# Joining the Developer Program

https://dev.wisecp.com/uk/joining-the-developer-programme

Publishing on the Marketplace starts with a developer application: what the form asks, what the decision looks at, and what opens once you are approved.

## Overview

The developer program is a membership. Until your application is approved you cannot create a Marketplace product or open the developer portal.

The application and your public profile are one record. The tagline, links and avatar you fill in are the profile itself, published the moment the application is approved. There is no second profile form.

An application belongs to a customer account, which owns the profile and every product you later publish. Signed in, you apply from your account. Not signed in, you type the account details on the form. The account opens only when the application is approved, and the decision goes to the address you gave.

## Prerequisites

- **A customer account, or the details to open one**: Members apply from their account. Visitors fill in first name, last name, email and password on the form; the account opens on approval, not on submission. An address that already has an account cannot be used — sign in instead.
- **A name on the account**: Members publish under the name on their account: the company name, or the holder's name when there is none. The field cannot be edited on the form. Visitors type a studio name on the form, optionally; left empty, your full name is used. It becomes the company name of the account that opens on approval.
- **A domain for the licence**: Required. The developer licence the program grants is issued for this domain; moving it later goes through the team.
- **Work we can look at**: Optional, but the field that weighs most. A link to a module, a theme or a repository says more than any description.
- **Developer Agreement accepted**: Nothing is filed until the box is ticked. The server checks it too, not only the page.

## Structure

The form has two kinds of fields: the profile text a visitor will read, and the case for your application that only a moderator sees.

| Field | Required | Who reads it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Developer or studio name | From the account; visitors may type one | Everyone — directory card and product byline |
| One-line description | Yes | Everyone — the line under your name in the directory |
| About your studio | No | Everyone — your public profile page |
| What you plan to build | Yes | Moderators only |
| Domain to licence | Yes | The team only — the licence is issued for it |
| Website, email, support, docs, social profiles | No | Everyone — the contact block on your profile |
| Developer avatar | No | Everyone — your initials are shown when empty |
| First name, last name, email, password | Visitors only | The team only — the account is opened with them on approval |

An account carries one application at a time. While one is pending or approved, the form cannot be submitted again. For a visitor the same rule follows the email address: one standing application per address.

## Walkthrough

### Send the application

1. Open the developer application page. Signed in, the page shows which account the application belongs to; otherwise it asks for your name, email and a password.
2. Write the one-line description. This is the sentence read directly under your name in the directory.
3. Describe what you plan to build in a few sentences and link to your work if you have any.
4. Enter the domain to licence, tick the agreement box and select **Submit Application**.

### Wait for the decision

1. Applications are reviewed in order. The form stays closed meanwhile, so a second one cannot be sent.
2. The decision reaches your account, or the address you gave as a visitor. Approval publishes your profile in the directory and, for a visitor, opens the account with the details from the form.
3. A refusal carries a reason and shows it on the application page. Once the reason is addressed you may apply again from the same form.

### After approval

1. The developer portal opens. Products, releases and your profile are managed there.
2. A free **WISECP Developer** licence is issued to your account for the domain you entered.
3. Publishing a product additionally requires the Premium Developer subscription. Without it the editor opens read-only.

## Reference

- **Pending review**: The application is with a moderator. The profile is not published yet and no new application can be sent.
- **Approved**: The profile is live in the directory, the portal is open and the developer licence is issued.
- **Not approved**: The reason is shown on the application page. This state does not close the form; correct it and apply again.
- **Developer licence**: Granted once per account, for life, and never renewed into an invoice. It cannot be transferred to another account.

## Example

The two texts you write are read in two different places. The one-liner belongs to the directory card, the long text to your profile page.

```bash
Acme Studio                       <- the name on your account
Server automation and backups     <- the one-line description
3 products · 4.6 rating           <- computed from your published products
```

Product count and rating are never asked for. Both are computed from your published products, so you do not appear in the directory until your first product goes live.

## Pitfalls

> **The published name comes from the account, not the form**
> 
> For a member the field cannot be edited and the value it posts is never read. If the name is wrong, correct your account settings first, then apply. A visitor types it once on the form and changes it later in account settings.

> **Approval is not guaranteed**
> 
> Every application is judged against the program criteria. One that does not meet them is refused with a reason, and you keep the right to apply again.

> **A refused visitor gets no account**
> 
> Nothing is opened and the password is not kept. Apply again with the same details, or sign in first if you opened an account meanwhile.

> **The licence follows the profile**
> 
> The developer licence exists because you are a developer. Switching the profile off cancels it; switching it back on restores it.

## Related Articles

- [The Developer Portal](https://dev.wisecp.com/en/the-developer-portal)
- [Premium Developer Subscription](https://dev.wisecp.com/en/premium-developer-subscription)
- [Becoming a Certified Developer](https://dev.wisecp.com/en/becoming-a-certified-developer)
- [Publishing a Marketplace Product](https://dev.wisecp.com/en/publishing-a-marketplace-product)
- [Developing for WISECP](https://dev.wisecp.com/en/developing-for-wisecp)