Date based EOT instead of fixed duration

I read several threads that recommend using PHP’s date() function to calculate a custom duration based on the current date; but I am still ignorant about how to input this calculated number of days into the rp=”” value of a button shortcode… or if that’s where it goes at all. Several threads spoke of PayPal Pro forms. I do not have a PayPal Pro account.

Where do I store my code, and how do I use it in a PayPal button?

The following code is my logic to calculate the number of days until a date-based expiration. A year is added to the count if the current date is within three months of the expiration date.

$now = time();
$cutoff = strtotime('4/1');
$expire = strtotime('7/1');
if($now > $cutoff) {
  $expire = strtotime(date("Y-m-d", $expire) . "+1 year");
}
$timeleft = $expire-$now;
$daysleft = round((($timeleft/24)/60)/60) + 1;
echo $daysleft;

Hi Quentin,

The two shortcode attributes you’ll need to use are rp=”” and rt=””. Here’s what Dashboard -› s2Member® -› PayPal® Buttons -› Shortcode Attributes (Explained) says about those:

rp=”1″ Regular Period. Only valid w/ Membership Level Access and/or Independent Custom Capabilities. Must be >= 1 ( ex: 1 Week, 2 Months, 1 Month, 3 Days ).

rt=”M” Regular Term. Only valid w/ Membership Level Access and/or Independent Custom Capabilities. Possible values: D = Days, W = Weeks, M = Months, Y = Years, L = Lifetime.

The code you provided above gives the result in days, so you should set rt=”D”. Now, you’ll need to dynamically add the number of days into the rp=”” attribute (scroll over to the rp=”” attribute to see the PHP code):

[s2Member-PayPal-Button level="1" ccaps="" desc="Bronze Member / Description and pricing details here." ps="paypal" lc="" cc="USD" dg="0" ns="1" custom="example.com" ta="0" tp="0" tt="D" ra="0.01" rp="<?php echo $daysleft; ?>" rt="D" rr="1" rrt="" rra="1" image="default" output="button" /]

Now, whenever the PayPal button loads on your page, it will automatically be configured with the result in $daysleft. Keep in mind that you will need to be using a plugin like Exec-PHP to run PHP code inside your WordPress Page.

Hi Raam, thanks for your reply. From your explanation, I was on the right track. These steps produce a date-based EOT without enabling PHP execution (in PayPal button shortcodes). If you see anything alarming or potentially dangerous with this setup, please say so.

First, I created the s2-hacks.php file as outlined here and wrote this custom function, attached to the ws_plugin__s2member_before_sc_paypal_button action.

<?php
add_action("ws_plugin__s2member_before_sc_paypal_button", "s2_hacks_eot_by_date");
function s2_hacks_eot_by_date($vars = array())
{
	if ($vars["attr"]["expire"] && $vars["attr"]["cutoff"])	
	{
		$expire = strtotime($vars["attr"]["expire"] . "+1 day"); // Include all of the last day
		$cutoff = strtotime($vars["attr"]["cutoff"] . "+1 day"); // Include all of the last day
		$now = time();
		if($now > $cutoff) {
			$expire = strtotime(date("Y-m-d", $expire) . "+1 year"); // Add one year if after cutoff
		}
		$timeleft = $expire-$now;
		$daysleft = round((($timeleft/24)/60)/60) + 1; // Add one day to include the last day
		$vars["attr"]["rp"] = $daysleft; // Set the number of days
		$vars["attr"]["rt"] = "D"; // Set the rate term to days
		$vars["attr"]["custom"] .= "|" . date("Y-m-d", $expire); // Append computed EOT to the custom field
		unset($vars["attr"]["expire"]);
		unset($vars["attr"]["cutoff"]);
	}
	return;
}
?>

Next, I wrote the PayPal button shortcode, adding values for expiration and a cut off date.

[s2Member-PayPal-Button level="1" ccaps="" desc="Individual Member / non-recurring" ps="paypal" lc="" cc="USD" dg="0" ns="1" custom="domain.com" ta="0" tp="0" tt="D" ra="20.00" rp="1" rt="Y" rr="BN" rrt="" rra="1" image="default" output="button" expire="6/30" cutoff="3/31" /]

With the expire and cutoff values added to the shortcode, the custom function modifies the PayPal button:

• custom="domain.com" is appended with the expiration date "|YYYY-MM-DD"
• rp="1" is changed to the number of days remaining to and including the expiration date
• rt="Y" is changed to rt="D"

I use Simple/Shortcode Conditionals to hide this button from members above level 0.

Members above level 0 have active memberships with an EOT already configured for the desired month/day. With Fixed-Term Extensions set to Yes, I use this shortcode to allow renewals of one year:

[s2Member-PayPal-Button level="1" ccaps="" desc="Individual Member / non-recurring" ps="paypal" lc="" cc="USD" dg="0" ns="1" custom="domain.com" ta="0" tp="0" tt="D" ra="20.00" rp="1" rt="Y" rr="BN" rrt="" rra="1" image="default" output="button" /]

Again, if any of this looks as if it will break something important, please say so.

Thanks!

Quentin,

That looks good to me! Thanks very much for sharing your code here.

Awarded Quentin the Helpful and Advanced badges.