Product Options

Refer to the Adding Product Options topic for general information about product options.

General Information

Option ID

A numeric system-generated identifier assigned to the Product Option by SOLO Server at the time you add the Product Option. This field cannot be modified.

Product Name

The name of the Product with which the Product Option is associated.

Option Name

The name of the Product Option.

Replaced By

A Product Option which replaces the current Product Option. If specified, when the current Product Option is added to a cart, it will be replaced by this Product Option.

Option Image

An image of the Product Option, in either .gif or .jpg format, which must be uploaded to SOLO Server. To upload an image, click the Browse... button and locate the image file to upload, then click the Save button. Once an image is uploaded, a thumbnail view of that image will be displayed. To display the full size version of the image, click the "View Full Size Image" link. To delete the image, click the "Remove Image" link.

Option Description

A brief description of the Product Option. Optional.

Option Type

Choose one of the following values for the Product Option Type:

All Supported Licensing Clients

Activation Code - Used to provide a single Protection PLUS Trigger Code. This is the most common Product Option Type used by SOLO Server Authors.
Activation Code with Quantity - Provides a single Protection PLUS Trigger Code where the Event Data (additional number) is sent based upon the value of Quantity for the license. Note that this option type can only be used with the Multiple Activations quantity mode (see below), and also that upon order processing, the Activations Left parameter on the license will be set to Activations per U/M regardless of quantity.
Activation Code with Fixed Value - Provides a single Protection PLUS Trigger Code, along with additional numeric Event Data which is specified in the TC Fixed Value field (see below).
Activation Code with Days Left - Provides a single Protection PLUS Trigger Code where the Event Data (additional number) is calculated automatically as the number of days between the current date and the Download Expiration date on the License Details screen. This option is great when you always want the software to expire on a specific date, even if the user subsequently activates the software in the middle of their subscription period.
Activation Code with License Counter - Provides a single Protection PLUS Trigger Code, along with additional numeric Event Data with the value from the License Counter field on the license. Note that when using this option, the License Counter must be a 0 or a positive integer less than 16383.

Protection PLUS 5 SDK

Volume License - Used to provide a downloadable volume license file not tied to a particular installation which can be used to distribute to client machines to allow the software to run without activation.
Downloadable License with Trigger Code Validation - This is the same as a Volume License, except a trigger code activation is required to allow the software to run.

No activation or licensing

Downloadable Goods - A downloadable product (ESD), but no unlock code is supplied.
Shipped Goods - A "hard" product that is shipped only via regular mail or other courier. No download or unlock code provided.
Transaction/Service Fee - A service fee that is not associated with the purchase of a specific product.

Option Order

Used to specify the order in which you want your Product Options to appear when listed online. You must manually arrange your Product Options by assigning numeric values for each. The Product Options will be displayed from top-to-bottom in ascending sequence.

Order Level Req

The minimum Order Level a SOLO Server user must have to be able to select the Product Option from the Product dropdown in Store / Create a New Cart/Order. Order Level can be effectively used to restrict SOLO Server users from having access to certain products. For example, if you set the Order Level Required field to a value of 10 and a SOLO Server user has a Order Level designation of 0 (as specified in the SOLO Server user's security profile) that SOLO Server user will not see the product as an available option.

Warehouse ID

The name of the warehouse for the product. Optional.

Purchasing Details

Unit of Measure

Specify, at your discretion, what you want the unit of measure for the Product Option to be called (e.g., each, license, network seat, etc.)

Price per U/M

Price of the Product Option per unit of measure (or quantity) purchased. Extended, or quantity-based, pricing can also be configured by clicking the "Create/Manage Extended Pricing" link next to the price when in view mode. See Extended Pricing for more details. Important note: Setting the Unit Price to zero allows someone to use the cart to process an order without entering a credit card, even if you are not using the eCommerce engine of SOLO Server. It is recommended that you set the Unit Price to a value greater than zero unless you specifically want to allow this or have set up a cart rule to verify eligibility for a free upgrade.

