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WHMCS - Domain Search Addon

Introduction

Welcome to the documentation for the new CNIC Domain Search add-on! This powerful tool provides your customers with a simple and user-friendly interface to check the availability of domains.

Known Incompatibilities

  • Captcha: Our Domain Search isn't yet offering support for captcha. Check this GitHub Issue. Feel free to upvote. For now, please deactivate the captcha setting related to the domain search via System Settings > General Settings > Security.

Key Features

  • Easy Domain Availability Check
    With just one click, your customers can quickly check the availability of domains.
  • Support for Premium Domains
    The add-on enables support for Premium Domains, including Aftermarket and Registry Premium Domains.
  • Domain Name Suggestion Engine
    A built-in suggestion engine provides helpful suggestions during searches, enhancing the user experience.
  • High-Speed API Availability Checks
    The add-on connects to your configured Registrar Module to perform high-speed API availability checks, ensuring fast and accurate results. NOTE: We only support Registrars of Group Team Internet.
  • Single Page Application
    The CNIC Search Engine is a single page application powered by the LitJS JavaScript library, providing a seamless and responsive user experience.
  • Flexible Search Filters
    Users can filter searches by various categories, including price range, availability, premium, and aftermarket domain names.
  • Instant Search Results
    The search results update instantly as users make changes in the input field, providing real-time feedback.
  • Bulk Domain Registration and Transfer
    Our add-on supports bulk domain name registration and transfer through a convenient bulk input feature.
  • Direct URL Access
    Users can access specific searches directly using URLs, allowing for the creation of dedicated landing pages for different tabs, such as Regular Search, Suggestions, Transfer Domain Names, and Whois.
  • Highly Customizable HTML Templates
    Customize the look and feel of the search engine to match your unique requirements with our wide range of highly customizable HTML templates.
  • Search Logs
    Stay informed about your customers’ search activities and their evolving needs by tracking the domains they search for.

Experience the power and versatility of CNIC Domain Search add-on, and empower your customers with an efficient and personalized domain search experience.

intro

Requirements

To successfully run the CNIC Domain Search Add-On, please ensure that your WHMCS installation meets the following requirements:

In our system requirements, we recommend avoiding PHP versions that have reached their End of Life (EOL), as indicated in red on the PHP Supported Versions page.

To ensure compatibility with WHMCS, please follow these steps:

Required Registrar Module: This add-on relies on the CentralNic Reseller as the domain lookup providers. You can download the necessary modules here. Please note that the WHMCS built-in CentralNic Reseller provider modules are not compatible with our Domain Search Add-On.

Live or Test Account: Configure one or more user accounts in the Registrar Module to enable seamless functionality.

URL Rewrite and Web Server Configuration: Enable URL Rewrite on your web server and apply one of the recommended URL rewrite solutions (refer to section 3 e) for detailed instructions).

Please note: We ensure compatibility with the latest WHMCS version and the maximum versions of the listed software dependencies. While our modules may still function with older PHP versions like PHP 7.4, we don’t provide support for them and cannot guarantee their continued compatibility. If you have questions or need assistance, please reach out to us.

Installation / Upgrade

Read the article "WHMCS - Module Installation & Upgrade". We are shipping all Modules as part of our Software Bundle.

Configuration

Addon Activation

To access the addon modules, users with WHMCS version 8.0+ should navigate to the WHMCS Admin Area, then go to System Settings and select Addon Modules.

configuration

Activate the ISPAPI DomainChecker Addon, give the module “Full Administrator” Access Control right.

Regular Domain Pricing

Under Setup > Products/Services > Domain Pricing, you will be able to configure and select the registrar for all the TLDs you want to sell.

Be aware that high-performance domain availability checks using our registrar API will only be provided with the CentralNic Reseller registrar. Just in case we do not support a certain TLD, we fallback to the WHMCS’ WHOIS Lookup.

Use the Registrar TLD Sync Feature to import our TLDs and Prices which is available since WHMCS v7.10.

domainpricing

Manage your Settings

To configure your default settings, which will serve as the initial settings for your clients, follow these steps:

Navigate to the “Addons” section in your WHMCS admin area.

Select “CNIC Domain Search” from the available addons.

