A Page Builder is a popular option for those looking to create and design their own site. Each Page Builder includes different types of content that can be added to a page in the form or blocks, sections, elements, etc. Pages Builders like Elementor, Divi, OptimizePress, etc. typically have their own names for these tools. As an example, the WordPress Gutenberg Page Builder calls these “blocks”.

Shortcodes / Mergecodes and Page Builders

Most Page Builders will allow for the use of shortcodes and mergecodes and will often have a dedicated option to insert a shortcode/mergecode or HTML. These useful bits of code can be inserted into a page and will automatically display corresponding information on the live site. WishList Member includes it's own set of helpful Shortcodes and Mergecodes that cover a wide variety of functionality. This includes the Registration Mergecode which will insert a registration form with all its fields into the page.

That being said, you may experience an issue with the expected content not appearing on the live site when you insert a shortcode or mergecode. If you insert the shortcode or mergecode into a page and don't see the actual corresponding information on the live site, it could be due to the way the Page Builder tries to display that info.

If a WishList Member shortcode or mergecode isn't displaying content as expected on the live site after you've inserted it into a page using the Page Builder's specific block/element for shortcodes/mergecodes or HTML, you can typically add a WishList Member shortcode or mergecode using the Page Builder's standard Text or Paragraph option and it will display as expected.

So if you find a WishList Member shortcode/mergecode isn't displaying the expected content on the live site (appears blank or incomplete), please use the Page Builder's Paragraph or Text option to insert the WishList Member shortcode/mergecode and it should display the correct info on the live site.

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WishList Member Shortcodes / Mergecodes and the Gutenberg Classic Block

WishList Member shortcodes and mergecodes can easily be inserted into a page using the Classic Block in the WordPress Gutenberg Page Builder. This allows you to quickly generate and insert the code.

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Additional info on using the Classic Block in the WordPress Gutenberg Page Builder to insert WishList Member shortcodes or mergecodes can be found here.

Another option to generate and copy a WishList Member shortcode or mergecode is the Shortcode Creator found on the WishList Member Dashboard in the Tools section.

Uncaught Error: Undefined constant “WishListMember\AUTH_SALT”

This message can appear if your WordPress site has not defined “AUTH_SALT” in your wp-config.php.

If the WordPress site has Debug display errors enabled, the error message will appear during registration. If the WordPress site doesn't have the Debug display errors enabled, the error message will be logged in the WordPress error logs/debug.log file. 

WishList Member uses the defined WordPress salts when generating cookies, hashes, etc. as it helps with security purposes. (More info on WordPress Salts available here).

So with that being said, you may have removed or forgot to define your WordPress salts if you see the message mentioned above.

Add WordPress Salts to Site

We suggest you add WordPress salts in your site by generating one and pasting on your wp-config.php file through FTP. 

You can visit this link provided by WordPress which will automatically generate unique phrases for you.

You will just need to copy those phrases and use them for your site's wp-config.php.

Please note that changing your WordPress salts and keys will log out all of your WordPress users so if possible, do this at the end of the day or at a time with less active users.

If you are unsure how to access your wp-config.php file to make this change, we suggest you contact your server/hosting provider and they should be able set it up for you. Or you can reach out to our Customer Success Team to assist you further.

This is definitely possible, there are just a few things to keep in mind when it comes to WishList Member to ensure a smooth transition for you and your members.

Create a Full and Complete Back Up

You can start by creating a full and complete back up of the WordPress database.

There are WordPress plugins that have been developed specifically to duplicate entire sites. One of these plugins can create a duplicate/copy of your WordPress/WishList Member site. This includes all WishList Member settings, members, etc. because they are stored in the WordPress database.

So, if you use a plugin that creates a complete copy of the WordPress site/database, it should also include all the WishList Member settings, members, etc. 

This is explained in more detail (including Plugin suggestions) in this Knowledge Base article.

Once you create a full and complete back up of your WordPress site/database, you're heading in the right direction. You can then install that back up on your new site URL. That will bring over all the WishList Member settings, members, etc.

Points to Consider

Lets touch on some points to consider when moving a WordPress/WishList Member site from one URL to another URL:

• You will need to use your license key to activate WishList Member on the new site URL. This means you can deactivate your license key from the previous URL and then activate WishList Member using your license key on the new URL. 
  
  You can get more details on deactivating or activating a license key Right Here (including where to find your WishList Member license key in the Customer Center).

• You will need to update any internal links on your site since the URL is changing. This includes any links that used to direct to other pages/posts within the site using the previous site URL. This is more of a general WordPress related task since the site URL is changing. 
  
