Temporary Locks + Manually allowing access to certain users

Wordpress Plugin
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Hi, I’m considering using the Patreon plugin to lock certain posts. However, I have a few questions.

I’d like to only lock the posts temporarily. For example, Patrons would have exclusive access for a week but then I’d like to remove the lock and have the post freely accessible to anyone. Is that possible to do, either automatically or manually? If so, what happens when the Patreon lock is removed? Does the post just stay where it was chronologically? What about RSS? Would the newly-unlocked post be reposted to the RSS feed? Or do you think it would be better in this case to just delete the patreon-locked post after a week and then repost it again for everyone for free?

Another thing I’d like to know is if there is some way to grant Patron-like privileges to certain people even if they’re not actually supporters on Patreon. The reason is that I offer several ways of how people can donate/support my website and I’d like the other donors to be able to access the posts locked by Patreon as well. Would that be possible (even if I had to do some kind of manual workaround)? I was thinking something like creating a custom user role in WP with no real privileges and me manually giving this role to certain accounts, and then there could be an option in Patreon plugin settings that would consider people with that role as patrons or admins and they’d see all content unlocked. I suspect this isn’t possible so I guess you can treat this as a feature suggestion. :slight_smile:

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I’d like to only lock the posts temporarily. For example, Patrons would have exclusive access for a week but then I’d like to remove the lock and have the post freely accessible to anyone. Is that possible to do, either automatically or manually?

This feature does not exist in free version, but it exists in Patron Plugin Pro, created and maintained by a 3rd party (Codebard). It is part of date-based or age based locking mechanism. Ie, you can set a lock on a post to have it become public after 30 days of its posting. Or, lock it after 30 days. Or, make it public after a certain date. Or vice versa. You dont have to repost or edit or do anything - you can lock it for 30 days and then forget it, and it will become public when 30 days pass.

Here is relevant manual page:

That doesnt affect anything in regard to post chronology, properties, meta or any WP info. It just allows to lock a post in the above manner. So the newly unlocked post would not get reposted anywhere or changed in any other fashion.

Another thing I’d like to know is if there is some way to grant Patron-like privileges to certain people even if they’re not actually supporters on Patreon.

Similar to above, this function is not found in the free version, but in the aforementioned premium 3rd party addon, Patron Plugin Pro. It is called VIP users feature. You can either make user a VIP, which will allow access to that user to everything regardless of whether he is a Patreon member or a member from a certain $ level, or, you can make a user have a certain $ level by assigning that amount to the user. Then he will get treated as if he was a patron from that $ level.

So, VIP - for users who should access anything regardless of their Patreon membership (or even non membership).

And - specific $ level per user for accessing only that $ levels.

Patron plugin pro info can be found at the page Patron Plugin Pro - Advanced Patreon Integration for your WordPress site

You can take your Patron Pro related questions to Codebard’s help desk as well.

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Thank you for the great answer! I’ll check the Pro plugin out since it seems to suit my needs better than the free plugin.

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Patron Pro third party addon to Patreon WordPress is an addon that extends Patreon WordPress capabilities and brings advanced features, options, widgets and so on. So getting Patron Pro means that you will have both Patreon WordPress and Patron Pro addon, since Patron Pro will install Patreon WordPress in order to be able to work.

So basically:

  • If your needs are simply locking a few posts by putting in $ level, with a few posts and few members: Get Patreon WordPress to start

  • If you are setting up a full fledged membership site, or have a hundred or more posts, or need advanced features like date-based, age-based, post-type based locking and others, get Patron Pro so you will have both

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I am just setting up patreon and pretty much looking for these exact features to extend the Patreon Wordpress plugin with one added question. Does Patron Pro allow for automatic except post to social media (similar to how Jetpack has the ability to crosspost) when the post goes public? Updates going out when a post is first made and when it goes public is one of the primary features I am looking for.

-Samantha

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Patron Pro doesnt send any notifications on your site’s behalf since it does not modify the original post in whatsoever way. Ie, it does not update the post or change anything in the meta of the post. It just makes the post visible by just allowing whomever views it after that date.

Such a notification as you are looking for could be done by integrating other plugins’ features via code, but that is a long affair.

A feature like this may be added to Patron Pro, but not sometime soon.

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