It's time to write a blog entry...perfect timing for a small update on my paid subscriptions plugin development. Woohoo...

Although my free time has been rather sparse these last weeks, I've advanced in the design (almost completed) and implementation (well on the way now) of the paid subscriptions CB plugin.

I've also had some interesting discussions with customers looking for this, and am following-up some more.

The implementation of the selection of a paid or free subscription plan as part of the site's registration page is 80% done.

It already supports:

• multiple subscription plans (including free and trial ones)
• flexible business logic
• multiple plan durations, including unlimited ones
• plan titles and descriptions
• currency setting
• and full CB integration, with all usual CB bells and whistles (template styling, multi-language, profile integration, etc).

I'm also advancing well in the payments processing itself, which has proven itself to be far more complex than most current open-source shop implementations do. That part is 60% done, and first transactions tests work fine.

The automated payment processor, which will be handling subscription payments and driving subscriptions state changes, is also well advanced, and supports now paypal quite well.

I've looked at the new google checkout quickly also, but it's kind of geographically-limited for now, as the country-field seems not editable for buyers and sellers... anyone else saw that bug ? :D

I'm also in touch with two other (sorry, not yet to be named) international payment processing companies in order to extend the choices in payment processing.

The part which I will be working on next week is implementing the automated subscriptions management part itself, the heart of the system, before working on the backend administration tools.

The whole design and implementation is targeted to support fully automatic user management for small and also very large sites with many (micro-)payments per hour. And that's much more complex than managing payments in a small online shop, as all exceptions which arise sometimes need all to be treated fully automatically.

I still don't have an ETA (estimated time of Arrival) yet, but as it looks, I should have more time in the next weeks to advance on this.

Comments

Written by snooopy on 2007-10-13 11:10:57 I want to say thanks alot for everything    tag

thanks Written by snooopy on 2007-10-13 11:09:14 I want to say thanks alot for everything -  tag

Ann sister Ann do you see something at t Written by jpdehorne on 2007-09-16 19:33:34 time after time .....w're still waiting for any news.    Should I stay or should I go for Idevaffiliate?

Thanks Written by alaa on 2007-06-15 18:10:53 Thanks   very good     العاب  دليل المواقع العربية

Thanks Written by newgsm on 2007-06-11 13:56:38 Thanks     Very nice  برامج

affiliate component ready... Written by joomlaelements on 2007-01-08 12:59:55 Hi,     I just saw that our component got named before here in the comments.    Just wanted to let you know it's now finished and yes, completely integrating with CB tabs.    Have a look if you are interested:  http://www.joomlaelements.comiDevAffiliate For Joomla    Cheers,  Norman

Late Xmas pressie (fingers crossed) Written by matty_g on 2006-12-27 02:51:20 Any chance we might be getting a late pressie for Christmas?

Paid Subscriptions Written by chay on 2006-12-11 02:17:49 Awk! I'm looking forward to this, too.

Any Progress? Written by lenamtl on 2006-12-07 03:44:18 Hi, any updates?

Cool Written by matty_g on 2006-11-28 02:00:39 Sorry to ask, any news? Don't mean to hurry you, just wondered on the status? As. I am SO looking forward to this

AFFILIATE solution Written by hansmeiser on 2006-11-24 12:08:00 Seems there will be a complete affiliate-solution completely integrating in CB very soon:  Joomla-Elements.com    I wrote them and they even integrated the affiliate-component INTO CB TABS!    Looking forward to test it,  Hans

woo hoo Written by adamdidthis on 2006-11-19 17:13:27 Hi,    Is there any news on a release dat for this yet?

