New Module: Calculate Shipping v5

[Advanz Design]

Hi Folks,

Announcing our new Calculate Shipping module for Miva Merchant 5. Provide your customers the ability to calculate shipping costs for their order before entering the checkout process. The estimated shipping costs display in the basket page by default, but can be displayed in any storefront page by relocating the associated SMT item as desired.

Additional features include:
-Optionally display input fields to prompt for zip code and country as required for customer info based shipping methods/modules.

-Sort the list of estimated shipping costs by shipping method code, name, or price in ascending or descending order.

More details at http://www.advanzdesign.com?product=calcship5

Best regards,

[wcw]

Re: New Module: Calculate Shipping v5

Steve,

You might want to include an input for state. There are several hundred stores using state zone shipping modules. If you don't collect the state (US) or province (CA and others), those modules will not return a value. You could do something like the mini-basket module's shipping calculator does and make the state input optional. Having the shipping calculator in the mini-basket module for the last 8 years has shown the state input was needed by many stores.

[Brandon MUS]

Re: New Module: Calculate Shipping v5

Bill makes a good point. Which shipping modules will this be compatible with? Technically to get an accurate quote on our website the state, country and even sum of the product weights would need to be taken in to account. At this time we don't use postal codes, but we may in the future.

Our shipping modules are PTB and CBS-SuperShip.

[Advanz Design]

Re: New Module: Calculate Shipping v5

Bill,

Thanks a bunch for the suggestion. It wouldn't be too difficult for the module user to add an input field to prompt for the state as the input form is template based.

I would have liked to have added a state field by default but didn't have a state based shipping module on hand to test with during the development. Does anyone know of such a module that I can use for R&D purposes? Perhaps I'm overlooking one of the built-in shipping modules..

Brandon,

Our module is already compatible with basket data based shipping modules (i.e. price table, weight based shipping, etc) in addition to customer info based shipping modules that require zip code and country. As mentioned above, it should be compatible with most other shipping modules, such as modules that require a state value by adjusting/adding any necessary input fields in the corresponding template field for our module.

Best regards,

[wcw]

Re: New Module: Calculate Shipping v5

You have to save that state value to the basket database. Once saved and you go to any page in the store, you should be able to test to make sure it was saved by putting State: &mvte:basket:ship_state; on the page. You don't need a shipping module to test that.

[Advanz Design]

Re: New Module: Calculate Shipping v5

Thanks again for your input, Bill. This is a trivial test and there shouldn't be any problems with executing this type of process for test purposes.

However, the optimum test is to setup real world parameters to emulate a realistic scenario. Inarguably, there's no better test than implementing an actual state based shipping module to confirm the expected results.

Best regards,

[wcw]

Re: New Module: Calculate Shipping v5

If it saved the value to ship_state in the basket database, it will work. A bigger issue is have you tested with stores that have the CBS Shipping module with lots of restrictions? It is likely it will show all methods, even if they are not supposed to be shown. They changed the API between MM4 and MM5 so do not run the rules and return a string like they did in MM4.

[Advanz Design]

Re: New Module: Calculate Shipping v5

This is very helpful info. Referencing the state value this way sounds pretty straight forward and I don't antipicate any issues either. Hopefully the CBS shipmod v5 hasn't deviated too much from the API where the filtered shipping methods can be outputted in a similar method/format as depicted in the shipping dropdown list of the ship/pay checkout page.

Best regards,

[wcw]

Re: New Module: Calculate Shipping v5

I think you are in for a revelation on the CBS shipping supermod. It does not use the API for returning shipping methods in its filtering. Without the source it is impossible to tell. It will likely return all shipping methods with no restrictions. I suggest you test with it. Running ShippingModule_Shipping_Methods will yield erroneous results.

[Advanz Design]

Re: New Module: Calculate Shipping v5

That's somewhat disheartening to hear. I'll have to keep an eye out for this as things can get tricky when dealing with mechanisms that deviate from the API.

Thanks,

[Kirk Weick]

Re: New Module: Calculate Shipping v5

I think you are in for a revelation on the CBS shipping supermod. It does not use the API for returning shipping methods in its filtering. Without the source it is impossible to tell. It will likely return all shipping methods with no restrictions. I suggest you test with it. Running ShippingModule_Shipping_Methods will yield erroneous results.

I know this is a real issue in our store. I'm using the mini basket for it's convenience for shoppers to check shipping estimates easily but when our customers actually proceed to check out quite a few of our products have shipping restrictons using CBS shipping supermod. I hate to eliminate the mini basket shipping estimate because it is useful for many orders and I really don't want to make customers proceed to checkout just to see shipping costs.

Anyone know if this will ever be fixed in the CBS mod? Is there an appraoch I'm not thinking of?

[Rick Wilson]

Re: New Module: Calculate Shipping v5

This thread is the first I've heard about it. I'll do some digging and see if we can fix it.

[wcw]

Re: New Module: Calculate Shipping v5

In MM4 the CBS Shipping Supermod and my Sort Shipping and Shipping List modules had a function called Raw_Shipping_Options. I believe it was put in the CBS mod by Darren when he worked with CBS. That function returned a sorted string called g.ShipStrings which was a | delimited list of shipping methods.

In MM5 since CBS no longer had that function (actually the CBS module didn't exist when I updated the mini-basket module with the shipping calculator) I discontinued querying the CBS module for shipping methods in sorted order. Unfortunately, it does not apply its rules when using the standard API function (ShippingModule_Shipping_Methods) either.

The Raw_Shipping_Options function does exist in my Sort Shipping v5 module so is still called in MM5 like it was in MM4. The g.ShipStrings is a sorted delimited list of methods that apply the rules in the sort shipping module. Alternatively, there is also a sorted array of shipping methods that can be used in mini-basket's store morph code which does not use the sort shipping module's rules.

That all said, if you are updating the CBS module, rather than use the raw function to return g.ShipStrings, why not just add a token that can be placed on any page to return sorted shipping methods with the complex CBS supermod rules? I realize that would eliminate the need for my mini-basket's shipping calculator, but having a shipping calculator on any page is something that is expected as a core feature in most shopping carts. Folks shouldn't have to buy a module which is so important in order conversion and avoiding shipping shock.

[Advanz Design]

Re: New Module: Calculate Shipping v5

This is an interesting point that has been brought up. At the very least, would it be possible to obtain some API documentation for the CBS supmod that allows third party module developers to reference the list of filtered shipping methods to ensure cross module compatiblity, especially amongst the plethora of third party shipping modules available?


It sounds like Bill has worked around this issue in the past by utilizing the "raw_shipping_options" function for v4? Is there further documentation available to developers about this integrating method or would it be necessary to contact CBS or Miva directly offlist?


Best regards,

[wcw]

Re: New Module: Calculate Shipping v5

According to the presentation Rick gave at the conference, Q2 will be the roll out of the advanced shipping administration (essentially built in CBS shipping supermod). That would mean all stores would have it. My point is if they were going to put that function back in for MM5, why not just write a token and eliminate the need for 3rd party modules to display shipping methods on all screens. My mini-basket has paid for itself many times over so I really don't care if that feature is replaced by a built in feature. If it puts Miva Merchant closer to being best in class, it should be done.