Payment Plan

The payment plan, if any, associated with the Product Option. Optional.

Mail-In Rebate Amount

The amount of any mail-in rebates for the Product Option. If a value is entered, the cart will display a message about mail-in rebate savings once the Product Option has been added to the cart. Optional.

Mail-In Rebate URL

URL for the mail-in rebate. If the Mail-In Rebate Amount field is populated, a link to the specified URL will be placed within a message appearing on the online invoice. Optional.

Quantity Mode

Determines how the shopping cart order processor handles a quantity greater than one when processing the option. This can be set to one of two modes, as follows:

Multiple Licenses (default) - This will cause a separate license with a quantity of one to be created for each quantity ordered.
Multiple Activations - This will cause a single license to be created, with the number of total activations available equal to the value specified in the Activations Per U/M field multiplied by the quantity ordered.

Minimum Quantity

Typically, the value of this field is set to 1. If the user is required to purchase a certain number of products in order to qualify for the price offered by the purchase of this Product Option, set the quantity in this field accordingly.

Maximum Quantity

Typically, the value of this field is set to either 0 or 1. To permit your customer to purchase unlimited quantities of this Product Option, specify 0. To bypass the prompt that will ask your customer to specify the quantity, set this field to 1 (i.e., your customer will automatically purchase a quantity of 1). Otherwise specify the maximum quantity that your customer should be allowed to order.

Order Confirm HTML

This markup is displayed as part of the invoice line item on invoices, as well as on the Customer License Portal License Details page (unless overridden by the Customer License Portal HTML outlined below). Order Confirm HTML instructions can be specified at both the Product and the Product Option levels. Both values (if present) will be concatenated. The following variables can be used in this HTML:

[varMerchantDispName] - The merchant account name that will appear on the customer's credit card statement. If no merchant account is associated with the order, the SOLO Server Author's company name will be used.
[varLicenseID] - The License ID assigned to this purchase.
[varPassword] - The customer Password. Important Note: It is strongly recommended this not be used. In a future version of SOLO Server, the [varPassword] search/replace field will be updated to replace this with an empty value for customers who have chosen their own password.
[varActivationPassword] - The license Activation Password.
[varOriginalQS] - The original query string which initiated the order through the cart.
[varQOrdered] - The quantity ordered.
[varLicenseCounter] - The License Counter value from the license record.
[varCustomerID] - The Customer ID.
[varLatestVersion] - The Latest Version field from the product.
[varOriginalLicenseID] - The License ID of the original license that this license was used to renew or upgrade through the rules engine.
[varProductID] - The Product ID.
[varProductName] - The product name.
[varProdOptionID] - The Product Option ID.
[varProdOptionName] - The product option name.
[varDistributorID] - The Distributor ID, if present.
[varEnteredDate] - The license entered date.
[varExpirationDate] - The license download until date.
[varSalePrice] - The sale price of the license.

Use of the Order Confirm HTML field is completely optional. If you decide to implement its functionality, however, please be aware that you should use <br> tags for line spacing within the HTML instead of <p> tags, as <p> tags will be expunged from the online invoice. Also, please note that any <hr> tags will be arbitrarily replaced with <br> tags.

Customer License Portal HTML

This markup is displayed on the License Details page in the Customer License Portal, and will override any markup specified in the Order Confirm HTML. Customer License Portal HTML instructions can be specified at both the Product ID and the Product Option levels. Both values (if present) will be concatenated. The following variables can be used in this HTML:

[varMerchantDispName] - The merchant account name that will appear on the customer's credit card statement. If no merchant account is associated with the order, the SOLO Server Author's company name will be used.
[varLicenseID] - The License ID assigned to this purchase.
[varPassword] - The customer Password. Important Note: It is strongly recommended this not be used. In a future version of SOLO Server, the [varPassword] search/replace field will be updated to replace this with an empty value for customers who have chosen their own password.
[varActivationPassword] - The license Activation Password.
[varOriginalQS] - The original query string which initiated the order through the cart.
[varQOrdered] - The quantity ordered.
[varLicenseCounter] - The License Counter value from the license record.
[varCustomerID] - The Customer ID.
[varLatestVersion] - The Latest Version field from the product.
[varOriginalLicenseID] - The License ID of the original license that this license was used to renew or upgrade through the rules engine.
[varProductID] - The Product ID.
[varProductName] - The product name.
[varProdOptionID] - The Product Option ID.
[varProdOptionName] - The product option name.
[varDistributorID] - The Distributor ID, if present.
[varEnteredDate] - The license entered date.
[varExpirationDate] - The license download until date.
[varSalePrice] - The sale price of the license.