In the CNIC Domain Search configuration panel, you can adjust the following settings:

  • Choose the lookup provider.
  • Activate the default TLD categories.
  • Set the visibility of taken domain names.
  • Set the visibility of premium domain names and specify the desired markup.
  • Enable or disable specific feature tabs such as Home, Suggestions, Transfer, and Whois.
  • Show or hide the promotions feature.
  • Show or hide the spotlight/featured TLDs feature.
  • Show or hide the transfer button in search results.
  • Modify the default theme path location.
  • Enable or disable search logs.

It’s important to note that clients have the ability to temporarily modify some of these settings in their client area according to their preferences.

The module offers domain search results based on four different modes:

  1. Regular: Conduct a regular search with the configured categories (default mode).
  2. Suggestions: Generate domain name suggestions using our API.
  3. Transfer: Take advantage of our unique bulk domain transfer feature.
  4. Whois: Perform domain WHOIS lookups using the CNIC Domain Search addon.

By managing these settings, you can tailor the functionality and features of the CNIC Domain Search addon to suit your specific requirements.

settings-overview

Manage your Categories

In order to configure your Categories, go to Addons > CNIC Domain Search For new installations, click on “Import Default Categories“ button.

For updates, your previous configuration should be working. Still, you can import the default categories by clicking the “Import Default Categories” button. (Your current configuration will be overwritten!)

This Import use the prices configured in the “Domain Pricing” page as base and considers the categories defined by WHMCS and also the configured order of the domain extensions. If you did not know about it: You can drag’n’drop the rows of the “Domain Pricing” page. Remember to configure each currency accordingly. Also note that IDN extensions have to be configured there in IDN format, not in punycode.

If you want to customize the WHMCS default categories, read this.

backend-overview-categories backend-overview-category-edit

In that overview you can:

  • reorder a TLD by drag’n’drop
  • move a TLD from one category to another one by drag’n’drop
  • add a new category
  • select a category icon
  • delete a category
  • edit a category
  • see TLDs that are not assigned to a category

Search Logs

By default, the logging of user search keywords is disabled in WHMCS. However, if you choose to enable it, the search keywords will be recorded and can be viewed in the Activity Log section.

If you prefer to implement your own custom logging mechanism for search keywords, you can create a function called “cnic_logSearch” with the following parameters:

  • $terms: A string representing the search keywords.
  • $mode: A string representing the mode of the search e.g. Regular Search, Suggestions, or Transfer
  • $time: A string representing the timestamp of the search.
  • $ip: A string representing the IP address of the user.
  • $clientid: A string or null value representing the client ID associated with the search.

Here is an example of how to define the “cnic_logSearch” function in PHP:

/**
 * Logs the search keywords.
 * 
 * @param string $terms
 * @param string $mode
 * @param string $time
 * @param string $ip
 * @param string|null $clientid
 */
if (!function_exists("cnic_logSearch")) {
    function cnic_logSearch($terms, $mode, $time, $ip, $clientid)
    {
        // Add your custom implementation here
    }
}

Redirect the WHMCS Search

For getting the native WHMCS Domain Search replaced with our Module, there are two solutions available, please select one. For both of them, ensure your web server has url rewrite enabled (-> Apache: mod_rewrite).

#cd /etc/apache2/sites-available/
> a2enmod rewrite
# Enabling module rewrite. To activate, run now:
> service apache2 restart

NOTE: With Apache 2.4 things have changed. Please check the Apache2 Upgrade Guide for differences between 2.2 and 2.4++ configurations and how to review / clean them up.

BY APACHE CONFIGURATION

To redirect the WHMCS domainchecker.php to mydomainsearch.php, add the following Apache configuration into your <VirtualHost> section:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /

RewriteCond %{REQUEST_METHOD} POST
RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^POST\ /domainchecker\.php
RewriteRule ^domainchecker\.php$ /mydomainsearch\.php [P]

BY .HTACCESS FILE

To set the CNIC Domain Search Engine Add-On as the default domain search for WHMCS, please follow these steps:

  • Open your preferred text editor.
  • If the file “.htaccess” doesn’t already exist in the root directory of your WHMCS installation, create a new file and name it “.htaccess” (including the leading dot).
  • Copy and paste the following code into the .htaccess file:
  RewriteEngine On
  RewriteBase /

  RewriteCond %{REQUEST_METHOD} POST
  RewriteCond %{THE_REQUEST} ^POST\ /domainchecker\.php
  RewriteRule ^domainchecker\.php$ /mydomainsearch\.php [P]
  • Save the changes to the .htaccess file.

