Registration system for VST plugins.
These modules allow you to have a simple Registration System for your VST Plugins by having a serial number that is directly linked to both the product name (name of your VST) and the registered user name.
The “Registration Check” module allows you to provide a basic system to register users of your plugins. The idea is you issue each user with a serial number. The serial is linked to the user’s name (or email).
Use two “User Setting – Text” modules, one to save the user’s name, and a second to store their serial. This data will be stored on disk and recalled any time the user loads the plugin. Each User-Setting-Text module needs a “key” which identifies what the setting is called. On the first User-Setting module, set “Key” to “Registration Name” or similar, and set the second module’s Key to “Serial” or similar. (Ref to the diagram below).
Registration Setting information will be saved to the following folders:
For Windows systems;
Windows C:\Users\UserName\AppData\Local\ProductName\Preferences.xml
For MAC OS systems;
MacOS ~Library/Preferences/ProductName/Preferences.xml.
Basic example.
In the example shown below a LED is used to indicate that a valid serial number has been entered.
In practice, you might choose to use this signal to restrict the features of your instrument, or to add periodic noise bursts etc.
To generate serials, use the “Registration Serial Generator” module
Important Note: You must not share this module with your end-users.
Note: You must ensure you enter the same “random seed” into the Registration Serial Generator that you used in the Registration Checker. The seed should be different for each of your plugins (otherwise the same serials will activate all of them). Currently, it’s necessary to generate each serial number manually.
The Registration Checker in use in a VST:
Product Name:
Ensure you enter a unique product-name into the User-Setting-Text module at the time of creating your VST. Otherwise the system will mix up serials from different products and you’ll end up with a total mess.
The “Default” setting is not important, it can be left blank, however you can put a useful message in here such as “Enter User Name”. Note: If you are using the Password hide module there is no point as your message will become **********, so it would be better to use another Text Entry with the appropriate control labels.
Random Seed:
You must enter this Integer in the Registration Check module’s properties when programming the VST It MUST be unique to each plug-in you create (not for each one of the same type you sell though!)
User Name:
The user enters their User Name or E-Mail address in here, which they have supplied to you (email is best, the chances of two people having the same e-mail address are, well pretty remote).
Serial Number:
The user enters the serial number generated by the combination of their user name, and the Random Seed Integer.
In this example Text Entry 4 Changes to Registered = True when all the three variables match: Random Seed, User Name, and Serial Number. In practice you can use this to disable certain parts of the VST, add random noise bursts etc. which will then be removed when the correct registration details have been entered.
Hiding your passwords.
One more helpful thing you can add is the password hide. So if a user is making a video of something with the plugin the serial numbers are shown as asterisks after entry like ****** instead of 235256 for example if the registration screen is displayed on the main control panel.
Creating Passwords.
This just needs the Registration Serial Generator, and the Text Entry4 module to display the generated password.
All you need here is the Rego Name – this is ideally the clients email address, and the Random Seed Number.
Important: The Random Seed number must not be shared. The Registration Serial Generator must never be shared or left in the final VST.
User Setting – Text module.
Passes the relevant information to the Registration checker for validation.
Plugs:
Left Hand Side:
-> Product:- (Text) The Product name i.e. the name of your VST. This must match in both the User and Serial modules!
-> Key:- (Text) The Key value of User Name, or Serial Number. Leave as Default when programming.
-> Default:- (Text) Leave as Default when Programming.
Right Hand Side:
<- Value:- (Text) User Name or Serial number input from a Text Entry4 module by the end user.
<- Value:- (Text) User Name or Serial number sent to the Registration Checker module.
Registration Check: Module.
There are two versions of these GUI and DSP. They both check the combination of User Name, Seed, and Serial Number to ensure they are a valid match.
Plugs:
Left Hand Side:
-> Rego Name:- (Text) Input of the User name. Put a default value in the properties during programming.
-> Serial:- (Text) Input of the Serial Number. Put a default (false obviously!) value in the properties during programming.
Right Hand Side:
<- Is Valid:- (Boolean) Returns a value of “True” if all the conditions match.
Properties:
♦ Seed:- (Integer) This is your random Seed Number for your VST module to identify it. This MUST be a unique number entered into the modules properties during programming of your VST. It must never be made public.
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