• With that being said, you'll also want to update the URL(s) for any integrations you may have set up in WishList Member. This includes any Payment Provider, Email Provider, or Other Services you may have configured in the Setup > Integrations section of WishList Member.
  
  As an example, if you have an integration with a Payment Provider set up, you will need to update any of the URLs that reference the previous site. This could include Thank You URLs, Webhooks, etc. in the Integrations you use. It is recommended to look into the settings of any active integrations you have configured and check to see if any links need to be updated with the new URL once you move to the new URL.

WishList Member allows for the protection of podcasts through the use of RSS Feeds.

This means you can provide your members with a podcast only they can access.

The video below runs through a method to protect a podcast and provide access through the RSS Feed.

Please Note: The video references an HTML Block to insert the RSS Feed onto a page. You can also simply insert the WishList Member RSS Feed without HTML if you would like. This can be done using the WishList Member RSS Feed shortcode.

More info on how to insert the RSS Feed shortcode onto a page can be found in this article.

Video Tutorial

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Hide Protected Content from WordPress Menu and Pages

The focus in the video below is placed on using the sequential upgrade feature with private tags to display content in a specific way to your members as they progress through the schedule. You can set your site navigation to only show the pages your members have access to when they actually gain access.

This can be done using the WishList Protection option for menu items in the Appearance > Menu section of WordPress.

The screenshot example below shows the My Lessons page with three sub menu items (a page for each membership level named Module 01, Module 02 and Module 03).

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This means you could have a selection of membership levels and you can decide to only show a link to the corresponding protected page once the member has been upgraded to the next membership level. You can use WishList Member private tags to hide the links on a page and can use WishList Member protection options on the WordPress menu items to hide those from the site navigation.

The screenshot below shows the My Lessons page with the WishList Member private tags being used to hide links to the protected pages. Only members with the assigned membership level will be able to view the protected content on the live site.

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The results being a page and site menu that only shows content when the member can access it.

Here is a screenshot example of how that appears to a member who has progressed through the sequential upgrade and has access to the Module 01 and Module 02 membership levels so far. They can see the content for those first two levels but cannot see the content assigned to the Module 03 level yet.

Once they can access the Module 03 level, they will be able to see the corresponding content.

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You have full control over what appears in the site menu and what appears if the member cannot access the protected content yet. The details are included in the Video Tutorial below.

Video Tutorial

Saving time while working on your membership site is always a good thing. Another item that falls into the “good thing” category is anything that improves the user experience for you and your members. The inherit protection option in WishList Member can help save you time (and a few clicks) while also providing access to your members.

You can select a piece of content as the parent and other pieces of content as the content children. Then you can simply set protection and access for the parent content and automatically apply those same settings to the children content.

Setting Parent Content Protection and Access

You'll notice the “Inherited” option that appears in the Protection and Access section when editing the WishList Member settings for a page or post in WordPress.

The screenshot example below shows a page named “Child Page 1”. The Access section states “No parent to inherit protection from” since “Child Page 1” doesn't currently have a parent page set.

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So “Child Page 1” cannot inherit protection settings unless it has a parent page set. It could then inherit the protection and access settings from that parent page if you wanted.

The screenshot below shows a page named “Parent Page”. It is set as protected and members with the Gold level can access it.

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This means you could set “Parent Page” as the parent of “Child Page 1” and you could then set “Child Page 1” to inherit the protection and access settings of “Parent Page”.

The screenshot below shows this setup applied to “Child Page 1”. You can click the Apply Settings button to save the settings. It states the Access has been inherited from the “Parent Page” which is protected and can be accessed by members in the Gold level.

So members in the Gold level can access both “Parent Page” and “Child Page 1”.

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The Inherited option appears when editing any post or page in WordPress if the WishList Member plugin is installed.

Automatically apply Protection Settings to new Content under this Page

There is another option which can make creating parent and child content quicker and easier moving forward.

You can enable the option to automatically apply the protection settings to new content created under the parent content. Basically, you can set a parent page and any new child content you create will automatically inherit the protection and access settings of the parent.

The screenshot below shows the “Automatically apply Protection Settings to new Content under this Page” setting enabled and the “Apply Protection Settings to Content under this Page” setting appears. Clicking that button applies the settings.

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Now, any page that is created and has “Parent Page” set as its parent page will automatically inherit the protection and access settings.

The screenshot below shows a newly created page named “Child Page 2”. It also shows “Parent Page” has been set as its Parent Page.

This results in the Protection and Access section showing it has already inherited the settings from “Parent Page”. So “Child Page 2” is protected and only members in the Gold level can access it.

