Magento 1

Competition Creator

Competition Creator allows you to create your own competitions in a simple way. Collect a huge amount of email addresses and improve the relationship between you and your customers with that extension for Magento.

marketplace approved
95,00€excl. VAT
  • Lifetime license
  • 12 months support & upgrade
  • 60 days money-back guarantee
  • Extensible source code
  • Unlimited test domains
  • Free composer access

Improve your customer relationship with Competition Creator

Easily collect a large number of email addresses

  • Create your own competitions

Completely customize your competitions

  • Choose the number of winners
  • Define the start and end dates of the competition

Automate the competitions

  • Draw winners automatically

Content

    Overview of Competition Creator for Magento

    Competition Creator, what is it?

    Competition Creator is a Magento extension that allows you to create your own competitions.

    First of all, you can create a competition, choose the start and end date, detail the competition and finally, select the winners thanks to the automatic random draw of Competition Creator. 

    This Magento extension allows you to improve the relationship between you and your customers by proposing competitions. But the main aim of Competition Creator is to allow you to collect some email addresses to send newsletters for example.

    How does Competition Creator work?

    Once you have created your competition, visitors of your Magento website will have direct access to that one thanks to the URL rewriting, used to optimize the indexing of the dynamic pages.

    The competition will show a description, a disclaimer, the competition's end date. Your customers will have the choice to subscribe to the competition or not. They will have to fill in their first name, last name, and email address to be able to participate in the competition. Once the subscription is over, a notification will appear at the top of the page.

    Your customers will also be able to discover the list of all the competitions you are proposing on a page available via the URL: www.yourwebsite.com/competition.

    Here is what you get:

    How to use Competition Creator for Magento?

    STEP 1: Configure Competition Creator in a general way

    First of all, you need to configure the extension in a general way in:
    System › Configuration › Wyomind › Competition Creator

    Settings
    You can define several general settings for the Competition Creator extension. 
    • Countdown format
      Define the format of the countdown. For example:

      X days, Y hours, Z minutes

    • Dynamic countdown
      Choose to display a dynamic countdown or not. 
    • Send the result of the competition to
      Define to which email address(es) to send the results. Emails must be separated with a comma (,).
    • Send confirmation email to the participants
      You can send a confirmation email to the participants. 
    • Email confirmation subject
      In the above case, you need to define a Subject for the email. 
    • Email confirmation body
      You can add your own message to the confirmation email. 
    • Send email from email
      Define the email of the sender. 
    • Send email from name
      Define a name for the sender. 

    STEP 2: Create a competition

    To create a competition, go to:
    CMS › Competitions

    Click on Add one competition.

    You can also edit a competition, by clicking on the line of the competition you want to modify.

    Competition details

    You can now configure all the details needed to create the competition in the Competition Details tab on the left.

    • Title
      First of all, you have to name your competition.
    • Url Key
      You must enter a unique URL, without any space just as in the example below.

      win-iphone

    • Number of winners
      Define how many people can win.
    • Image
      You can also add an image to your competition that corresponds to the competition's topic.   
    • Store views
      After that, define the different store views in which you want the competition to appear.
    • Customer groups
      Choose the customers that can participate in the competition. You can select all customer groups or just choose retailers for example.  
    • From date - To Date
      Then, define the start and end date of the competition as well as the hours.
      Once the competition is over, and only after that, you will have the possibility to draw the winners.
    • Details
      Next step, write a detailed description of your competition helping with the complete editor that you can show or hide by clicking on Show / Hide Editor.
      Show Editor
      Hide Editor

    • Disclaimer
      You must write one for each one of your competition.
    Competitors

    In order to collect data about the entrants, such as their email addresses, go in the Competitors tab on the left.

    You have then the possibility to see all the competition's entrants, their first names, last names, email addresses as well as their status (subscribed, non-activated, unsubscribed, non-confirmed).

    Frontend display

    To have an overview of your competition, click on View the competition page from:
    CMS › Competitions

    You can also see all the competitions you have created listed on a page by using this url: www.yourwebsite.com/competition

    STEP 3: Draw lots

    Once the date exceeded, a new tab is available in the competition's edition.

    Click on Draw lots now to select automatically the winner(s).

    After that, a notification appears and indicates that the winner(s) have been drawn.  

    In order to be able to select one or more winners, according to your settings in the competition's details, the competition must be over.

    Go to the Competitors tab to know the names and addresses of the winner(s).

    FAQ

    Pre-sales informations

    Magento versions supported by Competition Creator

    This extension works with Magento Community Edition and also Magento Enterprise Edition. To know if Competition Creator is compatible with your Magento version, please check the Compatibility tab. 

    License and domains

    License validity

    A license is valid for an unlimited period of time on one single Magento installation.

    If you use more than one Magento installation, you will have to buy a separate license for each one.

    If you run several domains on the same Magento installation, you will need only one license for all of them.

