Documentation

Linux server running WordPress 3.0+ and PHP5, Windows servers can work too but we offer limited support for that environment.

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1. Unzip the downloaded wp-auctions.zip file to a primary folder called “wp-auctions” on your computer.
2. Using your favorite FTP client, like FileZilla, navigate to your wp-content/plugins/ directory on your server.
3. Upload the entire wp-auctions/ folder to the plugins directory.
4. Go to your Plugins admin area and activate the plugin.
5. Configure your settings and start adding your first auction.

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1. Download the wp-auctions.zip file to your computer.
2. Upload the wp-auctions.zip file via the “Plugins > Add New > Upload” page.
3. Activate the plugin.
4. Configure your settings and start adding your first auction.

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There are two ways to upgrade WP Auctions. Before upgrading make sure you have the latest version by logging into the Weborithm Products area and downloading from the WP Auctions product area.

Due to various server configurations we cannot guarantee that upgrading will leave your auctions intact. We recommend you wait till your auctions are over, end manually or deleted before upgrading. If you have to upgrade due to an error which was fixed please inform your bidders that the auction will be closed and re-opened again.

Upgrade via WordPress backend

1. De-activate and delete the plugin from your Plugins area. This will not delete your auctions or bids from the database.
2. Upload the latest version from the plugins backend upload area.
3. Activate the plugin.

Upgrade via FTP

1. Simply overwrite the updated files with your FTP client. We’ll usually let you know which files to update so you don’t have to upload everything.
2. Refresh the WP Auctions plugin page.

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Very Important: You can only place ONE auction per Post/Page. If you want to show a list of auctions in a Page, try our List Widget add-on.

1. First, you need to add your auction.
2. Set the “Show auction in AJAX Popup?:” to No and enter the URL of your Post/Page. Remember, your Post/Page has to be published already. This step is necessary to form a relationship between the Post/Page and the auction.
3. You can then emded the auction in your Post/Page by using the custom panel that shows all your live auctions in a drop down or by using the custom shortcode [ wpauction id="1" ] where 1 is the auction ID. The auction ID is available from the Current Auctions panel of the plugin.
4. If you embed an auction in a Post/Page without forming a relationship, from step 2 above, then the notification emails that get sent out will not re-direct the bidders to the correct location on your site.

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WP Auctions includes functionality that will resize your auction images to the appropriate size for your page. In order for this to work, you need to ensure that the /file folder in the plugin directory is available for write access by the plugin. You can do this by accessing the folder with your FTP client and changing the permissions of the folder to 777 (using CHMOD).

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You would have to be an Administrator or an Editor to place auctions.

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The textareas where you enter your Bank Details and Mailing Address will be saved and sent out in the email to the auction winner. Typically, you should enter the information that is relevant for you to get paid. For example, your bank name and address and the account number where you would like money to be wire transferred. The mailing address is self-explanatory.

The plugin does not have an in-built function to perform Bank Transfers, that is something which should be handled by the user and auction winner through whichever means available.

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On the main WP Auction settings page, you can select whether you want bidders to be registered or not. The registration system is the default system used by WordPress, so if you have set all registrants to be “Subscribers” they will be able to bid. You can set the status of registrants on the “Settings > General” page.

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Installation

• Upload the ZIP file you downloaded as you would normally do any other plugin, via the Plugins > Add New > Upload area..
• Once uploaded you need to activate the plugin as well, otherwise it won’t work.

Uploading via FTP

These are programs that let you connect to your host via FTP. You need your hosting account FTP username and password to connect. Contact your hosting provider for more information.

PC – FileZilla

MAC – List of Mac FTP Clients

Usage

Please make sure to remove the spaces between the [ ] below.

1. To use this widget simply place the following shortcode into your Post or Page:

[ wpa_list_widget mode="list" ]

2. To limit how many auctions you want to show, use the maxrec filter:

[ wpa_list_widget mode="list" maxrec="3" ]

In the example above, 3 auctions will be shown randomly from all your Current Auctions.

3. To show the description, use the  limitdesc filter in the shortcode:

[ wpa_list_widget mode="sidebar" limitdesc="50" maxrec="3" ]

In the example above, your description will be limited to the first 50 characters (not words). The word “Hello” is 5 characters.

NOTE: The description will not be shown in the “list” mode.

4. To show auctions from a certain category, use the  category filter in the shortcode:

[ wpa_list_widget mode="list" limitdesc="50" maxrec="3" category="CategoryName" ]

In the example above, auctions from the category “CategoryName” will be shown. Category names with spaces will not work unfortunately, so “Art Gallery” would not work, whereas “ArtGallery” will.

