Modern Commerce: Installation

Before you start
Install the plugin
Install PHP dependencies (Composer)
Run the Moodle upgrade
Seed install defaults
First-run configuration
Verify the install
Uninstalling

Before you start

Confirm your environment meets the Requirements: Moodle 5.2, PHP 8.3+, HTTPS in production, Composer available, and Moodle cron running.

Install the plugin

Copy the plugin so its path is:

local/moderncommerce

The folder must be named moderncommerce: Moodle derives the component local_moderncommerce from it.

Install PHP dependencies (Composer)

The repository ships a composer.json. From the plugin directory, install its PHP dependencies:

cd local/moderncommerce
composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

Run the Moodle upgrade

Complete the database install by visiting Site administration → Notifications, or from the Moodle root:

php admin/cli/upgrade.php

Then confirm the plugin appears under:

Site administration → Plugins → Local plugins → Modern Commerce

Seed install defaults

On a new site, seed safe starting defaults, including gateway records, email templates, storefront widgets, and role presets, before you configure anything:

php local/moderncommerce/cli/demo_data.php --install-defaults

This seeds a real starting configuration, not demo content. Full demo data (--seed) is for development/staging only and creates sample courses, orders, and buyers.

First-run configuration

Open the day-to-day store settings at Modern Commerce → Settings (/local/moderncommerce/admin/settings.php) and set at least:

Store identity: business name and support email.
Currency: pick the active store currency before creating any prices (default NGN).
Tax: mode and default rate, before opening checkout.
Payment gateways: connect at least one merchant account (see Payments).
Checkout fields, navigation labels, and notification sender/support details.

Deeper configuration (webhook security, notification delivery channels, branding seeds, subscription defaults) lives in Moodle's native plugin settings under Site administration → Plugins → Local plugins → Modern Commerce. Both surfaces write to the same config store. See the Admin Settings Reference.

Confirm cron is running: nothing in the notification, subscription, or reporting pipeline works without it.

To make your site root open the storefront, set both of these under Site administration → Appearance → Navigation (/admin/settings.php?section=navigation):

Tick Enable Home (enablemyhome) — required, and off by default on a fresh Moodle 5.x site.
Set Start page for users (defaulthomepage) to Modern Commerce storefront.

php admin/cli/cfg.php --name=enablemyhome --set=1
php admin/cli/cfg.php --name=defaulthomepage --set=/local/moderncommerce/index.php
php admin/cli/purge_caches.php

Leaving Enable Home unticked is the usual cause of a site that opens the store for logged-in users and the login page for everyone else. See Storefront & widgets for the anonymous-access requirements that go with it.

Verify the install

Visit the storefront at /local/moderncommerce/index.php.
Visit the admin dashboard at /local/moderncommerce/admin/index.php as a manager.
Audit which tables have data:
php local/moderncommerce/cli/demo_data.php --audit

Uninstalling

Uninstall from Site administration → Plugins → Plugins overview → Modern Commerce → Uninstall. This removes the plugin and its data. Export any orders, invoices, or reports you need to keep first: see Orders, Invoices & Refunds.