Create a test order
A test order is the only way to see what your customers actually get: the email, the download page, and the file itself. Do one before you start selling, and again after any change to your files, products, or email settings.
Before you begin
- The product you are testing needs files linked to it already. See Create a digital product.
- Use an email address you can open. The download link goes to whatever address the order carries.
Choose how to pay
| Method | Good for |
|---|---|
| 100% off discount code | The quickest check. Create a discount in Shopify that zeroes the order, then buy normally. |
| Bogus payment gateway | Testing what happens with a real payment status, without money moving. Enable it in Shopify's payment settings. |
Both produce a genuine order that Filemonk processes like any other.
Set it up
- Open your storefront and add the digital product to your cart.
- Check out using your discount code or the Bogus gateway.
- On the Thank you page, look for the Download button if you have set one up.
- Open the confirmation email and click the download link.
- Download the file and open it, to confirm it is the right file and not corrupted.
Check your setup
Back in the app, click Orders in the app's menu and open your test order. Confirm:
- The order is listed, with the right product and files.
- The download you just did appears in its download history. See See download history for an order.
Clean up afterwards
Test orders count towards your plan's usage like any other order, and they sit in your Shopify order list. Cancel or archive the order in Shopify once you are done, and if the test consumed a licence key, reassign it. See Assign new keys to an order.
Troubleshooting
The order never reaches Filemonk
Check Process digital orders is on, under Settings then the Email tab. If it is on, the order may be filtered out by an order status rule, an ignore-old-orders cutoff, or a skipped product tag. See Turn on order processing.
No email arrives
Work through these in order:
- Confirm Send email is on, on the Email tab.
- Check the spam folder, and search for the sender address.
- Confirm the sender address is verified, since an unverified address blocks sending. See Change the From address.
- Check whether you require a payment or fulfilment status the test order doesn't have. See Send email and show the button based on order status.
The email arrives with no download link, or an empty page
The purchased variant has no files linked. A product can have files on one variant and none on another, so check the exact variant you bought.
No Download button on the Thank you page
The button is a separate setup step from email, and it needs the Filemonk extension added in your Shopify theme or checkout settings. See Add a download button to the Thank you page.
The file downloads but is the wrong version
You uploaded a newer copy as a separate file rather than replacing the original, so the product is still linked to the old one. See Replace a file.
FAQ
Does a test order count against my plan?
Yes. It is a real order, so it counts like any other, and the download counts towards bandwidth. Cancelling the order in Shopify afterwards keeps your reporting clean.
Can I test without placing an order at all?
Not end to end. You can preview the download page and email designs in their editors, but only a real order proves that processing, delivery, and access rules work together.
Do I need to test every product?
No. Test one product per setup pattern: one straightforward downloadable product, one with multiple variants if you sell those, one with licence keys, and one custom product. Those cover the ways delivery differs.
Should I test again after changing a file?
Yes, if customers already bought it. Replacing a file changes what everyone downloads, so confirm the new file opens correctly. See Replace a file.
Can I use a real customer's email for the test?
Don't. They would receive a real download email for a product they did not buy. Use your own address.
Related guides
- Get started with Filemonk, the full setup this test completes.
- Turn on order processing, if the order never reaches Filemonk.
- Troubleshoot a single order, to diagnose one order in depth.
