Looking for Plugin - Streamlined Integration - Paypal Subscriptions

insidertravels · 2009-03-09 18:10:07

Hello there,

I’m looking for the simplest, least messy way to integrate Paypal IPN (subscription buttons with Paypal-generated usernames/passwords) with Textpattern.

I’ve found plugins that can do some helpful things:

1) password protect
2) self register
3) postmaster

Now, here’s my problem. It’s annoying to have these things all separate when for my purposes, I just need a simple gateway to verify Paypal IPN for transactions, add/modify/cancel subscribers from database, and send emails to subscribers whenever site is updated (don’t need multiple mailing lists because every subscriber will receive same email newsletter – they just won’t be able to access the premium content without valid membership login details).

I installed Postmaster, but I kept getting errors. Maybe it hasn’t been updated for 4.0.8?

I don’t really need the self register plugin because I would rather the IPN stuff be handled transparently. So, what I really need is just an IPN handler that keeps track of the memberships and allows me to protect certain portions of each article unless the visitor is logged in and has an active subscription.

My revenue model will be fairly simple: I’ll have one level of free content plus three levels of paid membership – one for unlimited access to the content (consumer), one for unlimited syndication licensing (reprints, rebroadcasts, but no resale, only free distribution), and one for unlimited resale licensing (derivative works and such that are distributed with a price for commercial purposes). There will also be free content that requires no payment at all. This is a general example of what I’m seeking.

Example:

1) subscribe – regular – free
2) subscribe – premium – paid
3) syndicate – regular – paid
4) syndicate – premium – paid

So, I guess I’ll have a separate section for each of these levels, then format the content accordingly using password-protect template tags to hide content. Wait…I might not need to split the sections, then, right? I’d rather not, since I have my sections already set up according to content type (audio, video, photo, prose, etc.) It would be easier if I only had a single article for each piece of content and could use custom fields to attach various links, images, and files to each article, then use special template tags in an article form to hide the portions of the article that require membership. basically, the body content of each article will be free, but readers can sign up to receive an email version each time the site updates. Then, the actual media files themselves will require paid membership (ebooks, videos, and such).

I don’t want a bunch of bells and whistles. I just want it to do the job. If possible, I’d prefer to use mechanisms already built-in the TXP framework. One idea was to use Links to store the Paypal hosted button IDs and/or do like ign_password_protect does. I’d rather keep this extra junk out of my Articles area because I don’t want to deal with having it intermingled with my content.

I can do all of this on my own already, combining various plugins, except for the IPN part. I’d really rather streamline the whole thing, though. Does anybody know of a plugin out there I haven’t found yet that can handle something like this?

The usernames and passwords will be generated on the Paypal side, then they will be sent with the IPN variables. Subscribers can handle their accounts from Paypal. I don’t need any of that on my end. I’ll have the Paypal unsubscribe and modify subscription buttons on the same page as the “sales letter” so they always know how they can cancel without my intervention.

If something like this does NOT already exist, how much do you suppose it would cost to have a TXP plugin guru create it for me? I’m going for clean, simple, unobtrusive. And I’m particular about the interface. The fewer options I need to deal with on the admin side, the better. I only want to be able to browse the subscriber list and view each member’s details. But the heavy lifting can be on the Paypal side. I can view all that stuff from inside my Paypal account.

One other thing that would be handy, but not essential at this time, would be a way to use one of the Paypal option fields to store an affiliate id (based on a Paypal login email) and automatically send a mass pay for a commission whenever a customer buys a subscription. Very simple. Automated.

Ideas?

[I forgot to mention…I’m not a programmer. If I rip out enough hair, I can successfully write PHP scripts, but I’d rather keep my hair in my head. It’s just not my cup of tea. But I want to avoid the boxed membership solutions because they are so convoluted and suffer from severe featuritis. What I need is a very simple IPN handler that syncs the TXP usr/pwd database with the Paypal subscriptions database. With ign_password_protect, I can handle the content negotiation myself via templating and custom fields. I just need the hook/bridge.]