Use of the Customer License Portal HTML field is completely optional.

For New Customers

If checked, all new customers will be permitted to view the Product Option in the online catalog.

Tax Exempt

Specifies whether the Product Option is tax exempt.

No Invoice Discounts

If checked, author/invoice-level Priority Code discounts will NOT apply to the Product Option.

Product Activation & Licensing Details

Activations per U/M

Specifies the number of activations the customer is allocated per unit of measure purchased (e.g., two activations per license, 25 activations per network seat, etc.). As the software author, you determine the amount of access to your application your customers are entitled to receive. The Activations per U/M field can be modified at any time, but please be aware that any changes which you make will apply to new purchases only. For the PLUS Option with Quantity Option Type, this should always be set to 1, and for all other "PLUS" Option Types, the value specified must be greater than zero (0).

Issue License

Check this box if a License ID needs to be issued for the Product Option upon purchase. If there is no Order Confirm HTML specified for the Product Option, this will cause the License ID to be displayed (by default) on the online invoice with the following message text: "The application will ask for a License ID and Password to enable it. Use the number above to activate your purchase." This flag must be set to True if the Product Option Type is any one of the "PLUS" Product Option Types.

Issue Installation ID

A flag used to determine if an Installation ID is to be issued for activations through the utilization of either the ActivateInstallation method of the XmlActivationService Web service or through an offline activation. If you are not using the ActivateInstallation Web method, this flag should remain set to False. If you are using PLUSManaged, this should be checked.

Allow Deactivations

A flag used to determine if a deactivation is to be allowed through use of the DeactivateInstallation method of the XmlActivationService Web service. This flag can only be set to True if Issue Installation ID flag is also set to True.

Deactivations per U/M

Specifies the number of deactivations allowed through the utilization of the DeactivateInstallation method of the XmlActivationService Web service. This value can only be set if both Issue Installation ID and Allow Deactivations flags are set to True. A value of -1 indicates unlimited deactivations are permitted.

Allow Reactivations on Same Computer/Allow Reactivations

This feature is only available when the Issue Installation ID flag is also set to True. During the activation process, the server will search for a pre-existing activation of the License ID using the same Computer ID. If a match is found, this is considered to be a reactivation on the same computer. The new activation will be granted with an exception of "<TH" (less than threshold) and the activation count will NOT be decremented. In addition, the Installation ID from the original matching activation is moved to the new activation rather than creating a new Installation ID. The original activation is then deactivated and its Related InstallationID is set to the Installation ID moved to the new activation record. Please be aware that this feature will only work as described when correctly formatted activation data is exchanged with the ActivateInstallation Web method. Otherwise, a match will never be found. For Protection PLUS 5 Volume License option types, this is labeled "Allow Reactivations", and controls whether online activations are allowed after the initial license file has been generated.

IP Activation Mode

Choose one of the following values for restricting activations by IP address (note that currently only IPv4 addresses are supported):

No restrictions - No IP address restrictions will be enforced, regardless of whether Allowed Activation IPs is specified on the license.
No restrictions (allow override) - No IP address restrictions will be enforced unless the Allowed Activation IPs field is populated on the license.
First activation IP - If the Allowed Activation IPs field is not set on the license, activation will be allowed for any IP address and that IP address will be set on the license Allowed Activation IPs field along with the IP Mask.
Specified activation IP - Only IP addresses specified on the Allowed Activation IPs field on the license can activate.

