2nd Request for help/advice on variable pricing
This WebDNA talk-list message is from 2000
It keeps the original formatting.
numero = 34824
interpreted = N
texte = Folks, My first big from-scratch WebCatalog project is to create a store to allow users to submit and pay for classified ads. I'm still in the developmental phase, as I haven't really gotten into the guts of creating stores from scratch in WebCat (StoreBuilder won't work here, I don't think, plus I want to avoid using frames).I have two major hurdles that I need some advice on:My first problem is a conceptual one: How do I structure the steps of my store?I have to output the information submitted in a particular format for the classified ad server to pick up. The problem is that I don't want to output that data until the customer's transaction is approved, else the ad server will pick up the ad and put it in line to be printed.My plan right now (unless I find a better way) is to store the info in a database until the transaction is completed, then retrieve the data, export the data to a text file using [AppendFile], then remove that record from the database (so that it doesn't get full of data we don't need). I thought I would use the [cart] value to search the temporary info database.Here are my initial thoughts:1. have a page where customer enters personal info (name, address, etc.) and the ad info (text, start date, days to run, category). Generate Cart here on submit.2. pass all that info to an ad confirm page that validates all the fields. If not, user is directed to go back. Should I wait until the fields are validated before generating the cart to avoid browser caching problems? I can use a ShowIf/HideIf hierarchy to do the validation, and when all the fields are valid, generate the cart and move to the payment processing page.3. After data is written to the temp storage db, customer is taken to the checkout/payment page. He enters his credit card info, the order is processed, and then, if the order succeeds, the info is retrieved from the temporary storage db and outputted to the text file.If the order fails for some reason, the ad info is just deleted from the temporary storage db.Does that sound like the way to do it? Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated! SECOND ISSUE is that the price of the ad will depend upon two variables: the number of days for the ad to run and the number of words in the ad. I've already done the math for getting the variable rate per word from a database based on the # of days then creating the final cost by doing rate*days, but I don't quite understand how to have this price processed by WebCat. Is it as simple as saying [price]=formula or is it more complex than that? Any pointers in the right direction would be much appreciated. Any chance any of you have ever done this sort of thing before? I still want to do it myself, but I'd like to see how it's been done if it has. I appreciate all the advice and help that's been offered to me while I struggle through learning the basics of WebCat. This list has been invaluable. Without it, I think I would have collapsed into a puddle by now! Thanks!Steve ------------------------------------------------ Steven Jarvis Web Developer sjarvis@nwaonline.netMorning News of Northwest Arkansas http://www.nwaonline.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to the mailing list
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Folks, My first big from-scratch WebCatalog project is to create a store to allow users to submit and pay for classified ads. I'm still in the developmental phase, as I haven't really gotten into the guts of creating stores from scratch in WebCat (StoreBuilder won't work here, I don't think, plus I want to avoid using frames).I have two major hurdles that I need some advice on:My first problem is a conceptual one: How do I structure the steps of my store?I have to output the information submitted in a particular format for the classified ad server to pick up. The problem is that I don't want to output that data until the customer's transaction is approved, else the ad server will pick up the ad and put it in line to be printed.My plan right now (unless I find a better way) is to store the info in a database until the transaction is completed, then retrieve the data, export the data to a text file using [appendfile], then remove that record from the database (so that it doesn't get full of data we don't need). I thought I would use the [cart] value to search the temporary info database.Here are my initial thoughts:1. have a page where customer enters personal info (name, address, etc.) and the ad info (text, start date, days to run, category). Generate Cart here on submit.2. pass all that info to an ad confirm page that validates all the fields. If not, user is directed to go back. Should I wait until the fields are validated before generating the cart to avoid browser caching problems? I can use a ShowIf/HideIf hierarchy to do the validation, and when all the fields are valid, generate the cart and move to the payment processing page.3. After data is written to the temp storage db, customer is taken to the checkout/payment page. He enters his credit card info, the order is processed, and then, if the order succeeds, the info is retrieved from the temporary storage db and outputted to the text file.If the order fails for some reason, the ad info is just deleted from the temporary storage db.Does that sound like the way to do it? Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated! SECOND ISSUE is that the price of the ad will depend upon two variables: the number of days for the ad to run and the number of words in the ad. I've already done the math for getting the variable rate per word from a database based on the # of days then creating the final cost by doing rate*days, but I don't quite understand how to have this price processed by WebCat. Is it as simple as saying [price]=formula or is it more complex than that? Any pointers in the right direction would be much appreciated. Any chance any of you have ever done this sort of thing before? I still want to do it myself, but I'd like to see how it's been done if it has. I appreciate all the advice and help that's been offered to me while I struggle through learning the basics of WebCat. This list has been invaluable. Without it, I think I would have collapsed into a puddle by now! Thanks!Steve ------------------------------------------------ Steven Jarvis Web Developer sjarvis@nwaonline.netMorning News of Northwest Arkansas http://www.nwaonline.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to the mailing list . To unsubscribe, E-mail to: To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to Web Archive of this list is at: http://search.smithmicro.com/
Steven Jarvis
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