WP Paid Articles – WordPress Plugin

Table of Contents

1. Plugin Overview
2. Installation
3. Administrator Settings
4. Setting Up Paid Articles
5. WooCommerce Integration
6. User Purchase Flow
7. Shortcodes
8. Admin Management
9. FAQ
10. Troubleshooting

1. Plugin Overview

What is WP Paid Articles?

WP Paid Articles is a WordPress plugin that allows you to sell individual articles using WooCommerce. Users can purchase access to premium content, and the plugin handles payment processing, content protection, and download management.

Key Features

• Sell individual articles with custom pricing
• WooCommerce payment integration
• Content protection using <!--more--> tag
• Automatic product creation
• Permanent access for buyers
• Sales tracking and reporting
• Email notifications

Requirements

Requirement	Version
WordPress	5.0 or higher
WooCommerce	5.0 or higher
PHP	7.4 or higher

2. Installation

Step 1: Upload Plugin

1. Download the plugin zip file
2. Go to WordPress Admin → Plugins → Add New
3. Click “Upload Plugin”
4. Select the zip file and click “Install Now”

Step 2: Activate Plugin

1. After installation, click “Activate Plugin”
2. The plugin will automatically create necessary database tables

Step 3: Verify WooCommerce

Ensure WooCommerce is installed and activated. If not, you will see a warning message.

3. Administrator Settings

Access Settings

Go to: WordPress Admin → Paid Articles → Settings

Available Settings

Setting	Description	Default
Default Price	Default price for paid articles	9.99
Purchase Button Text	Text displayed on purchase button	“Unlock Full Article”
Preview Hint Text	Text shown before purchase	“Unlock the complete article…”
Show Purchase History	Enable purchase history display	Yes

Save Settings

Click “Save Settings” after making changes.

4. Setting Up Paid Articles

Step 1: Edit Article

1. Go to Posts → Add New or edit an existing post
2. Look for the “Article Payment Settings” panel in the right sidebar

Step 2: Enable Payment

1. Check the “Enable Payment” checkbox
2. Enter the price (or use default)
3. Optionally add custom preview hint text

Step 3: Split Content with More Tag

Important: You MUST add the <!--more--> tag to split free preview from paid content.

How to add the More tag:

• Visual Editor: Click the “More” button in the toolbar (or press Alt+Shift+T)
• Code Editor: Type <!--more--> directly

Example:

This is the free preview content that all visitors can see.

<!--more-->

This is the paid content that only buyers can access.

Step 4: Publish

1. Click “Publish” or “Update”
2. The plugin automatically creates a WooCommerce product
3. You will see “Linked WooCommerce Product” information

Content Splitting Rules

Scenario	What Users See
Has <!--more--> tag	Content before tag (free) + Purchase button
No <!--more--> tag	First 300 characters + Purchase button
User has purchased	Full content + “Unlocked” message

5. WooCommerce Integration

Automatic Product Creation

When you enable payment on an article, the plugin automatically:

1. Creates a WooCommerce product
2. Sets product type to “Simple Product”
3. Marks as “Virtual” (no shipping)
4. Sets “Sold Individually” (one per order)
5. Links the product to the article

Product Settings

Setting	Value
Product Name	[Article] + Article Title
Product Type	Simple Product
Virtual	Yes
Downloadable	No
Regular Price	Article price
Stock Management	No

Payment Methods

Users can pay using any WooCommerce payment gateway:

• Credit/Debit Cards (Stripe, PayPal, etc.)
• Alipay
• Bank Transfer
• Any other configured gateway

6. User Purchase Flow

For Visitors

1. Visit article page
2. See free preview content
3. See purchase button with price
4. Click “Unlock Full Article”
5. Redirected to WooCommerce cart

Checkout Process

1. Add to cart
2. Proceed to checkout
3. Enter billing details
4. Select payment method
5. Complete payment

After Purchase

1. Payment confirmed
2. Article automatically unlocked
3. Email notification sent
4. Full content now visible
5. Download link available

For Returning Users

Users can re-access purchased articles anytime:

