IP.Nexus Dev Update: Managing and Generating Invoices

In a previous blog entry we covered the ordering process for both the end user and administrator, but of course administrators can generate invoices manually. In this blog entry we're going to be demonstrating the how administrators can manage and generate invoices for users.

Please note that the interface shown in the screenshots is not finalised subject to change.



Managing Invoices

There are two ways you can view invoices, and we imagine most administrators will either use one or the other depending on the size of community.

Firstly, you can view all invoices in a list with the most recent invoices first. We imagine this will be useful to smaller communities.


You can also view the invoices for a particular customer from the customer page. We imagine this will be more practical for larger communities.

The customer page can be accessed either from a link in the normal "Edit member" Admin CP page or the Customer search page in the IP.Nexus section of the Admin CP.
We'll be discussing all of the features of the customer page in a future blog entry.


This is what the invoice details screen looks like:

As you can see, it lists each item in the invoice and any transactions related to the invoice.

It also shows information on the status, and if the invoice has been paid it will indicate the date that it was paid, and any additional information that may be necessary:






Generating an Invoice

You can of course generate an invoice manually for a customer. You do this from the customer page by clicking the "Add Invoice" button that is there.

You will see a screen like this:



You can add an item by clicking the "Add Item" button. This will bring up a dropdown menu with the different types of item you can add:

You can add a normal package by selecting the package from the packages you have created:

You can create a custom package:

You can add a miscellaneous charge (for example, a shipping cost or discount):

And if you have IP.Downloads integration enabled, you can add a paid IP.Downloads file:

(Note that if you have lots of files you will see a search box to enter a filename rather than a dropdown of all paid files).

You can also add a renewal for any of the user's existing purchases by clicking the "Add Renewal" button:


After adding each item, you'll be taken back to the first screen:

From here you can edit the quantity of any item (the price will be updated automatically by AJAX and taking into account any bulk discounts you have set up) or remove an item.

Once you're done, clicking the "Save" button at the top will generate the invoice. If you selected the invoice to be pending, the user will receive an Email notifying them an invoice has been generated, and if you selected the invoice to be paid, the packages will be added to the user's account straight away.