eCart 5, dynamic shipping and static inventory?

Hi folks, this is the first time I'm trying to set up a static product list for a client (I've used databases in the past), because he only has 10 items. I am struggling with a few things...
1. I don't see a tutorial on a way to add variable shipping options for weight and dimensions on one hand AND flat rate on the other by customer selection. (new feature in 5). Nor do I see a tutorial for adding the automatic order database for orders that eCart is supposed to be able to create. I have Universal Email 4...
2. Since I'm creating the inventory by hand, I suspect that all detail pages will also have to be created manually? There is no wizard that creates the rest of the pages or checkout forms? Am I missing something or does that work if you are using a dynamic database? I remember the automated process from earlier versions....
I'm just wondering if it might actually save me time to create a database for the products instead of doing it manually...

Also, since /if the weight and dimensions are stored statically, I'm not sure where to put that information, hence the need for a tutorial as per question 1.

Thanks,
Jeff

I'm not 100% clear on what you mean by the following:

  add variable shipping options for weight and dimensions on one hand AND flat rate on the other by customer selection.  

Can you please clarify that a little?

As far creating the Order and Order details table automatically, this will happen if:
1) You Create a database connection
2) In the checkout wizard, on the Store Order Summary page, you select the option to "Crate using Preset".


When creating a static catalog, yes, all of the individual pages need to created manually, With a dynamic catalog, only one detail page is created and populated with the correct product by filtering a recordset, using a dynamic catalog, you need to create a detail page for each product manually.

On each detail page, you will need to manually add the add to cart button. On the bindings panel, you fill in the product information like ID, name description, weight and price manually.

The getting started guide for eCart steps through creating static and dynamic cart pages.

Originally Said By: Jason Byrnes

  I'm not 100% clear on what you mean by the following:


Can you please clarify that a little?

As far creating the Order and Order details table automatically, this will happen if:
1) You Create a database connection
2) In the checkout wizard, on the Store Order Summary page, you select the option to "Crate using Preset".  

Hi Jason, I know how to add Add to Cart items manually. I guess my question is more about process:
If I create a catalog page with multiple static inventories and use the Add to Cart buttons manually, there is no database connection on that page. Watching the video for eCart 5 overview, it says that the Orders DB will be created by eCart. I am assuming 2 is an alternate process? And not an answer to my question about shipping optioins?


To clarify, I have a client who may be shipping via UPS or common carrier. The products have a certain weight and dimension, which I can add manually to the eCart interface first and then to each item as I add it to inventory. But I guess I'm asking what data should I be adding to prepare it for the automatic shipping calculations with UPS? Do I really just need a total dimensions in inches rather than h w d separately? Is that the same for other shippers? And WHEN/WHERE in the set up process do you add this shipping charge to the final order? It said in the video it is a new feature but there isn't anything in the getting started docs that talks about it.
Jeff
Jeff

you really had 2 questions, how to set up shipping and how to have eCart create the order table automatically, I needed clarification on the shipping question, but tried to address the creating the order table question. 2 is the second step to follow to have eCart create the order table.


The UPS Shipping rate lookup takes the height Width and depth of the package to ship.

you can either set it up to calculate on an item by item basis, not really recommended, or to ship the entire order in one package.


If you set it to ship the entire order in one package, you dont need to provide package dimensions until you run the checkout wizard.


In the checkout wizard, you will be able to specify UPS as your shipping provider, and set the package dimensions to use.

Originally Said By: Jason Byrnes

  If you set it to ship the entire order in one package, you dont need to provide package dimensions until you run the checkout wizard.


In the checkout wizard, you will be able to specify UPS as your shipping provider, and set the package dimensions to use.  

See my other reply under the thread:
USPS Shipping

I am also running this First Data connection in a trial mode, so I don't know if that will interfere with the shipping checkout?

yes, you can set up USPS in the checkout wizard as well.


Trial mode will not interfere with the shipping rate llokup.

I already set up UPS in the checkout wizard, but it seems to be not working properly and so how do I find where to edit that connection without creating a new checkout wizard... IOW, I want to modify the existing one..

the UPS rate lookup server behavior is added to the confirm page.

To edit the UPS rate lookup, open the confirm page and double click the Server behavior in the server behaviors list.


the real question though, is what is not working.

add this code to your failure page to get the full request and response from UPS:

<?php

if(!session_id()) session_start(); 

echo "<p>UPS: <br />"; 

     echo "Full Request: ".(isset($_SESSION["WA_Store_Cart_UPS_FullRequest"])?htmlentities($_SESSION["WA_Store_Cart_UPS_FullRequest"]):"n/a")."<br />";  

     echo "Full Response: ".(isset($_SESSION["WA_Store_Cart_UPS_FullResponse"])?htmlentities($_SESSION["WA_Store_Cart_UPS_FullResponse"]):"n/a")."<br /></p>";  

?>

No Packages to Ship

UPS:
Full Request: n/a
Full Response: n/a

is the error message.

But there are packages in the cart...
When I was setting up the Wizard and chose UPS shipping,
I put the shipping size in as the following code and perhaps that is a problem:
<?php echo $row_Recordset1['ItemLength']; ?> * <?php echo $row_Recordset1['ItemWidth']; ?> * <?php echo $row_Recordset1['ItemDepth]; ?>

I was trying to get total dimensions in inches because the packages are very large:
81x13x10 for example. Should I have done this with a total dimensions in inches instead?

<?php echo $FTCLR->DisplayInfo("Length"); ?>

I reduced shipping to the above for size. And it had no effect. Same error results.