Product Variations #

WooCommerce allows product variations — different versions of the same product at different prices. DDLS extends each variation with four independent feature toggles, so each variation can independently enable or disable licensing, support contracts, subscriptions, and EULA requirements.

For the complete guide to variable product setup, see Variable Products (Part 14). This article covers the concepts and a basic walkthrough.

When to Use Variations #

Good Use Cases:

• Different activation tiers (1 site vs. 5 sites vs. 25 sites)
• Different durations (monthly vs. annual vs. lifetime)
• Different support levels (Basic vs. Premium vs. Enterprise)
• Personal vs. Commercial licenses
• Licensed vs. support-only tiers

Per-Variation Feature Toggles (v2.1.0) #

Each variation has four independent checkboxes in its variation panel:

Each checkbox operates independently — you can enable Support on a variation without enabling Licensing, and vice versa. Unchecking a toggle removes its features from that variation regardless of parent product settings.

3-Level Inheritance #

Settings for new licenses are resolved in this order:

This means a variation can choose a completely different License Type than the parent, or simply override only the Activation Limit while inheriting everything else.

Example: "Pro Plugin" with Mixed Tiers #

Parent Product (Sets Defaults):

• License Type: Standard
• Activation Limit: 5
• License Duration: 12 months
• Support Level: Basic

Variation 1: Personal License (9/year)

• Licensed: CHECKED, Support: unchecked, Subscription: unchecked
• Activation Limit: 1 (overrides parent)
• All other license settings: inherited from parent

Variation 2: Business License + Support (9/year)

• Licensed: CHECKED, Support: CHECKED, Subscription: unchecked
• Activation Limit: 5 (same as parent)
• Support Level: Professional (overrides parent Basic)

Variation 3: Support Renewal Only (9/year)

• Licensed: unchecked, Support: CHECKED, Subscription: unchecked
• No license key is issued — only a support contract
• Support Duration: 12 months

How to Configure Variation Toggles #

Step 1: Set Product Type #

In Product Data metabox, select "Variable product".

Step 2: Configure Licensing Tab Defaults #

Before creating variations, configure the Licensing tab with default settings that most variations will share. These become the starting point for each variation's pre-filled values.

Step 3: Create Attributes #

• Go to "Attributes" tab
• Add custom attribute: "License Tier"
• Values: "Personal | Business | Agency"
• Check "Used for variations"
• Click "Save attributes"

Step 4: Generate Variations #

• Go to "Variations" tab
• Select "Create variations from all attributes"
• Click "Go"

Step 5: Configure Each Variation #

For each variation:

1. Click to expand the variation panel
2. Set Regular Price specific to this tier
3. Check the appropriate feature toggles: Licensed, Support, Subscription, and/or EULA
4. Each checked toggle reveals its settings fields, pre-filled with parent product values
5. Modify only the settings that differ from the parent defaults
6. Click "Save changes"

Result: Customer sees a dropdown on the product page. The selected variation determines the price and all DDLS feature settings for that purchase.

Related Topics #

• Creating a Product with Licensing
• Common Product Configurations
• Editing Existing Products
• Variable Products (Part 14 — complete guide)
• License Types (Part 13)