IP Mask

IP mask to set on the license Allowed Activation IPs field during the first activation when IP Activation Mode is set to First Activation IP.

Additional Activation Days

The number of days following the last successful activation that an additional activation will be granted once the activation count reaches zero (0). Activations allowed through this mechanism will be marked with the #DAYS exception in the activation history log. Set this value to zero (0) to disable this feature.

Minimum Activation Version

The minimum version number of your application that your customer must have installed to permit activation. Leave this blank to allow activation for any and all versions of your software. The format of the version number is NNNNN.NNNNN.NNNNN.NNNNN, where N represents a non-negative integer ranging from 0 to 99999, inclusive. No leading zeroes are required. Please note that all four version elements must be specified. For version numbering schemes using less than four version elements, use trailing zeroes (e.g., for version 3.0, specify 3.0.0.0).

Minimum Activation URL

Specifies a destination URL to which the customer will be re-directed if the attempted activation fails because the customer has a version of the software that is LESS THAN the version number specified in the Minimum Activation Version field.

Unlock Threshold

This field is only available if the Issue Installation ID flag is set to False. This value controls the decision as to whether or not to grant an activation without decrementing the activation count, provided a previous activation with a matching or nearly matching ComputerID is found in the activation history. The value of this numeric field represents the allowable difference between Computer ID values when determining if a previous activation is a match (or a near-match) to the current activation request.

Setting this field to -1 (minus 1) will disable this feature.
Setting this to 0 (zero) will require an EXACT match on Computer ID.
Setting this greater than 0 (zero) will cause any existing activation with a Computer ID within +/- the specified value to be considered a matching activation. When using the Protection PLUS Enhanced Computer ID Algorithms, set this value to 65535 to allow re-activation on the same computer hardware.

When the value here is 0 (zero) or greater and a match is found, the new activation will be granted with an exception of "<TH" (threshold) and the count of remaining activations will not be decremented.

Trigger Code #

Protection PLUS Trigger Code Event ID to generate. This is required if the Product Option Type is any one of the "PLUS" Product Option Types, and must be a numeric value between 1 and 50, inclusive.

Trigger Code Seed

Protection PLUS Trigger Code seed value. This is required if the Product Option Type is any of the "PLUS" options, and must be a valid integer value of 0 (zero) or greater. A random number is generated for you automatically when adding a new option.

RegKey 2 Seed

Shorthand for Registration Key 2 Seed. Protection PLUS Trigger Code Event Data (additional number) seed. This is required for PLUS Option with Quantity, or PLUS Option with Fixed Value Product Option Types, and must be a valid integer value between 0 (zero) and 255, inclusive. A random number is generated for you automatically when adding a new option.

TC Fixed Value

Shorthand for Trigger Code Fixed Value. Protection PLUS Event Data value to send. This is a mandatory requirement when the Product Option Type is specified as PLUS Option with Fixed Value. The specified value must be a valid integer between 0 and 16383, inclusive.

OffAct Key

Shorthand for Offline Activation Key. If you want to allow offline activation capability for any of the "PLUS" Product Option Types, enter a random sequence of letters and numbers here.

Upgrade From

This is an advanced option which allows you to specify the Product Option that the customer must have previously purchased in order to purchase this option.

Upgrade To

This is an advanced option which allows you to specify the Product Option that customer has actually purchased. For example, the Protection PLUS Professional Edition is priced at $349 and the Enterprise Edition retails for $499. A Professional Edition customer can purchase an upgrade to the Enterprise Edition for $199. A Product Option that specifies "Upgrade From" as Professional Edition and "Upgrade To" as Enterprise Edition is created that costs $199. When the customer clicks on the Renewals and Upgrades button in the Customer License Portal, it will be as if they purchased a full license of the Enterprise Edition and will now have access to all of the features and amenities that this product offers.