Last edited by insidertravels (2009-03-09 18:34:51)

mrtunes · 2009-06-15 11:58:23

i’m looking to do something similar. in your example though, mem_self_register is still important for users to be able to change their passwords and other similar tasks.

it would also be important for any in-between service to have the ability to setup accounts on the fly without having be logged in. from what i understand about creating accounts in TXP that is.

but i’m wondering if a workflow such as this can be made into a plugin

Last edited by mrtunes (2009-06-15 11:58:50)

insidertravels · 2009-06-15 12:21:09

It’s been three months since I posted this thread. None of the TXP plugin developers out there have responded. I’ve even tried contacting some of them directly via email. Very little luck so far. The TXP community has been far from responsive in recent months. Even mentioning that I wanted to pay for the plugin didn’t seem to garner interest.

But I did find a Habari plugin developer who has agreed to write a similar plugin for me at an affordable rate if I agree to let him open source it when finished. Ironically, I only started looking two days ago, and I found somebody to hire yesterday. He said it will take him about a week to write the plugin I need for Habari.

I think the Habari project has a lot of promise, but the way templates are made is counterintuitive to me compared to Textpattern. Plus, I lose all the custom fields to boot. But I gain a great users/groups system built into the core, an awesome admin interface, and grossly simplified administration. So either way, it’s a trade off. And the missing features can easily be added with a plugin if it turns out I can’t live without them.

The developer might not be able to get the plugin done for me until August, so I have some time to stew on it. But he is very knowledgeable.

As for the link you provided, I think you could use almost any well-done IPN connecting script as a model that could be ported to TXP. The IPN process is not that complicated when you know what you are doing. I almost had one developer who specializes in IPN integrations ready to write a plugin even though he has no experience with TXP. But his schedule is swamped. He said it would be a fairly quick job.

Bloke · 2009-06-15 12:42:08

insidertravels wrote:

It’s been three months since I posted this thread

Crap, how did I miss this post? I’m working with some folk on a plugin (well kind of a suite of plugins depending on your needs) to integrate IPN with TXP. It should sit alongside yab_shop for easy secure downloads but the idea is that it’s not tied to any one system. The only thing I didn’t factor in was Postmaster because, as you found, it’s out of date.

The link mrtunes gave (great, btw) is a good stepping stone towards this goal but I’d be loathe to write something specifically for PM given its current state. I haven’t really spent all that much time with it to see how it works under the hood.

fwiw, I agree with you: the IPN part is fairly simple. Integrating it with other stuff/plugins in a flexible yet intelligent manner (i.e. without a zillion options to configure) is, however, non-trivial. Sadly I don’t have the resource to dedicate my life to it right now, paid or not. Plus I don’t tend to write bespoke plugins unless they can be applied to a wider audience. It sounds like your needs are very specific (even down to how the interface works) so you probably wouldn’t like my solution because it would be more generic in nature.

It seems you’re all set with this Habari developer anyway, and from your post I guess it’s not that high priority any more so I can take my sweet time over my version :-)

Sorry I missed this post first time round. And if you e-mailed me personally about it at the time I apologise for missing that too. Had a rough few months and e-mail has kind of gone by the wayside…

Last edited by Bloke (2009-06-15 12:43:22)

jstubbs · 2009-06-15 12:43:17

I use aMember with a TXP install as posted here. Handles PayPal payments in the background.

There is also the yab_shop plugin which appears very mature and has PayPal integration.

Does this help?

kemie · 2009-06-15 16:42:19

bloke: ipn + yab_shop? that sounds like just the thing i need! I’m in the (long) process of converting pixilate.com to txp, and the only reason i don’t switch to yab_shop is that i don’t want to manage the dl’s manually.

if you get round to doing it, count on some ransom money from me :)

Last edited by kemie (2009-06-15 16:43:44)

mrtunes · 2009-06-15 18:16:29

cool glad to see some good responses here. i had no idea that amember could integrate with txp. this could be just the ticket once i have a bit more money(it’s like $180).

i want to have a download club on my main site. if you are logged in you can download all my music for a flat rate. it could possibly send members an email if something new is available to them, or even a text message on their cellphone.

but if the membership gets to a certain number of users, it would be almost impossible to track everyone’s expirations and automatically kick them out if they didn’t renew. i think amember takes care of all that though.

insidertravels · 2009-06-15 22:45:28

The flat-rate membership idea is what I’m trying to do as well. I’m going to have a free registration, a paid subscription, and a lifetime membership. The idea is to allow paid members to access extended premium content. The free registration would be like a general mailing list, which would also give users access to free bonus downloads (in exchange for joining the list, for example).

