LimeStore extension development

This page describes how you as a third-party developer can create and publish extensions for LimeSurvey, available for purchase or free download in the LimeSurvey LimeStore.

FAQ

What is the LimeStore

LimeStore is the general extension shop for LimeSurvey GmbH, where "extension" can be one of the following:

• Plugin
• Survey theme
• Question theme
• Survey template
• Localization package
• Component
• External systems (like RPC libraries)

Not all types are supported right now (as of 2019-01-14) but are planned to be.

Extensions can be both free to download and available for purchase. There is a legal agreement with regard to partner fees.

How do I become a third-party developer?

Apply at us, sign documents, give banking details/PayPal account for transactions, etc.

TODO

Adding an extension to the LimeStore

First, you have to be approved as a LimeStore extension vendor. See above.

The extension has to be zipped correctly, with a proper config.xml file. See below.

config.xml specification

All LimeSurvey extensions include a config.xml file with specifies author, version, type, and so on. Without this file, LimeSurvey won't be able to properly install the extension.

Metadata tags descriptions

Tag	Type	Mandatory	Description
name	string	x	The name of the extension
type	string	x	Type of the extension; can be "plugin", "theme", etc; see below
creationDate	date (YYYY-MM-DD)		Date the extension was created
lastUpdate	date (YYYY-MM-DD)		Date of the latest update
author	string	x	Plugin author
authorUrl	url	x	URL to author web page, necessary so that customers can contact author for support
supportUrl	url	x	URL to support page, so that customers and users can contact authors about problems and questions
version	string as semantic version	x	Extension version number
lastSecurityUpdate	string as semantic version		Last version that included a security update
license	string	x	Extension licence
description	CDATA	x	Short description of extension, visible in the LimeSurvey extension manager

From LimeSurvey 4, you're also required to include information about extension updater: https://manual.limesurvey.org/Plugins_-_advanced#Extension_updates_.28New_in_4_.29

Allowed extension types

The following values are allowed in the type metadata tag:

Extension types

Type	Tag value	Internal representation
Survey theme	theme	t
Admin theme	admin_theme	a
Question theme	question_theme	q
Plugin	plugin	p
Survey template	survey_template	s
Twig extension	twig_extension	w
External system	external	x

Plugin example

<config>
    <metadata>
        <name>MassAction</name>
        <type>plugin</type>
        <creationDate>2017-03-28</creationDate>
        <lastUpdate>2018-01-24</lastUpdate>
        <author>Olle Haerstedt</author>
        <authorUrl>https://github.com/olleharstedt</authorUrl>
        <supportUrl>https://github.com/olleharstedt/MassAction/issues</supportUrl>
        <version>1.0.0</version>
        <lastSecurityUpdate>1.0.0</lastSecurityUpdate>
        <license>GNU General Public License version 2 or later</license>
        <description><![CDATA[Edit multiple relevance equations in one page.]]></description>
    </metadata>
</config>

Theme example

TODO

Question theme example

TODO

After upload

When an extension has been uploaded, it has to be approved by the LimeSurvey GmbH team. The workflow is as below.

LimeStore extension upload workflow description

State	Description
Processing	Waiting for scripts to finish
Process failed	Internal system error, or other error like lacking config.xml file in ZIP archive
In review	Waiting for manual approval of LimeSurvey GmbH member
Disapproved	The extension was for some reason not approved by the team
Approved	The extension has been approved and is now available for download or purchase in the LimeStore
Disabled	Manually disabled by the third-party developer (not LimeSurvey GmbH), (customers who bought the extension still have access to approved zip files)

Each zip file has to be approved individually. When you update a new version of an extension, the old version will be available for download until the new zip file is approved. The old zip file will then be deleted from our system, and only the new version will be available.

Purchase models (payment, support, license, pricing)

LimeSurvey Cloud (hosting)

For plugins that are sold on LimeSurvey GmbH hosting, only the subscription payment model is available. In this case, by default, support is limited to updates and bug fixes during the subscription term. After the subscription term ends, the plugin is removed from the LimeSurvey Cloud instance.

Other extensions like themes etc can be both one-off payments and subscriptions. In this case, the support period is determined by the developer and shown on the product details page.

For free extensions, the developer may or may not provide support (link or contact).

A license for a plugin available on LimeSurvey Cloud should not be AGPL because of the end-user open source requirement (or any other license that requires the source-code to be available to the end user).

We recommend the extension price should be cheaper for LimeSurvey Cloud than for CE as it will renew automatically and the user will have no access to the extensions anymore after it expired. The pricing can be freely determined by the developer, but can not be less than 5 EUR.

LimeSurvey Community Edition (non-hosting)

All extensions available for LimeSurvey CE can be both one-off payments and subscriptions. With subscriptions, by default, support is limited to updates and bug fixes during the subscription term. For one-off payments, the support period is determined by the developer and shown on the product details page.

After the subscription/support period ends, the customer would still have access to the most recent version of the extension that was available during the subscription/support period. Example: ...

For free extensions, the developer may or may not provide support (link or contact).

For an extensions that can be downloaded and installed in LimeSurvey CE, a license of your choosing can be used.

The pricing can be freely determined by the developer, but can not be less than 5 EUR.

The subscription period can be monthly or yearly.

Version access

• For one-off payments, the customer has access to new versions of the extension forever
• For subscriptions, the customer has access to new versions as long as the subscription period is running
• After the subscription period has expired, the customer has access to the latest update from the subscription period