How to limit the duration of basic user accounts (timeout after 30 days, etc)

Genesis can force any user account to expire after a certain number of days.

This feature is particularly useful when you want to offer free web authoring accounts to the public for a limited time, but then want to convert the users over to paid plans within a certain period of time.

Follow these instructions to make all new user accounts expire within a certain time:

  1. Install Genesis version 2.1.0.0022 or newer.

  2. Go to "Admin Page" => "Manage Users"

  3. Click on the link labeled "Default Settings for New Accounts".

  4. Scroll down to the "Account Expiration" section. There you can set each new account to exist forever, or expire X days after being created.

  5. To enable user account expiration, select the second radio button next to "Account expires X days after being created."

  6. Now all new user accounts will expire within X days.

If you don't want a given user's account to expire, then go to "Admin Page" => "Manage Users" => "Edit Profile" for the account. From there you can adjust the "Account Expiration" options to extend the lifetime of the account, or make it permanent.

Typically you would make the account permanent once the user purchases a hosting plan. You might also switch from permanent status to expiring status as a warning for accounts that are past due.

Other notes:

  • Once an account expires, it is not deleted. The user simply cannot log in. When he does try to log in, it will simply print a message saying that the time limit on his account has expired.

    Web pages will still work normally. The user won't be able to log in and edit them, but visitors will still be able to visit and view the pages like normal.

    The actual account will still exist in the Users list. The administrator can choose to re-activate the account or delete it.

  • The user will be able to see how many days he has remaining by going to the "My Account" page.

    You can also display this information on each page by customizing the Genesis template. Examples of how to do this are at Variables for use in template.html.