memberarea Connector is a free WordPress plugin. It adds blocks that sell your products, a sign-in button for your members, and access rules that lock pages to a course, group or product. This article covers what your site needs and how to get the plugin installed.
Before you start
Your WordPress site needs:
- WordPress 6.3 or newer. The blocks use version 3 of the block API, which arrived in 6.3.
- PHP 7.4 or newer.
- HTTPS. Member sign-in will not switch on over plain HTTP, because the session cookie has to be sent securely.
- Permalinks set to anything other than "Plain". Sign-in needs a real return address. You will find the setting under Settings, then Permalinks.
Your memberarea needs a paid plan: the API is part of Starter and every plan above it. Everything the plugin does runs through an API key. A new memberarea starts on a 14-day trial of Professional and asks for no credit card, so you can build the whole WordPress side before you decide anything.
Install from the WordPress plugin directory
- In WordPress, open Plugins, then Add Plugin.
- Search for memberarea Connector.
- Press Install Now, then Activate.
Install from a ZIP file
If you received the plugin as a file, or your site cannot reach the plugin directory:
- Open Plugins, then Add Plugin, then Upload Plugin.
- Choose the ZIP file and press Install Now.
- Press Activate Plugin.
Either way, the plugin adds one screen, under Settings, then memberarea, and a block category called memberarea in the editor.
What happens on activation
Nothing is sent anywhere yet. Until you enter a domain and an API key, the plugin holds no connection and makes no outside requests. The blocks are registered but show a short hint instead of content, because they have nothing to load.
On a multisite network
Each site in the network connects on its own, with its own domain and its own key. There is no network-wide connection, and nothing is shared between sites.
Uninstalling revokes the connection in your memberarea only for the site the uninstall runs on. On every other site in the network, switch member login off first, or remove that site's connection in your memberarea afterwards. Otherwise those connections stay valid on the memberarea side.
Updating and removing
Updates arrive through the normal WordPress update screen once the plugin is installed from the directory. A plugin installed from a ZIP file is updated by uploading the newer ZIP.
Deleting the plugin removes everything it stored: its settings, member sessions, cached answers, and its connection, which is also revoked in your memberarea. Two things stay behind on purpose. Access rules on pages are kept, so that reinstalling brings protected pages back protected instead of leaving them open. And shortcodes stay in your posts as plain bracket text, the same way they do with every WordPress plugin; remove them from the post content if you are leaving for good.
Next
Once the plugin is active, connect it to your memberarea.