There is something important to note if you have configured a Sequential Upgrade for the membership level the members are being imported into. The Sequential Upgrade will be paused during that member import.

Applying the pause on Sequential Upgrade during member import is related to site performance. If you were to import a large number of members and a configured Sequential Upgrade happened right away, it could result in the site slowing down.

So the Sequential Upgrade isn't reflected in the members section of WishList Member during an import of members. But the members will still be sequentially upgraded accordingly. The configured Sequential Upgrade will trigger when the cron naturally occurs on the site or when a member logs into the site.

The Sequential Upgrade would be reflected for all members when the cron naturally occurs on the site or it will be reflected for individual members when they login and trigger it.
 
That being said, you could run a Cron Job so you can see the Sequential Upgrade reflected for all imported members in the members section of WishList Member.

The Sequential Upgrade option can be turned on/turned off at any time for a member. This can be done in the Members > Manage section of WishList Member.

Turning off a sequential upgrade will essentially pause the progress of a member through the scheduled sequential upgrade.

You can select the member by clicking the checkbox beside their name and then selecting Turn On Sequential Upgrade or Turn Off Sequential Upgrade from the Select an Action dropdown.

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As an example, if you want to pause the sequential upgrade, you can select Turn Off Sequential Upgrade.

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A popup with a message stating “Are you sure you want to Turn Off Sequential Upgrade for the selected members?” will appear.

You can click “Yes” and the sequential upgrade will be turned off for that member.

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This will stop the member from being sequentially upgraded to the set next level(s) in the sequence.

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As a note, if you turn sequential upgrade back on, it would resume where it left off and not start over at the beginning of the scheduled sequential upgrade.

It might encode a different type than what is expected in WishList Member. UTF-8 is expected. A file saved in UTF-8 format with BOM will fail to upload.

Example Screenshot showing UTF-8

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Example Screenshot showing UTF-8 BOM

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There are a couple options to avoid this issue:

1. Use Notepad

Try using the Notepad program/app when editing the file so it would not change the encoding system type when you save the file.

2. Continue Using Excel (or similar program/app)

You can continue using Excel (or other program/app) to edit the data. Then open it in Notepad to see if it is saved as UTF-8 like in the screenshot noted above. If not, you can use Notepad++ to update it. Just open the file in Notepad++ then go to Encoding > *select UTF-8* > Save.

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Check out the Import Members Knowledge Base article for more details on importing members.

Check out the Export Members Knowledge Base article for more details on exporting members.

There is also an option to purge (remove) collected IP addresses.

This setting is located in the Members > Data Privacy > Settings section of WishList Member. There are also options to apply these settings on a per member basis.

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This allows members within a Level to be Added or Moved to another Level on a specific calendar date at a set time.

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WordPress “Anyone” Can Register Setting:

Spam User accounts can sometimes be added to a site through a WordPress registration option. This may be evident by User accounts that appear in the Members section of WishList Member, but do not have a Level assigned to them.

A WordPress registration option can be disabled to prevent these types of sign ups.

This is explained in more detail in the Spam Users – WordPress “Anyone Can Register” Option Knowledge Base article.

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Spam Users may appear in the Members section and have a Level assigned to them. There are additional options for reducing and preventing these spam registrations.

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reCAPTCHA:

Adding a reCAPTCHA to a registration form can help prevent spam registrations.

If you have the Require reCAPTCHA option selected for a Level, the reCAPTCHA will appear on the registration page for that Level.

The Require reCAPTCHA option can be enabled in the Setup > Levels > *Click on Level Name* > Requirements section of WishList Member.

Note: You will also need to get a reCAPTCHA Site Key and a reCAPTCHA Secret Key and place those in the correct fields. This can be setup by clicking the blue Configure button for the Require reCAPTCHA option.

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This information can also be viewed in the reCAPTCHA Knowledge Base article.

