How to Configure Payment Gateways

Automated payments are no longer a fancy; it’s a necessity. Using the JetFormBuilder plugin’s functionality, you will be able to add the desired payment methods to your website. In this tutorial, you will learn how to activate the WordPress payment gateway option, add one to the form, and customize its settings.

How to Enable the Payment Gateways Option

Before JetFormBuilder v1.2.1, the WordPress Payment Gateways for both JetEngine and JetFormBuilder had to be set up manually. You were supposed to go to WordPress Dashboard > Appearance > Theme Editor, click on the functions.php file in the right sidebar, and add the filter:

add_filter( 'jet-form-builder/allow-gateways', '__return_true' );
adding a gateways filter to the kava child theme

There is a much more convenient way to enable the WordPress Payment Gateways option with the latest update. Proceed to WordPress Dashboard > JetFormBuilder > Settings, locate the Payments Gateways tab, and click on it. 

Inside, you will see the Enable Gateways toggle switch. Once enabled, this option takes precedence over the manually added allow-gateways filter. This means that new users who haven’t enabled the gateways yet won’t have to alter the child theme file in any manner. 

For those users who had already added the filter by hand, there is no need to remove it from functions.php – the gateway will still be working. Turn the Enable Gateways toggle on to activate the functionality.

payments gateways settings in the jetforms settings

Below it, you will see another toggle – Enable Test Mode. Once enabled, this option takes precedence over PayPal’s sandbox-mode filter. Again, if you had that filter added to the code, it would continue working. So far, this option works for the PayPal payment system only.

Also, the Payments Gateways tab will output all the payment integrations you have added. By default, there is only one payment system – PayPal. All the new ones will land below it. 

After you finish the Gateway activation, a new settings section called Gateways Settings will appear in the WordPress form editing interface. To find it, go to WordPress Dashboard > JetFormBuilder > Forms and open one of the created forms. In the right-side menu, you will see the Gateways Settings section.

paypal gateaway settings

Now, let’s go through the section settings.

  • None — when selected, this option means none of the available checkouts will be attached to the current form; 
  • PayPal Checkout — select this Radio button to create a connection between the PayPay checkout and the form you are currently editing; 
  • Stripe Checkout — if you want to connect the JetFormBuilder form to Stripe’s payment software, select this option;
  • Edit — a button with a wrench icon opens the additional checkout settings pop-up window.

How to Configure the PayPal Gateway

To set it up correctly, you need to register your PayPal app and receive the Client ID and Secret Key for your authentication.

How to Obtain the PayPal API key

Go to the PayPal developer’s website and hit the “Log Into Dashboard” button. If you already have an account, log into it. Otherwise, create one. 

paypal account creation form
NOTE

Please note that for a non-test form, you need to switch from “Sandbox” to “Live” in the PayPal Dashboard > My Apps & Credentials section, as stated in the official PayPal Developer tutorial.

sandbox and live toggle switcher on paypal developer page

For a form to work correctly in a live environment, set up the appropriate API credentials (Live or Sandbox, the instructions are in the Get started with PayPal Developer tutorial) and indicate a proper currency code (the list of codes can be found on the Country Currency Codes page).

sandbox account creation pop-up window

Now, go to Dashboard > My Apps & Credentials and click on the “Create App” button. Give your new app a name and choose the “Merchant” App Type. Then click the “Create App” button once again.

new app creation page

You will be redirected to the app’s page. The Client ID and Secret Key are right there – just copy them.

paypal client ID and secret key

Proceed to WordPress Dashboard > JetFormBuilder > Settings. In the Payments Gateways tab, find the PayPal Gateway API drop-down and click on it. Paste the obtained keys into the corresponding fields and press the “Save” button.

paypal gateway api keys insertion in jetforms settings

Now, go to WordPress Dashboard > JetFormBuilder > Forms and open one of the created forms. In the right-side menu, you will see the Gateways Settings section. Choose “PayPal Checkout” and click the “Edit” button to open its settings.

