The Content Restriction feature lets you control who can access specific content on your site based on memberships, user data, and flexible rule conditions.

How you manage content access depends on your plan:

• Free version – Content restriction only through membership Access settings.
• PRO version – Dedicated Content Rules interface with Membership Rules and Custom Rules.

---

Content Restriction in the Free Version #

In the free version, there is no Content Rules dashboard. All content access is managed per membership plan:

• Go to User Registration & Membership > Memberships.
• Edit a membership plan.

Then click on the Access option at the top to access the Content Access rules.

This is the only place where free users can define which content a membership can access.

---

Membership Access Section #

The Access section inside a membership defines what content members of that plan can view. From here, you can control access to:

Basic Content Restriction: Provide access to individual pages, posts, or the whole site.

• The entire site
• Selected pages
• Specific posts

Advanced Content Restriction (PRO Only)

• Custom post types
• Menu items
• Supported taxonomies (such as categories and tags)
• Custom URI
• File Downloads (available when the File Downloads add-on is enabled)
• Content Drip (available when the Content Drip Addon add-on is enabled)

These access settings are automatically applied when a user has an active membership for that plan.

---

How This Works Internally #

Although free users configure access from the Membership Access screen, these rules are internally treated as membership content rules.

In the PRO version, these same rules become visible under the Content Rules > Membership Rules tab.

---

Content Rules in User Registration & Membership PRO #

The PRO version introduces a dedicated Content Rules interface for centralized content management.

With Content Rules, you can:

• View and manage membership-based access rules in one place
• Create custom content restriction rules using advanced conditions
• Apply access control to pages, posts, files, taxonomies, and more

However, the Content Rules menu is not enabled by default.

Content Rules are available only in the PRO version and must be enabled manually.

---

Enable Content Restriction Addon (Required) #

The Content Rules menu is not enabled by default, even in PRO.

1. Go to User Registration & Membership > Addons
2. Locate Content Restriction
3. Toggle the addon to activate.

Content Rules Overview (PRO) #

Once activated, a new submenu appears at: User Registration & Membership > Content Rules

The Content Rules screen includes two tabs:

• Membership Rule: Rules that come from membership Access settings.
• Custom Rules: Additional, flexible rules you create manually (PRO-only).

---

Membership Rules Tab (PRO) #

The Membership Rules tab shows all content access rules created from memberships.

• This is a centralized view of membership access.
• Each rule corresponds to a Membership Access rule.
• Editing a Membership Rule updates that membership’s access configuration.

Each Membership Rule in the Membership Rules tab is divided into two main parts:

1. Rule
2. Restriction Message

These sections work together to define who gets access, what they can access, and what non-members see when access is restricted.

Membership Access and Membership Rules represent the same rules, viewed from different entry points.

---

Rule

The Rule section controls the actual access logic and is further divided into:

Condition

The Condition defines which membership plan the rule applies to.

• Membership Rules always use Membership-based conditions
• The condition is automatically set based on the membership plan
• Non-membership conditions (roles, dates, fields, etc.) are not available here

You cannot create new rules directly from this tab. Only one Membership Rule is permitted per membership plan.

---

Access

The Access section defines what content is accessible when the membership condition is met.

From here, you can grant access to:

• Whole site
• Selected pages
• Specific posts
• Custom post types
• Menu items
• Taxonomies
• Files
• Custom URI

These access settings are identical to what you configure from Memberships > Individual Plan > Access.

Any change made here is reflected in the membership’s Access settings, and vice versa.

---

Restriction Message

The Restriction Message section controls what non-members see when they try to access protected content.

This message is shown when:

• A user does not have the required membership to access the page or resource.

How it works:

• Each membership rule can have its own custom restriction message
• If left empty, the Global Restriction Message is used
• If both are empty, a fallback message is displayed automatically

The Custom Message editor supports:

• Smart tags for Login and Sign Up buttons
• Formatting and links
• Images and branding via Add Media

This allows you to tailor messaging per membership while still keeping a consistent site-wide default.

---

Custom Rules (PRO Only) #

The Custom Rules tab lets you create standalone content restriction rules that are not tied to a specific membership. It allows you to restrict content using flexible conditions, actions, and logic.