By adding this code to the .htaccess file, you will set the CNIC Domain Search Engine Add-On as the default domain search for WHMCS. Ensure that you save the modified .htaccess file to activate the changes.

To enable static file caching, please follow these steps:

  • Locate the .htaccess file in your website’s root directory.
  • Open the .htaccess file using a text editor.
  • Add the following code to the file:
  <IfModule mod_expires.c>
      ExpiresActive On
      <FilesMatch "(?i)^resources/cnic/templates/cnicdomainsearch/.*\.(html|css|json|png|jpe?g|gif)$">
          ExpiresDefault "access plus 1 month"
      </FilesMatch>
  </IfModule>
  • Save the changes to the .htaccess file.
  • Refresh your website to apply the caching settings.

By adding this code to the .htaccess file, your website will benefit from static file caching for the search engine addon, which can improve its performance and load times.

Note: Ensure that your web server is configured to consider .htaccess files. For Apache, you can use the “AllowOverride FileInfo” configuration. Avoid using “AllowOverride All” as it may introduce security risks.

Enabling WHMCS Module Log for Troubleshooting

If you encounter any failures while using our addon, don’t worry! You can easily retry the failed process by following these steps:

  1. Go to Utilities in the WHMCS menu.
  2. Select Module Queue from the options.
  3. It’s recommended to turn on Logging before retrying in case there are any issues. You can do this by enabling the Logging feature.
  4. Click on the “Retry” button to give the process another try.
  5. Afterward, you can review the logs to check for any error messages or details. Make sure to turn off logging once you’re done.

By following these best practices, you can efficiently handle any process failures in WHMCS.

Test your installation

Go to your homepage, fill the search field with a domain and click the “Go” button. If the result looks like the following screen-shot, your installation is a success and you are now ready to start selling domains with your new CNIC Domain Search Addon.

testinstallation1 testinstallation2

Perform a Search Using a GET Request

Sometimes, you may need to initiate a search by sending a URL or GET request. Our module fully supports this functionality, allowing you to perform searches through various means. This feature comes in handy when you want to create a specialized landing page for a specific top-level domain (TLD) or integrate your WHMCS-based Domain Search into another web page or portal seamlessly.

Example:

URL: www.yourdomain.com/mydomainsearch.php?action=register&searchTerm=test.com

In this example, by including the desired search term “test.com” in the URL, the search field will be automatically populated in the regular search tab. However, the user still needs to manually trigger the search by pressing the search button.

GET Parameters

Parameter: searchTerm

provide your search string

Tab: All

Parameter: bulk

show bulk domains input field

Tab: All

Parameter: options

show advanced options of search engine

Tab: All except Transfer Tab

Parameter: sort

sort results by specific filter: TldName, DomainName, TldOrder

Tab: Regular Search

Parameter: sortDir

Change the sort direction by choosing either: ASC/DESC

Tab: Regular Search

Parameter: action

Specify search engine tab as: home,register,suggestions,transfer,whois

Tab: All

Customisation

The Search Engine addon is designed to provide high flexibility for customizing the theme. You can modify the styling and HTML to personalize the CNIC Search Engine according to your preferences. Here are some important points to keep in mind while customizing the theme:

DOM Classes

The following classes are used internally, so it’s crucial to maintain their names when customizing the DOM:

  • selectSortListDir: This class is used for the sort filter direction icon.
  • Badge-intentDanger_1Tpoo: This class is used for TLD(s) with a hot badge.
  • Badge-intentPromotional_sbT5N: This class is used for TLD(s) with a sale badge.
  • Badge-intentNew: This class is used for TLD(s) with a new badge.

Make sure to retain these class names in your customizations for proper functionality and visual consistency.

