Hi i have bought the billing module to replace my "manual" billing system but i am a little bit disappointed. i thought it is much more integrated with ISPconfig. if i haven't missed something than i have to do the following steps each time i create a new domain: Add it under Client -> Domains Add it as DNS domain Add it as Email domain Add it as Website domain Create a recurring event in the billing module Okay, perhaps i should have expected that there will be additional manual steps to create the recurring item for a domain, but still the idea of a billing module would be to spend less time in stuff that could be automated. -> it feels like i have to select 100 times the domain name in the above steps. and even for the recurring event i have to manually enter the domain name again so that it appears on the bill. i suppose most of the people bill per domain (with perhaps different quota packages etc), but still a basic domain -> recurring item mapping could be expected. i still hope i have missed somewhere the feature? otherwise i'll have to spend some time to generate all the invoice items.... and what happens if i delete a domain (from client, dns, email, website), it will be still in the billing module active and invoiced? or will there be a notice? no, probably not as there is no connection between the recurring item and the domain :-( billing module client list: please add to the documentation that the client list in the billing module only shows clients that have an address (or i don't know which fields are mandatory)... because at the first moment i tought i'll have to create a new client list for the invoicing (as it was empty as i haven't entered any addresses at the normal client list). greets KoS
Normally you dont have to create any of these items manually, as they get created with the remote api directly from your website were your customer ordered the domain. Seems as if ou havent connected ispconfig and the billing module with your hosting site yet. There are examples scripts for the api calls available in the remote client folder. Limits in ispconfig are set with templates on the limits tab of the client settings and these templates are used for billing as well. The billing recurring items are created also automtically in ispconfig when you add a client template to your client. Same applies for removals of templates as well. Th billing module client list shows all clients. If you created clients before sou installed the billing module, then sou have to update hem by clicking on save to integrate your old clients into the billing.
i don't have another "portal" where the customer can order a domain. i just use ispconfig. so that means i should create a "second" (instead of just having ispconfig for all tasks) portal where this communicates via the remote API. sounds complicated instead of having this "daily" tasks (e.g. create client and add a domain with dns,web,mail,billing) on a separate webpage... or have i missed this basic "portal" in the ispconfig files? how are other users of ispconfig solving this issue?
No, Iam not talking about a portal. I'am talking about your company website were you inform your customers about your products and services. Does your company really has no website, how do your customers know which products you offer at which price without a website were they can order the product? All hosting companys I know have a website to promote and offer their services. On that website, they inform their customers about their products and prices. If a cistomer decied to order a product or services, then he clicks on a oder button on this website, enters his address details and this company website is connected to ispconfig by remote api. so the shopping cart of the company website adds all required records automatically in ispconfig. Btw. we are also working on a demo website to show the capability of the remote api and will release that with the next billing module update. so f your company realy has no website, you can customize this demo website and use it for your site.
a website with the promoted services doesn't implicate that there is a "shopping cart" for the services. so the procedure is that the customer gives a call or drops an email and then the domain will be set up and activated for him. and that is why this steps have been done directly in ISPconfig, until now sounds good. thanks for the information. in the meantime i'll create a script to add the yet already existing domains to the billing module. will i have to buy the module again or do i have access to the updated version? thanks KoS
I have a api script setup that will create all that you need in one go! One thing i noticed, do you have roughly the same plan for your users? have you considered making standard hosting plans instead of individual plans? that would help not having to create recurring items all the time. Let me know if you would like a copy and ill strip out all my info from my live server. It even sends a welcome email if you choose To see what i mean check out mdhweb.co.uk (its a work in progress so please dont create sites you may get billed )
We are working on it. I hope that we will be able to finish it in about 2 months, so it can go in the 1.5 release of the billing module. the next release 1.4 will get released end of april.
Are there any news regarding the billing module update(s)? We have end of july and still version 1.3rev10
Yes, the new 1.4 version is ready and we are currently testing it. If you like to get the beta upfront, sent me a email.
hi till how far are you with testing the billing module 1.4 prior to releasing it? any information about what will be new/changed in 1.4 and later in 1.5? thanks KoS
One of the most important parts is SEPA support. SEPA is the new european automatic debit transfer system standard and ispconfig can create standard conform sepa files so that you can bill your customers trough your bank when they offer a sepa import gateway or when your banking software has a sepa import function like the german software sfirm. Beside that there are many small improvements so that I will have to make a comparison side by side with the old version to make a complete feature list for this release.