5. To show auctions in a particular order, use the  order filter in the shortcode:

[ wpa_list_widget limitdesc="50" maxrec="3" order="xxx" ]

Where xxx can be: random, date, datedesc, price or pricedesc.

NOTE: price or pricedesc will show the auctions based on the current bid price only and NOT the starting bid price.

6. To paginate your auctions, use the  perpage filter in the shortcode:

[ wpa_list_widget perpage="1" ]

In the example above, all your auctions will be shown in 1 page. If you want to show less per page then increase the number accordingly. So if you have 10 auctions, you can use perpage=”2″ and the List Widget would only show 2 auctions per page.

Filters

mode=”list” – This will show your auctions in a list format. Descriptions are not shown in this mode. Leaving it out will show it in an alternative list format. Properties: list and sidebar.

limitdesc=”50″ – This will limit the characters in your description to the first 50. You can enter any number you like there.

maxrec=”3″ – This limits how many auctions you would like to show.

category=”CategoryName” – This filter lets you specify auctions from one category. Enter the category name for all auctions from that category to show.

order=”xxx” – This filter lets you specify the order in which you want to show your auctions. Properties: random, date, datedesc, price and pricedesc.

perpage=”1″ – This filter allows you to list a desired amount of auctions per page with the List Widget.

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Installation

You need to upload the downloaded ZIP file to the plugins directory of your WordPress install via FTP or the plugin upload area. Once uploaded you need to activate the add-on separately from the main admin panel of the plugin.

After activation you will see a new menu item under the “WP Auctions” menu tab called “Bulk Upload”.

Important!

Please do not use the CSV import if you have any live auctions. It could very well cause errors for your live auctions and possible delete any bids you received. This add-on is to be only used with a fresh batch of auctions.

If you want to edit your live auctions after upload please use the “Manage” area to edit them as needed. Since there are literally hundreds of thousands of various server settings out there this is the safest route to take.

Options

1. Purge Database: This option allows you to completely delete your auction database. Be careful with this one, it will REALLY delete everything if you select the “Yes” option.

- What is this option for?

Basically, it allows you to delete your records if you get any errors with the import of your CSV file. As a fail safe it is always set to “No” just in case you didn’t actually want to delete your auctions. If you select “Yes” and delete your records there’s nothing we can do about it. So PLEASE make a backup of your auctions first before continuing with this option.

2.Export Records: You can export a CSV file of your auctions using this option. Simply click on “Export CSV” and the download should start.

3. Import Records: This option allows you to import your auctions from a specification ready CSV file. The file MUST be in the EXACT specifications mentioned, otherwise you will receive an error. If the first row of your file has column headings you can select the option present to have the upload process skip it. The first row is present by default in the sample CSV file.

FAQ

- My import failed?

Please review the error posted by the add-on and re-check your CSV file for any errors, specifically the start date and time. It HAS to match the specification posted.

- Can I use HTML and video embeds in the CSV file?

Yes, you can. However be careful about some punctuations like ‘ and ;. They might cause some issues with a few servers during import and give you an error.

- Can I change the date format?

No, sorry. At this point of time it is in the DD/MM/YYYY format. We might add support for others later.

- Why do I have one auction repeated twice?

You probably imported a CSV file that had the auction present the first time and uploaded a new CSV file with the previous auction still present in it. Simply delete the repeated auction by visiting your “Manage” screen.

- Will importing auctions delete any bids that are placed on live auctions?

Yes. If you have live auctions WITH bids on them then please make sure any further CSV file import does not have the same auction in it. It will add another similar auction and could cause your live auction bids to get deleted or cause undue errors.

If you get any other specific error please post them on our support page.

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This is the default re-direction scheme, i.e http://www.example.com/?auction_to_show=1.

The above link will show the auction, with the ID 1, on your home page. Your home page must either have the sidebar widget or a front page sticky Post/Page with any auction embedded in it.

If you do not have the sidebar widget, or a front page sticky Post/Page with an auction in it, and you are embedding auctions in a Post/Page, then you must form a relationship with the Post/Page and the auction. See “How do I place an Auction in a Post/Page?” for instructions on how to do that.

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In order for WP Auctions to be correctly configured you MUST set the “Auction Engine”. Your three choices are “Standard”, “Simple” and “Reverse”.

To select your Auction Engine, click on the drop down box and select the engine you want to work with. You must literally click the drop down to select it, even if the default is set to “Standard”. Once you’ve selected it, and set your other settings, click on “Update Options”.

If you see the notice again, click on Update Options one more time.

Please note you cannot change your Auction Engine while you have live auctions on the site.

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