    Although your license doesn’t have a limited period of validity, your support period does. By purchasing an extension, you’ll be granted a 6-month support period for free. Passed this period, you will have to renew your Support plan (see FAQ: How to extend my support period?).
    Domains pre-registration

    You can pre-register your live domain to your license in advance.

    Thanks to this option, you'll be able to get the extension ready to use on your domain before it goes live.

    To pre-register your production domain: 

    1. Go to:
      mY account › Licenses & DOwnloads
    2. Click on  next to the extension you want your domain to pre-register on.
    3. Click on the link at the bottom of the page saying:
      Do you want to pre-register your domain in order to be ready to go live?
    4. Finally, enter your domain name and click on pre-register now .
    Testing environments

    One license is valid for an unlimited period of time on one Magento installation only.  

    It is possible, however, to extend or transfer your license in 2 cases: 

    • If you'd like to add your testing environments to your license.
      In this case, it is possible to extend your license to an unlimited number of domains for free.
      For example mywebsite-staging.com or mywebsite-dev.com
    • If you want to transfer your license to another live domain.
      In that case, the support period for your license must still be active.


    To be able to use Competition Creator on both your production and testing environments, follow the instructions below:

    1. Download Competition Creator.
      (see FAQ: Extensions download).
    2. Install Competition Creator on your production environment.
      (see FAQ: Extensions installation)
    3. Activate the license.
      (see FAQ: Extensions activation).
    4. From your Magento admin panel, enter your current Activation Key in:
      syStem › CONFIGuration › WYOMING › YOUR EXTENSION 
    5. Save your configuration.


    Now that you can use Competition Creator on your production environment, repeat the same steps as above on your testing environments.

    The only difference this time: a notification will appear in your Magento admin. 

    You will be given a choice between:

    1. buy a new license now
    2. add this domain to my license


    Click on Add this domain to my license.

    A transfer request will then be sent to our team within an hour.

    Once the request is taken care of, you will receive a confirmation email.

    If your transfer request is accepted, you can use Competition Creator on both environments at the same time.

    The order in which you activate your license on your domains does not matter.
    You can start with your staging/dev/local environment or with your live domain, the process will be the same.

    Modules versioning and download

    Extensions download

    In order to download Competition Creator, log into your Wyomind account:

      1. Go to:
        my account › Licenses & downloads 
      2. Click on the  icon next to Competition Creator.

        A new window opens.

      3. Choose the version of Competition Creator.
        You will be able to choose the most recent version of Competition Creator (for both Magento 1 and Magento 2).
      4. Click on  .

    Your download can start.

    Extensions upgrade

    When purchasing an extension from wyomind.com, you benefit from a lifetime upgrade. You can at any time download the latest version of the extension directly from your account. 

    To upgrade Competition Creator, follow the steps below:

    1. Go to:
      my account › Licenses & Downloads
    2. Click on  next to Competition Creator.
    3. Choose the latest version of Competition Creator (for Magento 1 and Magento 2).
    4. Click on download .
    5. Install the new version of Competition Creator to update your Magento admin. 

    Modules Installation/Uninstallation

    Extensions uninstallation

    To uninstall Competition Creator, go on its zip folder and open it.

    You will find a shell file (such as: yourextension-uninstall.sh) that you must execute on both your server and Magento root directory.

    Once the uninstallation is over, refresh your cache and enable the compiler back again (if you use it).

    Extensions installation

    Before installing Competition Creator, you’ll have to:

    • Backup your Magento installation in:
      system › tools › backups
    • Disable the compiler in your Magento admin panel if it’s not already disabled:
      system › tools › COMPILATIONS
    • Refresh your cache in:
      system › select cache type › actions › refresh › submit


    Now you can install Competition Creator:

    1. Download Competition Creator (zip file) from:
      my account › my downloads
      Refer to FAQ here: Extensions download
    2. Once Competition Creator is downloaded, open the folder and unzip it.
    3. Copy the content of the unzip folder and paste all files and directories in your Magento root directory (the folder content can vary according to the extension but it generally includes app, lib and skin folders).
    4. Once your installation is complete, don't forget to enable the compiler back (if it was already enabled before the installation) and run compilation process.
    5. Refresh your cache, logout from your admin panel and log back in right after.

    Next step is to activate your license, to do so, click here: Extension activation

    Modules activation

    Extensions activation

    Once Competition Creator is installed, you have to activate the license: 

    1. Go to your Magento admin panel. A message pops up at the top of the page.

      If the message doesn't appear then you must check that:

      Wyomind's License Manager has not been removed from your installation.
      Wyomind's License Manager is enabled in: app/etc/modules/Wyomind_Licensemanager.xml
      The HTML output for Wyomind_Licensemanager and/or Adminhtml_Notification are not disabled in your system under:  system  

      configuration › advanced › advanced

    2. Copy your activation key.

      You can find your activation key in 2 different places:
      - In the confirmation email that you received after purchasing Competition Creator
      - In your Wyomind account:MY ACcount › My downloads, select Competition Creator and click on  . A new page opens where you'll find your activation key (see below).
    3. In your Magento admin go to:
      SysteM › Configuration › Wyomind › Your extension

      Paste the activation key in the Activation Key field and choose between the automatic (yes) or the manual (no) activation method:
      - By choosing Yes, the connection to Wyomind license server will be automatic. 
      - By choosing No, you will have to log on to Wyomind license server yourself.