Each rule has two main areas:

1. Rules tab (default):
   • Conditions – who the rule applies to
   • Access – which content is affected
2. Settings tab:
   • Action – what happens when access is blocked
   • Restriction Message – what to show if the action is “Show Message.”
   • Advanced Logic – how multiple conditions are evaluated (Custom Rules only)

---

Create a Custom Rule

1. Go to Content Rules > Custom Rules
2. Click Add Rule
3. Enter a rule name and click Continue.

When you open or create any rule (especially in Custom Rules), the Rules tab is selected by default.

This tab has two key sections:

• Condition
• Access

---

Conditions in Custom Rules

Conditions define who the rule applies to. You can add one or more conditions and, for Custom Rules, later refine how they interact via Advanced Logic.

Custom Rules support conditions such as:

Logged-In State

This condition applies the rule based on whether the user is authenticated.

Options:

• Logged In
• Logged Out

Use this when:

• You want to block content from visitors who are not logged in
• You want to show different behavior for guests and registered users
• You want to redirect logged-out users to a login or sign-up page

This condition is evaluated before membership or role checks.

---

User Role

This condition applies the rule based on the user’s WordPress role.

Examples:

• Subscriber
• Contributor
• Author
• Editor
• Administrator
• Any custom role added by plugins or themes

Use this when:

• Access should depend on WordPress roles rather than memberships
• You want to exclude administrators or editors from restrictions
• You are managing internal or editorial access

This condition checks the user’s current role, not their membership.

---

User Registration Date

This condition applies the rule based on when the user registered.

You can target:

• A specific date
• A date range

Use this when:

• Access should be limited to users who joined during a specific period
• You want to run time-bound campaigns or early-access programs
• You need different rules for old vs new users

This condition is evaluated using the user’s original registration timestamp.

---

Period After Registration

This condition applies the rule based on the number of days before or after a user registered.

Examples:

• More than 7 days after registration
• Less than 3 days after registration

Use this when:

• You want to delay access for new users
• You want to create trial-like or onboarding restrictions
• Access should unlock gradually based on account age

This condition is dynamic and updates automatically as time passes.

---

Email Domain

This condition applies the rule based on the email domain used during registration.

Examples:

• gmail.com
• company.com
• edu

Use this when:

• Access should be limited to users from specific organizations
• You want internal or partner-only content
• You want to restrict access based on business email domains

Only the domain portion of the email address is evaluated.

---

Payment Status

This condition applies the rule based on the user’s payment state.

Examples:

• Completed
• Pending
• Failed
• Refunded

Use this when:

• Access should depend on successful payment
• You want to block users with failed or refunded payments
• Content should unlock only after payment completion

This allows you to restrict content based on payment state without tying it directly to a membership plan.

---

Capabilities

This condition applies the rule based on WordPress capabilities assigned to the user.

Examples:

• edit_posts
• publish_posts
• manage_options

Use this when:

• You need fine-grained control beyond roles
• You are working with custom roles and permissions
• Access should depend on specific permissions

Capabilities provide more precision than roles but require familiarity with WordPress permissions.

---

Registration Source

This condition applies the rule based on how the user registered.

Examples include:

• Specific User Registration forms
• Social login methods (via Social Connect add-ons)

Use this when:

• Different registration forms serve different user types
• Social users should have different access rules
• You want form-specific access logic

This condition helps segment users based on signup intent.

---

URM Field

This condition applies the rule based on values submitted in custom registration form fields.

Examples:

• Country
• Company name
• Account type
• Custom dropdown or checkbox values

Use this when:

• Access should depend on user-provided data
• You want location-based or preference-based access
• Memberships are not granular enough for your logic

The rule evaluates the stored field value, not the field label.

---

Minimum Public Posts

This condition applies the rule based on how many public posts a user has published.

Examples:

• At least 5 posts
• At least 10 posts

Use this when:

• Access should reward participation or activity
• You want contributor-based unlocks
• Content should be available only to active users

Only public posts are counted.