Days to D/L

Shorthand for Days to Download, this field specifies the number of days following the purchase that the user will be able to download the product from the Customer License Portal . (Use 0 to indicate perpetual access.) This date is calculated upon creating a new license, and is often also used with Protection PLUS to indicate a subscription expiration date or the license's expiration date. (This date is passed down in EffectiveEndDate in Protection PLUS 5 SDK license files.) Note that the initial expiration date on a license as determined by this field's value may be changed if "Reset Expiration at Activation" is checked.

File to D/L

Shorthand for File to Download. The name of the file to send to the customer. See Setting Up ESD Product Option. Use the "Select a File..." button to open a dialog to select a file already uploaded to your ESD directory, or the "Manage and Upload Files" button to open the file management page in a new tab. You may include [varLatestVersion] as part of the value in this field to use your product's Latest Version (as configured for the Product in which the Product Option is under).

D/L Page

Shorthand for Download Page. A URL to a custom page to download the file. When the customer clicks the Download button in the Customer License Portal, SOLO Server will append the LicenseID to the querystring of this URL and redirect the user to this page. This supports a [varLatestVersion] search/replace parameter which will be replaced with the current value of the Latest Version field on the product.

Trial Required

Reserved. Leave False (unchecked).

Reset Expiration at Activation

If this flag is set to True when a valid License ID is being activated for the first time, the download expiration date of the License ID will be calculated and reset to the current date plus the number of days specified in the Days to D/L field (unless the existing date is later than the calculated date).

Upgrade Behavior

This setting determines whether the License ID should be allowed to execute and/or activate when the License ID Status is changed to "Upgrade". This offers three (3) options:

Deactivate - Existing activations will deactivate after the next contact with the server. New activations will not be allowed.
Allow Execution - Existing activations will be allowed to continue to execute after the next contact with the server. New activations will NOT be allowed.
Allow Activation - Existing activations will be allowed to continue to execute after the next contact with the server. New activations will be allowed.

License File Name

For Protection PLUS 5 Volume License types, the file name of the downloadable license file. This field supports a [varLicenseID] search/replace string - when specified this will be replaced with the License ID.

License Labels

Custom label set for the user-defined fields displayed on the "Coupon/UDef" tab on the License Details page. See Customizing License Labels for more information. When editing an option, you can click the Configure License Labels link to open the license labels configuration page.

License Counter Source

This setting determines how the License Counter field is initialized on newly added licenses. The following options are available:

None - The License Counter will be left uninitialized when adding a new license.
Specified Value - The License Counter will be set to the quantity multiplied by the specified License Counter Value when adding a new license.
Quantity - The License Counter will be set to the license quantity when adding a new license.

For more information, see our blog post on Using a Counter Value in Licensed Applications.

License Counter Value

The specified value to set the License Counter to when adding a new license when the License Counter Source is set to Specified Value. Note that for options with a Quantity Mode of Multiple Activations, this will be multiplied by the quantity.
For more information, see our blog post on Using a Counter Value in Licensed Applications.

Network Floating Options

Advanced option. The set of Network Floating Options to use for Cloud-Controlled network floating licensing through the XmlNetworkFloatingService web service. Also note that when using this option, the License Counter Source should be set to either Specified Value or Quantity in order to properly initialize the License Counter on newly added licenses, as network floating licensing uses the License Counter to store the number of allowed network seats.

User Defined Fields Writable

Whether to allow applications to write new information to the license user-defined fields through the XmlLicenseServer web service's UpdateUserDefinedFields method.

Custom Data

Additional data to be included within the ProductOption/CustomData element in the XML License File when using Protection PLUS 5 SDK. This can be string or XML data.

