software store with serials

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12 years 6 days ago #47559

Hello,

we need a solution to sell a software, more precice to delivere a softwaredownload and sell an activation key.
Is there a way with HikaSerial you can offer? Do you need more informations as the following ones?

The shop website has to sell activation keys. The keys include the following information:
• User name (windows user)
• expiration date
• Item number
From my point of view there are two alternative ways to solve this requirement:
1. The shop generates the activation keys (serial):
In this case the shop developers must give us the code to check the activation key which the user has bought. The code must be able to be implemented into a .Net program. There also have to be security arrangements which prevents the activation key generation from being hacked easily.
2. The shop gets the activation key from a program on the server or from a web service:
In this case the shop has to invoke the external program with the two parameters “item number” and “user name” and will get back the activation key.

In both solutions thereafter the activation key has to be viewed to the buyer and has to be sent in an E-Mail.

Other requirements:
• Collection in kind of credit card or Paypal
• Creation of an invoice with or without VAT depending on the country of the user or – in EU – depending on given VAT number.

Awaiting your reply,
Thomas

Last edit: 12 years 6 days ago by tracer.

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12 years 5 days ago #47685

Hi,

HikaSerial is design for this kind of work: sell an activation key.

Your key algorithm is based on some information so you need a HikaSerial plugin for the generation.
A HikaSerial generator is like a Joomla plugin (a PHP class which extends from JPlugin) with a "generate" function.
This function is call with several information like the HikaSerial pack object, the HikaShop order, the quantity of serials needed.

It is complicated for a PHP website to retrieve the Windows username but it is easy to get the Joomla Username of to read an HikaShop custom field.
After that, the plugin could generate the serial if you implement the algorithm in PHP. The plugin could call a webservice in order to retrieve the activation key which has been generate by another program. The plugin could generate the serial thanks to an software installed on the software (execute an executable file).
Your are totally free to choose how you want to implement your generator plugin.
I am currently working on different examples of plugins for the next version of HikaSerial.

When an order is confirmed, HikaShop send an email to the customer and HikaSerial could add his serial data into.
The serial is accessible in the website too, in the HikaShop user panel it is possible to show his orders and HikaSerial is integrated in this view too.

About your two last points, it is some HikaShop features.
HikaShop has a lot of payment plugins including Paypal, I am sure that you will found what you want.
The VAT with teh VAT number is supported. It is a feature that we use in our HikaShop store. When you want to buy HikaShop or HikaSerial, you can enter your VAT number and have an invoice without VAT.

Regards,
Jerome

Jerome - Obsidev.com
HikaMarket & HikaSerial developer / HikaShop core dev team.

Also helping the HikaShop support team when having some time or couldn't sleep.
By the way, do not send me private message, use the "contact us" form instead.

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12 years 5 days ago #47750

Hi Jerome,

I’m Thomas client and the developer of the program (Office Panorama) that shall be sold.

I have the following questions:

1. To prevent the user to use an activation key twice or more I want to hook the activation key on the windows user name. When the user wants to buy the key he has to fill in the user name into an input field. For better understanding what is mentioned with “windows user name” the field should be prefilled with the windows user name of the system from which the buyer has entered the home page. The Joomla User name is totally uninteresting for this issue because there’s no connection to Joomla when the user is using Office Panorama.

Is this a request that can be done with HokaStore?

2. If we use HikeSerial: How can we check the activation key when a user is activating? Is it possible to use the HikaSerial Plugin in a .Net application to check the activation key?

3. Which kind of security measures do you use to avoid generating of activation keys by hackers?

Kind Regards
Manfred

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12 years 5 days ago #47752

Hi Thomas,

Thanks to HikaShop business it is possible to use "item custom fields".
So you can ask for the "windows username" for each product that the customer would add in his cart.
When HikaSerial would ask for the serial generation, it would retrieve the value of this "item custom field" and would use it for his generation.
So yes, it is something which can be done with HikaShop business.

A serial is generated when an order is confirmed. But you can configure the order status that allow the assignation of a serial.

The security about serial generation is the security of HikaShop and of the payment system.
It is not possible to confirmed an order without validating the payment and HikaSerial won't generate (or assign) a serial without the confirmation of the order.
The serial would be stored in the Joomla database, a .NET application could check the serial.
Does the .NET application would be the server or the client ?
The server could check directly in the database, the client could use a webservice (thanks to a Joomla plugin).

HikaSerial have different status for his serials : "free", "used", "unassigned".
But in the next version of HikaSerial, a new status would be added : "assigned". It would be possible to make the different between a serial which as been assigned and a serial which has been activated (used) by the user.

Regards,
Jerome

PS : If you have more specific and private questions about your development, you can contact me to my email: jerome at hikashop dot com

Jerome - Obsidev.com
HikaMarket & HikaSerial developer / HikaShop core dev team.

Also helping the HikaShop support team when having some time or couldn't sleep.
By the way, do not send me private message, use the "contact us" form instead.

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