Introduction
While waiting for 1.8, I will be posting some articles on some of the changes and new features that version 1.8 will bring. In this first instalment, we will start out with buyCred.
Maximum Limit
buyCred will now offer you the option to enforce a maximum purchase limit based on either per day, per week or per month. If you have multiple point types for sale, you can select to set a maximum for each individual type.
The buyCred settings have been updated to accommodate this and once you update, you will be required to go through these settings and ensure they are correctly setup. To implement this maximum enforcement, the setup had to be re-written, so your settings will need to be re-saved after the update.
New Checkout
One of the most requested features for buyCred has been to making the checkout process easier to customize, so the checkout process has been completely re-written. You can now override the built-in template via your theme and style or customize the checkout page anyway you like.
Further more, a new “popup” checkout option is available for those who do not like the full screen checkout buyCred always uses. While these changes are extensive, I have made sure it is backwards compatible, so any third-party / premium gateways for buyCred will continue to work in 1.8. They will be updated once 1.8 is launched to add support for the new checkout layout.
Both checkout options now also include the amount of points a user buys and it’s cost before they are taking to the payment processor.
Gateway Updates
BitPay
The Bitpay gateway has been updated to use the new Bitpay API Tokens. This means that as of version 1.8, the old “Legacy API Keys” will no longer work. Once you updated, you will be required to create a new API Token (live or test) and enter the pairing code to sync up your site with Bitpay. Once this is done, you just need to save your changes and the gateway will start working again.
Zombaio
As of version 1.8, the built-in gateway for Zombaio now supports “Dynamic Credits Purchase” setups. You just need to create a new Pricing Structure, select Dynamic Credits Purchase and save. Once enabled, this gateway will allow you or your users to select the point amount they want to buy on your website and then pay when they reach the Zombaio website. This new feature is not a requirement though! The gateway will continue existing setups.
Profile Links
buyCred allows you to set a URL where your buyers are redirected to once they cancel or complete a purchase. As of version 1.8, the buyCred add-on supports the %profile% template tag for those who use BuddyPress, allowing you to redirect users to their profiles. The template tag will be replaced with the users profile domain, including the http or https part of the URL.
For Developers
For those who wish to whitelabel the myCred plugin, a new MYCRED_BUY_KEY constant is available that lets you change the buyCred pending payments post type. Once 1.8 is out, I will be updating the Gateway API documentation to include ho you can add support for the new checkout process. Remember that 1.8 will be backwards compatible so until the custom gateway is updated, buyCred will still be able to run the old type of setup.