Other Details

Hidden: Enable if this Product Option should be hidden from all online catalog listings.
Enabled: Check this box to enable the option. If not enabled, any order containing the product will be declined, and the option will be hidden from ordering pages and drop-down menus. Note that disabling an option will also automatically set it to Hidden.
Activation Threshold Plugin: The Plugin to perform customized activation threshold checking to determine if the activating machine matches an existing installation when allowing reactivation on the same computer. This option is only available to Master Users, and is designed to allow custom logic to be implemented to augment the activation process. For example, plugins can be developed to match on certain system identifiers or require only a partial rather than exact match. If you have interest in having such a plugin developed and put in place, please contact us for additional information.
Pre-Activation Plugin: The Plugin to process before an activation is issued. A processing failure can prevent an activation from being processed. This option is only available to Master Users, and is designed to allow custom logic to be implemented to augment the activation process. For example, plugins can be developed to validate with a third-party service prior to allowing the activation to be issued. If you have interest in having such a plugin developed and put in place, please contact us for additional information.
Post-Activation Plugin: The Plugin to process after an activation has been issued. Since this takes place after issuing an activation, a processing failure cannot prevent an activation from being issued. This option is only available to Master Users, and is designed to allow custom logic to be implemented to augment the activation process. For example, plugins can be developed to communicate with a third-party service to notify it that an activation was issued. If you have interest in having such a plugin developed and put in place, please contact us for additional information.
QB Item: This is an advanced option. For more information, contact us.
QB Account: This is an advanced option. For more information, contact us.
QB Taxable: This is an advanced option. For more information, contact us.
QB Class: This is an advanced option. For more information, contact us.
Info URL: An URL to an information page for the Product Option. This is used by the upsell table on the cart to offer a pop-up link to obtain additional information about the product. The page entered here should be designed for a 400x400 pop-up window. If an Info URL is set here, it will override the Info URL set up at the Product ID level. Optional.
Image URL: An URL to an image for the option. Currently not used, but reserved for future use. If an Image URL is set here, it will override the Image URL set up on the Product ID. Optional.
Error Message: An error message to display on the cart page if the option fails rules validation. If set, this will override any messages on the individual rules. This is useful for when multiple rules are set up on an option causing the error messages to become lengthy. NOTE: This is the only rule error message supported by the .NET cart - the rule level messages are not supported, so if using rules and the .NET cart, you should fill out this field.
Marx OLM Update: Update values for Marx Online License Management (OLM). For use with Marx CryptoBox hardware keys.

Shipping Options

Requires Shipping: Set this flag to True if the sale of the Product Option requires a physical shipment via regular mail or other courier service. Note that if you have any shipping options set up on the Product Option and this flag is not set to True, there is a possibility of an error being displayed during checkout which will prevent the customer from completing the order.
Length: The length of the Product Option at shipping time..
Width: The width of the Product Option at shipping time.
Height: The height of the Product Option at shipping time.
Weight: The weight of the Product Option at shipping time.
Insurance Value: The insurance value of the Product Option at shipping time.

Inventory Options

Track Inventory: Set this flag to True to enable inventory tracking of the Product Option.
Allow Backorder: Set this flag to True to allow the inventory level of this Product Option to drop below zero. If this flag is set to False and the Track Inventory flag is set to True, SOLO Server will decline any online orders that would cause the Stock Quantity field to drop below zero.
Stock Quantity: The quantity of the Product Option currently in stock.
Minimum Stock Quantity: The minimum stock quantity before a notification is sent. If, during the occurrence of an online purchase, the Stock Quantity drops below the value specified in this field, SOLO Server will trigger the dispatch of a notification to the administrator. See Real Time Inventory Management for more information.

View Page Options

Option Image: An image of the Product Option. To upload or update the image, click the Update Image button. The image must be in gif or jpg format. If an image is specified here, it will override any image specified on the product. Note that currently the uploaded image is only displayed for the product in the related items section of the cart page. Future SOLO Server enhancements will incorporate this image into the standard SOLO Server catalog pages. Note that you can also remove the image by clicking the Update Image button and then clicking the Remove Image link.

Tabs

Priority Codes: Priority Discount Codes can be used to offer promotional discounts to customers and to apply miscellaneous discounts when processing orders manually.

Shipping: Multiple shipping options can be defined per product option, and several properties of each option can be configured to restrict how the shipping option can be used.

Upsells: Configuring Upsells can increase revenue by attempting to persuade a customer to purchase either a more expensive item or related additional items

Rules: Product Option Rules allow you to restrict the purchase of a product option based on certain criteria when using SOLO Server's integrated e-Commerce.