Install Stackless and Activate Your License

You’ve bought Stackless and want it running without breaking a live store. The install itself is a normal WordPress plugin upload. The two things worth getting right are the order (WooCommerce first) and the license, because the license is what brings you updates.

Nothing in Stackless is locked behind the license. Every module works without it. Activating it adds automatic updates and support, and if it ever expires, your store keeps working exactly as before.

Install the Plugin

1. Make sure WooCommerce is installed and active. Stackless needs WooCommerce 9.9 or later.
2. Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin and upload the Stackless ZIP, or upload the stackless folder to /wp-content/plugins/.
3. Activate Stackless for WooCommerce.
4. Open Stackless → Dashboard and switch on the modules you need.
5. Configure each module under Stackless → Settings.
6. Activate your license under Stackless → License.

The plugin declares WooCommerce as a required plugin, so WordPress expects WooCommerce to be active first. If WooCommerce is missing or too old, Stackless shows one of these notices and starts no modules:

• Stackless for WooCommerce needs WooCommerce installed and active.
• Stackless for WooCommerce needs WooCommerce 9.9 or newer. You have (your version).

On activation, Stackless prepares its database tables on the next page load and refreshes WordPress permalinks so its My Account tabs work.

Activate Your License

Your key lives in your account at gauravtiwari.org. No key yet? The License screen has a “Get one here” link to the product page.

1. Go to Stackless → License.
2. Paste your key into the License key field.
3. Click Activate license.

On success you’ll see “License activated. Updates will arrive through Dashboard → Updates.” The Status row turns to Active and shows either the renewal or expiry date, or Lifetime license. The key is then shown masked, with a Deactivate license button beside it.

A few rules apply here:

• Only administrators can activate or deactivate the license. A shop manager can open the screen but sees “Ask a site administrator to activate the license.”
• The license is tied to your site’s address. Activation sends the site URL to the license server, and each activation uses one of your license’s site slots.
• If activation fails, the server’s reason is shown. The fallback message asks you to check the key and that it has a free site activation.

What the License Screen Shows

The License screen has three parts:

• Status: Active, Expired (with a Renew your license link), Not activated, or Activated for a different site address.
• License key: the key field and Activate license button, or the masked key and Deactivate license.
• Updates: your installed version and a Check for updates button.

Check for updates asks WordPress to check right away and tells you whether a new version is available, with an Update now link. Below it, “License last confirmed … ago” shows when the license server last confirmed your key.

Under Reminders there’s one setting, License notices. It’s on by default and reminds administrators to activate when the license isn’t active. Untick it and click Save changes to hide those reminders.

Updates and Renewals

Once the license is active, Stackless updates arrive through Dashboard → Updates like any other plugin. Stackless checks the license server for a new version and caches the answer for 12 hours. If the server can’t be reached, it waits 30 minutes before trying again, so a slow server never slows your admin.

Once a week, Stackless asks the license server whether your key is still valid. A network error never changes your local status. Only a real answer from the server does.

When a license expires, every feature keeps working. Automatic updates and support stop until you renew, and the Plugins screen shows “Activate your license to update automatically” on the update row.

Staging Copies and Moving Sites

If you clone your site to staging or change its address, the license status reads “Activated for a different site address”. Updates stop on that copy until you activate there separately.

To move a license to a new site, click Deactivate license on the old site first. If the license server can’t be reached at that moment, Stackless still removes the license locally and warns you that the activation may still count against your limit until you remove it from your account.

The STACKLESS_LICENSE_ITEM_ID Constant

Stackless knows which product to check your key against through the STACKLESS_LICENSE_ITEM_ID constant, set in the main plugin file. You don’t need to touch it. It’s overridable in wp-config.php, along with STACKLESS_LICENSE_SERVER for the license store address, which defaults to https://gauravtiwari.org/.

If a copy of the plugin has no product ID set, the License screen says “License product ID is not configured in this build (STACKLESS_LICENSE_ITEM_ID).” Activation then asks you to download the latest version from your account at gauravtiwari.org.

Remove Stackless Without Losing Data

Deactivating Stackless leaves subscription schedules in place and only clears its own housekeeping tasks. Deleting the plugin keeps your data too: orders, subscriptions, licenses, invoices and settings all stay.

To wipe Stackless data on delete, add this to wp-config.php before deleting the plugin:

define('STACKLESS_REMOVE_ALL_DATA', true);

With that set, deleting the plugin drops the Stackless database tables and removes its options, transients and scheduled actions. WooCommerce orders, including subscription orders, are never deleted.

Good to Know

• The License screen needs the License & Updates module switched on. It’s on by default. If someone switches it off, the screen says to turn it back on from the Dashboard.
• While the license isn’t active, administrators see a reminder on the Plugins, Updates and Stackless screens (not on the License screen itself), and an “Activate license” link under Stackless on the Plugins screen.