Accessing custom variables during checkout

[Jay Spann]

I am attempting to POST several addtional variables into the CGI script that
displays the cart. Can anyone tell me how (if it is possible) to use this
information in the checkout process?

For example, the customer has gone through a series of questions that
provide very specific input on how the product is to be customized (like
Line1, Line2, Line 3, etc). Is there a way to show this information as the
item is placed in the cart and the cart is viewed? Can it be submitted with
the order?

Thank you for any help you can provide.

Jay

[Rob]

If you are looking to associate extra data with a product, you can compile
this data and then insert it into the per product "Customer Text Entry"
textbox so it is auto populated when they add the item to the cart. This
textarea can be submitted via a POST for add to cart, and you can format it
with hard returns, etc... so you can retain the data as is.

Your other option is to use custom checkout fields and javascript to have
specific options appear in checkout, but this would be the reverse of what
you are currently doing.

Rob

"Jay Spann" <jay@surfsol.com> wrote in message
news:e3c489$1vs$1@eval.shopsite.com...

I am attempting to POST several addtional variables into the CGI script
that displays the cart. Can anyone tell me how (if it is possible) to use
this information in the checkout process?

For example, the customer has gone through a series of questions that
provide very specific input on how the product is to be customized (like
Line1, Line2, Line 3, etc). Is there a way to show this information as the
item is placed in the cart and the cart is viewed? Can it be submitted
with the order?

Thank you for any help you can provide.

Jay

[Rick Steven]

Jay,

I'm not sure if this is what you are looking for, but we do custom label
products with several lines of text for each product. The text lines are
simply finopts for the product. I am still trying to figure how to do this
with templates, but for now we hard coded it into the form data.

www.winegiftclub.com - look at the personalized wines fro an example

Rick Steven
Gift Specialists Inc

www.GiftSpecialistsInc.com

"Rob" <rob@lexiconn.com> wrote in message
news:e3g1qp$2np$1@eval.shopsite.com...

If you are looking to associate extra data with a product, you can compile
this data and then insert it into the per product "Customer Text Entry"
textbox so it is auto populated when they add the item to the cart. This
textarea can be submitted via a POST for add to cart, and you can format
it with hard returns, etc... so you can retain the data as is.

Your other option is to use custom checkout fields and javascript to have
specific options appear in checkout, but this would be the reverse of what
you are currently doing.

Rob

"Jay Spann" <jay@surfsol.com> wrote in message
news:e3c489$1vs$1@eval.shopsite.com...
I am attempting to POST several addtional variables into the CGI script
that displays the cart. Can anyone tell me how (if it is possible) to use
this information in the checkout process?

For example, the customer has gone through a series of questions that
provide very specific input on how the product is to be customized (like
Line1, Line2, Line 3, etc). Is there a way to show this information as
the item is placed in the cart and the cart is viewed? Can it be
submitted with the order?

Thank you for any help you can provide.

Jay

[Jay Spann]

Rick and Rob,

Thank you both for the feedback. I had stumbled across something similar to
the finopt that both of you were suggesting and that seems to be
accomplishing what I need to do for now. Rick, thank you very much for the
examples on your site. It was very insightful to see how you were using that
option. Did you find that in the documentation and I missed it - or by trial
and error - or ?

Also, I noticed that you had plw-bwis in front of the finopt (I assume in
this case because I chose Personalized Wines - Birthday Wishes). Can you use
any value in front of finopt and/or do you have to do anything in the
ShopSite setup to allow that to work. Am I correct in thinking that finopt
is used with Extra Fields?

In the site I am working on I went to Commerce Setup - Order System -
Shopping Cart and enabled the checkbox for "Create an ordering instructions
text box. Then I use a hidden field with a name="x:freeopt" (x being the
product number) to put the value(s) I have collected into the ordering
instructions text box. Am I correct in thinking that finopt is used with
Extra Fields?

Thank you again for the excellent example and any additonal info you can
provide.

Jay


"Rick Steven" <rsteven@giftspecialistsinc.com> wrote in message
news:e3gaif$7f9$1@eval.shopsite.com...

