trying to set up a donations page

[Luke_Urtnowski]

I'm trying to start a donation based page/form
Heres what I have so far
http://teamluke.net/donate.php
I want to use paypal to handle the $.
How do I do that?
It looks like I add
<form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
to my form tag
but how do I capture the amount, First Name, Last Name, and email inputted in my form so it transfers to your form (https://www.paypalobjects.com/webstatic/en_US/developer/docs/pps/Billing_Normal.gif)
Lastly, how do I set it up so whatever donation made goes into my account?

Thanks and how do I keep track of the detonators and send them a thank you page once someone donates?

[angelleye]

You have lots of options here.  Do you want the most basic integration option using standard HTML forms, or would you prefer a more advanced integration using PayPal APIs?

[Luke_Urtnowski]

what do you suggest, this is the fgorm I want to use

http://teamluke.net/donate.php

Thanks.............

(The API option sounds interesting)

[angelleye]

I would recommend the Express Checkout API.  Specifically, you'll be using the following:

• SetExpressCheckout
• GetExpressCheckoutDetails
• DoExpressCheckoutPayment

This PayPal PHP SDK will make those calls very quick and easy for you.  All you need to do is get the config file setup correctly and then open the corresponding template file (ie. /templates/SetExpressCheckout.php, etc.)  The templates are setup and ready to go with all of the available parameters in the API as well as commented notes for each one pulled from PayPal's documentation.  

So your form can POST to your SetExpressCheckout step, which would end up redirecting the user to PayPal.  When returned from PayPal you would hit GetExpressCheckoutDetails to pull all of the buyer details, and then finalize the payment with DoExpressCheckoutPayment.

Express Checkout in general will give you a much tighter integration with the ability to customize it more in the future, too.  It has features that PayPal Standard does not have, one of the most important being the ability to force the guest checkout feaure so that users who don't have PayPal accounts understand that they don't need one.

[Luke_Urtnowski]

good, cause I was looking at 

https://developer.paypal.com/docs/classic/paypal-payments-standard/integration-guide/donation_button...

but it doesn't seem to flexible, ok?

[Luke_Urtnowski]

It seems I need a premier account, how do I get this?

[angelleye]

Right, Payments Standard isn't going to be as flexible as Express Checkout.

Premiere accounts don't exist anymore, but you will need to upgrade to business if it's not already done.

[Luke_Urtnowski]

Hey, does it matter if I dont give you my bank accout  #?

[angelleye]

If you don't add a bank account to the PayPal account then it won't be verified, and that can limit some features of the account.  I would recommend that you go ahead and add a bank account to verify as well as a credit card to confirm the address.  Then you'll be ready to rock.

[Luke_Urtnowski]

ok, read the tutorials, how do Iset itup on your testing server (sandbox) t make sre I can get it to work?