Designating subscribers to a group upon Written by macphoto on 2006-11-15 19:31:29 More power to ya Beat!!!     Please consider a feature that would designate subscribers to a group level. Or enable subscribers to have the ability to designate themselves into a group level when registering into the CMS. Such a feature would automate the current User Manager feature.

a quick update? Written by tinus2003 on 2006-11-07 21:20:10 Hi Beat! Great stuff! Can you give us a progress report? What is the ETA of this great add-on? Can't wait for this to happen!

great news Written by gibbs on 2006-10-31 00:32:40 I have only just discovered the power of CB and this development project. I am a webmaster for a UK car club and the prospect of an online subscription plugin sounds exactly what we need. I have tried AEC and found it very good. Almost what I was after but would like to see a bit more power with reporting. I am not going to use it until I see what Beat can do ;)    For example, I would like to see which users are about to expire and an option to be able to email users that are about to expire. Also, an option to be able to make custom reports such as... a lit of all users in a specified location, so I can email them about an up and coming car event etc. reports and control is the key! :)    Good luck with the work and I shall look forward to trying it out.

Use VirtueMart ecomemrce and payment gat Written by cosmicfantasia on 2006-10-26 02:41:42 I believe that there is a lot of reason why components/plugins like this should really try and utilize the existing payment functions in Virtuemart. Virtuemart is really the default Joomla ecommerce solution and the payment functions are already written in there. No need to reinvent the wheel.    Imagine if this plugin was integrated with Virtuemart, you could browse the shopping cart, add products to your basket, add to the basket your paid subscription order and then pay for them all together. Ahh, what a solution this would be.    I really don't know how much the current Virtuemart codebase would allow for such a thing, but it would be great for the multitudes of Joomla developers wanting to adding ecommerce functionality to their software, as well as being fantastic for all the Joomla users.    I posted my thoughts on this in the Virtuemart forums @:    Page Title    It would e great if people who support this as a general concept posted there to let the Virtuemart developers know this idea has support form the community.    Thanks,  Cosmic... :)

Thanks Written by UltraV on 2006-10-13 18:49:59 Thanks for the update! I can't wait for this to come out! This combined with Joomla is exactly what we are looking for in our upcoming website

Registration workflow completed, account Written by beat on 2006-10-13 16:38:44 Thanks for your continuous support while coding this plugin.  Short answers, while busy finishing first version of this plugin:  - yes, it has been advancing very well over the last weeks. Registration workflow is completed, account upgrades are half done, and design will allow affiliate programs to be added soon.  - More news soon.  - up to now zero hacks needed (you noticed that I hate them), and clean interface to Joomla and CB.  - yes, it integrates with CB, and will be more than just subscriptions, more to come in the next months about that.  - yes, an affiliate program is in the works, which can be combined with the subscriptions.  - yes, our support forum will of course be open and free, as always, we like open free speach, and sincere community feed-backs, which allow us to improve the community tools.  Stay tuned, we are not far away.

Affiliate Program would be nice Written by UltraV on 2006-10-11 10:11:43 Since it would be a paid membership, having an affiliate program somehow linked into the system would be nice. This way members and even non-members (such as outside websites) could make some extra cash while making you even more. It would be a great marketing tool in drawing in members, keeping them, and giving them a good reason to promote your site to anyone and everyone, helping you grow even further!!! Just a thought???

Thanks Written by thedude on 2006-10-03 17:53:43 This is going to be a godsent component. Thanks for your hard work, I can not wait for this to be complete.    How do you process Authorize.net recurring payments? Their ARB subscription system totally sucks. Do you store credit card info on the site and submit once a day or something?    Thanks again and keep up the good work.

What's wrong with AEC? Written by porkleton on 2006-10-03 15:33:43 The problem is that they want 25 quid to simply visit their forums and have the priviledge of downloading the latest dev build - for 3 months! I can understand locking down the software to a price, but the discussion forums? The last review I saw on extensions.joomla.org for this project said that it was "OK, but still buggy and needs some things ironed out still" or "Would be great if it worked with the latest version of Community Builder." Paying for unstable, bleeding edge development builds seems a bit strange to me.    So, the reason why we're patiently waiting on Beat is because:  1. His solution will be integrated with potentially minimal (reversible) core-file hacks.  2. I would happily pay to purchase a license to his version, but I strongly doubt he would lock down community support.    Can you confirm that this development build plays nice with the latest community builder and latest Joomla release?        [quoted]  Account Expiration Component     I'm using AEC 0.9x and it works perfectly with CB. The support Paypal, viaKliz and Authorize.net.     What's the problem??

