The Stackless Dashboard, Modules and Settings

Forty modules is a lot to look at on day one, and most stores need a handful. The risk is switching on things you don’t use and ending up with extra buttons, emails and checkout fields nobody asked for.

The Stackless dashboard is built around that. Every module is a card with an on/off switch, almost nothing is on until you turn it on and a switched-off module loads no code at all. Settings live on one screen, grouped the same way as the dashboard.

Find the Stackless Menu

Stackless for EDD adds a top-level Stackless menu to your WordPress admin, just below Downloads. It holds:

• Dashboard: the module cards and switches
• Settings: settings for every module you’ve switched on
• Emails: every email your switched-on modules send
• License: your Stackless for EDD license and updates

Modules with their own screens add them to the same menu when you switch them on: Subscriptions, Invoices, Quote requests, Licenses, Order bumps, Affiliates, Webhooks and Checkout fields. Quote requests shows a count of new requests next to its name.

Who can open what:

• Dashboard, Settings, Emails and License need the manage_shop_settings capability, so administrators and shop managers can use them.
• Subscriptions, Invoices, Quote requests and Licenses need edit_shop_payments.
• Affiliates, Webhooks, Order bumps and Checkout fields need manage_shop_settings.
• Activating or deactivating the plugin license needs an administrator.

Turn Modules On and Off

Open Stackless → Dashboard. Modules are grouped into sections, sorted by name inside each one:

• Subscriptions
• Payments
• Checkout
• Sales & invoices
• Currency
• Access & licensing
• Catalog
• Store tools
• Admin

Each card shows the module’s name, a short description and a switch. Click the switch and the change saves straight away, with no Save button. The counter at the top updates to show how many modules are on, such as “5 of 40 on”. If saving fails, the switch flips back and you see “Could not save. Reload and try again.”

Two modules are on after a fresh install: License & Updates and Payment Gateway Tools. Every other module starts off.

What happens when you switch a module on:

• Stackless runs the module’s setup, such as creating any database tables it needs.
• WordPress permalinks refresh the next time you open the Dashboard or Settings screen, so new pages and tabs work.
• A Settings link appears at the bottom of the card, if the module has settings.

Switching a module off doesn’t delete its settings or data. They stay stored, and the module picks them up again when you turn it back on.

Search and Filter Modules

Above the cards there’s a Search modules box and three filters:

• All: every module
• On: only modules you’ve switched on
• Off: only modules that are off

Search matches the module name, its description and its group, so typing “currency” finds all three currency modules. If nothing matches, the page says “No modules match your search.”

Why a Module Says It’s Paused

A module can be switched on and still not run. The card then shows the reason at the bottom:

• “Paused because (plugin name) is active and does the same job.” Another plugin already covers this job, so Stackless stays out of its way. Deactivate that plugin to let the module run.
• “Needs the (module name) module enabled.” The module depends on another one that’s off or paused.
• “Failed to start. See Downloads → Tools → Debug Log (stackless-edd-*).” The module hit an error while starting. The log entry has the details.

These are the dependencies and the plugins that pause a module:

Module	Needs	Pauses while this plugin is active
Currency-Aware Payment Gateways	Multi-Currency Checkout	–
Storefront Currency Selector	Multi-Currency Checkout	–
Modal Checkout	On-page Checkout	–
Request a Quote	Custom Invoices	–
Subscriptions	–	EDD Recurring Payments
Multi-Currency Checkout	–	EDD Multi Currency
Software Licensing	–	EDD Software Licensing
Page Access	–	EDD Content Restriction
Custom Invoices	–	EDD Invoices
Wishlist	–	EDD Wish Lists
Pay What You Like	–	EDD Custom Prices

These messages are worked out when the page loads, so reload the dashboard after switching a dependency on. Troubleshooting and Plugin Conflicts covers what to do next.

Configure a Module

Go to Stackless → Settings, or click Settings on a module’s card. The left sidebar lists every switched-on module that has settings, grouped by section. If you open Settings from the menu, the first module in the list opens.

1. Click a module in the sidebar.
2. Change what you need.
3. Click Save changes.

You’ll see “Settings saved.” at the top. If a module rejects a value while saving, such as payment keys that don’t work, its error shows above the form too.

If no modules are switched on yet, the Settings screen says “Switch on a module from the Dashboard to configure it here.” with an Open Dashboard button. A link to a module that’s off or has no settings shows “That module is switched off or has no settings.”

A few settings live outside this screen:

• License & Updates has its own screen under Stackless → License.
• Payment gateways keep their keys and modes in Stackless → Settings, but you turn each one on in Downloads → Settings → Payments, like any EDD gateway.
• Per-download settings, such as a download’s subscription plan or quantity limits, live on the download edit screen.
• Email subjects and headings live on Stackless → Emails. See Manage Stackless Emails.

Find the Right Docs Page from wp-admin

Stackless links to these docs wherever you might need help:

• Docs in the Stackless header, next to Dashboard, Settings, Emails and License
• a Docs link on every module card on the dashboard
• a How to set up (module name) link at the top of each module’s settings
• a Documentation button next to the title on the Subscriptions, Licenses, Invoices, Order bumps, Quote requests, Webhooks and Checkout fields & add-ons screens
• a short link inside the Licensing, Add-ons, Details table, Page access, Service and Pay what you like panels and the subscription settings when you edit a download
• Documentation in the plugin’s row on the Plugins screen

Every link opens in a new tab.

Good to Know

• In Stackless Lite for EDD, the free edition, the dashboard lists every paid module as a locked card with a short description. Those modules can’t be switched on until you upgrade.
• The Dashboard, Settings, Emails and License screens share a header, so you can move between them from any of them.
• The Plugins screen has a Modules link under Stackless for EDD that opens the dashboard.
• Links in the form admin.php?page=stackless-edd&tab=... forward to the matching Stackless screen.
• Module settings are stored as WordPress options named stackless_edd_{module_id}_*, and the list of switched-on modules is in stackless_edd_enabled_modules.
• Payment Gateway Tools starts on. Besides gateway copies, it marks every Stackless gateway with a Stackless label in EDD’s payment settings and order screens.