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Explanation of Order API (Custom CGI) feature

Product: ShopSite SC
Version: All

What is the Order API / Custom CGI feature, and
what can it be used for?
Solution ID: S03755

The Order API feature in ShopSite Pro allows themerchant to create their own custom CGI script
that will run at the very end of the order process
and has access to all information collected during
the order. Because the cgi is run at the very end
of the order process, it cannot change any of the
information collected during an order which limits
some of it's capabilities. For example, these
usages would have some limitations:

1. Integration with UPS shipping table. While it
is possible to have a custom cgi run that would
examine the products ordered and their weights and
the ZIP code of the buyer to calculate the final
UPS shipping cost, the order placed in the
ShopSite back office would still have the shipping
cost and total price from before the UPS
calculations. Also, the e-mail receipts to the
merchant and customer and also the HTML receipt
presented to the buyer after the purchase would
have the incorrect totals, although these could be
rewritten by the custom CGI.

2. Use of a third-party payment processor. Like
the above situation, there are limitations because
the cgi is run at the end of the order process.
If the credit card used by the buyer was denied,
for example, the order would have already been
placed and logged in the back office. One big
problem with this is that the buyer would need to
completely reorder their products if they wished
to place the order with a different card number.
The CGI would also need to use some method to flag
the order to notify the merchant that the payment
was denied.

The following are some uses that the Order API is
well suited for:

1. Delivery of software or other digital goods
purchased in the store to download.
2. Notification of orders placed to a fulfillment
center.
3. Inventory control, under certain
circumstances. You cannot use Order API to remove
one product from an order because it is out of
stock, but you can use it to notify the customer
that the product ordered is out of stock and will
take additional time to ship.







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Last Updated
13th of November, 2008

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