Implementing PayPal With PHP

[thetzfreak]

A problem I've had for a long time... not necessarily using PHP, how do I do processes when a payment is made with paypal? Until now, I've had to do everything manually: send emails and send products as soon as I get the payment. Maybe I can make everything automated; send an email, send a product download link on payment?

Thanks.

 

[Something Vague]

Paypal.com's market tools has that exact feature

 

[thetzfreak]

Ah, I see. It's that $20 a month tool. A bit pricey, no?

 

[Something Vague]

That's not what I saw. Free tool, using their setup wizard. Check again

 

[xeno439]

I can show you a cool way to send the user to a unique return page for each product. First you have to set your settings to auto return. Log in to your paypal account. Click profile. Click Website Payment Preferences. Now choose auto return and put in a default address. After that is set up the user will be returned to that address. This is just a beginning though. You must make a button, of course for payment. Don't encrypt the button. After you load the button on your page for product A, you can change the code to add a specific return url for that product.

Add this code to that button code:
<input type="hidden" name="return" value="http://www.yoursite.com/yourreturnpage.php" />

Add this code anywhere between all the other <input type= . . . lines
Make sure you change the yoursite.com/yourreturnpage.php to the actual pages you want to use.

This is great for selling digital products and you don't have to spend any money to do it. And if you have another product, do the same thing and change the return url on that button.

Hope this helps. Also be sure to read the TOS of paypal's return page.

 

[Scolls]

Best to use PayPal IPN here. There is comprehensive documentation, plus example php scripts (among other languages), and a sandbox environment for you to do all your testing.

Takes a little bit to get your head around it all first time round, but it makes sense in the end. Nice safe way of ensuring that you're giving access immediately after payment, and only after actual payments - avoid spoofing!