Documentation

Integrations

TipPanel integrates with various third-party services to extend its functionality, including payment processors, email marketing platforms, automation tools, and AI services.

Table of Contents
  1. Integrations Overview
  2. Payment Integrations
  3. Email Marketing Integrations
  4. Automation Platform Integrations
  5. AI Services Integration
  6. Integration Tips and Best Practices

Integrations Overview

TipPanel offers several categories of integrations to enhance your widget functionality:

Payment Integrations

Connect with payment processors like Stripe and PayPal to accept payments through your widget.

Email Marketing

Connect with email marketing platforms to add widget users to your email lists.

Automation

Connect with automation platforms to trigger workflows based on widget events.

AI Services

Connect with AI services like OpenAI for content moderation and translation.

To access and manage your integrations:

  1. Log in to your TipPanel dashboard
  2. Click on Integrations in the side navigation
  3. You'll see all available integration categories and your current connections
Note: The available integrations depend on your subscription plan. Basic integrations are available on all plans, while more advanced integrations are available on Pro, Premium, and Lifetime plans.

Payment Integrations

Payment integrations allow you to accept payments through your widget. TipPanel currently supports two payment processors: Stripe and PayPal.

Important: You must set up at least one payment integration to accept payments through your widget. If no payment integrations are configured, users will still be able to submit messages, but they won't be able to make payments.

Stripe Integration

Stripe is a popular payment processor that allows you to accept credit card payments directly through your widget.

Setting Up Stripe Integration
  1. Create a Stripe account at stripe.com if you don't already have one
  2. In your Stripe dashboard, go to Developers > API keys
  3. Copy your Publishable Key and Secret Key
  4. In your TipPanel dashboard, go to Integrations > Payment Integrations
  5. Click on "Configure" next to Stripe
  6. Enter your Stripe Publishable Key and Secret Key
  7. Click "Test Connection" to verify your keys
  8. Click "Save" to complete the integration
Stripe Test Mode

Stripe provides a test mode that allows you to test payments without processing real transactions:

  1. In your TipPanel Stripe integration settings, toggle "Test Mode" to ON
  2. Use Stripe's test API keys instead of your live keys
  3. Use Stripe's test card numbers for testing (e.g., 4242 4242 4242 4242)
  4. When you're ready to accept real payments, toggle "Test Mode" to OFF and update your API keys
Stripe Webhook Setup

For advanced functionality, you can set up Stripe webhooks:

  1. In your Stripe dashboard, go to Developers > Webhooks
  2. Click "Add endpoint"
  3. Enter your webhook URL: https://yourdomain.com/api/widget/stripe-webhook
  4. Select the events you want to receive (at minimum: payment_intent.succeeded and payment_intent.payment_failed)
  5. Copy the webhook signing secret
  6. In your TipPanel Stripe integration settings, enter the webhook signing secret
  7. Click "Save" to update your settings
Note: Stripe charges a fee for each transaction (typically 2.9% + $0.30 for US transactions). These fees are deducted from the payment amount before it reaches your Stripe account.

PayPal Integration

PayPal is a widely used payment processor that allows users to pay with their PayPal account or credit card.

Setting Up PayPal Integration
  1. Create a PayPal Business account at paypal.com/business if you don't already have one
  2. Go to the PayPal Developer Dashboard at developer.paypal.com
  3. Click on "My Apps & Credentials"
  4. Create a new REST API app
  5. Copy your Client ID and Secret
  6. In your TipPanel dashboard, go to Integrations > Payment Integrations
  7. Click on "Configure" next to PayPal
  8. Enter your PayPal Client ID and Secret
  9. Click "Test Connection" to verify your credentials
  10. Click "Save" to complete the integration
PayPal Sandbox Mode

PayPal provides a sandbox environment for testing:

  1. In your TipPanel PayPal integration settings, toggle "Sandbox Mode" to ON
  2. Use PayPal sandbox credentials instead of your live credentials
  3. Create sandbox accounts for testing in the PayPal Developer Dashboard
  4. When you're ready to accept real payments, toggle "Sandbox Mode" to OFF and update your credentials
PayPal Webhook Setup

For advanced functionality, you can set up PayPal webhooks:

