ReCurr Pro — Installation & Setup Guide

Getting Started with the CRM & Affiliate Platform

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Welcome to ReCurr Pro

Thank you for choosing ReCurr Pro — the CRM and Affiliate platform built on top of ReCurr for South African subscription businesses. This guide will get you from zero to “ready to use” in about 15 minutes. The deeper how-to material lives in the ReCurr Pro Tutorials series — see Where to Next at the end of this guide.

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Table of Contents

1. Before You Begin
2. Requirements
3. Installation
4. Activating Your Licence
5. Verifying Installation
6. First-Run Configuration
7. Where to Next
8. Troubleshooting
9. Support

Before You Begin

ReCurr Pro is an extension of the base ReCurr plugin. It does not replace ReCurr — both plugins must be installed and active for Pro to work. If you try to activate Pro on a site without base ReCurr, you’ll see an admin notice and the Pro menus won’t appear.

What needs to be in place first

Before you install ReCurr Pro, please make sure all of the following are true on your site:

Requirement	Why it matters
WordPress 5.8 or higher	Minimum version supported by Pro
WooCommerce 5.0 or higher	Pro reads from WC orders and customers to sync the CRM
Base ReCurr 2.8.8 active (2.8.7 on PHP 7.4 / 8.0)	Pro builds on base ReCurr and uses its hooks: PayFast Split at checkout needs base 2.3.9 or later, renewal splits 2.7.16 or later. Without base ReCurr, or below 2.3.0, Pro does nothing and shows an admin notice. Your RECPRO licence key includes base ReCurr and its updates.
PHP 8.1 or higher (PHP 7.4 / 8.0: base ReCurr stays on 2.8.7)	Base ReCurr needs PHP 8.1 from 2.8.8: WordPress will not install or update it on older PHP. Pro itself runs on PHP 7.4 or higher (it uses typed return values).
HTTPS (valid SSL certificate)	Required for licence activation and PayFast integration
At least one subscription product configured in base ReCurr	The CRM auto-syncs from existing subscriptions and orders on first run

Important: Always update base ReCurr first, then ReCurr Pro. The reverse order can leave you on a Pro version that calls hooks the older base plugin doesn’t yet provide. The WordPress dashboard will offer both updates at the same time — accept the base update first, then the Pro update.

If you try to activate Pro on a site without base ReCurr, WordPress refuses the activation with a message telling you to install and activate base ReCurr first. From Pro 3.0.13, if base ReCurr is later deactivated, missing or below 2.3.0, Pro stays active but does nothing, and shows an admin notice until base ReCurr is back — it no longer switches itself off, so uploading a new ReCurr zip leaves Pro active.

Your Pro licence key

ReCurr Pro uses a single licence key with the format RECPRO-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX. This key:

• Activates Pro features (CRM + Affiliate)
• Also unlocks every feature in base ReCurr — you do not need a separate base licence key when Pro is active
• Was emailed to you when you purchased Pro

If you can’t find your key, log into your account at cyberdummies.co.za → My Account → Licences.

Backup recommendation

Pro creates 18 new database tables on activation (CRM, automation, affiliate, payouts, creatives). The migration is non-destructive — it only adds tables, never modifies existing ones — but please take a database backup before you activate, especially on a busy live site.

Requirements

Quick-reference table (covered above in detail):

Requirement	Minimum
WordPress	5.8
WooCommerce	5.0
Base ReCurr	2.8.8 (2.8.7 on PHP 7.4 / 8.0)
PHP	8.1 (7.4 / 8.0 with base ReCurr 2.8.7)
MySQL	5.7 (or MariaDB 10.3)
SSL Certificate	Required
RECPRO licence key	Required

Installation

Step 1: Download ReCurr Pro

1. Log into your account at cyberdummies.co.za
2. Navigate to My Account → Downloads
3. Download ReCurr Pro (recurr-pro-v3.0.13.zip — or whichever is the current version)

Step 2: Confirm base ReCurr is up to date

1. In WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Installed Plugins
2. Check the version next to ReCurr — Recurring Billing for WooCommerce
3. It should be 2.8.8, the current version (2.8.7 on PHP 7.4 / 8.0). If it is lower, update base ReCurr first via Dashboard → Updates.