Jay,

I'm not sure if this is what you are looking for, but we do custom label
products with several lines of text for each product. The text lines are
simply finopts for the product. I am still trying to figure how to do
this with templates, but for now we hard coded it into the form data.

www.winegiftclub.com - look at the personalized wines fro an example

Rick Steven
Gift Specialists Inc

www.GiftSpecialistsInc.com

"Rob" <rob@lexiconn.com> wrote in message
news:e3g1qp$2np$1@eval.shopsite.com...
If you are looking to associate extra data with a product, you can
compile this data and then insert it into the per product "Customer Text
Entry" textbox so it is auto populated when they add the item to the
cart. This textarea can be submitted via a POST for add to cart, and you
can format it with hard returns, etc... so you can retain the data as is.

Your other option is to use custom checkout fields and javascript to have
specific options appear in checkout, but this would be the reverse of
what you are currently doing.

Rob

"Jay Spann" <jay@surfsol.com> wrote in message
news:e3c489$1vs$1@eval.shopsite.com...
I am attempting to POST several addtional variables into the CGI script
that displays the cart. Can anyone tell me how (if it is possible) to use
this information in the checkout process?

For example, the customer has gone through a series of questions that
provide very specific input on how the product is to be customized (like
Line1, Line2, Line 3, etc). Is there a way to show this information as
the item is placed in the cart and the cart is viewed? Can it be
submitted with the order?

Thank you for any help you can provide.

Jay

[Rick Steven]

The value in front of the finopt is actually the sku - we use skus instead
of item numbers because it is easier to keep track of for us since we do
alot of hard coding.

I believe finopts are simply ordering options, and SS will turn them into
drop down menus - but if you hard code them you can make them just about any
input type you want.

--
Thank you very much and have a great day,

Rick Steven
Gift Specialists Inc

www.GiftSpecialistsInc.com
"Jay Spann" <jay@surfsol.com> wrote in message
news:e3haht$m5u$1@eval.shopsite.com...

Rick and Rob,

Thank you both for the feedback. I had stumbled across something similar
to the finopt that both of you were suggesting and that seems to be
accomplishing what I need to do for now. Rick, thank you very much for the
examples on your site. It was very insightful to see how you were using
that option. Did you find that in the documentation and I missed it - or
by trial and error - or ?

Also, I noticed that you had plw-bwis in front of the finopt (I assume in
this case because I chose Personalized Wines - Birthday Wishes). Can you
use any value in front of finopt and/or do you have to do anything in the
ShopSite setup to allow that to work. Am I correct in thinking that finopt
is used with Extra Fields?

In the site I am working on I went to Commerce Setup - Order System -
Shopping Cart and enabled the checkbox for "Create an ordering
instructions text box. Then I use a hidden field with a name="x:freeopt"
(x being the product number) to put the value(s) I have collected into the
ordering instructions text box. Am I correct in thinking that finopt is
used with Extra Fields?

Thank you again for the excellent example and any additonal info you can
provide.

Jay


"Rick Steven" <rsteven@giftspecialistsinc.com> wrote in message
news:e3gaif$7f9$1@eval.shopsite.com...
Jay,

I'm not sure if this is what you are looking for, but we do custom label
products with several lines of text for each product. The text lines are
simply finopts for the product. I am still trying to figure how to do
this with templates, but for now we hard coded it into the form data.

www.winegiftclub.com - look at the personalized wines fro an example

Rick Steven
Gift Specialists Inc

www.GiftSpecialistsInc.com

"Rob" <rob@lexiconn.com> wrote in message
news:e3g1qp$2np$1@eval.shopsite.com...
If you are looking to associate extra data with a product, you can
compile this data and then insert it into the per product "Customer Text
Entry" textbox so it is auto populated when they add the item to the
cart. This textarea can be submitted via a POST for add to cart, and you
can format it with hard returns, etc... so you can retain the data as
is.

Your other option is to use custom checkout fields and javascript to
have specific options appear in checkout, but this would be the reverse
of what you are currently doing.

Rob

"Jay Spann" <jay@surfsol.com> wrote in message
news:e3c489$1vs$1@eval.shopsite.com...
I am attempting to POST several addtional variables into the CGI script
that displays the cart. Can anyone tell me how (if it is possible) to
use this information in the checkout process?

For example, the customer has gone through a series of questions that
provide very specific input on how the product is to be customized
(like Line1, Line2, Line 3, etc). Is there a way to show this
information as the item is placed in the cart and the cart is viewed?
Can it be submitted with the order?

Thank you for any help you can provide.

Jay