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Additional Options:

If it is automated Bots that are doing the spam registrations, then we recommend checking out security plugin options that include features that can block out Bots. Options like Wordfence or iThemes Security are popular.

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If it is a human doing the spam registrations, then the options are a bit more limited to filter and block Spam registrations since a human can fill out fields and use the reCAPTCHA.

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There are also anti-spam plugins available. We don't have a specific plugin we recommend but we have heard Spam protection, AntiSpam, FireWall by Clean Talk can be helpful.

We have not developed this plugin but it looks like it could be useful.

A search for “spam” in the WordPress Plugins directory brings up other options as well.

With that being said, you may want to import a list of members from a site running different membership software. In that case, you will just want to ensure you include the correct data in the correct format. We can certainly help with this.

This is where the Sample Import CSV File comes in to help make this a smooth process for you.

You can download the sample file in the Members > Import section of WishList Member.

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Three main points will be addressed in this article.

• Site Back Up
• Sample Import CSV File
• Transaction ID – Connecting Subscriptions with Members (Keeping Subscriptions Active)

Site Back Up

Importing data from one system to another can sometime lead to unexpected results depending on the type of data being transferred. It is always recommended to create a full and complete back up of the WordPress site / database before any export and import.

All WishList Member settings, members, etc. are stored in the WordPress database, so if you create a full back up of your WordPress site, it will include WishList Member.

Once you have your backup, you're all set.

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Sample Import CSV File

WishList Member provides the Sample Import CSV File that can be downloaded from the Members > Import section.

This sample file contains standard member information like name, email address, etc. but it also contains fields for username and password. So those fields can be filled in accordingly if the different membership software will export that information.

Basically, you will want to export the member data from the current system and ensure it matches with the format of the sample import csv file.

More in depth details on all the available settings when importing members (including a video tutorial) can be found in the Import Members article.

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Note: The default length of passwords set in WishList Member is at least 8 characters. If the existing membership software does not include passwords at least 8 characters long, you would need to adjust those passwords.

Alternatively, the minimum length of passwords can be edited in the Advanced Options > Passwords section of WishList Member.

You can adjust this setting in order to accept shorter passwords.

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Transaction ID – Connecting Subscriptions with Members (Keeping Subscription Active)

If you are importing a list of members from another membership site and they have existing subscriptions, you may want to keep those subscriptions active and connected to the member in WishList Member.

A connection can be set in WishList Member between a member and their subscription in a payment provider. This is done using the Transaction ID.

In this example, we are importing a group of members from a site that was using Stripe to process payments. Of course, other payment providers could be used and each has its own Transaction ID format. This ID is important as it handles the connection between WishList Member and the payment provider.

WishList Member uses the Stripe Customer ID and a Stripe Transaction ID to share data with Stripe.

A sample import cvs file is available in WishList Member. It includes the needed format for data when importing into WishList Member. So when you export members who have a subscription in Stripe from a current membership software, you might need to do some reformatting of the export data to match the format in the WishList Member sample file. This will ensure all the data is imported successfully. 

The two main pieces of data used to connect existing subscriptions in this case are the Stripe Customer ID and the Stripe Transaction ID. These are likely included in an export from the membership software, but you may need to check with the particular membership software team to confirm. Or you can contact our support team.

Note: The payment provider itself may also allow you to export the customer / payment data and you could get the Transaction ID that way.

As noted, the important point is the formatting of the Transaction ID when you import it into WishList Member. 

Using the Stripe example, the format used in WishList Member is StripeCustomerID-TransactionID.

Example: cus_XXXXXXXXXXXXXX-plan_XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A selection of other payment provider Transaction ID examples are included below.

1ShoppingCart Format Example: 1SC-Order ID
1SC-xxxxxxxx

Infusionsoft by Keap Format Example: Invoice ID
IFS:xxxxxx

WooCommerce Example: Order ID-Subscription ID
WooCommerce#xxxxx-xxxxx

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As long as the formatting matches with the Transaction ID type for the payment provider for each member, you should be able to import them into WishList Member successfully.

