by taking a user from the front-end page that they are on to the login page and back – just navigate, login, and click edit!

Creating the Optimizely Login Bookmarklet

1. In your browser of choice, create a new bookmark and title it CMS Login
2. Copy/Paste into the url/address field the script below based on your version of Optimizely CMS

   Optimizely CMS 12 Login Script

   javascript: window.location = window.location.protocol + '//' + window.location.hostname + '/util/Login?ReturnUrl=%27 + window.location.pathname;

   Optimizely CMS 11 Login Script

   javascript: window.location = window.location.protocol + '//' + window.location.hostname + '/util/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%27 + window.location.pathname;

3. Save the bookmark
4. Display your bookmark bar to display the login bookmarklet

Using Your New Login Bookmarklet

1. Navigate to any page on your Optimzely powered CMS website
2. Click the bookmarklet created above
3. Provide your username and password
4. Click login

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After you login, you are returned to your original page allowing you to jump directly to edit mode by using the Opti menu in the upper right hand corner. No more navigating through the file tree to find a press release from 3 years ago buried deep within your site!

How Does This Bookmarklet Work?

Optimizely uses a query string parameter of ?ReturnUrl= to redirect the login page after submission. This VERY simple JavaScript appends the current page the user is on to the ReturnUrl parameter.

The difference in CMS 11 and CMS 12 scripts is minor but references a different base URL of the login page.