Downloads

The Downloads module is the place to hand out files to the community: a spreadsheet, an e-book, a PDF, a template, a ZIP package. The space can be a repository (several items, each with one or more files) or one file only. Each item is free for whoever sees the space, sold through a product or included in a plan.

Files are stored in a private area. Nobody gets a permanent address: each download creates, on the spot, a link that works for 5 minutes.

#What it's for

#How it works

#Repository or one file only

When you create the space, the How the space works step asks for the mode:

In Repository, categories are optional (the screen suggests Spreadsheets, E-books and Templates). Each item has at most one category, and a category that has items can only be removed after you move or delete those items.

#The item

A new item starts as a Draft (only the team and the author see it). Publish requires at least one file. Unpublishing sends the item back to draft.

#Accepted files

• Up to 200 MB per file. There's no limit on the number of files.
• No executables and no other file type. Memberfy checks the file's content, not just the extension: an executable renamed to .pdf is refused and deleted.
• The upload goes straight from your browser to storage, with a progress bar, and you can send several files at once by dragging them.
• Files count toward the community's storage, which only warns when it goes over the limit: storage never blocks an upload.
• Each person can make up to 60 media uploads per hour (Downloads files and other hosted media); past that, the screen asks you to try again later.
• Replace puts another file in its place; Remove file asks for confirmation ("Whoever already downloaded it keeps their copy."). Whoever downloads later gets the new file. Removing the last file of a published item sends it back to draft.
• The order of the files changes with Move up and Move down.

#Who uploads and who sets it up

The owner and the admin can open uploading to members in Who can post. This adds to the space's access rule: whoever doesn't see the space neither uploads nor downloads.

#Approving members' items

With Review members' items on in the space settings, an item created by a member stays In review, hidden from others, until the team decides in the moderation queue. The space's In review tab shows the queue.

• Approve publishes the item at once, if it already has a file (the author doesn't need to publish again).
• Reject asks for the reason, and the author is told.
• Editing a member's published item sends it back to review.
• The team's items don't go through the queue.

#Price and sale

Each item is created with a product linked to it, as a draft and free. On the item's page, the team sees the Price and sale strip, which opens the product to set the price, stock and plans, and to publish. This product has the Download kind and can't be deleted separately: deleting the item archives the product. See Product types.

#Who downloads

• Whoever has no access sees the item with a lock: title, cover, price and the Buy button, without the file names and without a link.
• A refund, a chargeback, the end of the access period and leaving the plan close access to new downloads. Whoever already downloaded keeps the copy they have, but having downloaded before doesn't guarantee access: only the current rule counts.
• An item that was free and becomes paid: whoever hasn't bought it and has no plan that includes it now needs to buy it, even if they downloaded it before.
• Stock (optional): if the product has stock and it runs out, the item shows as sold out and the waitlist comes in. With stock set, even an item priced at zero goes through a "get it free" confirmation to take the unit.
• The purchase confirmation e-mail for a download leads to My downloads (sign-in required), never to a file link.

#My downloads

Each member sees what they can download under Billing › My purchases › My downloads: the items bought, included in the plan or free, with where the access comes from (Purchased, In your plan, Free), the purchase date, the last download and, when there's a deadline, "Access until". The list only shows what the person can actually download, with dates in the community's time zone.

#Stamp PDFs

In Edit for the item, whoever manages an item that has at least one PDF sees the Stamp PDFs switch (off by default). When it's on, whoever downloads a PDF gets a copy with a small gray line at the bottom of the last page: "Downloaded by {e-mail} on {date and time}", in the community's time zone.

• The team and the author download without the stamp, to check the file. The original is never changed.
• A PDF over 25 MB, password-protected or corrupted comes out without the stamp, and the download works normally.
• Other file types aren't stamped.
• The stamp helps trace a leak, but doesn't prevent it: whoever has the file can share it.

#Counters for the team

On the item's page, the team sees how many downloads there were, in total and by distinct people, per item and per file, and the date of the last one. The team's own downloads aren't counted. Members don't see counters. The numbers show how many, not who.

#Step by step

#Create the space

Role: owner or admin.

1. In Add Space, choose the Downloads module.
2. In the How the space works step, choose Repository or One file only.
3. In a repository, add the Categories (optional) and, if members will upload, turn on Review members' items.
4. Set the visibility and Who can post, and create the space.

To change the mode, the categories or the approval later, use Space settings in the Space management bar. Switching to One file only with an item that has two or more files is refused.

#Create an item and upload the files

Role: whoever the space lets create.

1. In the space, click New download (in one-file mode, Add the file).
2. Fill in Title, Description, Category and the Cover, and click Create and add files.
3. On the item's page, under Files, drag the files in or use Choose files.
4. When they've all finished, click Publish.

#Sell the item

Role: owner or admin.

1. On the item's page, click Price and sale.
2. Set the Price and, if you like, the stock and the plans that include the item, and publish the product. See Products. Publishing a priced product requires approved Business Information; a free product doesn't.
3. Whoever has no access now sees the price and Buy.

#Download

1. Open the item and click Download next to the file ("The download link is made when you click and works for 5 minutes.").
2. To review what you have, open My downloads.

#Examples

The course e-book. A Materials space (Repository, Private visibility). The item Excel from Scratch E-book is published at US$ 29. Students see the lock and Buy · US$ 29.00; whoever bought it downloads it. The item Exercise spreadsheet, with no price, is for all students.

The house manual. A Manual space in One file only mode: only the team uploads, and every member downloads the PDF. To publish a new version, the team uses Replace on the file.

Members' templates. A repository with the Templates category. The admin opens uploading to members and turns on review: a template sent by a member only shows up after the team approves it.

#Common errors and how to fix them

#Frequently asked questions

Can the file link be shared? It works for 5 minutes and is created for whoever clicked. If you want to trace where a PDF leak came from, turn on the stamp.

Can I sell a file without creating a product? No: every item has its own product, as a free draft, and the price is set on it.

Does someone who bought the item lose access if I replace the file? No. The new file applies to the next downloads; access continues.

Can I download all of an item's files at once? Not yet: each file has its own button.

Is there an antivirus? No. Memberfy blocks executables and checks the type by the content, but doesn't scan files for viruses.

#Through the assistant

The assistant sets up the space, creates items, uploads files (by link or file), publishes, shows the counters and, for whoever downloads, lists the downloads and hands over the 5-minute link. See Tools · Downloads.

#In the API

GET and PUT /api/downloads/spaces/{spaceId} (mode, categories, approval); GET and POST /api/downloads/items, GET, PUT and DELETE /api/downloads/items/{id}; files under /api/downloads/items/{id}/files (upload-url, confirm, reorder, {fileId}/replace and DELETE {fileId}); POST /api/downloads/files/{fileId}/download (returns the 5-minute link and stamped); GET /api/me/downloads; GET /api/downloads/items/{id}/stats; and the queue GET /api/moderation/downloads/pending. The community comes from the X-CommunityId header. The 1:1 product comes in the item's product field.

#Related

• Products
• Plans
• Moderation
• Modules
• Member billing