General Settings Overview

Navigate and configure the core settings of your Alva Digital Downloads app for optimal performance.

Accessing Settings

Navigate to settings:

Shopify admin → Apps → Alva Digital Downloads
Click Settings in the app navigation
Browse settings categories

Settings categories:

• General
• Shop Settings
• Email Notifications
• Fraud Prevention
• Download Security
• Storefront Extensions
• Advanced
• API & Webhooks

Settings Dashboard

Settings Overview Page

Quick access to key settings:

Categories shown:

┌─────────────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────┐
│ Shop Settings       │  │ Email Settings      │
│ • Shop name         │  │ • Email enabled     │
│ • Logo              │  │ • From email        │
│ • Contact info      │  │ • Templates         │
└─────────────────────┘  └─────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────┐  ┌─────────────────────┐
│ Fraud Prevention    │  │ Download Security   │
│ • Status: Enabled   │  │ • Expiry: 60 days   │
│ • Auto-approve      │  │ • Limit: 5 downloads│
│ • Risk levels       │  │ • IP tracking       │
└─────────────────────┘  └─────────────────────┘

Quick actions:

Edit each category directly
View current status
Access advanced options

General Settings

App Information

Basic app details:

App version:

Current version: 2.5.3
Last updated: January 15, 2024

Installation date:

Installed: December 1, 2023
Days active: 45

App status:

Status: Active ✅
Subscription: Active
Plan: Professional
Billing: $29.99/month
Next billing: February 1, 2024

Time Zone Settings

Configure time zone:

Shop time zone:

Default: Shopify shop timezone
Override: Select custom timezone

Current: America/New_York (EST)
or: Europe/London (GMT)
or: Asia/Tokyo (JST)

Affects:

• Order timestamps
• Email send times
• Download expiry calculations
• Analytics reporting
• Scheduled exports

Best practice: Match your shop’s primary customer base location

Language Settings

App language:

Available languages:

• English (en)
• French (fr)
• German (de)
• Spanish (es)
• Italian (it)
• Japanese (ja)
• Dutch (nl)
• Portuguese (pt-BR)

What’s translated:

✓ Admin interface
✓ Customer emails
✓ Download pages
✓ Error messages
✓ Notifications

Auto-detection:

If enabled:
→ Detects customer's Shopify language
→ Sends emails in their language
→ Shows download page in their language

Configuration:

Settings → General → Language
Default language: [Select]
☑ Auto-detect customer language

Currency Display

Currency format:

Automatic:

Uses Shopify shop currency
Format: $1,234.56 (USD)
or: €1.234,56 (EUR)
or: ¥1,234 (JPY)

Custom format:

Settings → General → Currency Display
Symbol position: Before / After
Decimal places: 0 / 2
Thousands separator: Comma / Period / Space

Example:

USD: $1,234.56
EUR: 1.234,56 €
GBP: £1,234.56

Account Settings

User Permissions

Manage app access:

Shop owner:

Full access to:
• All settings
• All features
• Billing
• User management

Staff accounts:

Settings → Account → User Permissions

Permissions:
☑ View files
☑ Upload files
☐ Delete files
☑ View orders
☐ Manage fraud checks
☐ Access settings
☐ View analytics

API Access

API credentials:

API key:

Settings → Account → API Access
API Key: abc123def456... [Show] [Regenerate]
Created: Jan 1, 2024
Last used: Jan 15, 2024, 3:45 PM

Webhook secret:

Webhook Secret: xyz789abc123... [Show] [Regenerate]
Used for: Webhook signature verification

Security:

⚠️ Keep credentials secret
⚠️ Regenerate if compromised
⚠️ Use HTTPS only
✓ Rotate regularly (every 90 days)

Session Settings

Login and security:

Session timeout:

Inactivity timeout: 2 hours (default)
Options: 30 min / 1 hour / 2 hours / 4 hours / Never

After timeout: User logged out

Two-factor authentication:

☑ Enable 2FA for all users
Method: Authenticator app / SMS
Required: Yes / Optional

Notification Settings

Admin Notifications

Receive notifications for:

Order notifications:

☑ New digital product order
☑ Fraud check flagged order
☐ Order approved/rejected
☐ Download limit reached
☐ Link expired

System notifications:

☑ File upload completed
☑ File upload failed
☐ Storage limit approaching
☑ App errors
☑ Subscription changes

Notification Channels

How to receive:

Email:

☑ Send to shop owner email
Email: shop@example.com
☐ CC additional emails: support@example.com

SMS (optional):

☐ Enable SMS notifications
Phone: +1-555-123-4567
Provider: Twilio
Cost: Per message

In-app:

☑ Show in app notifications
Badge count: Yes
Sound: No

Data Management

Data Retention

How long to keep data:

Order data:

Retention: 2 years (default)
Options: 6 months / 1 year / 2 years / Forever

Affects:
• Purchase records
• Download logs
• Customer data

Email logs:

Retention: 90 days (default)
Options: 30 / 60 / 90 / 180 / 365 days

Download logs:

Retention: 180 days (default)
Options: 30 / 90 / 180 / 365 days / Forever

GDPR compliance:

Automatic deletion after retention period
Customer can request data deletion anytime
Comply with regional data laws

Storage Management

File storage overview:

Current usage:

Used: 12.4 GB / 50 GB (25%)
Files: 247 files
Average file size: 50 MB

Storage limits:

Free plan: 5 GB
Basic: 25 GB
Professional: 50 GB
Enterprise: Unlimited

Actions:

[View File List]
[Delete Unused Files]
[Upgrade Plan]

Backup Settings

Automatic backups:

File backups:

☑ Enable automatic file backups
Frequency: Daily
Retention: 7 days
Location: Secondary storage region

Database backups:

☑ Enable database backups
Frequency: Daily at 2:00 AM (shop timezone)
Retention: 30 days
Includes: Orders, customers, settings

Manual backup:

[Create Backup Now]
Last backup: Jan 15, 2024, 2:00 AM
Status: Successful ✅
Size: 450 MB

Performance Settings

Caching

Cache configuration:

File caching:

☑ Enable CDN caching
Cache duration: 24 hours
Purge on: File update, deletion

Page caching:

☑ Cache download pages
Duration: 1 hour
Exclude: Dynamic content (download count, expiry)

Cache control:

[Purge All Cache]
[Purge File Cache]
[Purge Page Cache]

Last purge: Jan 14, 2024, 10:30 AM

Optimization

Performance optimization:

Image optimization:

☑ Compress product images
Quality: 85% (recommended)
Format: WebP with JPEG fallback

File delivery:

☑ Use CDN for file delivery
☑ Enable compression (ZIP, PDF)
☑ Resume download support

Load balancing:

☑ Auto-scale during high traffic
Max concurrent downloads: 1000
Queue excess requests: Yes

Integration Settings

Shopify Integration

Connected features:

Metafields:

☑ Use product metafields
Namespace: alva_digital_downloads
Keys: file_ids, pack_ids

Order tags:

☑ Auto-tag digital orders
Tag: "digital-download"
Use for: Filtering, automation

Customer accounts:

☑ Show downloads in customer accounts
☑ Email download links
☑ Sync customer data

Third-Party Integrations

Available integrations:

Email services:

Primary: Postmark ✓ Connected
Fallback: MailerToGo ✓ Connected
Configure: Settings → Email Settings

Analytics:

Google Analytics: ○ Not connected [Connect]
Facebook Pixel: ○ Not connected [Connect]

Cloud storage:

Primary: Cloudflare R2 ✓ Connected
Backup: BackBlaze B2 ○ Optional

Billing and Subscription

Subscription Details

Current plan:

Plan information:

Plan: Professional
Price: $29.99/month
Billing cycle: Monthly
Next billing: February 1, 2024
Payment method: Credit card (...4242)

Usage this month:

Orders processed: 143 / Unlimited
Files stored: 12.4 GB / 50 GB
Bandwidth: 45 GB / 500 GB
Emails sent: 287 / 5,000

Plan Comparison

Available plans:

Free:

Price: $0/month
Files: 5 GB
Orders: 100/month
Support: Email

Basic:

Price: $14.99/month
Files: 25 GB
Orders: 500/month
Support: Email + Chat

Professional:

Price: $29.99/month ← Current
Files: 50 GB
Orders: Unlimited
Support: Priority

Enterprise:

Price: Custom
Files: Unlimited
Orders: Unlimited
Support: Dedicated

Actions:

[Upgrade Plan]
[Downgrade Plan]
[Cancel Subscription]

Billing History

Past invoices:

| Date       | Description     | Amount  | Status | Invoice |
|------------|-----------------|---------|--------|---------|
| Jan 1,2024 | Professional    | $29.99  | Paid   | [PDF]   |
| Dec 1,2023 | Professional    | $29.99  | Paid   | [PDF]   |
| Nov 1,2023 | Basic           | $14.99  | Paid   | [PDF]   |

Export:

[Export All Invoices (CSV)]
[Download Receipt (PDF)]

Import/Export Settings

Export Settings

Export app configuration:

Settings → General → Export Settings
Format: JSON
Includes:
☑ Email templates
☑ Fraud prevention rules
☑ Download security settings
☑ Notification preferences
☐ API credentials (excluded for security)

Use cases:

Backup configuration
Migrate to another shop
Documentation

Actions:

[Export All Settings]
[Export Specific Category]

Import Settings

Import configuration:

Settings → General → Import Settings
Upload: settings.json
Preview: [Shows what will be imported]
Conflicts: Choose to overwrite or skip

Safety:

⚠️ Creates backup before import
⚠️ Review changes before confirming
✓ Can be reverted

Actions:

[Select File]
[Preview Import]
[Import Settings]
[Revert Last Import]

Developer Settings

Debug Mode

Enable debugging:

Debug mode:

☐ Enable debug mode
Warning: Only for development/testing
Provides:
• Detailed error messages
• API request/response logs
• Performance metrics

Debug logs:

Settings → Developer → Debug Logs
View: Last 100 entries
Filter: Error / Warning / Info

Webhook Management

Manage webhooks:

Active webhooks:

ORDERS/PAID
→ Endpoint: /webhooks/order-paid
→ Last triggered: Jan 15, 2024, 3:45 PM
→ Status: Active ✅

CUSTOMERS/DATA_REQUEST
→ Endpoint: /webhooks/customer-data
→ Last triggered: Jan 10, 2024
→ Status: Active ✅

Webhook logs:

[View Webhook Logs]
Shows: All webhook deliveries
Filter: By type, status, date

API Documentation

Access API docs:

Settings → Developer → API Documentation
Opens: Interactive API reference

Includes:
• Authentication
• Endpoints
• Request/response examples
• Rate limits
• Error codes

Settings Search

Quick Settings Search

Find settings quickly:

Search bar:

Settings → [Search settings...]
Type: "email" → Shows all email-related settings
Type: "fraud" → Shows fraud prevention settings

Recent settings:

Recently modified:
• Download expiry (2 days ago)
• Email template (5 days ago)
• Fraud threshold (1 week ago)

Quick access:

Click recent setting → Jump directly to it

Settings Recommendations

Optimization Suggestions

AI-powered recommendations:

Current suggestions:

💡 Enable fraud prevention
   Your shop has 0% fraud protection.
   [Enable Now]

💡 Reduce download expiry
   95% of downloads happen in first 7 days.
   Consider reducing from 60 to 30 days.
   [Learn More]

💡 Upgrade email provider
   Open rate could improve 15% with Postmark.
   [Connect Postmark]

Dismiss:

[Dismiss]
[Remind Me Later]
[Don't Show Again]

Settings Validation

Configuration Checker

Verify settings:

Settings → General → Validate Configuration
Checks: All settings for issues

Results:
✅ Email settings: Valid
✅ Storage: Connected
⚠️ Fraud prevention: Not enabled
❌ Download security: Expiry too long (>90 days)

Fix issues:

Click warning/error → See recommendation → Fix

Settings History

Change Log

Track settings changes:

Recent changes:

Jan 15, 2024, 3:45 PM - User: shop@example.com
Changed: Download expiry from 90 to 60 days

Jan 12, 2024, 10:30 AM - User: staff@example.com
Changed: Email template updated

Jan 10, 2024, 2:15 PM - User: shop@example.com
Changed: Fraud prevention enabled

Actions:

[View Full History]
[Revert Change]
[Export Log (CSV)]

Reset Settings

Factory Reset

Reset to defaults:

Partial reset:

Settings → General → Reset
Options:
○ Reset email settings
○ Reset fraud settings
○ Reset download security
○ Reset all notification settings

Full reset:

⚠️ Reset ALL settings to defaults
Warning: Cannot be undone
Backup created automatically

Confirmation required:
Type "RESET" to confirm

What’s NOT reset:

✓ Uploaded files (safe)
✓ Order history (safe)
✓ Customer data (safe)
✓ Subscription (safe)

Best Practices

1. Review Settings Regularly

Schedule:

Monthly: Review all settings
Quarterly: Optimize based on analytics
Annually: Full audit

Checklist:

☐ Email deliverability
☐ Download limits appropriate
☐ Fraud prevention effective
☐ Storage usage
☐ Performance metrics

2. Document Changes

Keep records:

✓ Note why settings changed
✓ Track performance impact
✓ Document experiments
✓ Share with team

3. Test Before Changing

Safe testing:

1. Review current performance
2. Make one change at a time
3. Monitor for 1-2 weeks
4. Analyze impact
5. Keep or revert

4. Use Recommended Settings

Start with defaults:

Default settings optimized for most shops
Only customize if you have specific needs
Test impact of customizations

5. Enable Notifications

Stay informed:

✓ Enable critical notifications
✓ Monitor app health
✓ Address issues promptly
✓ Review analytics regularly

Next Steps

Shop Settings and Preferences - Shop-specific configuration
Email Settings Configuration - Email setup
Advanced Settings and API - Developer features