  1. In the PayPal Developer Dashboard, go to My Apps & Credentials
  2. Select your app
  3. Scroll down to "Webhooks"
  4. Click "Add Webhook"
  5. Enter your webhook URL: https://yourdomain.com/api/widget/paypal-webhook
  6. Select the events you want to receive (at minimum: PAYMENT.CAPTURE.COMPLETED and PAYMENT.CAPTURE.DENIED)
  7. Copy the webhook ID
  8. In your TipPanel PayPal integration settings, enter the webhook ID
  9. Click "Save" to update your settings
Note: PayPal charges a fee for each transaction (typically 2.9% + $0.30 for US transactions). These fees are deducted from the payment amount before it reaches your PayPal account.

Email Marketing Integrations

Email marketing integrations allow you to add widget users to your email lists. This is useful for building your email list and staying in touch with your supporters.

Mailchimp Integration

Mailchimp is a popular email marketing platform that allows you to create and manage email lists, campaigns, and automations.

Setting Up Mailchimp Integration
  1. Create a Mailchimp account at mailchimp.com if you don't already have one
  2. In your Mailchimp account, go to Account > Extras > API keys
  3. Create a new API key
  4. Copy your API key
  5. In your TipPanel dashboard, go to Integrations > Email Marketing
  6. Click on "Configure" next to Mailchimp
  7. Enter your Mailchimp API key
  8. Click "Test Connection" to verify your API key
  9. Select the Mailchimp audience (list) you want to add users to
  10. Configure additional options:
    • Double Opt-in: Whether users need to confirm their subscription
    • Tags: Tags to apply to new subscribers
    • Group: Mailchimp group to add subscribers to
  11. Click "Save" to complete the integration
Note: Users will only be added to your Mailchimp list if they provide an email address in the widget. The email field in the widget is optional by default, but you can make it required in your widget appearance settings.

ConvertKit Integration

ConvertKit is an email marketing platform designed specifically for creators and online businesses.

Setting Up ConvertKit Integration
  1. Create a ConvertKit account at convertkit.com if you don't already have one
  2. In your ConvertKit account, go to Settings > Advanced > API
  3. Copy your API key
  4. In your TipPanel dashboard, go to Integrations > Email Marketing
  5. Click on "Configure" next to ConvertKit
  6. Enter your ConvertKit API key
  7. Click "Test Connection" to verify your API key
  8. Select the ConvertKit form you want to add users to
  9. Configure additional options:
    • Tags: Tags to apply to new subscribers
    • Sequences: ConvertKit sequences to add subscribers to
  10. Click "Save" to complete the integration

Other Email Integrations

TipPanel also supports other email marketing platforms through direct integrations or via automation platforms like Zapier.

Platform Integration Type Available On
ActiveCampaign Direct integration Premium and Lifetime plans
AWeber Via Zapier Pro, Premium, and Lifetime plans
GetResponse Via Zapier Pro, Premium, and Lifetime plans
Constant Contact Via Zapier Pro, Premium, and Lifetime plans
Drip Via Zapier Pro, Premium, and Lifetime plans

For platforms without direct integration, you can use the Zapier integration to connect TipPanel with your email marketing platform. See the Zapier Integration section for details.

Automation Platform Integrations

Automation platform integrations allow you to trigger workflows based on widget events. This is useful for creating custom workflows and connecting TipPanel with other services.

Zapier Integration

Zapier is a popular automation platform that allows you to connect TipPanel with thousands of other apps and services.

Setting Up Zapier Integration
  1. Create a Zapier account at zapier.com if you don't already have one
  2. In your TipPanel dashboard, go to Integrations > Automation Platforms
  3. Click on "Configure" next to Zapier
  4. Click "Generate API Key" to create a new API key for Zapier
  5. Copy your API key
  6. In Zapier, create a new Zap
  7. Search for "TipPanel" as the trigger app
  8. Select a trigger event:
    • New Message: Triggered when a new message is submitted
    • New Payment: Triggered when a new payment is received
    • New Subscriber: Triggered when a new user provides their email
  9. Connect your TipPanel account by entering your API key
  10. Configure the trigger settings (e.g., specific campaign)
  11. Test the trigger to make sure it's working
  12. Set up the action app and action event (e.g., add to Google Sheets, send a Slack notification)
  13. Configure the action settings
  14. Test the action
  15. Turn on your Zap
Tip: With Zapier, you can connect TipPanel to over 3,000 apps, including Google Sheets, Slack, Trello, Airtable, and many more. This allows you to create custom workflows and automate tasks based on widget events.

