Two subscriptions at the same time? How does VBulletin differentiate?

[dssart]

I'm having a problem with an existing subscription that is setup on my forum. I have 35 active users so I really can't shut it down to test something else. It is $20 a year (if that matters)

I'm trying to setup a test subscription for $1 for 7 days access to run along side this. I set it up in PayPal and I set it up in the subscription manager in my admincp.

So, I have the code for my new PayPal "Subscribe" button which I display in my header. This is for the $1 for 7 day access test. If I replace the old button with this button, how will Vbulletin know which subscription to activate for any new subscribers? Am I missing something?

[Trevor Hannant]

The code behind the button will link to a specific subscription provided you're using the full code that PayPal have provided.

[dssart]

Thanks Trevor, that I understood. But after I click the link on my forum, to the subscription on PayPal, how does PayPal know which active VBulletin subscription to go to?

I have two active subscriptions on my forum. Subscription 1 is 1 year @ $20. Subscription 2 is 1 week @ $1. What links either of these to my Vbulletin forum, telling my forum "John Q. Member has subscribed to Subscription 1. Grant him the following access for 1 year"?

I must be missing something here, so please accept my level of apology according to the magnitude of my oversight.

[dssart]

OK I had my tester helper try to sign up with the new subscription (subscription 2 @ $1 for 1 week). I received the "You have a new subscriber" email from PayPal, but no new members show up in the subscription manager in Vbulletin. This tells me VBulletin and PayPal are not communicating as I've heard nothing or seen nothing that indicated VBulletin has acknowledged this new subscriber.

[Trevor Hannant]

can I just clarify here - is your button linking directly to PayPal or to the vBulletin subscription page?

[dssart]

The button on my forum links to PayPal. Here is the code:

<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
<input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_s-xclick">
<input type="hidden" name="hosted_button_id" value="xxxx">
<input type="image" src="http://www.xxxx.com/paypal.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!">
<img alt="" border="0" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" height="1">
</form>

Should the button be linked to someplace else? Please tell me I'm right so I don't look like a global idiot..the old button worked similarly with the same code. I'm confused..

[Trevor Hannant]

If your button is linking directly to PayPal, then vBulletin doesn't know about the purchase and PayPal won't tell it. You need to have your users order via the Paid Subscriptions page.

This will also allow PayPal to differentiate between different subscriptions as each will be given a separate ID when submitted to PayPal.

[dssart]

OK, but I had been using the paypal "subscribe" button when I had one subscription and it was working fine without going to the paid subscriptions page. After I'm finished testing, and I delete the test subscription leaving only one subscription to choose from, the button will work correct?

I'm certain that's how I set it up originally and it did work, it's just I had a problem with recurring payments that I had to iron out.