The two delivery modes
Alva Digital Downloads stores a downloadType on every product mapping, set to either ZIP or INDIVIDUAL. ZIP bundles all of a mapping's files into one archive the customer downloads with a single click. INDIVIDUAL serves each file as its own download link.
When to use ZIP
Choose ZIP - All files in a single ZIP archive for packs and multi-file products — font collections, sample packs, course modules, brand kits. The customer receives one tidy archive instead of clicking through separate links, and the same cached ZIP is reused on repeat downloads. ZIP is the default for new mappings.
When to use Individual
Choose Individual - Each file separately for single-file products. Wrapping one file in a ZIP forces the customer to unpack it for no benefit and adds an archive-build step that can fail. Individual delivery serves the file directly, with no ZIP to generate or cache.
How to switch a mapping's delivery mode
1. Open the product in Alva
In the Alva admin, open the product whose mapping you want to change. The product detail page shows the mapping with its current settings.
2. Expand the settings panel
Click Edit on the settings row to expand it. The panel shows the mapping status, ZIP File Title, and the Download Type control.
3. Set the Download Type
Use the Download Type select to pick ZIP or INDIVIDUAL, then save. The control is hidden on personalised products, which always deliver per-order files through the personalised flow.
Fixing a 'No files available' download
A mapping set to ZIP whose archive was never generated has no cached ZIP key. The download resolver and the thank-you-page block both look for that ZIP, find nothing, and show No files available — even though the underlying file is fine.
The fast remedy is to switch that mapping to Individual delivery. With no ZIP to resolve, Alva serves the underlying files directly and the download — plus the thank-you-page block — comes back immediately.
- Set single-file mappings to Individual — a one-file ZIP adds nothing.
- If a multi-file ZIP mapping shows No files available, flip it to Individual to restore delivery while the ZIP is rebuilt.
- A graceful automatic fallback to individual files is the proper long-term fix and is on the roadmap.
The stuck ZIP-generation spinner is a display bug
If the ZIP-generation spinner appears to never finish, the ZIP is almost always already built. This is a known on-screen state-sync bug, not a delivery failure and not a setting you control. Reload the page to clear the stale spinner — never change the delivery mode to "fix" it.
Frequently asked questions
Open the product in the Alva admin, expand the settings panel on the mapping, and use the Download Type select. It offers ZIP - All files in a single ZIP archive or Individual - Each file separately. The toggle is hidden on personalised products.
Use Individual. A one-file ZIP wraps a single file in an archive the customer has to unpack for no benefit, and it adds a ZIP-generation step that can fail. Individual delivery serves the file directly.
A mapping set to ZIP delivery whose archive was never generated has no cached ZIP key, so the download resolver finds nothing to serve. Switch that mapping to Individual delivery and the underlying files deliver immediately.
Almost never. The stuck spinner is a known display bug, not a delivery failure. The ZIP has usually already finished building in the background. Reload the page to clear the stale spinner — do not change any setting to fix it.
Yes. A ZIP counts as one download even though it holds several files. With Individual delivery each file is its own download, so a multi-file product consumes more of a per-customer download limit.
See also
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Last updated 2026-06-01