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since ‎Mar-17-2011
Country: United Kingdom
Type: Business
awd
awd Contributor
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Latest Contributions by awd
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  • Latest Contributions by awd

Sandbox is hardly ever working

by awd Contributor in Sandbox Environment
‎Apr-25-2018 06:12 AM
‎Apr-25-2018 06:12 AM
For most of last week testing of my web app using Express Checkout was impossible because I was getting 500 error responses when trying to use the sandbox.  After days of waiting, and a support request from MTS, the issue spontaneously rectified itself.  My support question at MTS was then answered as "everything's working all right".  Of course it was - by then.   Now today the sandbox is malfunctioning again, this time sending back 400 errors.   How is it possible to test a commercial web app when the sandbox is so frequently not working? ... View more

Re: Sandbox suddenly stopped working this morning ...

by awd Contributor in Merchant Products and Services Archives
‎Apr-20-2018 12:16 AM
‎Apr-20-2018 12:16 AM
I might add: All payments work correctly in live/production mode, but in Sandbox mode only PayPal payments will work. Attempts to click any credit card icons in Sandbox mode result in the popup redirecting to the cancel_url.   Anyone have even an intuition what this might be? ... View more

Sandbox suddenly stopped working this morning for ...

by awd Contributor in PayPal Basics Archives
‎Apr-19-2018 10:51 AM
1 Kudo
‎Apr-19-2018 10:51 AM
1 Kudo
This morning my formerly working Express Checkout site just stopped working in sandbox mode.  Live/production works fine, but sandbox tests just result in the popup disappearing.  Also, attempts to retrieve Sandbox API Call History in the developer site just result in an error saying "Something went wrong fetching sandbox API calls. Try again."  Needless to say, further tries don't work, and there seems nowhere to actually report this error!   It seems peculiar that payPal appears to have no desire to tell people why this is going wrong.  Surely revenue is being lost when developers cannot find out why sandbox testing with EC suddenly stops working !   Can someone shed light on this? ... View more

Problems with client-side PayPal Express Checkout ...

by awd Contributor in REST APIs
‎Apr-02-2018 01:07 AM
‎Apr-02-2018 01:07 AM
I posted this in the "About Payments" section, which I think was the wrong place.  Perhaps the moderators could help me out as to the correct place for this.   I'm trying to use PayPal Express Checkout in my site which, after a questionnaire, generates a page of information results that are unique to the individual customer.   I'd like to charge a small amount for this, so I'm trying to implement PayPal Express Checkout.   The flow of the site is such that, after having filled in the questionnaire form, the user clicks a form button and is sent to a "completed" page to where all the relevant information is POSTed and also stored in a database, along with two unique IDs. At the foot of this page is the option to pay to see the results, using PayPal Express Checkout.   A successful PayPal Express Checkout transaction on the "completed" page needs to redirect the user to the "results" page, carrying a GET variable which can allow the "results" page to look up the information in the database using the second of the associated unique IDs, calculate the results and display them to the user.   I used the basic template of checkout.js on the "completed" page to do this, but in order for a successful transaction to send the second unique ID without it being too obviously visible in the source code of the "completed" page, I used an AJAX query on that page which silently calls a script which looks up the ID and sets it back as a javascript variable and appends it to the URL to which the user is sent after a successful transaction.   The code looks like this:   <script> paypal.Button.render({ env: 'sandbox', client: { sandbox: 'xxxxx', production: 'xxxxx' }, commit: true, style: { layout: 'vertical', size: 'responsive', shape: 'rect', color: 'gold' }, payment: function(data, actions) { return actions.payment.create({ payment: { transactions: [ { amount: { total: '0.99', currency: 'GBP' } } ], redirect_urls: { 'cancel_url': 'cancel.php?id=123456789' } } }); }, onAuthorize: function(data, actions) { return actions.payment.execute().then(function() { $.ajax({ type: 'POST', url: 'passcall.php?id=123456789', dataType: 'json', async: false, success: function(response) { retid = response.retid; //second unique variable sent back console.log(retid); }, }); window.alert('Payment Complete!'); window.location.replace('results.php?retid='+retid); // retid is the second, different, associated ID. if (error === 'INSTRUMENT_DECLINED') { actions.restart(); } }); }, onCancel: function(data, actions) { return actions.redirect(); }, onError: function(err) { actions.restart(); } onError: function(err) { actions.restart(); } }, '#paypal-button'); </script> I had to introduce "async: false," since if I don't, the user isn't returned to the results page (results.php) via the "window.location.replace('results.php?retid='+retid);" line.   My questions concerning this are:   1. I find that cards with incorrect credentials, such as an incorrect associated sandbox card expiry date, or an incorrect associated sandbox card address (but not malformed credit card numbers) are still passed to the results page as if they are paid, when (if the sandbox is working correctly) they shouldn't be.  Even real (non-sandbox) cards with incorrect expiry dates or incorrect associated names etc, get through as if paid, when no transaction has taken place.  In other words, I can't trust that this is actually going to result in real, successful transactions.   2. The cancel_url works fine, but I find no way of implementing any action for the "onError" function, other than leaving "actions.restart();" restart in place (I don't even know if this is working). If I try "window.location.replace('payment-error.php?id=123456789');", I find that this will fire even if the "Payment Complete!" popup appears and the transaction appears to be authorised. ... View more

