SP Digital Subscriptions - User Guide

Installation

 After you install for the first time make sure you activate all three related plugins, if they are not already activated. 

Updating to the latest release

The extension can be updated with two different methods: installing the new version on top of the old one, or using the integrated Remote Update system of Joomla! extensions manager.

Updating directly

This is the failsafe approach, but the least convenient. Download the latest release from our site and save the ZIP file to your hard disk. Log in to your site's backend, click on Joomla! Extensions Manager. Use the Browse... button to locate the ZIP file you downloaded, then click on Upload and Install. All Joomla! versions since 1.5.5 are smart enough to understand that you're doing an upgrade instead of installation and adjust the process accordingly.

Do NOT uninstall the current version of the extension before updating it! Uninstalling will remove all of your data!

Using Remote Update

First insert from extension's options your download id. You can get your download id at Your Download ID.

Then go to Joomla! extensions manager -> update tab and click button Find Updates. If a new release is appeared then you can just update it from there.

Something not working right after the update?

Sometimes Joomla! "forgets" to copy all updated files. This is something that we have seen a few times. In this case, simply follow the instructions in the Updating Directly section above. This will force Joomla! to retry updating the component, copying the missing files and everything will work again.

Uninstallation

You can uninstall the component just like any other Joomla! component. In your site's back-end, just go to Extensions Manager, click on Uninstall. In the Filter area type SP and click on Search. Several entries appear. Select the entry where the Type is Package. Do not select the other entries; they are removed automatically. Now click on Uninstall. This will completely remove extension including all related data.

Coupons

As always, you can create the coupons and insert the desire data. See below in detail is what you can define.

Tab General

1. How Many? - Define how many coupons to produce. This field only works with 'Generate' button, and it is aimed to help you in case you wish to create more than one coupons.
2. Reedem Code - This is the redeem code customer can use to claim the coupon. It is created automatically based on the item id to ensure that is unique.
3. Title - A name of the coupon so you can identify it. Many coupons might have the same name, but different redeem codes.
4. Type - The type of coupon. Can be set to F (fixed discount coupon), or P (percentage off discount coupon).
5. Amount - The value of the coupon.
6. Subscription ID - Subscription ID the coupon can be redeemed. (choose no subscription so the coupon can be applied to all).
7. Status - There are four states a coupon can have.
8. Published - It can be used.
9. Unpublished - It cannot be used.
10. Archived - It's already being used, and cannot be used again.
11. Trashed - It cannot be used.

Setup and use

Options

The first thing to do when you access SP Digital Subscriptions is to define the options. You can access the options by pressing the button Options. From there you can access the various options from the tabs.

Tab General

Those are the basic configuration where you define some basic functionality, and how the purchase buttons will appear. Below we describe in details:

1. Redirect Link - The actual link to which users will be redirected after the purchase. Must be a full URL including http:// or other protocol (for example http://www.kainotomo.com/store). If you leave empty users will be redirected to your home page.
2. Show Coupons? - If you decide to use coupons, then by choosing yes on this option, a extra input field will appear in the purchase button giving the ability to user to insert his coupon.
3. Show Subscription Code - Specify whether to show the subscription code in front end.
4. Show VAT Number input field? - Use this option only if you wish to remove tax in case of valid VIES TAX numbers. Suitable for your EU customers. Used only with Standard Buttons payment type.
5. Show Price? - Specify whether to show the price in front end.
6. Show Subscription Title? - Specify whether to show the subscription title in front end.
7. Show Subscription Text? - Specify whether to show the subscription text (description) in front end

Tab Email Notifications

This options only applies for the payment type:

1. Digital Express Checkout and,
2. Standard Express Checkout.

When using the Standard Buttons payment type, in case a new user is created, the user credentials will appear on screen.

Define the email notifications that will be sent to users after a successful purchase. You may use keywords: {name} {username} {password} {email} {sitename} {siteurl} Keyword {password} is valid only for new users. HTML tags are not allowed.

You can define the title and main body of the email.

Tab PayPal

These settings apply for your Paypal account. Insert your live and sandbox API credentials. The Sandbox credentials are for testing purposes.

You define the follow for Express Checkout payment types:

1. Username,
2. Password,
3. Signature.

and for Standard Buttons:

1. Merchant ID
2. Merchant email

All above credentials you can get from within your PayPal account.

Tab Invoices

Here you can set up how your invoices will appear. You can define the follow:

1. name,
2. address,
3. logo (you can choose an image),
4. terms that appear at the bottom of the invoice.

Create a subscription

After you setup the general options you can create a subscription. From Subscriptions Tab you press button New. Again you may define the various elements of the subscriptions based on the available tabs. 

Tab General

1. Title - This is a required field, and it's actually the name you wish to give to your subscription.
2. Description - A text that you might wish to appear in users. 

Tab Details

1. Price - The amount of money to charge the subscription.
2. Tax - The amount of money for tax. Keep 0 if no tax applies. If you use the VIES TAX, this will not apply.
3. Code - This is a unique identifier of the product. Imagine it something similar like a product's serial number. You can define it whatever you wish, but avoid spaces and caps.
4. Available Days - Specify the days for the subscription to be active after the purchase. Default is 0, meaning that will be available for ever.
5. Active Subscription User Group - Choose one or more user groups where user will be assigned when subscription is active.
6. Non Active Subscription User Group - Choose one or more user groups where user will be assigned when subscription is NOT active.
7. Redirect Link - The actual link to which users will be redirected. Must be a full URL including http:// or other protocol (for example http://www.cyend.com/). If empty user will be redirected to the home page.
8. Button Image - This is the image of the button to appear in front end. Leave empty for the PayPal default.

See below relevant image:

Create a payment button

After you install SP Digital Subscriptions you should be able to see a button when you create an article. Just press that button,

choose your subscription and it will be added in your article.

Automatically after that, the button will be appeared in front end.

When a visitor purchase with the button, automatically he will be login to your site and assigned to your specified user groups!

Transactions and Invoices

Transactions

Each transaction is related with one of your users, a subscription. This is the actual piece of data that control whether your user is having an active, or not subscription.

After a successful purchase a transaction is automatically created and saved in the database. You can view, edit, cancel, or even manually create a transaction from back end, in tab Transactions.

To cancel a subscription just edit the corresponding transaction and press button Cancel Transaction. If you cancel a transaction, the next time user tries to login, he will be automatically moved to the non-active user groups. It's the same like his available days ended.

If for some reason you wish to create a transaction for a user (for example you received a manual bank payment), you can also do it from that tab. You can also view the invoice created for each transaction and manually send via email to your user.

The transaction id is the same as the one of the PayPal transaction id.

Invoices

Each of your customers can access his invoices in front end. To activate this functionality, all you have to do is to create a front end menu, and choose SP Digital Subscriptions->Invoices. See below image as an example what your user will see:

By click on the transaction id link user can view and print the invoice.