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Distribute a Free Oxygen Design Set with Asura and Connector

oxygen

A free design set is still something you need to deliver. You don't want to hand out a full-access API, and you don't want to send three separate keys for three design sets. This video shows how to distribute a free Oxygen design set with Asura. You create an API with only connector permission, put several design sets on one license, and the customer installs all of them with the free Asura Connector plugin.

Starting point: three design sets on one site

In the previous tutorial we created three design sets on one installation: Design Set 1 - Blog, Design Set 1 - Utility and Design Set 1 - Shop. On the source site you can see which pages belong to which set in the Designsets column under Pages. For example, Schedule belongs to both Design Set 1 - Shop and Design Set 1 - Utility.

The design set is free, but you still need a license and an API so that customers can connect to your site and pull the sets.

Create a connector API

The API you give to customers should only let them download design sets. It should not give them full access to your Asura install. The Connector permission limits the API to that job.

  1. Go to Aether → Asura and open the APIs tab.
  2. Click Add New.
  3. Enter a Label. We used Design Set 1 - Customer.
  4. Leave Status set to enable.
  5. Change Permission from Full to Connector.
  6. Click Submit.

The APIs list now shows the full-permission API next to the new one with the connector permission. Each has its own Key and Secret.

Create a license and bundle multiple design sets

A license can cover one design set or several. If you put all three sets on one license, the customer enters one key and gets everything.

  1. In Asura, open the Licenses tab and click Add New.
  2. Enter a License Key. You type it yourself here, since this license is created manually.
  3. Leave Status set to enable.
  4. Optionally set Max Activation and Expire At.
  5. If you already run a shop, you can assign the license to a customer under User (Find User).
  6. Under Terms, pick the design sets this license unlocks. We picked Design Set 1 - Utility, Design Set 1 - Blog and Design Set 1 - Shop.
  7. Click Submit.

In the video we made one license for Utility only, then a second license that bundles all three. When Max Activation and Expire At are left empty, the licenses list shows unlimited activations (0 / ∞) and no expiry date.

What the customer does: install Aether and Asura Connector

Your customers don't need Asura. They need the framework and the free connector plugin. Both come up when you search the plugin directory for "dplugins".

  1. Go to Plugins → Add New and search for dplugins.
  2. Install and activate Aether – dPlugins Framework.
  3. Install and activate Asura Connector.

Add the provider API and activate the license

The customer now needs two things from you: the connector API and the license key.

  1. Go to Aether → Asura Connector.
  2. Add a provider, paste the API you gave them, and save.
  3. Open the licenses screen, click Manage licenses, paste the bundle license key and add it.

Run the install wizard

The wizard lets the customer decide how much of their current Oxygen setup gets replaced. They can import a design set into a site that is already built without losing their settings.

  1. Open the provider's Install Wizard.
  2. For Overwrite all Oxygen's settings?, choose Keep & disable or Overwrite.
  3. Under Apply on, check what to import: Colors, Stylesheets, Oxygen's Settings, Stylesets, Selectors, Templates, Pages, Classes.
  4. The Design sets list shows every set on the license. With the bundle license, all three appear right away.
  5. Click Install on each set and wait for it to finish.

Afterwards, check Pages to confirm that the design set pages were installed.

Who is this for

  • Oxygen Builder design set authors who want to give a set away for free and still decide who can install it.
  • Agencies and freelancers who share a starter design between their own sites or with clients, without giving out a full-access API.
  • Anyone selling several design sets who wants to deliver a group of them under a single license key.

FAQ

Do I need a license for a free design set in Asura? Yes. Even for a free set, you create a license (and an API) so the customer's Asura Connector can connect to your site and install the set.

What is the difference between Full and Connector API permission? Full gives complete API access. Connector is limited, and it's the one you give to customers so they can install design sets with Asura Connector.

Can one license include multiple design sets? Yes. In the Terms field of a license you can select several design sets. When the customer adds that license, the install wizard lists all of them.

Can I limit how many sites use the license or when it expires? Yes. Set Max Activation and Expire At when you create the license. Leave them empty for unlimited activations and no expiry.

What plugins does the customer need? Aether – dPlugins Framework and Asura Connector. Both install from Plugins → Add New.

More DPlugins tools → dplugins.com

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