Any page that is created and has “Parent Page” set as its Parent Page will be protected and only accessible by Gold members.

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Using the Inherit Protection option in WishList Member means you can set protection and access settings for the parent content and easily automatically apply those same settings to as many pieces of child content as you would like.

Allowing users to pay for access to your protected content can be a smooth process. Once someone has made the decision to join, they can become a member right away. There are a number of payment options within WishList Member you can use to accept a paid registration for a membership.

So the user can pay and become a member with the correct access.

In this case, we are looking into how you can create a membership sales page for a PAID membership level. This means anyone interested in joining would just need to pay the price you have set. As a quick note, if you’re interested in creating a registration page for free users, you can get details on that right here.

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Using a Payment Button / Payment Link

Each payment provider handles the processing of payments a bit differently. This depends on how they have chosen to take care of the sending and receiving of funds online. With that being said, setting up a payment provider integration with WishList Member will result in a payment button or payment link that can be used by a user to begin the purchase / registration process.

So all you need to do is integrate a membership level with a payment provider and you'll have your payment button or link. You can then insert the payment button or link onto your sales page. This will allow anyone who clicks the button or link to pay and register for the level and gain access right away.

Your sales page will include your offer. This should explain the benefits of what members will receive or gain access to when they join. You can provide details on what you offer entails and why it can help them. This is where you can detail what your members will receive as a part of your membership site.

The screenshot below doesn't include a fully written offer as it is just an example. It shows an example payment button inserted into the page.

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You can create a payment button for each level you want to sell. A paid registration for a membership can be created for any of your levels in the Setup > Integrations > Payment Providers section of WishList Member.

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Users Can Purchase and Register on the Live Site

Once you have inserted the button (or link), it will appear on the page on the live site. A user simply needs to click it to begin the purchase and registration process. They will become a member with corresponding access once they complete that process.

The screenshot below shows a button appearing on the page on the live site.

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You can use this method to allow anyone to purchase access to a membership level and your members will be able to quickly and easily join your membership.

You are going to have people who want to join your membership (and that's a really good thing). So you'll want a page they can use to quickly and easily join. WishList Member can certainly help with this.

Both “quick” and “easy” are key terms when someone is registering online. If the process is tricky or difficult, it can result in abandoned registrations. So let's keep it as simple as possible.

In this case, we are looking into how you can provide a registration page for a FREE membership level. This means anyone can sign up for access at no cost. As a quick note, if you're interested in creating a registration page for paid users, you can get details on that right here.

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Using the WishList Member Registration Shortcode

A quick way to create a registration page for a free membership level is by using the registration shortcode provided by WishList Member.

You can insert the registration shortcode for the desired membership level onto your registration page for free users and it will automatically display a registration form on that page.

As an example, lets say you had a membership level named Platinum and wanted to allow users to register to that level for free.

The shortcode would be the following:

[wlm_register “Platinum”]

You'll notice the name of the membership level appears within the shortcode. The screenshot below shows the shortcode inserted into a page.

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You can replace that level name with the name of a different level if you wanted to display a registration form for another level. (More details on registration form shortcodes can be found right here).

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Users Can Register on the Live Site

Once you have inserted the registration shortcode, the registration form will appear on the page on the live site. A user simply needs to fill in the fields on the registration form and they will become a member with corresponding access once they click the submit button.

The screenshot below shows the registration form appearing on the page on the live site.

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That is all there is to it. You can allow anyone to sign up for a membership level for free using the registration shortcode. Your members will be able to join your membership with ease.

“Maybe it was better the other way”.

This thought can pop into your head if a page was performing better before some adjustments were made. As an example, tweaks that were intended to tighten up the sales copy on an offer page may have resulted in a message that wasn’t as clear before.

So there may be times when you may want to revert back to content that was previously saved on a page. Perhaps you decide you liked the previous text better or preferred a different lay out that was used.

You can use the WordPress Revisions section to revert back to previous save points for the content on the page.

You may want to revert to a previous revision if you find a sales page was converting better in the past. It might be a case of the previously used sales copy enticing more potential members.

Rolling back to that previous version of the page could result in more sign ups.

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WordPress displays a Revisions area on the right side of the edit page section as displayed in the screenshot below.

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You can click to view the Revisions for the page and the Compare Revisions section appears. This WordPress feature allows you to roll back to previous save points. This can be helpful if you want to go back to using a previously saved version of the page.

Note: The slider on the top can be used to display different save points so you can select the revision of your choice.

The revisions will show what has been removed or added and the Restore This Revision button can be used to complete the restoration.

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The option to revert to previous revisions essentially allows you to quickly and easily roll back to a previously saved version of the page.