FxFactory 9.0.1 offers developers a path to create paid upgrades for existing products based on native plug-ins while continuing to use the same project files (FxPack and FxTemplates).
What About Motion Templates?
FxFactory 9.0.2 brings the same functionality to Motion Template-based products. You will find the instructions in a separate guide: Seamless Paid Upgrades for Motion Templates
First Step
Until now, the version assigned to a plug-in had no special meaning. It was only helpful for bookkeeping, for example to distinguish between different versions of otherwise identically-named plug-ins:
Beginning with version 9.0.1, the plug-in version can become an additional criteria to decide if the output of the plug-in should be watermarked. This is controlled by the Licensing option:
Selecting the third option instructs FxFactory to consider the plug-in to be licensed only if the user has purchased a license for a version that is at least as recent as the plug-in:
For example, if your plug-in is at version 2.0, but the user has purchased a license for version 1.0 of your product, its output will be watermarked. If the user later purchases an upgrade to version 2.0 of your product (or perhaps an even later version, say 3.0) the plug-in no longer watermarks its output.
Let’s review the three options provided by Licensing:
- Does not require a license: the output of this plug-in is never watermarked. This allows developers to embed free plug-ins inside a commercial product. Sometimes plug-ins that use this option just function in a supporting role inside a Motion Template, whose watermark is already provided through different means.
- Requires a license for any version of this product: the output of the plug-in is watermarked until any version of the product is purchased. This has been and will continue to be the default option for all new plug-ins.
- Requires a license for a version of this product equal or greater than the plug-in: the output is watermarked both when the product is unlicensed, or if a license was purchased for a previous version of the product. When this option is enabled, the plug-in’s version is compared to the license version:
In most cases, there is no point in making older versions available to users who have upgraded, or who happen to be using the product in trial mode. To accomplish this, enable the Hide this version when a newer version of the product option:
Ideally the same behaviors you choose for your plug-ins should apply to its Motion templates. Similar configuration options are available in the FxTemplates counterpart to your FxPack. Rather than manually comparing and adjusting the two, click the new Sync button in the FxTemplates UI to have rules you set on the native plug-in applied to the Motion template that embeds said plug-in:
How Do I Link Licenses to a Specific Product Version?
You don’t! Your product may have started at version 1.0 and perhaps gone through a few free maintenance updates (1.0.1, 1.0.2, etc.) When it’s time for a big release, a paid upgrade, you submit the product and let us make the necessary changes.
If your product should require a paid upgrade to version 2.0, our changes ensure that plug-ins whose version is 2.0 will be watermarked until the appropriate license has been purchased.
What If I Want to Take Special Action in the Composition?
There may be situations where instead of creating a new version of a plug-in, you may wish to paywall certain features only. To do this, the required logic must be implemented in your composition. Beginning in FxCore 9.0.1, you can add a new License Info node:
Publish its input, and map it to the new License Info input in the FxPack:
By default, the node lets you determine the decisions made by FxFactory regarding the licensing status of that plug-in:
You can enable additional outputs to give you fine-grained control:
For example, you might enable a feature only if the user has licensed at least version 2.0 of the product:
If the product isn’t licensed at all, the version string will be 0.0.0. The composition should be careful about checking both licensed status as well as whether the product is considered upgradable and/or watermarked.
Not for Every Product!
Despite its obvious advantages, the seamless upgrade scheme may not automatically be the best option for every product. The next section will help put things in context, so that you can make the best decision for your products.
Putting Things In Context
In previous versions of FxFactory, the only way to publish a paid upgrade for a product was to create new project files to host your plug-ins and templates, and discontinue the old version.
For example, if your product was called Wheezy and shipped with a product ID of wheezy, version 2 would need to use a new product ID, usually wheezy2. Landing pages and custom URLs would have to be updated to the new product ID.
Inconvenient for Existing Users!
Both existing customers and trial users have to manually install the new version to decide whether to upgrade or purchase a license. The version already on their system becomes discontinued. This is especially inconvenient for existing customers, who have to manually restore that purchase from that point forward:
When users sign in, FxFactory automatically restores previous purchases only if they are deemed compatible with the system and if the product has not been discontinued.
Advantages of Seamless Upgrades
A seamless upgrade uses the same project files and same product information. Paid upgrades therefore become as easy as free, maintenance updates:
- Any user with the previous version of your product will be offered to install the new version. On its default settings, FxFactory automatic downloads and installs the new version. This applies to existing customers as well as users who happened to have the trial version of your product on their system.
- Existing customers continue to use the previous version of your plug-ins without a watermark, as expected.
- New plug-ins are rendered with watermark until an upgrade license is purchased.
- On-screen and in the parameter inspector, existing customers see a new Upgrade button which directs them to purchase an upgrade license. An old, licensed plug-in will therefore render without a watermark, but offer the upgrade:
- Trial users see the regular Buy button on both old and new plug-ins, and the output is always watermarked.