Step 3: Upload ReCurr Pro

1. Go to Plugins → Add New
2. Click Upload Plugin at the top
3. Choose the downloaded recurr-pro-vX.Y.Z.zip file
4. Click Install Now

Step 4: Activate the Plugin

1. After installation completes, click Activate Plugin
2. WordPress will redirect you back to the Plugins list

If WordPress refuses the activation, or you see an admin notice that reads “ReCurr Pro requires the ReCurr plugin to be installed and active” (or a similar message about ReCurr’s version), Pro is not running yet — go back to Step 2 and make sure base ReCurr is installed, active, and on a supported version. Pro starts working on the next page load once it is; there is nothing to reactivate.

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Activating Your Licence

Step 1: Open the licence page

1. Go to ReCurr → ReCurr Pro Licence in your admin sidebar (Pro adds its licence page as a submenu under the existing ReCurr menu)
2. You’ll see a single field labelled Licence Key with status currently showing INACTIVE

Step 2: Paste your key

1. Paste your RECPRO-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX key into the field
2. Click Activate Licence
3. Within a few seconds, the status should change to ACTIVE and show your expiry date

Step 3: What if activation fails?

If you see an error, the most common causes are:

Error message	Cause	Fix
“Invalid license key”	Typo, or key belongs to a different product	Check email for the exact RECPRO key
“License is already active on another domain”	You activated this key on a different site previously	Go to My Account → Licences on cyberdummies.co.za and deactivate the old domain
“License has expired”	Your subscription lapsed	Renew at cyberdummies.co.za/recurr-pro
“Could not connect to license server”	Firewall or temporary network issue	Wait a minute and retry; check your hosting can reach cyberdummies.co.za outbound
“Verification API secret key is invalid”	Plugin secret didn’t store correctly during install	Deactivate Pro, then reactivate from the Plugins page (re-runs the install routine)

Verifying Installation

After licence activation, confirm Pro is fully wired in:

Check 1: New menus appear

ReCurr Pro adds its admin pages as submenus under the existing ReCurr menu in your WordPress admin sidebar. After activation and licence entry, the ReCurr menu should now include the Pro submenus alongside the base subscriptions / settings entries:

CRM submenus:

• CRM Contacts
• CRM Tags
• CRM Tasks
• CRM Campaigns
• CRM Automations
• CRM Reports

Affiliate submenus:

• Affiliates
• Commission Programs
• Payouts
• Creatives

Plus a WordPress Dashboard widget showing CRM stats at a glance — visible at Dashboard → Home after activation.

While base ReCurr is deactivated, Pro shows no menus at all, only its admin notice. Re-activating base ReCurr brings the Pro submenus back under the main ReCurr menu after a page refresh.

Check 2: Database tables created

The simplest visual check: go to ReCurr → CRM Contacts. If the page loads (even if empty), the tables were created. If you see a database error, the activation routine didn’t complete — deactivate and reactivate Pro to re-run it.

Check 3: WooCommerce sync ran

If you already had WooCommerce customers when you activated Pro, the CRM should have synced them automatically. Go to ReCurr → CRM Contacts and you should see your customer list. (If empty and you do have customers, see the Troubleshooting section.)

Check 4: Pro unlocks base ReCurr features

Once Pro is active and licensed, go to the base ReCurr Licence page. It should now indicate that Pro is active and unlocking base features automatically. You do not need a separate base RECURR/RECPLUS key.

First-Run Configuration

ReCurr Pro ships with sensible defaults and works out of the box. There’s nothing you must configure to start using it — but if you want to enable affiliate features, the section below shows the minimum setup.

CRM — works automatically

The CRM begins syncing customers from WooCommerce as soon as Pro activates. Lifecycle stages are assigned automatically based on each contact’s subscription state. Open ReCurr → CRM Contacts and you’ll see your customer list populating.