1. Visit the article page
2. See “Unlocked” message
3. Full content displayed
4. No need to repurchase

7. Shortcodes

Purchase History

Display user’s purchased articles:

[wpa_purchase_history]

Parameters:

Parameter	Default	Description
limit	20	Number of items to display
title	“My Purchased Articles”	Section title

Example:

[wpa_purchase_history limit="10" title="My Reports"]

Total Revenue (Admin Only)

Display total revenue:

[wpa_total_revenue]

Top Selling Articles (Admin Only)

Display best-selling articles:

[wpa_article_sales]

Parameters:

Parameter	Default	Description
limit	10	Number of items to display

8. Admin Management

Sales Records

Access: WordPress Admin → Paid Articles → Sales

Information Displayed:

Column	Description
ID	Purchase record ID
User	Buyer email/username
Article	Purchased article title
Price	Sale amount
Date	Purchase date
Order	WooCommerce order link

Statistics

The settings page shows:

• Total revenue
• Number of sales
• Recent purchases

9. FAQ

Q: How do I re-download a purchased article?

A: Simply visit the article page again. You will see “Unlocked” message and full content. Use the download link provided.

Q: What if I lose my order number?

A: Check your email for purchase confirmation. The order number is included in the email.

Q: Can I get a refund?

A: Contact the site administrator. Refunds are handled through WooCommerce.

Q: Does the purchase expire?

A: No. Once purchased, you have permanent access to the article.

Q: Can I share my purchased articles?

A: Purchases are linked to your account. Sharing may violate terms of service.

Q: Payment failed, what should I do?

A:

1. Check your payment details
2. Try a different payment method
3. Contact your bank
4. Contact site support

Q: Can I use multiple payment methods?

A: Yes, any WooCommerce payment gateway enabled on the site is available.

Q: How do I change my article price?

A:

1. Edit the article
2. Change the price in “Article Payment Settings”
3. Update the article
4. WooCommerce product will be updated automatically

Q: Can I make an article free again?

A:

1. Edit the article
2. Uncheck “Enable Payment”
3. Update the article
4. WooCommerce product will be deleted

10. Troubleshooting

Problem: Purchase button not showing

Possible Causes:

1. Article is not marked as paid
2. <!--more--> tag is missing
3. WooCommerce not activated
4. Plugin conflict

Solutions:

1. Check “Enable Payment” is checked
2. Add <!--more--> tag to content
3. Activate WooCommerce
4. Deactivate other plugins to test

Problem: “Product not available” error

Possible Causes:

1. WooCommerce product not created
2. Product deleted manually
3. Database issue

Solutions:

1. Re-save the article to recreate product
2. Check Products list in WooCommerce
3. Deactivate and reactivate the plugin

Problem: Payment completed but content not unlocked

Possible Causes:

1. Order status not “Completed”
2. Database table missing
3. Cache issue

Solutions:

1. Check WooCommerce order status
2. Manually set order to “Completed”
3. Clear browser cache
4. Check database table exists: wp_wpa_purchases

Problem: Database table not created

Symptoms:

• Error messages in admin
• Purchases not recording

Solution:

1. Deactivate the plugin
2. Reactivate the plugin
3. Check wp_wpa_purchases table exists in database
4. If not, manually run the SQL from includes/class-activator.php

Problem: WooCommerce compatibility warning

Symptoms:

• Warning message about incompatible plugins
• WooCommerce features not working

Solution:

1. Update WooCommerce to latest version
2. Update WP Paid Articles to latest version
3. The plugin declares compatibility with WooCommerce HPOS and Cart Blocks

Problem: Email notifications not sent

Possible Causes:

1. WordPress email function disabled
2. SMTP not configured
3. Emails going to spam

Solutions:

1. Install SMTP plugin (e.g., WP Mail SMTP)
2. Configure email settings
3. Check spam folder
4. Test with a different email address

Support

For additional support:

• Check WordPress debug.log for errors
• Verify WooCommerce is functioning correctly
• Test with default WordPress theme
• Contact plugin developer

Version History

Version	Changes
1.0.2	WooCommerce compatibility improvements
1.0.1	Fixed AJAX add to cart
1.0.0	Initial release