Creating a Variable Product with DDLS Features #
Before You Begin #
- Decide which DDLS features each variation needs: licensing, support contracts, subscriptions, EULA — each is independent.
- If using licensing, you need at least one License Type configured in DDLS > Settings > License Types. See Creating a License Type.
- Set the WooCommerce product type to Variable product.
- Decide on the attribute that distinguishes your variations (for example, "License Tier" with values Personal, Business, and Agency).
Step-by-Step #
Step 1: Set the Product Type #
- Go to Products > Add New (or edit an existing product) in your WordPress admin.
- In the Product data panel, open the product type dropdown.
- Select Variable product.
Step 2: Configure Parent Licensing Tab Defaults #
- Click the Licensing tab inside the Product data panel.
- Enable the features most variations will share (e.g., Enable Licensing if most variations issue license keys).
- Configure the corresponding default settings (License Type, Activation Limit, etc.). These become the defaults for all variations unless a variation overrides them.
- Click Save draft (do not publish yet). Saving now ensures the parent values are available when you open variation panels.
Step 3: Create an Attribute for Tiers #
- Click the Attributes tab.
- In the attribute dropdown, select a custom attribute or type a new one (for example,
License Tier). - Add values separated by the pipe character (for example,
Personal | Business | Agency). - Check Used for variations.
- Click Save attributes.
Step 4: Generate Variations #
- Click the Variations tab.
- From the dropdown, select Create variations from all attributes.
- Click Go. WooCommerce generates one variation per attribute value.
Step 5: Configure DDLS Features on Each Variation #
Each variation has four independent feature checkboxes at the top of its panel:
- Licensed — check to enable license key generation for this variation
- Support — check to attach a support contract to purchases of this variation
- Subscription — check to bill the customer on a recurring schedule
- EULA — check to require EULA acceptance at checkout
For each variation:
- Click the arrow to expand the variation panel
- Check the feature toggles that apply to this variation
- Each checked toggle reveals its settings fields, pre-filled with parent product values
- Modify only the settings that differ from the parent defaults
- Set the variation price and any other WooCommerce variation fields
- Repeat for each variation
Step 6: Save the Product #
Click Publish or Update. DDLS saves the variation licensing meta alongside the WooCommerce variation data.
Verification #
After saving, go to DDLS > Products. Your product should appear in the list. To confirm variation-specific settings, place a test order for each variation and check DDLS > Licenses to verify the correct activation limits and types were applied.