The Daily Biff - 2007 03 14

Currently playing on my computer (tune in: pls, asx)

Wed, 14 Mar 2007

Creating a Simple PayPal-Based Storefront
One of the things I've been doing in my spare time lately is working on the Skyline High School Class of 1987 Reunion web site. One of the apps that I have written (from the ground up) allows alumni to send their confirmations (or regrets) on-line. If it is a confirmation being sent, then I display a "Buy It Now" PayPal button to allow the person to pay with PayPal if he/she so desires.

So, in order to do this, I created a set of products that include all the combinations of confirmation possibilities (with their respective price points) - five products in all. This is pretty easy for anyone to do, and you don't need a shopping cart... I just used the "Buy It Now" buttons. What I wasn't aware of is the elaborate "sandbox" system, called the PayPal Development Center, that PayPal has set up to allow any user to test out the payment processing system with any set of pre-configured products. It is very handy and allows a developer to get all the kinks of of the system while using quasi-cash, instead of the real stuff.

PayPal also allows you to redirect the buyer back to a specified URL after the transaction has been completed. It is pretty easy to set up. Furthermore, there is a handy Payment Data Transfer mechanism that PayPal has put into place. With just a little help from the LWP::UserAgent and Crypt::SSLeay perl modules, I am able to retrieve a whole bunch of information about the buyer's transaction such as the payment type, payment status, payment date, payment gross, and payment fee after the buyer has been redirected back to my script.

Contact me for source code if interested.

:: Posted by rus on Wed, 14 Mar 2007 11:19 pm
:: Filed under /tech

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