Make (Integromat) Integration

Make (formerly Integromat) is a powerful automation platform that allows you to create complex workflows and connect TipPanel with other services.

Setting Up Make Integration
  1. Create a Make account at make.com if you don't already have one
  2. In your TipPanel dashboard, go to Integrations > Automation Platforms
  3. Click on "Configure" next to Make
  4. Click "Generate API Key" to create a new API key for Make
  5. Copy your API key
  6. In Make, create a new scenario
  7. Add a webhook trigger
  8. Configure the webhook to receive data from TipPanel
  9. Copy the webhook URL
  10. In your TipPanel Make integration settings, enter the webhook URL
  11. Select the events you want to send to Make:
    • New Message: Sent when a new message is submitted
    • New Payment: Sent when a new payment is received
    • New Subscriber: Sent when a new user provides their email
  12. Click "Save" to update your settings
  13. In Make, test the webhook trigger
  14. Add additional modules to your scenario (e.g., Google Sheets, Slack, email)
  15. Configure the modules
  16. Activate your scenario
Note: Make offers more advanced features than Zapier, including data transformation, conditional logic, and error handling. It's a good choice for complex workflows and integrations.

AI Services Integration

AI services integration allows you to use artificial intelligence for content moderation, translation, and other tasks.

OpenAI Integration

OpenAI provides powerful AI models that can be used for content moderation, text translation, and other natural language processing tasks.

Setting Up OpenAI Integration
  1. Create an OpenAI account at platform.openai.com if you don't already have one
  2. In your OpenAI account, go to API keys
  3. Create a new API key
  4. Copy your API key
  5. In your TipPanel dashboard, go to Integrations > AI Services
  6. Click on "Configure" next to OpenAI
  7. Enter your OpenAI API key
  8. Click "Test Connection" to verify your API key
  9. Configure the OpenAI settings:
    • Model: The OpenAI model to use (e.g., gpt-3.5-turbo, gpt-4)
    • Temperature: Controls randomness (0.0 to 1.0)
    • Max Tokens: Maximum length of generated text
  10. Click "Save" to complete the integration
AI Moderation

With OpenAI integration, you can use AI for content moderation:

  1. Go to Moderation > AI Moderation
  2. Toggle "Enable AI Moderation" to ON
  3. Configure the moderation categories and sensitivity
  4. Click "Save" to apply your settings

See the AI Moderation section for more details.

AI Translation

With OpenAI integration, you can use AI for text translation:

  1. Go to Widget Appearance > Custom Text
  2. Click "Translate with AI"
  3. Select the target language
  4. Click "Translate" to translate all text elements
  5. Review and adjust the translations as needed
  6. Click "Save" to apply the translations
Important: OpenAI API usage is billed based on the number of tokens processed. Monitor your usage to avoid unexpected charges. The OpenAI integration is available on Premium and Lifetime plans only.

Integration Tips and Best Practices

Security Best Practices
  • Use unique API keys for each integration
  • Regularly rotate your API keys for enhanced security
  • Use test/sandbox environments when setting up new integrations
  • Monitor your integrations for unusual activity
  • Revoke API keys for integrations you no longer use
Testing Integrations
  • Always test integrations in a sandbox/test environment first
  • Test with a variety of inputs to ensure proper handling
  • Verify that data is flowing correctly between systems
  • Test error scenarios to ensure proper error handling
  • Monitor integration performance during testing
Troubleshooting
  • Check API keys and credentials if connections fail
  • Verify webhook URLs are correct and accessible
  • Look for error messages in the integration logs
  • Test connections using the "Test Connection" button
  • Contact the service provider's support if issues persist
Optimizing Integrations
  • Only send necessary data to reduce API usage
  • Use webhooks instead of polling when possible
  • Implement error handling and retry logic
  • Monitor integration performance and usage
  • Regularly review and update integrations
Pro Tip: Integrations can significantly extend the functionality of your TipPanel widget. Take the time to explore the available integrations and how they can help you streamline your workflow, automate tasks, and enhance the user experience.
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