Auto-Download Description:

The Auto-download plug-in allows you to distribute downloadable files after the sale has been validated. Once the receipt page is displayed, the plug-in will display links to the ordered items at the bottom of the page. These links may also be added to the customer email. The user simply clicks on the links to download the files.

How it works:

When a user makes a selected purchase on your site, they process the order in the normal fashion. Just before the receipt page is displayed, the plug-in then takes the following steps:

1. If the auto_download.pl exists in the "plug-ins" directory, the AD program is automatically queried to see if the "use_auto_download" variable is turned on in the auto_download.ini configuration file.
   


2. If this variable is turned on, it reads the cart file and gets a list of what was ordered.
   


3. A special, "encrypted" sub directory is created for this specific user and an entry for this user is made into the dl.data log file recording the time and date of the purchase.
   


4. Once the users directory is created, the program goes through the purchased items list and creates links to the files on the server in the users directory. These links are then displayed at the bottom of the receipt page where the user can click to download the purchased files. These links may also be added to the bottom of the customer email.

Cleanup:

Every time someone accesses the auto_download function, the program checks the dl.data user log file to see if there are any old files on the server. If an entry in the dl.data is older than the "elapsed_time" setting in the auto_download.ini configuration file, the links and directories are deleted and the entry in the dl.data user log file is removed.

The only problem with this is that if the program is not run for a long time, the download directories can remain for a long time. We have provided a small cgi program called cleanup.pl that can be run from a cron job on the server every day at midnight. This little program simply checks the elapsed time and deletes the files and directories if necessary.

Order the Auto Download Plug-in (Version 2.12):