How Alva sees a test order
Alva Digital Downloads listens to the Shopify ORDERS_PAID webhook, which fires identically for real, discounted, and zero-dollar orders. Any paid order produces a real Alva delivery — same email, same fraud logic, same download link. Pick the method that leaves the least artefact in your storefront.
Method 1 — 100% off discount code
Quickest when a public product is already mapped. Leaves a discount code in Shopify history.
1. Create a 100% off discount
In the Shopify admin, open Discounts → Amount off products. Set 100%, limit to the digital product, and restrict usage to one use.
2. Apply the code at checkout
Open the storefront in an incognito window. Add the product, apply the code, and check out using your own email address.
Shopify checkout with a 100% off discount applied. Show the order total at $0.00 and the discount code line item. No real customer data visible.
3. Place the order
Complete checkout. Shopify marks the order paid and fires ORDERS_PAID within seconds.
4. Verify Alva delivered
Check the inbox for the download email and confirm the order appears in the Alva admin under recent activity.
Method 2 — Free product priced at $0
Useful for a permanent hidden test product mapped to a small file.
1. Create a hidden $0 product
In Shopify, create a product (e.g. "Internal test — do not buy"), price it $0.00, and map it to a real file under Alva → Products → Map files.
2. Buy it from the storefront
Open the product URL directly, add to cart, and check out with your own email.
3. Verify Alva delivered
Confirm the email and download link. Keep the product hidden for re-tests after template or file changes.
Method 3 — Shopify draft order
Only Method 3 leaves zero customer-facing artefacts — no public discount, no storefront product, no incognito browser.
1. Create the draft
Click Orders → Drafts → Create order. Add the digital product, attach your own email, and apply a 100% manual discount.
Shopify draft order page with the digital product added, customer email visible at top, and 100% manual discount applied. Highlight "Mark as paid" button.
2. Mark as paid
Click Mark as paid. Shopify fires ORDERS_PAID — Alva treats it identically to a checkout order.
3. Verify Alva delivered
Check the inbox and the Alva admin. The order shows a draft source tag in Shopify but a normal entry in Alva.
What to verify after each test
- Email received — lands at the checkout email within 30 seconds.
- Link works — the download link opens a presigned URL, not a 404 or expiry page.
- File opens correctly — ZIPs extract, PDFs render, audio plays.
- Fraud queue cleared — if enabled, the order shows approved. If held, the email arrives only after manual approval.
- License key assigned — if applicable, the assigned key shows on the Alva order page.
Two flags that mask real failures
Email enable flag. Tests do not bypass the global send gate. If Shop.isEmailEnabled is off in Alva Settings → Email, no email goes out — the test will look broken even when delivery is fine. Confirm sending is enabled first.
Risk score. Low-risk orders skip the fraud queue. 100% off and $0 orders almost always score low, so to exercise the fraud path, use Method 1 with a partial discount on a normal-priced item.
FAQ
Which method is best if I don't want a public discount code lying around?
Use Method 3 — the Shopify draft order. Draft orders never appear on the storefront, never need a public discount code, and never get indexed by anyone scraping codes.
Will a test order trigger the Alva fraud queue?
Only if fraud checks are enabled and Shopify scores the order as medium or high risk. 100% off and $0 orders usually score low and skip the queue. To force a fraud test, raise the order amount to a normal price and use Method 1 with a regular discount.
Do test orders consume a license key?
Yes — once an order is fraud-approved (or skips fraud), the next available license key is assigned. To avoid burning real keys, add disposable test keys to a separate tag and map that tag to a hidden test product.
I placed a test order but no email arrived. What's wrong?
Check that email sending is enabled in Alva Settings — the Shop.isEmailEnabled flag gates every send. Then check Email Logs in the Alva admin for delivery errors, and confirm the product is actually mapped to a file or pack.
See also
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Last updated 2026-05-06