Event Tickets integration for SliceWP (BETA)

BETA VERSION - Automatic affiliate commission tracking for The Events Calendar / Event Tickets sales in SliceWP. Requires real-world testing and feedback before v1.0 release.

Description

IMPORTANT - BETA STATUS:

This plugin is in BETA (v0.9.0) and needs real-world testing with Event Tickets orders and different site configurations before a stable release.

We are actively collecting feedback to polish before v1.0 release. Please report any issues, edge cases, or performance concerns.

Event Tickets integration for SliceWP connects your affiliate program with The Events Calendar's Tickets Commerce gateway. When a customer referred by an affiliate purchases event tickets, a commission is automatically created and tracked in SliceWP.

This plugin bridges two powerful tools:

• SliceWP: A complete affiliate program management system
• The Events Calendar / Event Tickets: Professional event ticketing with built-in payment processing

How It Works

1. Customer clicks affiliate link - SliceWP records the referral
2. Customer purchases tickets - Event Tickets processes the order
3. Plugin automatically detects the sale - Creates a pending commission in SliceWP
4. Admin approves the order - Commission becomes ready to pay out
5. If order is refunded - Commission is rejected (affiliate doesn't get paid)

The entire process is automatic, auditable, and fully integrated with SliceWP's commission management system.

Key Features

• Automatic commission creation on ticket sales
• Real-time order status synchronization
• Refund handling (rejects commissions when orders are refunded)
• Support for multiple currencies with conversion
• Per-ticket commission configuration
• Self-referral prevention (prevents affiliates from commissions on their own purchases)
• Clickable order reference links in SliceWP
• Works with SliceWP's commission basis settings (per-order or per-item)
• Full audit logging

Requirements

• WordPress 5.9 or higher
• PHP 7.4 or higher
• SliceWP 1.2.0 or higher (required)
• The Events Calendar (required)
• Event Tickets (required)
• Tickets Commerce gateway enabled (not external PayPal/Stripe)

Installation

1. Download & Upload

   • Download the plugin from your source
   • Extract to /wp-content/plugins/slicewp-event-tickets/
   • Ensure the folder structure is: /wp-content/plugins/slicewp-event-tickets/slicewp-event-tickets.php

2. Activate the Plugin

   • Log in to WordPress admin
   • Go to Plugins - Installed Plugins
   • Find "Event Tickets integration for SliceWP"
   • Click Activate

3. Enable the Integration

   • Go to SliceWP - Settings - Integrations
   • Find "The Events Calendar / Event Tickets" in the list
   • Toggle Enable
   • Click Save Settings

4. Verify Installation

   • Check SliceWP - Settings - Logs
   • Look for "EVENT TICKETS" entries
   • Create a test ticket purchase with an affiliate link
   • Verify commission appears in SliceWP - Commissions

How It Works

Commission Lifecycle

Pending (when checkout completes)

• Unpaid (when order is marked Completed/Approved)
• Paid (when admin pays the affiliate)

Or if refunded: Pending . Then Rejected (if order is refunded and setting is enabled)

Data Collection

The plugin reads from Event Tickets orders:

• Purchaser details (name, email, user ID)
• Order total (converted to SliceWP's active currency)
• Ticket information (name, quantity, price)
• Order status (pending, completed, refunded, voided, etc.)

All data is stored in SliceWP's commission system. Event Tickets order data is never modified.

Self-Referral Protection

The plugin automatically prevents affiliates from earning commissions on their own purchases by checking:

• Current user ID (logged-in affiliates)
• Purchaser email address (against affiliate's registered emails)

This can be overridden per-affiliate in SliceWP settings.

Currency Conversion

If using multiple currencies:

• Orders are recorded in the order's original currency
• Amounts are converted to SliceWP's active currency
• Conversion rate is logged for auditing

Configuration

Affiliate Settings (SliceWP)

Default Behavior:

• Affiliates cannot earn commissions on their own ticket purchases
• Commissions are calculated per-ticket (unless set to per-order)
• Refunded orders cause commissions to be rejected (if enabled)

To Change:

1. Go to SliceWP - Settings - General
2. Adjust affiliate-wide settings:
   • "Affiliates can commission on own purchases" (checked = allowed)
   • "Reject commissions on refund" (checked = reject on refund)
   • "Commission calculation basis" (per-order or per-item)
   • "Exclude tax from commission" (if desired)

Per-Ticket Settings

To disable commissions for specific tickets:

1. Edit the ticket in Events - Tickets
2. Add post meta:
   • Meta Key: slicewp_disable_commissions
   • Meta Value: 1
3. Save

Commissions will not be calculated for that ticket.

Logs

All commission activity is logged in SliceWP - Settings - Logs. Search for "EVENT TICKETS" to see integration-specific entries.

Testing

Before upgrading to v1.0, please perform these tests:

Minimum Testing Required

1. Basic Commission Creation

   • Purchase a ticket with an affiliate referral link
   • Verify commission appears in SliceWP with "Pending" status
   • Check SliceWP logs for success messages

2. Order Completion

   • Mark the test order as "Completed" in Event Tickets
   • Verify commission status changes to "Unpaid" in SliceWP
   • Check logs confirm the status change

3. Refund Handling (if enabled)

   • Create another test order
   • Mark it as "Completed"
   • Mark it as "Refunded"
   • Verify commission status becomes "Rejected"
   • Check logs confirm rejection reason

4. Self-Referral Prevention

   • Log in as an affiliate
   • Purchase a ticket while referred by your own link (if possible)
   • Verify no commission is created
   • Check logs show self-referral detected

5. Currency Conversion (if multi-currency enabled)

   • Purchase a ticket in a non-default currency
   • Verify amount is converted in SliceWP
   • Check conversion rate is logged

Optional but Recommended

• Test with multiple affiliates
• Test with high-volume orders (10+ tickets)
• Test with refunds after payout
• Test with custom commission rates per ticket
• Verify performance under load (check site speed, database query times)
• Test with different payment methods (if Tickets Commerce supports multiple)

Known Limitations (v0.9)

• Tax handling is simplified (tax not extracted per-ticket)
• No bulk commission import for existing orders
• Voided/Reversed orders trigger rejection like refunds (may need refinement)

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need all three plugins (SliceWP, The Events Calendar, Event Tickets)?