As a quick summary, in order to connect existing subscriptions to the members, you will need the payment provider Transaction ID included in the sample import file csv when you import members into WishList Member.

Some Incomplete Registrations are the result of the user not filling out the Registration Form after they are redirected to it. The site admin can send the Incomplete Registration link to the user or complete the registration for them. WishList Member will also send an Incomplete Registration email to the user instructing them how to finish the registration.

If a registration is not completed, you will see the “Incomplete Registration” in the Members tab.

The user who attempted to purchase will also be sent an incomplete registration email that includes a link to finish the registration. They can then finish the registration accordingly.

Incomplete Registration Notifications – Global Defaults

You can view/edit the Incomplete Registration email in the Advanced Options > Global Defaults > Email section of WishList Member.

Clicking the Edit Notifications button allows for the editing of the email.

If you see an Incomplete Registration in the Members tab, you can wait to see if the customer finishes the registration themselves. 12 or 24 hours is typically enough time to determine if the user is going to finish the registration themselves.

Please Note: The user would have been sent the Incomplete Registration email instructing them to finish the registration process during this time as well.You also have the option to resend that Incomplete Registration email to users.

Or you can consider a couple options to expedite the process of completing the registration for the user:

1. Manually send the Incomplete Registration link to the user and inform them the payment has been processed and they just need to finish the registration process by filling in the registration form.
2. You can use the Incomplete Registration link yourself to manually finish the registration for the user and send them the login info you created for them.

Please Note: If you send the Incomplete Registration link to the user or if you use the link yourself, you must right-click the link within the Members section to copy it correctly.

Incomplete Registration Notifications – Per Level

There is also an option to send different Incomplete Registration emails to different Levels. (If you want to have different emails for different Levels)

When creating or editing a Level, you can set the “notifications” settings for the specific Level under the Notifications tab.

To edit the Incomplete Registration notifications on a per Level basis, click the Edit button next to the option.

You can first choose whether or not to enable this notification. If enabled, you can set the notification schedule according to these options:

• First Sent After. The number of hours after the incomplete registration occurs to send the first notification to the member. A minimum of one hour is recommended.
• Send Every. The interval (in hours) that subsequent notifications should be sent. For example, if set to “24 hours”, any notifications after the first notification will be sent 24 hours apart until the number of notifications sent reaches the value set for “Total Sent”.
• Total Sent. The maximum number of notifications that should be sent.

You can also edit notifications that gets sent according to the following options:

• Sender Name. The name you would like the email to be sent from.
• Sender Email. The email address you would like the email to be sent from.
• Subject. The subject line for the email.
• Message. The email message.

Resend the Incomplete Registration Email

You have the option to resend the Incomplete Registration email that is sent to users if they don't finish the registration process.

More details on resending that email can be found in the Resend Incomplete Registration Email Knowledge base entry.

That being said, there is an option in the Members > Export section of WishList Member named “Include Password (Encrypted)”

Passwords will be encrypted and included in the export but they will be included as random characters in the exported file.

If you Export members and use the “Include Password (Encrypted)” option, you'll be able to export a list of members and then you can import that list of members to another WishList Member powered site. Those members will retain their passwords and the passwords will not be visible during the process.

More information on Exporting Members can be found in the Export Members Knowledge Base article.

Enabling these features will add the check boxes to the registration form.

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You can view if a member clicked the check box on the Registration Form for either of the following options:

– Terms of Service Accepted

– Consent for Additional Marketing

This can be viewed in the Members > Manage > *Click on Username* > Data Privacy section of WishList Member

More details can be found regarding Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, etc. in the Data Privacy Knowledge Base article. (The Terms of Service link and the Privacy Policy link are discussed around the 5:40 mark of the video)

Additional details can also be found in the Terms of Service Link / Privacy Policy Link in Footer Knowledge Base article.