Install & Activate Fundations Pro: Quick Setup Guide

> Applies to: Fundations Pro 1.7.0, requires Fundations (free) 2.6.0 or later

This page covers installing Fundations Pro, activating your license, and verifying that Pro features are working.

Why you need this guide

Fundations Pro is a separate plugin that works on top of the free Fundations plugin. It does not replace the free plugin. Both must be active at the same time, and the free plugin must meet the minimum version requirement before Pro will load any of its features.

Before you start

Confirm the free Fundations plugin is installed and active.
Confirm the free plugin is version 2.6.0 or later. Check at Plugins in the WordPress admin.
Have your Pro license key ready. You received this by email after purchase.

Installation

Download the fundations-pro.zip file from your account on the Fundations website.
In WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.
Choose the zip file and click Install Now.
Click Activate Plugin when prompted.

After activation you will see a notice asking you to activate your license. No Pro features are available yet at this point.

License activation

Go to Fundations → License.
Paste your license key into the field.
Click Activate License.
The page will reload and show a green confirmation if the license is valid.

Once the license is active, the Pro menu items appear and all Pro features are available.

Verifying that Pro is active

To confirm Pro loaded correctly:

Go to Fundations → Reports. If the analytics dashboard appears, Pro is active.
Go to Fundations → Integrations. If the integration list appears, Pro is active.
In PHP you can check Get_Fund::is_pro() which returns true only when the Get_Fund_Pro class exists and the license is valid.

Updating Fundations Pro

Pro updates are delivered through the Appsero license system. When an update is available:

Go to Plugins in the WordPress admin.
A standard WordPress update notice will appear under Fundations Pro.
Click Update Now.

The free Fundations plugin updates through the standard WordPress.org update channel.

Settings & options

Option	Where to find it	Notes
License key	Fundations → License	Appsero-powered
License status	Fundations → License	Shows active, expired, or invalid

What you can and cannot do

You can run Pro on one site per license (check your license terms for multi-site allowances).
You can deactivate and reactivate the license to move it between sites, subject to the license terms.
You cannot use Pro features without an active, valid license. The plugin will load but show only the license page.
You cannot activate Pro if the free plugin is missing or below version 2.6.0. Pro deactivates itself when the free plugin is not present.

Troubleshooting

If Pro menu items do not appear after activation, check that the free Fundations plugin is active and is version 2.6.0 or later. If it is below 2.6.0, update it first, then reactivate Pro.

If license activation fails with a connection error, the license check requires an outbound HTTPS request to the Appsero API. Check that your server is not blocking outbound requests. Shared hosting firewalls sometimes block this. Contact your host if needed.

If you see “License invalid” after entering a valid key, confirm you copied the full key without leading or trailing spaces. If the key is correct, the license may already be activated on another site. Log into your account to deactivate it there first.

If Pro features disappeared after a plugin update, check whether the free plugin was updated to a version that introduced a breaking change. Review the changelog for both plugins.

Developer reference

How Pro checks its own status

// Free plugin method — safe to call from theme or other plugins
if ( Get_Fund::is_pro() ) {
    // Pro is active and licensed
}

Get_Fund::is_pro() returns true only when both conditions are met:

The class Get_Fund_Pro exists.
Get_Fund_Pro::is_active() returns true (license is valid).

Load order

Pro registers on plugins_loaded at priority 20. The free plugin bootstraps at priority 5. All Pro hooks and classes are available from plugins_loaded priority 21 onward.

Stub classes in the free plugin

The free plugin ships empty placeholder (stub) classes for Pro features: Get_Fund_Donation_Reports, Get_Fund_Pro_Upsell, Get_Fund_Tip_Collection. Pro registers real implementations at admin_menu priority 25, which overrides the stubs. If you are extending Pro menus, hook at priority 30 or later.

Upgrade Guide