What Are License Types?

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What Are License Types?

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What Are License Types? #

License Types are admin-defined templates that store default licensing parameters. Instead of configuring every license setting from scratch on each product, you create a License Type once and assign it to products or variations. When an order is processed, DDLS resolves the effective license settings using those defaults.

New in v1.2.0. Prior to this version, the license tier field on products was a static dropdown with hardcoded values (Standard, Professional, Enterprise). License Types replace that dropdown with a fully configurable, database-backed system.

The Three-Level Inheritance Model #

Settings are resolved from most-general to most-specific:

  • License Type defaults – The baseline values defined in the License Type record.
  • Product overrides – Values set on the WooCommerce product’s Licensing tab that override the License Type defaults.
  • Variation overrides – Values set on an individual variation that override both the product and the License Type.

    • The resolved combination is what gets written to each license at the moment of purchase. Changing a License Type after purchase does not alter existing licenses.

    Typical Use Cases #

    Tiered products (Standard / Pro / Enterprise)

    Create one License Type per tier with different activation limits and permissions. Assign the appropriate type to each product or variation.

    Lifetime vs. annual licensing

    Create a “Lifetime” License Type with the Is Lifetime flag enabled. Licenses of this type never expire regardless of any duration setting. Assign it to a one-time-purchase variation alongside an “Annual” type on a subscription variation.

    Feature gating

    Use the Allows Premium Content and Allows API Access flags on License Types to control which customers receive access to premium endpoints or content. Your plugin or theme checks these flags through the DDLS API.

    Trial or evaluation licenses

    Create a short-duration, limited-activation type for trial licenses issued to leads or support tickets.

    Related Topics #

    • [Accessing License Types](#)
    • [Creating a License Type](#)
    • [License Type Fields Explained](#)
    • [Common License Type Configurations](#)

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