Using the Liferay Marketplace

Liferay Marketplace is a hub for sharing, browsing and downloading Liferay-compatible apps. As enterprises look for ways to build and enhance their existing platforms, developers and software vendors look for ways to reach this market. Marketplace leverages the entire Liferay ecosystem to release and share apps in a user-friendly, one-stop site.

There are two ways to access the Marketplace.

1. Via the website: Using your favorite browser, navigate to the marketplace at http://liferay.com/marketplace. If you’re new to Marketplace, this is the easiest way to access it. You can browse Marketplace without signing in with your liferay.com account.

2. Via a running Liferay instance: In the Control Panel, navigate to Apps → Store. To view Marketplace, you must sign in with your liferay.com account.

No matter the method you choose, you’ll see the same content. Note that to download apps, you must have a liferay.com account and agree to the Marketplace Terms of Use. You can create this account on https://www.liferay.com/.

Here you’ll learn how to,

• Find and purchase apps

• Manage purchased apps

• Renew purchased apps

Start with finding and purchasing the apps you want.

Finding and Purchasing Apps

If you’ve used an app store before, then you’ll instantly be familiar with Marketplace. Marketplace displays apps in the center of the page, in the following sections:

• Featured Apps: Liferay features a different set of apps each month

• New and Interesting: The latest apps added to Marketplace

• Most Viewed in the Past Month: The top 5 most viewed apps in the last month

• Themes and Site Templates: Apps that change your Liferay instance’s look and feel

• App categories: Communication, productivity, security, etc…

In any of these sections, you can view more by clicking the See All button at the top-right. At the top of the page, you can search Marketplace by category, Liferay version, and price. You can also browse by category by clicking the Categories menu at the top-right of the page.

Figure 1: The Liferay Marketplace homepage lets you browse and search for apps.

Click an app to view its details. This includes its description, screenshots, price, latest version, number of downloads, a link to the developer’s website, a link to the app’s license agreement, a link to report abuse, and a purchase button (labeled Free or Buy, depending on the price). You can also view the app’s version history, read reviews left by other users, or write your own review.

If you click the purchase button, Marketplace prompts you to choose a purchase type. You can purchase an app for your personal account, or for a Liferay project associated with your company. If you have the necessary permissions, you can also create a new project for your company. Once you select a purchase type, accept the EULA and Terms of Service, and click Purchase.

Figure 2: Click an app to view its details.

Once you purchase an app, you can download and install it. An app downloads and installs immediately if you purchase it from within a running Liferay instance it’s compatible with. If you purchase the app on the Marketplace website, however, your receipt is displayed immediately after purchase. To download the app, click the See Purchased button on the bottom of the receipt, and then click the App button to start the download. You must then install the app manually. Alternatively, you can use Marketplace within a running Liferay instance to download and install the app after purchase on the Marketplace website. The next section shows you how to do this.

Note that in some Liferay instances, automatic app installations via Marketplace are disabled so the administrator can manually manage apps. In this case, Marketplace apps downloaded in a running Liferay instance are placed in the instance’s deploy directory. The administrator must then manually install the app from this directory. Manual install is also required if the Liferay instance is behind a corporate firewall or otherwise lacks direct Marketplace access. Regardless of how the app is downloaded, the manual install process is the same. For details, see the article Installing Apps Manually.

Next, you’ll learn how to manage your purchased apps.

Managing Purchased Apps

There are two places to manage your purchased apps:

1. Your liferay.com account’s homepage. After signing in on liferay.com, click the hamburger menu at the top-right, and select Account Home. Note that your homepage is distinct from your liferay.com profile page. Your homepage is private, while your profile page is public. On your homepage, select Apps from the menu on the left to view your projects. Select a project to view its registered apps. Clicking an app lets you view its versions. You can download the version of the app that you need. This is especially useful if you need a previous version of the app, or can’t download the app via a running Liferay instance.

   

   Figure 3: You can manage your purchased apps from your liferay.com account's homepage.

2. In a running Liferay instance. In Control Panel, navigate to Apps → Purchased to see your purchased apps. A button next to each app lets you install or uninstall the app in the running Liferay instance. If the app isn’t compatible with your version of Liferay, Not Compatible is displayed in place of the button. Additional notes on compatibility are also shown, such as whether a newer version of the app is available. You can also search for an app here by project, category, and title. Clicking the app takes you to its Marketplace entry.

   

   Figure 4: You can also manage your purchased apps from within a running Liferay instance.

Important: When uninstalling an app or module, make sure to use the same agent as you used to install the app. If you installed it with Marketplace, uninstall it with Marketplace. If you installed it with the file system, use the file system to uninstall it. If you installed it with the App Manager, however, use Blacklisting to uninstall it.

Renewing a Purchased App

To continue using a purchased app whose license terms are non-perpetual, you must renew your app subscription, register your server to use the app, and generate a new activation key to use on your server. Here are the steps:

1. Go to https://web.liferay.com/marketplace.

2. Click your profile picture in the upper right corner and select Purchased Apps. The Purchased Apps page appears and shows your app icons organized by project.

3. Click your app’s icon. Your app’s details page appears.

4. Click Manage Licenses.

5. Select Register New Server.

6. Select the most recent Order ID (typically the order that has no registered servers).

7. Fill in your server’s details.

8. Click Register.

9. Click Download. The new app activation key to use on your server downloads.

10. Copy the activation key file to your [Liferay Home]/deploy folder.

You can continue using the application on your server.

Great! Now you know how to use Liferay Marketplace to discover, install, and manage apps.