Affiliate program — opt-in setup

The affiliate engine is inactive by default — no commissions are calculated and no public registration is available until you create at least one commission program. To turn it on:

1. Go to ReCurr → Commission Programs
2. Click Add New to create a commission program (set a rate, choose whether it applies to specific products / categories / everything, and decide if commission applies to recurring renewals)
3. Mark the program as Default if you want it to apply to all products without per-product overrides
4. Once a program exists, your customers can apply to become affiliates from their My Account → Affiliate area on the storefront (endpoint: /my-account/crb-affiliate/)

Note: Full affiliate setup including PayFast Split for automatic commission payments is covered in Pro Tutorial 3: Affiliate Program Setup. You don’t need to configure it now to use the rest of Pro.

Troubleshooting

Pro menu items don’t appear after activation

Cause: Base ReCurr isn’t active or is below 2.3.0. In this case Pro stays active but loads nothing, and shows an admin notice. Fix: Activate or update base ReCurr first via Plugins or Dashboard → Updates; the Pro menus appear on the next page load. (Before Pro 3.0.13, Pro deactivated itself here and had to be reactivated from the Plugins page.)

“Verification API secret key is invalid” on licence page

Cause: The activation routine that stores Pro’s per-install secret didn’t complete properly during install (rare — usually only happens on a forced or interrupted install, or if the WordPress AUTH_KEY constant in wp-config.php was changed after Pro was activated). Fix: Deactivate Pro from the Plugins page, then reactivate. This re-runs the install routine and rewrites the secret. Your licence key is preserved.

CRM contacts page is empty after install (but I have customers)

Cause: The initial sync runs on activation. If your site has thousands of customers, it can be batched across multiple cron runs. Fix: Wait an hour and check again. If the CRM is still empty, contact support — we can trigger the sync manually for you.

Affiliate menu items are missing

Cause: Affiliate features are gated by your licence tier. Ensure your key starts with RECPRO- (not RECURR- or RECPLUS-). Fix: Check the ReCurr → ReCurr Pro Licence page for the tier shown. Standard and Plus tiers don’t include the affiliate engine.

Auto-update for Pro doesn’t appear in Dashboard → Updates

Cause: WordPress caches plugin update info for several hours. Fix: Go to Dashboard → Updates and click Check Again. If still missing, deactivate + reactivate Pro to force a fresh check, or wait until the cache expires.

Pro’s data tables don’t get created on activation

Cause: Database user doesn’t have CREATE TABLE permission, or your hosting blocks long-running activation routines. Fix: Deactivate and reactivate Pro to retry the install routine. If it still fails, check with your hosting provider — the database user likely needs CREATE TABLE permission. Contact support if you need help diagnosing it.

Support

Getting Help

1. Email Support:  [email protected]
2. Online Form:     cyberdummies.co.za
3. Submit Ticket:   Ticket System

Before Contacting Support

Please have ready:

• Your RECPRO licence key
• Your WordPress, WooCommerce, base ReCurr, and ReCurr Pro versions (all visible at Plugins → Installed Plugins)
• Any error message from the licence page or admin notices
• Steps to reproduce the issue

Support Hours

• Monday–Thursday: 09:00–16:00 (SAST)
                        Friday:  09:00 – 12:00 (SAST)
• Response time: Within 24 business hours / based on SLA

Quick Reference

Installation Checklist

• [  ] Base ReCurr 2.8.8 (2.8.7 on PHP 7.4 / 8.0) installed and active
• [  ] WooCommerce 5.0 or higher active
• [  ] Database backup taken
• [  ] Downloaded recurr-pro-vX.Y.Z.zip from My Account → Downloads
• [  ] Uploaded and activated via Plugins → Add New
• [  ] Pasted RECPRO key on ReCurr → ReCurr Pro Licence page
• [  ] Status shows ACTIVE with expiry date
• [  ] CRM submenus (CRM Contacts, CRM Tags, etc.) visible under the ReCurr admin menu
• [  ] CRM Contacts page loads (even if empty)
• [  ] (Optional) Created your first commission program if using affiliate features

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ReCurr Pro v3.0.13 — Built for South African Subscription Businesses Support: [email protected]