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Setting up a WooCommerce store with existing products and orders with the WooCommerce API Manager is accomplished as follows:
The WooCommerce API Manager turns WooCommerce Products into an API Resource that can be accessed with a License Key (API Key). API Resources (products) can be software, a service, an iPhone or Android App, a membership, a subscription, or anything that can be accessed over the Internet. The most frequently used Product types are Simple, Variable, Simple Subscription, Variable Subscription, and Group. Subscription product types are created using the Woo Subscriptions extension that allows for automated payment collection on the renewal anniversary. There is also support for API access expiration time limits for built-in WooCommerce products purchases that require manual purchase renewal.
How does it work? The customer buys a Product (API Resource) which will have an API Key with a defined number of activations, or unlimited activations. The customer uses the API Key to access the API Resource, which is controlled by WooCommerce API Manager. The API Resource remains accessible until it expires, if it has an expiration time. For even more advanced API Resource time management, the WooCommerce API Manager works seamlessly with Woo Subscriptions.
The WooCommerce API Manager secures your software with an API Key, by acting as a WooCommerce Software License Manager. When used for software, the API Key is similar to using a License Key. The API Key provides access to an API Resource. By using an API Key, client software has a full range of options to activate, deactivate, check the status of an activation, get information about updates, check for updates, get updates, and more. All software downloads use secure, expiring, URLs to insure only your customers have secure access to the software that was purchased. Software downloads can come from the WooCommerce store local server, Amazon S3, or a remote server.
To make selling API Keys for WordPress plugins and themes easier, the WooCommerce API Manager PHP Library for Plugins and Themes was developed as a PHP Library that can be dropped into a plugin and theme in less than 5 minutes for API Key authentication and software updates with the WooCommerce API Manager. Learn more about how to get a copy of the WooCommerce API Manager PHP Library for Plugins and Themes.
File downloads are better served by Amazon S3, which is scalable world-wide, and is extremely affordable for any sized business. Setup your file as described in the documentation, copy and paste the Amazon S3 URL, and your file will be served securely by Amazon S3. Using Amazon S3 allows issues with local web server setup, web hosts, firewalls, WooCommerce file download changes, and other impediments to be completely avoided.
There are three types of API Key types that provides a flexible API Key model for any store.
The WooCommerce API Manager has API Access Expiration, which is just another way of saying a time limit for an API Key that acts like a subscription. The customer buys a product, and can access that product (API Resource) until the API Access time limit expires, at which time the customer must renew the time limit by buying the product again. When the product is a WooCommerce Subscription, the store can automatically renew the subscription and email a receipt to the customer, or the customer can manually renew the subscription. A Variable WooCommerce Subscription allows a customer to upgrade/downgrade the subscription. All API Resources are managed using API Key activations. A product can have one or more activations available, and any of the API Key types mentioned above can be used to grant access to the API Resource. The choice to use the built in API Manager Subscriptions, or Woo Subscriptions, depends on the product, and store’s needs.
The WooCommerce API Manager allows product creation based on your sales model, and the structure provided by WooCommerce. An API Resource (Product) can be sold as a simple/simple subscription product, or a variable/variable subscription product with variations. Each simple and variable variation can have a single number of activations, or unlimited activations, for purchase, or for variable product variations, each variation can have a different number of activations, including one variation that has unlimited activations.
Easy product API form for software and non-software products.
URLs for the local server, Amazon S3, or remote, are wrapped for security and with an expiration time to prevent illicit use.
Plugin update tabs can be added or removed.
Products that are not WooCommerce Subscription types can use the API Access Expires field to limit API Resource access just as a subscription would provide.
Store owners can disable a customer’s API Access if needed.
There are several options for beautifully formatted debugging data that is stored in custom WooCommerce logs.
Store owners can offer free products, and give existing products that are not free to existing customers for free.
The API Manager uses SmartCache to cache database and API queries at critical points in the data process to dramatically increase the speed of critical services such as data and API responses. SmartCache only updates the cached data being requested when the data changes, or when expired cache is requested but needs to be refreshed. The result is a dramatic speed increase, and a dramatic decrease in server load. When SmartCache is combined with object caching the result is blazing fast speed. SmartCache allows the API Manager to effortlessly scale to any level of traffic load.
Order items that are API Resources are listed on the Order screen along with pertinent details.
API Key activations are listed on the order screen, and can be removed if needed.
On the My Account > API Keys page the Master API Key is always listed. The remaining details can optionally list the Product Order API Key, or it can be hidden as is shown in this screenshot. The customer can remove activations that were not properly removed by client software in the dashboard.
On the My Account > API Downloads page API Resources that are software products can be downloaded, and saved to Dropbox if that option is configured. All URLs are secure, and expire at a time interval configured under settings.
The WooCommerce API Manager PHP Library for Plugins and Themes for the API Manager makes it possible to setup both WordPress plugins and themes in minutes. The WooCommerce API Manager PHP Library for Plugins and Themes allows WordPress plugins and themes to do automatic updates, and to communicate with all the API Manager APIs to complete tasks such as activation, deactivation, etc. This is an example.
When the plugin is activated the customer can easily find the activation screen.
Once activated the API returns the activation totals. The Product ID form field in the screenshot above is optional.
When an update is available, the customer will see and update the plugin like any other WordPress plugin.
Depending on the information gathered, and tabs chosen in the settings, the plugin view details screen displays information as would be displayed for any plugin from wordpress.org, so it will look familiar to the customer. Learn more about how to get a copy of the WooCommerce API Manager PHP Library for Plugins and Themes.
Need any more reason to buy? When you purchase a Todd Lahman LLC developed extension, you’re getting the highest quality extensions for your WooCommerce store. Rest assured that when you purchase our products, your store’s performance is as important to us as it is to you.
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