Most people just patch together a system from various scripts and third-party services, or they will use something like 1ShoppingCart to integrate everything into a single system. But I like to keep things clean and simple. I have an intense dislike for cluttered interfaces with too many superfluous options. Until two days ago, I was still set on staying with Textpattern. But like I said, everybody seems to be too swamped.

I’m not interested in dedicated apps like amember. They feel too much like bloatware to me. It’s just my personal aesthetic, though. I don’t mind having plugins written for a more general audience, as long as they follow a good design protocol, which Textpattern does well, particularly better than WordPress. In general, I have much better luck with TXP plugins.

Actually, my concept has been refined a bit since I created this thread. But the discussion has taken place mostly in email, and more recently, at the Habari forums. The whole thing is much simpler now. When I first started writing down what I wanted, I was trying to provide as much detail as possible because I know how frustrating it can be when clients fail to articulate what they want in a way that facilitates your understanding of the project parameters.

Anyhow, I’m glad the rest of you are getting some answers now. Please keep this thread updated with what you end up doing. I would be interested to see how it all turns out.

mrtunes · 2009-06-15 23:09:41

hi insidertravels, yeah you just have to be a little patient with these matters.

in my case i would be fine manually setting up subscriptions in the early stages, but i want to know that if i have to get a better system down the line that it won’t look tacky for my earlier users to have their passwords reset and whatever else goes on.

i don’t think aMember is bloatware though if txp doesn’t have this type of functionality in it at all.

insidertravels · 2009-06-15 23:36:32

I mean bloatware in general, not due to redundant functionality. I like very clean, simple, zippy, streamlined interfaces. And I’m pretty particular about being able to customize the markup the way I want it without having to start from scratch. Like I said, it’s just a personal preference. Nothing more.

That part about resetting everybody when you change systems in the future…that is a concern of mine as well. I’d rather get it all running smoothly in the first place. I know that runs contrary to popular opinion, but I can’t help it. I’m somewhat anal about things like that. Once I’m set up, I want to focus my attention on content and other essential aspects of running the business.

I’ve been messing around trying to piece things together for far too long now. I’m ready to be done with it. So hiring a developer is well worth the expense, especially since it will save me well over $100/month in recurring continuity charges from third-party middlemen vendors.

Anyhow, I look forward to seeing what the TXP folks can come up with in the future. I am partial to this system. I would really like to see it overtake most of the others in popularity. But then I suppose it would get ruined with tons of buggy plugins. Maybe I’m wrong. =)

mrtunes · 2009-06-15 23:39:58

insidertravels wrote:

Anyhow, I look forward to seeing what the TXP folks can come up with in the future. I am partial to this system. I would really like to see it overtake most of the others in popularity. But then I suppose it would get ruined with tons of buggy plugins. Maybe I’m wrong. =)

there’s an article in this month’s “Practical Web Design” magazine about making a tumbleblog in textpattern. the tutorial isn’t really an accurate tumbleblog, but it does make an effort to point out how great this CMS is in particular. i think it’s slowly catching on as more people realize how bonkers the WP system can be for people who are more on the front-end of things.

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#1 2009-03-09 18:10:07

Looking for Plugin - Streamlined Integration - Paypal Subscriptions

#2 2009-06-15 11:58:23

Re: Looking for Plugin - Streamlined Integration - Paypal Subscriptions

#3 2009-06-15 12:21:09

Re: Looking for Plugin - Streamlined Integration - Paypal Subscriptions

#4 2009-06-15 12:42:08

Re: Looking for Plugin - Streamlined Integration - Paypal Subscriptions

#5 2009-06-15 12:43:17

Re: Looking for Plugin - Streamlined Integration - Paypal Subscriptions

#6 2009-06-15 16:42:19

Re: Looking for Plugin - Streamlined Integration - Paypal Subscriptions

#7 2009-06-15 18:16:29

Re: Looking for Plugin - Streamlined Integration - Paypal Subscriptions

#8 2009-06-15 22:45:28

Re: Looking for Plugin - Streamlined Integration - Paypal Subscriptions

#9 2009-06-15 23:09:41

Re: Looking for Plugin - Streamlined Integration - Paypal Subscriptions

#10 2009-06-15 23:36:32

Re: Looking for Plugin - Streamlined Integration - Paypal Subscriptions

#11 2009-06-15 23:39:58

Re: Looking for Plugin - Streamlined Integration - Paypal Subscriptions

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