[FX.php List] Shopping Carts - Keep in SessionVars or Add Records right away?

[Bob Patin]

For one client it was a half-hour; this wasn't a cart per se, but a  
registration site. The issue for the client was to make sure that  
everyone who completed the process was definitely sent an email  
confirmation; eventually the other programmer in this project (I was a  
sub-contractor on this) decided to write a script, and trigger it  
every 60 seconds. It looks for abandoned registrations, and if it's  
been more than a half-hour, deletes the temp record. If not, it  
confirms that there's a credit card payment auth code and if so, it  
sends the confirmation email.

I don't use scripts much at all in web apps, but this was what the  
other consultant wanted, and it does work pretty well with scheduled  
script-triggering from Server 10.

For this app we use a temp table, but for a smaller app on the same  
site, where people are signing up for meetings, I store everything in  
session variables until the end because there's not much to keep track  
of...

BP

Bob Patin
Longterm Solutions LLC
bob at longtermsolutions.com
615-333-6858
http://www.longtermsolutions.com
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On Jul 29, 2009, at 3:49 AM, Gjermund Gusland Thorsen wrote:

> What are your criterias for deleting the carts not owned by anybody?
>
> ggt
>
> 2009/7/29 Head Honcho <headhoncho at customikesolutions.com>:
>> Hi Joel,
>>
>> I record them immediately, and run a script weekly to "delete" non  
>> purchased
>> orders.
>>
>> It also helps in the reporting to see what people have started  
>> ordering and
>> then dropped out, so to speak.
>>
>> As Webko said, this also allows for "pausing" an order and resuming  
>> it
>> later.
>>
>> HTH.
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> Michael Ward
>> --
>> Head Honcho
>> CustoMike Solutions
>> Member, FileMaker Business Alliance
>> Member, FileMaker Technical Network
>> FileMaker 7 Certified Developer
>> FileMaker 8 Certified Developer
>> FileMaker 9 Certified Developer
>> FileMaker 10 Certified Developer
>> 10 Wandoo Crt
>> Wheelers Hill, 3150
>> ph 0414 562 501
>> headhoncho at customikesolutions.com
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 29/07/2009, at 9:24 AM, Joel Shapiro wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks Leo
>>>
>>> That's what I'd been thinking.
>>>
>>> It's good to see what different people are doing...
>>>
>>> -Joel
>>>
>>>
>>> On Jul 28, 2009, at 4:18 PM, Leo R. Lundgren wrote:
>>>
>>>> Yeah there's really a question of what features you want.
>>>>
>>>> The basic approach is to keep the cart in the session as session
>>>> variables. There's really no need to put it all in the database,  
>>>> use the
>>>> session for what it's worth instead :)
>>>>
>>>> BUT, keeping the cart inside the DB will allow for certain  
>>>> things, such
>>>> as the client can put some stuff in the cart, mail his collegue,  
>>>> and tell
>>>> him "hey, look at the stuff I put in our cart", and the collegue  
>>>> can do so
>>>> from a totally different computer. They can collaborate.
>>>>
>>>> If that latter example isn't needed, I'd store it in the session.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> 29 jul 2009 kl. 01.14 skrev Tim 'Webko' Booth:
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 29/07/2009, at 9:11 AM, Joel Shapiro wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi all
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Anybody have any thoughts on *when* in shopping cart  
>>>>>> functionality it's
>>>>>> best to add items as records to the database?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My initial thinking is that it would make more sense to just  
>>>>>> keep items
>>>>>> in Session Variable arrays and only add anything to the  
>>>>>> database at the time
>>>>>> of Checkout -- to keep the DB from bulking up with unpurchased  
>>>>>> items left in
>>>>>> the cart.  But searching online, it seems that carts often add  
>>>>>> records to
>>>>>> the database as soon as they go into the cart.  (Might that be  
>>>>>> different
>>>>>> when using MySQL as opposed to FMP?)
>>>>>>
>>>>>> FWIW - Users on this site will average 1-4 items per order.
>>>>>
>>>>> I tend to add them immediately - allows me to also re-show  
>>>>> previous not
>>>>> actually purchased items on request further down the track...
>>>>>
>>>>> Cheers
>>>>>
>>>>> Webko
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>> http://www.iviking.org/mailman/listinfo/fx.php_list
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -|
>>>>
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