Complete Workflow – Licensed Products

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Complete Workflow – Licensed Products

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Complete Workflow: Licensed Products #

This is the complete step-by-step flow for a product with licensing enabled (like a WordPress plugin or software).

Step 1: Product Setup #

You (Admin):

  • Create WooCommerce product (simple or variable)
  • Enable licensing in DMSI DDLS tab
  • Assign a License Type (optional but recommended in v1.2.0)
  • Set activation limit (e.g., 5 sites)
  • Set license duration (e.g., 1 year)
  • Enable subscription (optional)
  • If variable product: configure per-variation licensing settings
  • Publish product

    • Note on Variable Products: If you create a variable product (e.g., Personal/Business/Agency tiers), the license settings are determined by the variation the customer selects at checkout, not by the parent product defaults. Each variation can have its own License Type, activation limit, and duration. See [Variable Products](#) (Part 14) for details.

    Step 2: Customer Purchase #

    Customer:

  • Adds product to cart
  • Selects variation if variable product (e.g., “Business – 5 Sites”)
  • Completes checkout
  • Payment processed by WooCommerce

    • Note on Variable Products: The customer’s variation selection at checkout determines which license settings apply. A customer who selects “Business (5 sites)” receives a license configured for 5 activations. A customer who selects “Personal (1 site)” receives a license for 1 activation.

    System Automatically:

  • WooCommerce order created
  • Order status changes to “Processing” or “Completed”
  • DMSI DDLS hook triggered

    • Step 3: Automatic License Generation #

    System Automatically:

  • Resolves effective license settings (License Type defaults -> product overrides -> variation overrides)
  • Generates unique license key (e.g., DMSI-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX)
  • Creates license record:

    • – Customer: Linked to purchase email/user

    – Product: Pro Plugin

    – Variation: Business (if variable product)

    – Activation Limit: 5 (from resolved settings)

    – Expires: 2026-11-22

    – Status: Active

  • Creates subscription record (if enabled):

    • – Billing: $99/year

    – Next Payment: 2026-11-22

    – Status: Active

  • Queues email: “License Generated”

    • Step 4: Email Delivery #

    System Automatically:

  • Email sent to customer with:

    • – License key

    – Download link

    – Activation instructions

    – Link to customer portal

  • Email logged in Email Logs (with UID for tracking)

    • Step 5: Customer Activation #

    Customer:

  • Installs software on mysite.com
  • Software sends API request to your site:

    • – License key (key-based endpoint preferred in v1.2.0)

    – Domain (mysite.com)

    – Software version

  • Receives activation confirmation

    • System Automatically:

  • API validates license (active, not expired, has available activations)
  • Creates activation record
  • Increments activation count (1 of 5 used)
  • Returns success response (includes variation metadata: license_type, activation_limit, license_duration)
  • Queues email: “License Activated”

    • Step 6: Ongoing Validation #

    Customer’s Software:

    • Checks license every 24 hours (or your configured interval)
    • Sends API request: “Is my license still valid?”

    System Automatically:

    • Validates license status
    • Updates “Last Checked” timestamp on activation
    • Returns current license status

    Step 7: Subscription Renewal (If Subscription) #

    30 Days Before Expiration:

    • Email: “Your license expires soon”

    7 Days Before:

    • Email: “Your license expires in 7 days”

    On Renewal Date:

  • Background job detects subscription due for renewal
  • Admin notified that renewal is due
  • Option A – Manual: Admin creates renewal order, customer pays
  • Option B – With Extension: Payment processed automatically via saved payment method

    • When Renewal Order is Paid:

    • License expiration extended +1 year
    • Subscription next payment date updated
    • Email: “Subscription Renewed Successfully”

    Step 8: Customer Portal Access #

    Customer Can Log In To:

    • View all their licenses
    • See activation usage (3 of 5 used)
    • Download latest versions
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Update payment methods
    • View purchase history
    • Deactivate installations

    When You Intervene #

    Customer Support Scenarios:

    “I lost my license key”

  • Go to Customers
  • Find customer by email
  • Copy license key or resend email

    • “I need to move my site”

  • Go to Activations
  • Find old activation
  • Deactivate it
  • Customer can now activate on new site

    • “I want to renew my subscription”

  • Go to Subscriptions
  • Find their subscription
  • Create a renewal order in WooCommerce
  • Send payment link to customer (or process with extension)

    • “I need an extra month due to illness”

  • Go to Licenses
  • Edit their license
  • Change expiration date +30 days
  • Save and notify customer

    • Related Topics #

    • [Complete Workflow: Non-Licensed Products](#)
    • [What Happens Automatically](#)
    • [When to Intervene Manually](#)
    • [API Documentation](#)
    • [Variable Products](#) (Part 14)

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