---

Access in Custom Rules

Access defines what content is affected when the conditions match. Custom Rules use the same Access selector as Membership Rules, ensuring consistency

Once you define Conditions and Access, switch to the Settings tab to control what happens when the rule matches.

---

Actions

The Action determines what happens when a user attempts to access protected content but does not meet the rule conditions.

By default, Show Message is selected. But you can change the action depending on how you want to guide users.

---

Show Message (Default) #

This action displays a restriction message directly on the page where access is blocked. It is the most commonly used option and works well when you want to:

• Explain membership or access requirements
• Inform users why the content is restricted
• Encourage them to log in or sign up

The actual message shown to users is configured under Restriction Message.

Restriction Message

The Restriction Message section decides what text is shown when the Action is set to Show Message.

You have two modes:

• Global Message
• Custom Message

Global Message

The Global restriction message is a shared message used by multiple rules.

It is configured from:

User Registration & Membership > Settings > Membership > Content Rules

You might use this to show a generic message like:

“This content is for members only. Please log in or upgrade your membership to access it.”

Choose Global Message in a rule when:

• You want consistent messaging across your site
• You don’t need rule-specific wording

If a rule is set to use the Global Message, it will always pull from that central setting.

---

Custom Message

A Custom Message lets you override the global message for this specific rule.

Use Custom Message when:

• The rule’s context is unique (for example, “This course is only for Gold members.”)
• You want a more targeted call to action
• Different content segments require different explanations

Behavior:

• If the Custom Message is selected and filled, it overrides the Global Message.
• If the Custom Message is selected but left empty, the plugin falls back to the Global Message.
• If both Global and Custom are empty, a built-in fallback message is shown so users are never left confused.

The message editor supports:

• Smart tags (for example, Login button, Sign Up button)
• Formatting (headings, lists, links)
• Images and logos via the Add Media button

This lets you create branded, on-point restriction experiences.

Frontend Display

Our message appears on the frontend as shown below:

---

Redirect to Local Page #

Instead of showing a message, you can redirect users to a specific page on your site when access is restricted.

Select a page from the dropdown

Common use cases:

• Redirect non-members to a Pricing / Plans page
• Redirect logged-out users to a Login page

---

Redirect to Custom URL #

Redirects the user to a fully custom URL, internal or external. Enter the full URL (including https://) under the Restriction URL.

Use this when:

• Your funnel/checkout lives on a separate domain
• You’re running a special landing or campaign page
• You need a URL that isn’t listed as a normal page

---

Advanced Logic (Custom Rules Only) #

Advanced Logic controls how multiple conditions are evaluated inside a rule.

• Available for Custom Rules
• Not available for basic Membership Rules

By default, Advanced Logic is disabled. In that case, all conditions use a simple AND logic:

The user must meet all conditions for the rule to apply.

Enabling Advanced Logic

Go to Custom Rule > Settings and enable the Advanced logic toggle.

Using Advanced Logic

When you enable Advanced Logic in the Settings tab, you can:

• Group conditions
• Choose different logic gates for each group

Supported logic gates:

• AND – All conditions in the group must be true
• OR – At least one condition in the group must be true
• NOT – Used to exclude users that match certain conditions

Example scenarios

• Logged in OR registered between specific dates
• Grant access to a category but NOT to users with a certain role
• Target users from a specific email domain AND with a completed payment

Notes & Best Practices

• Use multiple, smaller rules instead of one huge, complex rule whenever possible.
• Before turning Advanced Logic off, flatten your groups back to a simple AND structure to avoid confusion.
• Remember: Membership Rules always use simple AND logic; Advanced Logic is only for Custom Rules.

---

Best Practices for Content Restriction #

• Use Membership Access for standard membership-based protection
• Use Custom Rules when access should not depend on memberships
• Create multiple focused rules instead of overcrowding one
• Disable unused rules instead of deleting them
• Keep logic readable to avoid conflicts

---

Content Restriction: Free vs PRO Summary #

Capability	Free	PRO
Membership-based content access	✅	✅
Membership > Access section	✅	✅
Content Rules menu	❌	✅
Membership Rules overview	❌	✅
Custom content rules	❌	✅
Advanced logic (AND / OR / NOT)	❌	✅
File download protection	❌	✅

---