Register and Payment Order

[courtz]

Along the same order of some of the other topics on this forum, i also find it a little strange that one should pay then register. It is a bit of worry that payments may occur without details for the user.

If i force a user to register first and then purchase thru paypal, s2member still forces the user to register after. If a user doesnt register then effectively the payment details are not saved in wp_usermeta table such as "last payment time" and other payment details.

Given that others have raised the concerns, will we:

1) be able to reverse this order at some stage or
2) will we need to hack it

What i'd really like to know is does the s2member plugin receive details ANYWHERE (stored in DB or whatever) from paypal once the payment has been processed but before the user has registered. If so then perhaps i could get those payment details for the user who is currently logged on and has just paid and assign the user_meta manually and there 'hack' the order a little?

[Jason Caldwell]

If a user doesnt register then effectively the payment details are not saved in wp_usermeta table such as "last payment time" and other payment details.

If the User does not register, then there is no reason for s2Member to store this information, because there will be no account for the Member. Also, all financial information is stored inside your PayPal account, so the only thing s2Member is bringing over is a reference to the transaction, and/or a Subscription ID.

The Customer will have two opportunities to register.

1. After checkout occurs.
2. After checkout occurs, through a link via email.

In either case, no matter when the Customer registers, the information needed by s2Member is always carried with the link a Customer accesses the registration form with. So there is no chance of a Customer registering without adequate payment information being processed by s2Member.

There is also no way that s2Member will NOT receive important information after checkout, because it's handled behind-the-scene through s2Member's IPN processor, as opposed to on-site navigation being required. In other words, not all Customers understand the entire checkout process, and s2Member is designed to make sure that every Customer receives what they paid for, even if they don't follow the proper path of execution.

If you would like to have Customers register before checkout, you can turn on Open Registration.
See: s2Member -> General Options -> Open Registration.
You will need s2Member v3.0.6+

Once you turn on Open Registration, you can allow Customers to register first, for FREE. Then hit them with a payment button on the Login Welcome Page. You could use some of s2Member's Advanced Conditionals to tailor this specifically for your needs. s2Member also comes with a full set of WordPress Hooks/Filters embedded into its source code; giving you the ability to modify routines if you need to; and without modifying the original source code.

That being said, you really won't need to do this, unless you want to. Placing a PayPal Button on the Login Welcome Page for Free Subscribers, will allow a User ( who just registered ) to proceed through the checkout process, and s2Member will "update" their account, instead of asking them to register for a new one. s2Member handles this automatically, just in case you're wondering.

What i'd really like to know is does the s2member plugin receive details ANYWHERE (stored in DB or whatever) from paypal once the payment has been processed but before the user has registered. If so then perhaps i could get those payment details for the user who is currently logged on and has just paid and assign the user_meta manually and there 'hack' the order a little?

I detailed this here. please read this article for a break-down.
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=258&p=966&hilit=s2member_custom#p966

1) be able to reverse this order at some stage

"Register first, then pay" OR "Pay first, then register"....
Yea, this is a common question that I get. The answer really is to combine both steps into one. Unfortunately, you can't do this with Standard PayPal integration, so we chose the lesser of two evils. Payment first, before registration normally produces a higher conversion rate, because the steps through checkout, in order to receive payment are fewer. Payment first also is more stable, and easier to adapt in all sorts of situations, making s2Member much more flexible overall.

s2Member Pro, offers a solution to all of these limitations.
The s2Member Pro Module makes it possible for s2Member to use PayPal® Pro Forms ( instead of standard PayPal® Buttons ). PayPal® Pro Forms integrate seamlessly with WordPress® Shortcodes. This allows you to keep Customers on your site at all times, and it consolidates the Checkout / Registration steps into a single form that you can dress up just the way you like.
http://www.s2member.com/