Exactly what I need now! Written by NutriCoach on 2006-09-28 04:28:25 I have read your post from back in July and see lots of people want this plugin. put me on the list. I am building a site right now that I need this plugin for. The comments I have read for all the other subscription managment options don't sound very promising. In your original post you were saying a couple of weeks. It is now a couple of months. Is there an update on your progress? demos? a downloadable version? Maybe at least a name for it so I can do a google to find it? Sounds like I am only one of many wanting this plugin and chomping at the bit. I am a relative novice with Joomla. Would you like to test it with someone who has no idea how to do hacks to see if it can be installed and used by someone who has only intermeadiate computer skills?    Hope to see an update soon.

There is CB integration... Written by pshelston on 2006-09-27 19:28:25 Account Expiration Component    I'm using AEC 0.9x and it works perfectly with CB. The support Paypal, viaKliz and Authorize.net.    What's the problem??

I hate to bother, but how is this coming Written by porkleton on 2006-09-25 17:46:44 Beat,  We patiently await a response from you about how this subscription component is coming along. There are 3rd party solutions out there claiming to integrate with CB, but they just don't work -- there's still a strong need for subscriptions and payment integration. I hope you're still interested in working on this.    Keep us informed and let us know if there's anything we can do to help.

Need help testing? Written by albenda on 2006-09-21 04:19:05 Let me know if you need help testing.

Written by stevebarnes on 2006-09-14 08:37:08 Hi Beat B & Co!    How's this component going? I have a customer who wants this functionality, and I'm really keen to get it to him. I don't mind spending a few hours testing in order to help. When do you think it will be released?    All the best from Australia!  Steve Barnes

I just found out i am WRONG with my judg Written by hansmeiser on 2006-09-04 19:52:57 Sorry to the dev-team of account exp! The new version seems to support BUY-NOW buttons!    Anyway, Beat: THAT is an important thing!    N

Hey Beat, VERY IMPORTANT! Written by hansmeiser on 2006-09-04 19:19:29 I tested with account expiration and dont use it now because of ONE thing. I want to know how your solution is planed to handle that!?    Account exp can handle even "Non recurring" subscription plans.  BUT: That does NOT mean it will be handled on Paypal-side as "One-Time-Buy-Now" Payment! It will still be processed as a "subscription" - "non recurring".    Why is that important?    Well, because Paypal processes Subscriptions for Users ONLY that have a credit card in their account!  this is VERY important to know, because many people from countries are not handling credit cards as easy as US citizens (i.e.).    That means: If i want to have people pay a one-time fee on my site for a membership, using Paypal i can ONLY accept members that have credit cards in their Paypal accounts!    Just a short note to think about...    Looking forward to see your solution! :o)    N.

Payment Module Written by Compass on 2006-08-31 15:54:07 I might have a handy payment plugin you could use for this Beat. It completely gets rid of the need for a merchant account/gateway and is thus cheaper (less % on transaction)  Barrie North  www.compassdesigns.net

hello Written by kmbarm77 on 2006-08-30 10:06:41 helloooo

Any Progress? Written by dprice.sf on 2006-08-29 21:02:57 Has any progress been made on this awsome component? Are beta testers needed?

A Most Excellent Endeavor Written by billie1001 on 2006-08-17 21:40:40 Thanks for attempting this, I await it with much anticipation.

"Beat" to the punch Written by pshelston on 2006-08-16 22:28:10 http://www.globalnerd.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=1&Itemid=33     The Account Expiry component has just come out with a CB integration module!

Awsome Written by dprice.sf on 2006-08-11 17:58:00 any news on the development? is there a beta out for testing?

looking forward to having it! Written by dens_cad on 2006-08-08 04:00:19 that is what I'm looking for !  Beat, please let us know informed about your devt as often as possible.

Very cool! Written by pshelston on 2006-08-02 20:49:43 Very cool! Can't wait to see how this works out.    Also, I would have no problem paying for a product like this (if it works as advertised)!!    Good luck!

cool Written by josey on 2006-08-02 16:16:46 keep me posted.