Styling Variables

To ensure the expected behavior of the addon, it’s important to maintain the variable names in your stylesheet. The following variables are used for specific purposes:

  • --background-ribbon-color: This variable sets the background color for badges on TLDs in the spotlight section.
  • --tld-group-hot-bg: This variable sets the background color for badges on TLDs marked as hot.
  • --tld-group-sale-bg: This variable sets the background color for badges on TLDs marked as on sale.
  • --tld-group-new-bg: This variable sets the background color for badges on newly introduced TLDs.
  • --badge-label: This variable sets the styling for badges on TLDs in the spotlight section.

To maintain consistency and ensure the desired visual effects, it’s recommended to keep these variable names intact while making modifications to the stylesheet.

Feel free to unleash your creativity and customize the Search Engine addon to match your unique style and branding. Enjoy the flexibility and create an exceptional user experience with the CNIC Search Engine.

Note: To ensure that your theme changes take effect immediately and bypass any caching mechanisms, remember to update the version number in the resources/cnic/templates/cnicdomainsearch/client_theme/theme.json file.

Displaying Promotions

If you wish to showcase promotions on your search engine, follow these steps to customize the text displayed for each promotion:

Locate the language file resources/cnic/templates/cnicdomainsearch/client_theme/languages associated with your search engine.

Open the language file for editing.

Look for the following language keys:

  • promotions_descr_list_1
  • promotions_descr_list_2
  • promotions_descr_list_3
  • promotions_descr_list_4

Add your desired text for each promotion by modifying the corresponding language keys.

Note: Removing text from any of these language keys will result in the removal of that specific promotion. Therefore, ensure that you do not remove any of these language keys from the file, as it may impact the expected functionality.

By customizing the text in the language file for these promotion keys, you can effectively control the content displayed for promotions on your search engine.

Relocating the Theme

To move the theme to a different location other than the default, follow these steps:

Locate the client_theme directory in the below path:
resources/cnic/templates/cnicdomainsearch/

  1. Move the entire client_theme directory to your desired location.
    • You can rename the directory if needed, but ensure that the internal structure remains intact.
  2. Update the path in the CNIC Domain Search addon configuration to ensure correct functionality.

By relocating the client_theme directory to a new location, you can customize the theme’s storage location according to your requirements. Just remember to maintain the internal structure of the directory and update the configuration path in the CNIC Domain Search addon accordingly.

Custom Stylesheet for Your Search Engine

Avoid Editing the Entire Stylesheet or Losing Changes with Upgrades

  1. Add a Custom CSS File:
    • Navigate to the /assets/css/ directory.
    • Create a new file named cnic-domain-search-addon-custom.css.
  2. Modify CSS Classes and Elements:
    • Open the newly created file.
    • Start modifying the CSS classes and elements according to your requirements.

By following these steps, you can customize the appearance of your search engine without affecting the main stylesheet or losing changes during upgrades.

Translating or Customizing Your Search Engine

Customizing the Default Language File or Text in Different Languages

  1. Locate the Language Files:
    • Go to the following directory:
      resources/cnic/templates/cnicdomainsearch/client_theme/languages/
  2. Choose and Edit the Language File:
    • Select the language file you want to customize. Options include English, German, Portuguese, and Arabic.
    • Open the file and update the text values. Ensure you keep the ##variable## placeholders intact for proper functionality.
  3. Add a Custom Language File (if needed):
    • In the /lang/overrides/ directory, create a new file.
    • Name the file using this format: cnic-domain-search-addon-<language>.json (e.g., cnic-domain-search-addon-english.json).
  4. Example Translation File Data:
    {
  "title": "My Domain Search",
  "tab_label_register": "Register",
  "tab_heading_register": "Register a domain name(s)",
  "tab_label_suggestions": "Suggestions",
  "tab_heading_suggestions": "Explore and register a domain(s)",
  "tab_label_transfer": "Transfer",
  "tab_heading_transfer": "Transfer a domain name(s)",
  "tab_label_whois": "Whois",
  "tab_heading_whois": "Check the domain Whois",
  "tab_label_home": "Home",
  "tab_heading_home": "Homepage"
}
  5. Update the Version Number:
    • After making your changes, update the version number in the theme.json file to apply the changes immediately.

By following these steps, you can easily customize the text content in your search engine’s language files, ensuring it works correctly and meets your needs.

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