Restrict a Space to Paying Members
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Restrict a Space to Paying Members
Section titled “Restrict a Space to Paying Members”Use this guide when a space should open only for people who hold a plan, course or product you sell. Access follows the plan. It starts when the plan is active and ends when it lapses. You do nothing by hand.
What you will set up
Section titled “What you will set up”- A space that only plan holders can read and post in
- An Access Rule that links the space to your plan
- A “get the plan” message for people who do not have it yet
Before you start
Section titled “Before you start”You need a membership or course plugin that Jetonomy supports.
| Plugin | Needs |
|---|---|
| MemberPress | Free Jetonomy |
| Paid Memberships Pro | Free Jetonomy |
| WooCommerce Memberships or WooCommerce Subscriptions | Jetonomy Pro |
| Restrict Content Pro | Jetonomy Pro |
| LearnDash, Tutor LMS, LifterLMS, Sensei, MasterStudy, Learnomy | Jetonomy Pro |
WP Fusion, SureMembers and Uncanny Automator also need Pro and have their own guides. See Integrations overview.
You also need:
- The plan already created in your membership plugin
- A test account with the plan, and one without it
- A space to lock. Create it first if needed: Launch a Support Forum shows the steps.
Note: No membership plugin? You can still gate by WP Role, Capability or Trust Level in the same screen. Those rules need no extra plugin.
Step 1: Make the space private and invite-only
Section titled “Step 1: Make the space private and invite-only”An access rule only lets people in. It never locks anyone out. The lock comes from the space settings, so set them first.
- Go to Jetonomy → Spaces and click Edit under the space.
- On the General tab, set Visibility to Private.
- Set Join Policy to Invite Only.
- Click Update Space.
Without this step the rule has no effect. Jetonomy warns you on the next tab: “This rule is not restricting anyone yet.”
Step 2: Add the access rule
Section titled “Step 2: Add the access rule”- Open the Access Rules tab of the same space.
- In the Add Access Rule row, open the first dropdown and pick your plugin, for example MemberPress or PMPro. Pro adds more, such as WooCommerce, RCP and LearnDash.
- In the search box that appears, type the plan or course name and pick it. WooCommerce entries end in “(WC Membership)” or “(WC Subscription)”.
- Leave the Grants dropdown on Participate. People with the plan can then read, post, reply, vote and report.
- Click Add Rule.
A sentence under the form reads your rule back in plain English. The rule then appears under Access Rules at the bottom of the page.
| Grants | What a plan holder can do |
|---|---|
| Read | Read only |
| Participate | Read, post, reply, vote and report |
| Full | Same as Participate for ordinary members |
A rule can never make someone a moderator. To appoint one, use the Members tab. For the details, see Access level.
Step 3: Add more plans (optional)
Section titled “Step 3: Add more plans (optional)”Add another rule for each plan that should open the space. A person who matches any rule gets in. You can mix plugins, for example a MemberPress level or a LearnDash course.
Step 4: Leave Who Can Post alone
Section titled “Step 4: Leave Who Can Post alone”Open the Settings tab and keep Who Can Post on Anyone who can see it (no restriction). Plan holders are admitted by the rule but are not on the Members list, so Members Only would turn them away.
If you want plan holders on the Members list, click Sync Members next to the rule. It is a one-time snapshot. It does not remove people when a plan lapses. Their access still ends correctly without it.
Check that it works
Section titled “Check that it works”- As a guest, open the space address. You see “This space is private. Please log in to request access.” and a Log In button.
- Sign in as the test account without the plan. You see “This space is included with” followed by the plan name. A Get button for that plan appears when your plugin has a sales page for it. If it has none, the message says to ask a site administrator.
- Sign in as the test account with the plan. The space opens and + New Topic works.
- Cancel or expire that test plan in your membership plugin and reload the space. The lock returns on the next page load. Earlier posts stay in place.
Common questions
Section titled “Common questions”Do I need to sync or remove anyone when a plan ends? No. Access is checked each time someone opens the space.
Can people without the plan still see the space name? With Private, signed-in people see it in lists and get the “included with” message. With Hidden, they see “Space not found.” instead, so they never get the Get button. Plan holders also will not see a hidden space in lists until you use Sync Members. Most owners choose Private.
Why does the Private plus Open combination not work? Open lets any signed-in person join without the plan. Use Invite Only.
The Get button is missing. Roles, capabilities, trust levels, CRM tags and access groups are not things a visitor can buy, so no button is shown. A WooCommerce plan sold through several products also shows none.