The
PayPal Integration Center provides SDKs that can be used to accept PayPal payments from within your applications. ColdFusion MX 7 is a supported platform (it uses the Java SDK), and a ColdFusion Component is also included (it uses the Java APIs, and exposes simple high-level methods that can be invoked from within your code). Sample CFM code is also included.
http://www.web-relevant.com/web-relevant/index.cfm...
Ben, the sample code that comes from PayPal has never run for me... there are several steps involved with getting it to run with CFMX, often including altering the AXIS version that CFMX is using system-wide. The problem with that is the fact that unless you're working with a dedicated server and are brave enough to dig into it's gutz, you probably won't be able to use the PayPal SDK with CFMX.
It's compiled against AXIS 1.3, and CFMX comes with an incompatible version.
PayPalMX is built around the standard PayPal UI and their PDT and IPN technologies that use form posts and URL variables to get and validate data about transactions. For PDT, that happens when the buyer is returned to the seller's website. IPN is an asynchronous process wherein PayPal formulates a POST and sends it to a specific URL on your site to be re-packaged and sent back to them. They then pass back a pass/fail message if the transaction was good or not.
My intention for the next version of PayPalMX is to build wrappers with a combination of Java and CFCs to enable the non-invasive use of the correct version of AXIS with CFMX and the PayPal web-services API so that people can avail themselves of this very, very powerful tool from PayPal without having to unzip JAR files and edit their contents or swap files out of their web-inf folders.
Incidentally, use of the PayPal Pro service (required for to use the API) costs $20/month. Much cheaper than a merchant account, but still something that needs to be considered.
Thanks!
J
--- Ben
http://paypaldev.org/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=22
I always got an invalid response because it wasn't sending back the data exactly as received for some unknown reason. I gave up.
This is just one example of why coldfusion has such poor pickup, I think. All the other code types work and are supported. I really don't understand why MM doesn't have a tiny team that actively seeks out and works on tools and issues like this, much like Mozilla has a team that works with banks and such to ensure compatability. They should be pumping out basic tools and kits and integration code for all manner of needs.
Adobe should actually be going to these companies and working with them to get it right. It may actually be a good return on investment.
Adam
The funny thing is, we were investigating going with Verisign Payflow Link in order to "get away from Paypal". Then.. whaddayaknow... Paypal goes and buys Verisign Payments. Now I feel like waiting to see what sort of payment portal emerges from the union.
I can say I know from being in communication with PayPal that some Adobe names we'd all recognize have helped them iron out the innards of their CF SDK, it just didn't work out very well anyway. :)
Laterz...
Pablo's new venture may interest you as well -
www.freecoldfusionhosting.com
-no, not having basic code is sending the wrong message and thus people don't use Adobe's product, cf. It's like using early Mozilla with your bank, didn't work, so went back to IE. Done. Today people just use php because there is code and help. It would be great if everyone thought to provide a cf solution first, but they don't and often don't provide one at all. Thus Adobe should have an active team providing solutions.
>>I just happen to see this today, its a tutorial with using CF and Paypal. http://tutorial23.easycfm.com/
-yeah, and the code doesn't work :-(
http://www.easycfm.com/forums/viewmessages.cfm?For...
Also, I haven't spent much time with using Paypal. If you have a brief description of the issue I can look into getting it addressed. I agree it does seem important that we have a working example. So far I see an issue with Axis version. Has anyone tried using a later Axis version with CFMX?
FYI, what I ended up doing was reinstalling coldfusion, updating my existing install without first manually stopping cf from windows control panel/admin tools/services. The cf install program seems to handle this. CFHTTP works beautifully now.
Thanks for the responses.