Yes. The integration requires:

• SliceWP 1.2+ for affiliate program management
• The Events Calendar (free or pro)
• Event Tickets (free or pro)
• Tickets Commerce gateway for payment processing

If any are missing, the plugin will quietly disable itself without errors.

Will this work with external payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe)?

No. This plugin is designed for Tickets Commerce, The Events Calendar's built-in payment gateway. For external gateways, commission tracking may not work.

If you're using Stripe or PayPal separately with Event Tickets, you'll need to track commissions manually or use a different integration.

Can I use this alongside WooCommerce + SliceWP?

Yes! Absolutely. Each integration uses its own origin marker (event_tickets for tickets, woo for WooCommerce products), so commissions don't conflict.

What happens if I deactivate the plugin?

• All existing commissions are preserved
• SliceWP continues working normally
• Event Tickets continues working normally
• New ticket sales won't create commissions until re-enabled

Can I delete the plugin after using it?

Yes. Deleting the plugin folder:

• Does NOT delete existing commissions
• Does NOT delete Event Tickets data
• Does NOT affect SliceWP
• Stops creating commissions for new orders

How do I test the plugin?

1. Purchase a test ticket using an affiliate referral link
2. Go to SliceWP - Commissions
3. Look for a new "Event Tickets" commission with status "Pending"
4. Mark the order as "Completed" in Event Tickets
5. Return to SliceWP - Commissions
6. Verify the commission status changed to "Unpaid"

If you see "Pending" . Then "Unpaid" transition, the plugin is working.

Why isn't a commission being created?

Check SliceWP - Settings - Logs for "EVENT TICKETS" entries. Common reasons:

• Affiliate not valid - Affiliate account is inactive or disabled in SliceWP
• No referrer detected - Visitor didn't arrive via an affiliate link
• Commission amount is zero - Check affiliate commission rates in SliceWP
• Self-referral detected - Affiliate is also the purchaser (disable in settings if desired)
• Duplicate commission - Commission already created for this order

Can I customize commission rates per ticket?

Yes, in SliceWP:

1. Go to SliceWP - Settings - Commissions
2. Set default commission rates
3. Optionally (on per-ticket basis) use post meta to override
4. Or configure per-affiliate commission rules

What currencies are supported?

All currencies supported by The Events Calendar and SliceWP. Commission amounts are automatically converted to your SliceWP active currency.

Is this GDPR compliant?

The plugin:

• Reads only necessary purchaser data (name, email, user ID)
• Stores data in your own WordPress database (not external servers)
• Doesn't use cookies (relies on SliceWP's existing tracking)
• Respects WordPress privacy standards

For full compliance, ensure your privacy policy mentions affiliate tracking and ticketing data collection.

Does this work with events from multiple venues/organizers?

Yes. The plugin tracks commissions by ticket/order, regardless of venue or organizer.

Can I export commission data?

Yes. Use SliceWP's built-in export features:

1. Go to SliceWP - Commissions
2. Click Export (if available in your SliceWP version)
3. Filter by origin "Event Tickets" if needed

Support & Feedback

This is a BETA release. Please report:

• Bugs or unexpected behavior
• Edge cases (unusual ticket setups, refund scenarios, etc.)
• Performance issues (especially on high-volume sites)
• Feature requests for v1.0
• General feedback and improvement suggestions

For support:

1. Check SliceWP - Settings - Logs for errors
2. Review the FAQ section above
3. Verify all requirements are met (SliceWP 1.2+, Event Tickets active, Tickets Commerce enabled)
4. Contact your plugin provider or SliceWP support

For SliceWP-specific questions, visit: https://slicewp.com

For Event Tickets questions, visit: https://theeventscalendar.com/support/

Changelog

0.9.0

• Initial BETA release
• Full Tickets Commerce integration with SliceWP
• Automatic commission creation, acceptance, and rejection
• Self-referral prevention
• Multi-currency support
• Comprehensive logging
• Zero-downtime installation
• Performance optimizations (batch ticket queries, deduped meta fetches)
• Requires real-world testing before v1.0 release

Roadmap to v1.0

Planned improvements based on community feedback:

• Per-ticket tax extraction (if Event Tickets exposes it)
• Bulk historical order import
• Commission template system
• Affiliate tier-based commission overrides
• Advanced refund handling options
• Performance benchmarking and optimization
• Full WP CLI support
• GraphQL API support

License

This plugin is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2 or later. See https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html for details.

Credits

Built to integrate:

• SliceWP - https://slicewp.com
• The Events Calendar - https://theeventscalendar.com
• Event Tickets - Part of The Events Calendar

Need Help?

• Installation issues? Check that SliceWP 1.2+, Event Tickets, and Tickets Commerce are all active
• Commissions not showing? Check SliceWP logs for "EVENT TICKETS" entries
• Want to customize? The plugin exposes filters for developers:
  • slicewp_referrer_affiliate_id_event_tickets - Override affiliate detection
  • slicewp_integration_supports_event_tickets - Extend integration features

Version History

Current: 0.9.0 (BETA - Requires testing) Requires: WordPress 5.9+, PHP 7.4+, SliceWP 1.2+, Event Tickets Status: Beta, Pre-Release Next: 1.0.0 (Stable)