Problems with client-side PayPal Express Checkout ...

by awd Contributor in About Business
‎Apr-01-2018 04:53 AM
‎Apr-01-2018 04:53 AM
I'm trying to use PayPal Express Checkout in my site which, after a questionnaire, generates a page of information results that are unique to the individual customer.   I'd like to charge a small amount for this, so I'm trying to implement PayPal Express Checkout.   The flow of the site is such that, after having filled in the questionnaire form, the user clicks a form button and is sent to a "completed" page to where all the relevant information is POSTed and also stored in a database, along with two unique IDs. At the foot of this page is the option to pay to see the results, using PayPal Express Checkout.   A successful PayPal Express Checkout transaction on the "completed" page needs to redirect the user to the "results" page, carrying a GET variable which can allow the "results" page to look up the information in the database using the second of the associated unique IDs, calculate the results and display them to the user.   I used the basic template of checkout.js on the "completed" page to do this, but in order for a successful transaction to send the second unique ID without it being too obviously visible in the source code of the "completed" page, I used an AJAX query on that page which silently calls a script which looks up the ID and sets it back as a javascript variable and appends it to the URL to which the user is sent after a successful transaction.   The code looks like this:   <script> paypal.Button.render({ env: 'sandbox', client: { sandbox: 'xxxxx', production: 'xxxxx' }, commit: true, style: { layout: 'vertical', size: 'responsive', shape: 'rect', color: 'gold' }, payment: function(data, actions) { return actions.payment.create({ payment: { transactions: [ { amount: { total: '0.99', currency: 'GBP' } } ], redirect_urls: { 'cancel_url': 'cancel.php?id=123456789' } } }); }, onAuthorize: function(data, actions) { return actions.payment.execute().then(function() { $.ajax({ type: 'POST', url: 'passcall.php?id=123456789', dataType: 'json', async: false, success: function(response) { retid = response.retid; //second unique variable sent back console.log(retid); }, }); window.alert('Payment Complete!'); window.location.replace('results.php?retid='+retid); // retid is the second, different, associated ID. if (error === 'INSTRUMENT_DECLINED') { actions.restart(); } }); }, onCancel: function(data, actions) { return actions.redirect(); }, onError: function(err) { actions.restart(); } onError: function(err) { actions.restart(); } }, '#paypal-button'); </script> I had to introduce "async: false," since if I don't, the user isn't returned to the results page (results.php) via the "window.location.replace('results.php?retid='+retid);" line.   My questions concerning this are:   1. I find that cards with incorrect credentials, such as an incorrect associated sandbox card expiry date, or an incorrect associated sandbox card address (but not malformed credit card numbers) are still passed to the results page as if they are paid, when (if the sandbox is working correctly) they shouldn't be.  Even real (non-sandbox) cards with incorrect expiry dates or incorrect associated names etc, get through as if paid, when no transaction has taken place.  In other words, I can't trust that this is actually going to result in real, successful transactions.   2. The cancel_url works fine, but I find no way of implementing any action for the "onError" function, other than leaving "actions.restart();" restart in place (I don't even know if this is working). If I try "window.location.replace('payment-error.php?id=123456789');", I find that this will fire even if the "Payment Complete!" popup appears and the transaction appears to be authorised. ... View more

Re: Sandbox app error "We're sorry. We can't compl...

by awd Contributor in About Payments
‎Mar-22-2018 04:21 AM
‎Mar-22-2018 04:21 AM
The seller profile in my account settings has Negative Testing OFF, by the way. ... View more

Sandbox app error "We're sorry. We can't complete ...

by awd Contributor in About Payments
‎Mar-22-2018 04:19 AM
1 Kudo
‎Mar-22-2018 04:19 AM
1 Kudo
Yesterday I configured my web app with PayPal sandbox. It worked fine. I was so pleased I got it working. It worked every time I tried with my sandbox credentials, whether using the sandbox PayPal account or the sandbox credit card. Without changing ANY of the code, this morning, a test payment via the sandbox VISA card results in an error message saying "We're sorry. We can't complete your purchase at this time. Please return to the merchant and choose another way to pay." Using the sandbox PayPal account works, but the sandbox credit card suddenly doesn't. This obviously gives me no faith that this will work if moved to production/live mode. What can have gone wrong? Who can I ask? ... View more

Re: sorry we can’t complete your purchase at this ...

by awd Contributor in About Payments
‎Mar-22-2018 04:05 AM
1 Kudo
‎Mar-22-2018 04:05 AM
1 Kudo
I have this problem, too.  My web app was working with the sandbox fine until it suddenly stopped with the message "We're sorry. We can't complete your purchase at this time".   This is a sandbox testing - how can it not work? ... View more

Paid using sufficient funds, but all I see is 'pen...

by awd Contributor in Holds, reversals & reserves
‎Mar-17-2011 12:19 PM
‎Mar-17-2011 12:19 PM
I just bought something using funds in my PayPal account (this was NOT on ebay).   But on the PayPal details page on one box headed 'Original Authorisation' it says "status - pending", and on another box headed 'Related Transaction' it says 'Temporary Hold'.   What is going on?  I had funds in my PayPal account sufficient to pay for the product.  Why hasn't it just been paid instantly?   This is hugely inconvenient and I can't see myself using PayPal again if all I get is these cryptic messages, and no payment to the seller! ... View more
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