PayPal Checkout Settings

checkout settings pop-up
  • Use Global Settings — enable this toggle to pull the data from the PayPal Gateway API’s settings and pre-fill the Client ID and Secret Key fields; 
  • Client ID — paste the Client ID that you obtained from PayPal into this bar;
  • Secret Key — this is where you paste the Secret key generated through the PayPal website; 
  • Gateway Action — pick a payment scenario that will perform once the form is submitted;
  • Request Button — press the “Sync Access Token” button to work on the payment settings;
access token updated fields
  • Currency Code — type here a three-letter code that represents the currency used in your form; 
  • Price/amount field — in this drop-down select, pick the corresponding price field within your form;
payment messages settings
  • Available macros list — these macros can be used in the fields below – Payment success message and Payment failed message – if you would like to specify some details for the customer:
    • %gateway_amount% — will provide the payment amount returned from the gateway template;
    • %gateway_status% — will give the payment status returned from the payment gateway;
    • %field_name% — will provide any necessary details from the form field, the name of which you write instead of the “field_name”;
  • Payment success message — this is a message that will be shown to the user after their payment is confirmed to be successful;
  • Payment failed message — this message will be directed to the user if their payment does not come through.

How to Configure the Stripe Gateway

You need to register a new business on Stripe and receive the Publishable and Secret keys for your authentication to set it up correctly.

How to Obtain the Stripe API Key

Go to the Stripe website and create a new account. 

account creation form on stripe website

A confirmation letter will be sent to your email. Proceed to the inbox and click the link in the email to pass verification. Afterward, you’ll be redirected to Stripe’s dashboard page. Click on the New Business bar in the upper left corner of the sidebar, enter the account name and press the “Add name” button.

creating a new business on stripe website

Good. Now, you will be able to locate two Stripe API keys – the first is the Publishable key, and the second is the Secret key. Copy them.

stripe api keys section

Proceed to WordPress Dashboard > JetFormBuilder > Settings. Find the Stripe Gateway API drop-down in the Payments Gateways tab and click on it. Paste the obtained keys into the corresponding fields and press the “Save” button.

stripe gateway api keys insertion in jetforms settings

Now, go to WordPress Dashboard > JetForms > Forms and open one of the created forms. In the right-side menu, you will see the Gateways Settings section. Choose “Stripe Checkout” and click the “Edit” button to open its settings.

Stripe Checkout Settings

stripe checkout settings editing window
NOTE

If you work with Stripe, mind that you need to set the “Insert/Update Post” post-submit action. Otherwise, the “Edit” button will not be available.

The Stripe Checkout settings are pretty similar to PayPal Checkout except for one field. Instead of the Client ID field, there is the Public Key field. You are supposed to input here the Publishable Key obtained from Stripe. 

However, if you enable the Use Global Settings toggle, both fields with the keys will be pre-filled automatically.

Action Events Settings

The Event logic for the Submit Actions is available after the 2.1.0 version of the JetFormBuilder plugin.

With this new feature, you can set the time and condition for every action in the form when it should be performed. If you use the PayPal or Stripe payment method in the form, you can also set what action should be executed after a successful or failed payment.

To set an action event, proceed to the Post Submit Actions tab of the form and hit the “Edit Conditions & Events” button.

post submit actions

In the Events match tab, you can add such events:

  • DEFAULT.PROCESS – defines the time of action performance. This event is needed when the payment (PayPal/Stripe) function is included in the form so that the JetFormBuilder plugin can complete the submit actions with such an event before a user is redirected to the checkout page;
  • BAD.REQUEST – is executed after processing the request if there are errors in the form fields (for example, when you filled out a Media field with the wrong format file or exceeded the file limit). Overtakes the DEFAULT.PROCESS event;
  • DEFAULT.REQUIRED – is executed in any case, even if the form fields contain some errors or in case of unsuccessfully performed actions. This event runs at the end before the form response is sent. By default, this event is used by the Save Form Record action and cannot be added to other events through the form editor;
NOTE

If you use several actions with the DEFAULT.REQUIRED event, so set the Save Form Record action last; otherwise, the status for the completed action will be saved incorrectly.

  • GATEWAY.SUCCESS – replaces the former “On success payment” option for actions. It is executed after passing the checkout page on the side of the payment system if a payment or a subscription has been made;
  • GATEWAY.FAILED – replaces the former “On failed payment” option for actions. It is performed when the user returns from the checkout page of the payment system without making a payment or subscribing.
events match tab

After you select one or several events, hit the “Update” button. The event in the submit action will look like that:

action event

Don’t forget to “Update” the form to save changes.

That’s it. Now you know how to configure WordPress Payment Gateways and use them in JetFormBuilder forms.