baijianpeng VIP
Total posts: 239
09 Mar 2014 01:07

This is a pre-sale question, if the Moderator think I posted in a wrong forum, please move this topic.

I am going to restrict access to download area (files) with a membership management component, so I want to know if Emerald can do this:

Allow "single file" plan and "whole category" plan for the same download category at the same time?

Let me explain it in detail:

For example, in the "download" area (managed by a downloading system like com_remository), there is a category named "Joomla templates". Inside this category, there are more than 100 templates (each download file represents a single template).

Since some users just want to buy one of those templates, and use it on their own website and be happy with it. And some other users may want to download ALL of those templates. Well, I want to make two kinds of "membership plans":

one is "single file" subscription. It works this way: a user go the "tempaltes" category, choose one template (any one he likes), and click on the "download" button, then he was asked to buy membership subscription. He can choose between "single file" subscription or "bundle subscriptions", if he choose "single file" type, for example , $20, after payment, he can then download that file, but he can not download any of other files in the same category.

The ther one is "bundle subscriptions". It works this way: a user go the "tempaltes" category, choose one template (any one he likes), and click on the "download" button, then he was asked to buy membership subscription. He can choose between "single file" subscription or "bundle subscriptions", if he choose "bundle subscription", for example, $150, then he can download ALL files in that category.

Of course, the user can upgrade from "single file" subscription plan to "bundle subscription" plan if he wants to download more, he needs to pay the difference between these two plans (or maybe a litter less) then got upgraded.

I had tried Emerald 8 (it is free now so I can download it, thank you), it seems that Emerald 8 can not do this.

Can Emerald 9 do this? If not, can you add such a feature? Thanks.

Last Modified: 12 Sep 2014


Sergey
Total posts: 13,748
09 Mar 2014 13:20

I perfectly understand what you need. First we were making and selling Joomla templates and socond we use the same technique here on mintjoomla.

You absolutely can do what you want.

BUT!!!

If you want to use com_remository that will be more complicated. You see, Emerald is not designed for individual sales. It is not for product like sales it is subscriptions. But of course you can create 3-4 all category subscription plans for 5, 12, 24 months, and separate plan per each template. That will do what you want but will be little bit messy.

What I can offer is Emerald + Cobalt. Why?

  1. Cobalt has individual sales download build in. Even whithout Emearld you can manage sales per template. You simply create article, updalos file and give it a price. ANd when user purchase that template it is not subscription. It is order. He buys once and forever.

  2. Integration with Emerald allow alternative payment with subscriptions. So user will have choice to buy template or subscribe and get acess too all in this category.

  3. When you add template, you not only set a price, yu also set what plans will give access to download this template. This way you can create different subscriptions that give acces to different sets а templates.

You can by the way Emerald download section and you will see there are 2 buttons Buy Now and Join Club. This works exactly like I described you.

In addition Cobalt has Joomla update server support. I will not explain in deep, but it simply means that as soon as you update template, all your clients will see that new version available in Joomla update manager.

Conclusion

You can make what you want anyway with Remository or Cobalt. But we have considered this scenarion when we developed it. So Cobalt will fit the best.


baijianpeng VIP
Total posts: 239
10 Mar 2014 19:56

Thank you for such a detailed explanation. I understand it now. (your forum did not send me notification email, otherwise I will read it earlier).

Since I have already put many files to Remository, now it is very difficult for me to turn to Cobalt.

Do you have any "converter" or "importer" tool to convert the whole Remository categories and files to Cobalt ?

If there is such a tool, I think I will consider to use Cobalt then.

BTW, I also found another problem of Remository: it does not include "category ID" in the File Info (detail) page URL and the Download link URL, so , I think it is very hard to use URL rules to implement above mentioned "single file (any file)" and "whole category" plan at the same time.

Thank you again for your kindly reply.


Sergey
Total posts: 13,748
11 Mar 2014 09:29

baijianpeng your forum did not send me notification email

I have not yet set up email send. I want to configure it through AWS SES.

baijianpeng Do you have any "converter" or "importer" tool to convert the whole Remository categories and files to Cobalt ?

Unfortunatly no. There are not so many cases that require that. Anyway if you have even 100 articles it is one hour work to recreate articles (without Cobalt download section setup). For example on this site when we moved to Joomal 3 I have to resave all articles in download section (around 100) and that took only 1 hour.

baijianpeng BTW, I also found another problem of Remository: it does not include "category ID" in the File Info (detail) page URL and the Download link URL, so , I think it is very hard to use URL rules to implement above mentioned "single file (any file)" and "whole category" plan at the same time.

I'll create special Remository rule adapter that will make it possible. If you purchase Emerald I'll find time and do it within one week.


baijianpeng VIP
Total posts: 239
11 Mar 2014 22:38

OK. At present, I am waiting for new Remository for Joomla 3, since the current Remository only works on Joomla 2.5.

After I upgrade my website to Joomla 3 (of course I need upgrade above mentioned Remository new version first), I will add membership control ASAP.

Hope you publish some reviews about membership extensions for Joomla, so that users will know which one is better and which one has special features that others don't have. Such information will help new users to make decision quickly.

Thank you.


Sergey
Total posts: 13,748
12 Mar 2014 08:21

baijianpeng At present, I am waiting for new Remository for Joomla 3, since the current Remository only works on Joomla 2.5.

If you will update it anyway, isn't it better just to use Cobalt?

baijianpeng Hope you publish some reviews about membership extensions for Joomla, so that users will know which one is better and which one has special features that others don't have

I do not have time to make sucha comparision.

The only thing I can say that Emerald has everything other membership extensions have. And if you find something that they have and Emearld doesn't we will add it ASAP.

If I do the comparision, Emerald will be the best there anyway.


baijianpeng VIP
Total posts: 239
11 Sep 2014 03:13

Recently remository component v3.56 published, which can work with Joomla 3.

Could you please make a test about "remository + Emerald + Joomla 3" ? Remository is free software.

Since remository does not include the category ID in the file URL, I suspect that how can Emerald restrict access to remository categories and files?


Sergey
Total posts: 13,748
11 Sep 2014 14:21

Look, remository does not fit here. This model can work only with Cobalt. Why? Because Cobalt may allow you to sell single downloads. Single template sale will be done on the level of Cobalt. If remository have something like that may be it will work, but I am not sure it will or it even have anything similar.

Because when you check rights to download, you have to see if this product was purchased individialy and then, if not, check if user have subscription.

So the only solution for you is Cobalt + Emerald.

And this is how we sell our extensions. You may purchase emerald and every gateway and actions separately, or purchase subscription and get access to everything.


hakana VIP
Total posts: 425
12 Sep 2014 06:27

pleaase also check the restricter plugin of emerald. you might be able to create a solution with that.

Powered by Cobalt