    4. Save the configuration.
    5. Clear your caches. 
    6. A message appears at the top of your admin panel: Activate it now!  Click on that link.
    7. Copy and paste the license code in the License code field from your admin or simply click on  Activate now! 
    8. Finally, refresh your cache, log out and log back in straight after, to complete the installation.

    To activate the license of an extension that includes other modules, you’ll have to repeat the steps described above for each extension, using the corresponding activation keys (each module has its own activation key).

    Modules use

    Translate some text on the frontend

    For example, you want to translate some expressions for the French store view.

    Go to your Magento root directory. Copy the Wyomind_competition.csv file under app/locale/en_US to app/locale/fr_FR (or to the language you want).

    In that file, you can add some entries and translations. For example:

    • "First name","Prénom"
    • "Last name","Nom"
    • ....

    Here is below an example of a translation csv file.

    You could also use the "Translate Inline" tool available in the magento system in:
    System › Configuration › Advanced › Developer › Translate Inline

    Troubleshooting

    Fatal error: Mage_Core_Model_Resource_Setup.php

    If your site crashes and gives this error message after uploading all files to the correct folders:

    Fatal error: Class 'Wyomind_Notificationmanager_Model_Resource_Setup' not found in includes/src/Mage_Core_Model_Resource_Setup.php on line 234

    It probably comes from installing an extension while the compiler is still enabled.

    Important note:

    • If the compilation is enabled on your website, disable it first before installing any extension from: 
      System › Tools › Compilation
      After installation re-run the compilation process and re-enable the compiler.
    • Before installing any extension, it's advisable to backup your Magento installation.

    Here is how to disable the Magento compiler:

    1. Edit the following file: includes/config.php and add a # before the 2 following lines:
      define('COMPILER_INCLUDE_PATH', dirname(__FILE__).DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'src');define('COMPILER_COLLECT_PATH', dirname(__FILE__).DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'stat');​

      to get:

      #define('COMPILER_INCLUDE_PATH', dirname(__FILE__).DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'src');#define('COMPILER_COLLECT_PATH', dirname(__FILE__).DIRECTORY_SEPARATOR.'stat');
    2. Then go back to your website admin and re-run the compilation process.
    White page using the extension

    If you're getting a white page using the extension, you should enable the error reporting in order to display the error. You can do that from index.php.

    404 error in the configuration page
    Most of the time log-out/log-in may solve this issue.
    Error message when sending the form from a secure page

    The error is because although it's on a secure page it's trying to send the form insecurely.



    To solve that problem, you need to update:

        \app\design\frontend\default\default\template\competition\competition.phtml

    At line 25, replace:

    Mage::getBaseUrl()


    with:

    getBaseSecureUrl()

    Magento 1 / OpenMage Compatibility

    Supported by our master extension versions

    • 1.14.4
    • 1.14.3
    • 1.14.2
    • 1.14.1
    • 1.14.0
    • 1.9.4
    • 1.9.3
    • 1.9.2
    • 1.9.1
    • 1.9.0

    Supported by our legacy extension versions

    • 1.13.1
    • 1.13.0
    • 1.12.0
    • 1.11.2
    • 1.11.1
    • 1.11.0
    • 1.10.1
    • 1.10.0
    • 1.8.1
    • 1.8.0
    • 1.7.0
    • 1.6.2
    • 1.6.1
    • 1.6.0
    • 1.5.1
    • 1.5.0
    • 1.4.2
    • 1.4.1
    • 1.4.0
    • 1.3.3
    • 1.3.2
    • 1.3.1
    • 1.3.0
    • 1.2.1
    • 1.2.0
    • 1.1.8
    • 1.1.7
    • 1.1.6
    • 1.1.5
    • 1.1.4
    • 1.1.3

    Changelog

    3.0.0

    Initial release for the master version

    2.0.0 legacy

    Initial release for the legacy version

    1.1.3

    Bug fix

    • Correction of install script

    1.1.2

    Bug fix

    • Correction of backoffice competitions urls

    1.1.1

    Patch:

    • Compatibility fix for Magento Security Patch SUPEE 6788

    1.1.0

    New feature

    • Confirmation emails to the admin and to the entrants
    • Management of start / end dates
    • Countdown until the end of the competition 
    • Cron tasks to draw lots automatically

    Patch:

    • Compatibility fix for Magento Security Patch SUPEE-6285

    1.0.0

    • First Release

    Feature request

    Specific needs or any ideas of enhancements and new features to add to the extension? Tell us more, we'll get back to you shortly!

    Thank you

    That’s a wrap.

    We will get back to you as soon as possible.

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