Wow! Written by nuMarc on 2006-07-24 04:54:56 Beat, that plugin will completely BOMB the CB! Thank you very much for your effort! Can't wait until this plugin will be released     Beste Grüsse aus Zürich

Just what the dr. ordered! Written by schelly on 2006-07-23 15:46:31 Thank you so much for working on this! I'm curious to know what, if any, access control level components you'll be using. I've tried JACL on one site and seemed to work well, but have had no luck with it on another. Perhaps it's a different version.    I will be happy to make myself available to you for testing this solution and whatever small contributions I would be capable of making to the project. I do design and development work full time (freelance) and have a couple of testbed sites should you want a fresh, non-production installation to play with.    Thanks again,  Schelly

Brilliant News!!! Written by tomcat on 2006-07-23 05:02:02 I am really pleased that you are doing this. I have been waiting a long time for something like this to come along. This is one of the features that is desperately needed for a lot of the users here, much more than the majority of modules/components/plugins that have been created. Hope that it all goes to plan and we get to see it soon.    Do you have any sort of estimated time for the first release at all?

waiting... Written by enginerciyes on 2006-07-21 20:08:36 thank you for your hard work.     i will be really happy to donate for this. could you add a CC Mercant account and pay per click system so that we dont need any one.    sorry for my bad english.    thanks

Written by Damienov on 2006-07-21 15:56:09 This is realy great news and badly needed  I would realy like to know how the development is advancing

Maybe..... Written by simon on 2006-07-20 05:14:29 It's time to make joomlapolis a paysite....let's say 10 euro/year..     I would gladly pay that!!    Cheers    Simon

Mui Excellente! Written by ericfoster3 on 2006-07-17 12:04:28 Very good work my friend!     It sounds very well-thought-out. Keep it up!

Thanks Written by sh3bwah on 2006-07-16 17:21:28 Thanks  very good  برامج

Thanks Written by beat on 2006-07-16 17:09:35 Thanks for your support messages. The free/pricing of paid subscriptions has not yet been set, but if paid one, it will very hopefully be reasonable.    Thanks for the Paypal warning, really interesting fact there.... but that's the whole point of my system ... I don't want to rely on a particular payment processor and its notifications alone.    The free option is already an optional option at registration (100% implemented ). In that case, we are not going to payment processing of course.    @blawrimore: what do you mean by "An email prospect list can be valuable indefinitely into the future" ?

Awesome! Written by Red1000 on 2006-07-16 13:59:30 Thanks for your time and dedication, we all really appreciate it!

Payament processors Written by Syrinx on 2006-07-15 20:20:46 Great news! Thanks for the update. Quick question - will this system support CCBill and/or 2Checkout.com?

Keep up the great work! Written by blawrimore on 2006-07-15 12:12:09 This is truly great news, Beat! One key point I have learned from using Joomlapal is that there is no way for Paypal to lock out a subscriber who does not renew. Paypal takes the money and rebills the subscription as the user agrees, but if the user terminates, Paypal does not tell the "host" software program that the user has terminated or stopped making payments. So if your code does not build that in to your component, people an easily cheat.    Having said that, there are many of us out here including me who would be happy to be beta testers and would much rather have something sooner than more later. Also since this would monetize CB, please charge some reasonable amount like $49 to compensate yourself for your hard work. Of course if you love CB so much you are willing to donate this, we will love you as much in return     One other suggestion. It would be great if this component gives new visitors the choice to register for free, as they can now, or become a paying member to access special pages or components. A shortcoming of Joomlapal is that registration automatically takes you to Paypal where you have to choose an option. Even a trial subscription is time limited. An email prospect list can be valuable indefinitely into the future.

Written by theelite on 2006-07-15 00:40:21 thanks for the update Beat, this sounds like exactly what I need, keep up the good work

Great!! Written by sovalye on 2006-07-14 19:26:57 Thats really good news. I think CB become most important part of joomla as community site CMS..Thats alot and hope 20% will be soon dine

Excellent! Written by TC4 on 2006-07-14 19:05:22 That's great news. Thanks for all of your hard work!

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