PayPal integration

tford

Hi all,

I need to build an application in the next few days that uses PayPal to process a simple one time payment.

Can someone outline the steps to do so & any issues I am likely to encounter?

I didn't want to garbage up the recent thread of a request for AwareIM plug-in.

Thanks in advance!

BenHayat

tford wrote
Hi all,

I need to build an application in the next few days that uses PayPal to process a simple one time payment.

Can someone outline the steps to do so & any issues I am likely to encounter?

I didn't want to garbage up the recent thread of a request for AwareIM plug-in.

Thanks in advance!

Well Tom, I'm in the same boat starting to do Paypal integration. So, if I find anything useful, I'll make sure I'll share it here.

customaware

I purchased Rocketmans solution back in February.

It is comprehensive and works albeit I have not integrated yet in an app.

https://forum.awareim.com/d/6571>

Given my disgust at the pathetic service I have not received from Paypal of late, I contacted BrainTree and received over night a delightful and positive response to all my questions.
I am optimistically looking forward to a long, happy and profitable relationship with them.....
</cynicism off>
<skepticism on>

aware_support

As you probably know Aware IM supports PayPal integration out-of-the-box (see Library sample application). Why not use it?

BenHayat

aware_support wrote
As you probably know Aware IM supports PayPal integration out-of-the-box (see Library sample application). Why not use it?

Support, as you and I had discussed this subject a while ago (I have the emails in case you want them), the most important thing missing, is that, Aware does not catch when Paypal has not returned back to Aware (in case user closed the browser or didn't click on the button to return back). All other platforms, they provide both cases to developer to make proper actions.

This is very essential for us to detect that the user didn't return back. We don't know if payment was made or not. We don't know how to update database. This is the biggest shortcoming with Aware's implementation.
I explained this in details to you before and suggested to catch the failed case and you said "It makes sense".

If you can fix this, it will be a HUGE safety and avoids many payment problems between us and customers.
This would be my only request to fix this problem PLEASE.
Paypal DOES provide a bridge for either case. Aware only uses the successful bridge and not failed bridge.

Thanks!

aware_support

You can control this in the application itself - set some status before giving an object to PayPal and then set another status if the user has returned. You would then know when the user hasn't returned (the status will not have been changed). Then periodically collect and destroy such objects.

If the user didn't return from PayPal there is no way for the system to know this fact.

BenHayat

aware_support wrote
You can control this in the application itself - set some status before giving an object to PayPal and then set another status if the user has returned. You would then know when the user hasn't returned (the status will not have been changed). Then periodically collect and destroy such objects.

If the user didn't return from PayPal there is no way for the system to know this fact.

I actually do this right now. As a Sales Transaction gets created, the status becomes "Payment Pending", if the user does return back, the Process changes the status to "Payment Completed" and the subscription gets renewed, email sent. However, if a customer does pay but doesn't return, the status remains the same, while the customer is waiting for renewal. So, we manually have to check every "Payment Pending" and go to Paypal system and search to see if that transaction was paid or not. If yes, we manually have to do the rest of the process. If not delete the transaction.
We're trying to minimize these manual checking.

The ultimate solution would be to support PayPal's REST API to avoid all these.

tford

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

Support -- thanks for the reminder about the Library application. I've now reviewed both the BSV and the Library Case Study pdf and it looks fairly straight forward.

Ben -- good to hear that you've got an app up and running similar to the Library app even though there might be an even better solution in the future.

BenHayat

tford wrote
Ben -- good to hear that you've got an app up and running similar to the Library app even though there might be an even better solution in the future.

It's still in development and testing, but getting there nicely, thanks to Aware IM. Mobile is next.

BenHayat

tford wrote
Ben -- good to hear that you've got an app up and running similar to the Library app even though there might be an even better solution in the future.

Tom, here are the two forms that performs the "Paypal checkout" UI we did, in case you want to get some ideas.
Hope this helps!

tford

Thanks for the UI tips, Ben. That will no doubt save me some time.

hpl123

VERY nice Ben, kudos!

BenHayat

hpl123 wrote
VERY nice Ben, kudos!

Much appreciate it, especially coming from you.

BenHayat

tford wrote
Thanks for the UI tips, Ben. That will no doubt save me some time.

No problem Sir, hope it helps!

rocketman

Hi Guys, first, thanks to Mark for the kind words. I keep meaning to do some updates to that app but in the meantime, my two penneth,

The PayPal app has a very comprehensive set of tools and post backs which it would be great if AwareIM could find a way of integrating. Unfortunately, the out of box PP integrating is way too simplistic, whereas it ought to be a world beater as befits an otherwise awesome package.

In reality all it needs is for AwareIM to be able to accept a callback from PP (even after the client browser has been closed) and insert the callback data into a special BO. . We as developers could then interrogate that BO as required. Unless things have changed, I believe it's called IPN (instant payment notification). There are literally dozens of shopping carte apps out there that have done this integration. This is not a "nice to have" feature... It's an absolute MUST

tford

Thanks for that info Rocketman!

Found this resource on PayPal's IPN functionality:
https://developer.paypal.com/docs/classic/products/instant-payment-notification/

Markfre1

The problem with a user closing the PayPal browser and not returning to AIM is actually very typical or users, regardless of the pre-warning messages.

AIM support said set a flag and if a user does not come back, kill all the processes. This is a catch 22 and does not work. You have the situation where the user pays, and then the processes do not take place, and in our case, reservations, emails, etc. So the user eventually emails us, and says we did not get the information. We would actually have to credit the user, tell them the procedure, and have them repeat it. Real hassle.

The second instance is the user changes their mind at PayPal payment and just closes, in this case the processes did not take place so not as much as a problem.

Web and mobile payments is where everything is going, so AIM support really needs to resolve this. This is not my expertise, but I assume there must be something in PayPal to send back a confirmation or not.

So hopefully AIM support will take this seriously and look into it.

Mark

BenHayat

Markfre1 wrote
The problem with a user closing the PayPal browser and not returning to AIM is actually very typical or users, regardless of the pre-warning messages.

AIM support said set a flag and if a user does not come back, kill all the processes. This is a catch 22 and does not work. You have the situation where the user pays, and then the processes do not take place, and in our case, reservations, emails, etc. So the user eventually emails us, and says we did not get the information. We would actually have to credit the user, tell them the procedure, and have them repeat it. Real hassle.

The second instance is the user changes their mind at PayPal payment and just closes, in this case the processes did not take place so not as much as a problem.

Web and mobile payments is where everything is going, so AIM support really needs to resolve this. This is not my expertise, but I assume there must be something in PayPal to send back a confirmation or not.

So hopefully AIM support will take this seriously and look into it.

Mark

Mark, that's why, Rodney initiated the development of Stripe plugin that fixes all that and let you charge from Mobile as well. It is still at introductory price of $205 which a great price.
The only way for Support it once for all, is to got to PP REST API, which is pretty complex and time consuming.

Go get Stripe and forget Paypal. 😃

Markfre1

Will look at stripe this week. Users do have a comfort level with Paypal which is important. My confusion is why a Rest service can be developed for stripe and there is not one for Paypal which is the most popular.

Mark

BenHayat

Markfre1 wrote
My confusion is why a Rest service can be developed for stripe and there is not one for Paypal which is the most popular.

Mark

This question/confusion WAS on the table for the past two weeks and the resolution was to go forward with Stripe. It's past tense subject 😃 Catchup to present and join the club. 😉