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

Dale Bengston dbengston at tds.net
Wed Jul 29 19:30:37 MDT 2009 

I would expect storage of form data in $_SESSION to be faster than  
storing it in FileMaker tables. Storing anything in memory is faster  
than writing it out, especially if your target for writing is  
FileMaker. The marginal speed trade-off of writing records is  
acceptable to me... especially since I rarely find myself writing to  
FileMaker any more. (Yes, I know. Sniff. Sniff.)

Dale

On Jul 29, 2009, at 2:58 PM, Leo R. Lundgren wrote:

> There is definately a time difference. Unless I misunderstood what  
> you mean by session variables.
>
> If you just write thirty variables to the $_SESSION array, there  
> only overhead involved is the one when PHP seralizes the values into  
> the session storage, which by default is files under /tmp on the  
> webserver. But this is isn't noticable for low-traffic hosts.
>
> On the other hand, if you are to write your values to a table in  
> FileMaker, you have all the usual overhead involved with  
> communicating with said database.
>
>
> 29 jul 2009 kl. 20.45 skrev Bob Patin:
>
>> Here's a question for GGT (or anyone else who may know this): is  
>> there any speed difference at all between writing 30 or so session  
>> variables versus writing 30 or so fields to 1 or more tables?
>>
>> For the sake of argument, let's say you're writing to two tables-- 
>> first is the temp order table, 2nd is the lineitems table.
>>
>> Is the difference in time involved negligible?
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Bob Patin
>>
>>
>> <new_logo_idea3_120w.jpg>
>>
>>
>>
>> Longterm Solutions
>> bob at longtermsolutions.com
>> 615-333-6858
>> http://www.longtermsolutions.com
>> iChat: bobpatin
>> FileMaker 10 Certified Developer
>> Member of FileMaker Business Alliance and FileMaker TechNet
>> --------------------------
>> FileMaker hosting and consulting for all versions of FileMaker
>> PHP • Full email services • Free DNS hosting • Colocation •  
>> Consulting
>>
>> On Jul 29, 2009, at 12:43 PM, Joel Shapiro wrote:
>>
>>> Don't know how long this thread may keep going, but let me put in  
>>> my "Thanks Everybody" here & now:
>>>
>>> Thanks Everybody
>>>
>>> Best,
>>> -Joel
>>>
>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>> Joel Shapiro
>>> FileMaker Pro
>>> database & web design
>>> http://www.jsfmp.com
>>> 415-269-5055
>>> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>>>
>>>
>>> On Jul 29, 2009, at 9:43 AM, VanBuskirk, Patricia wrote:
>>>
>>>> As a frequent online shopper, I like this idea.  I had over $100 of
>>>> merch in my cart at Khols online, accumulated throughout the day,  
>>>> and I
>>>> went away from my pc for a couple of hours to come back to an empty
>>>> cart.  I did not try to re-shop, so they lost the business.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: fx.php_list-bounces at mail.iviking.org
>>>> [mailto:fx.php_list-bounces at mail.iviking.org] On Behalf Of Dale  
>>>> Bengston
>>>> Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 12:37 PM
>>>> To: FX.php Discussion List
>>>> Subject: Re: [FX.php List] Shopping Carts - Keep in SessionVars  
>>>> or Add
>>>> Recordsright away?
>>>>
>>>> I agree that this is a client business rule, but there is very  
>>>> little
>>>> penalty for saving records to a table, and keeping them as a status
>>>> that is suppressed by the client-server UI. I am doing this for an
>>>> order site. In my opinion, saving records also makes it easier to
>>>> retrieve a shopping cart if the user quits and relaunches, or in
>>>> another typical, natural way destroys their session.
>>>>
>>>> Dale
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Dale Bengston
>>>> Streamline Studio, LLC
>>>> www.streamline-studio.com
>>>>
>>>> On Jul 29, 2009, at 10:46 AM, Bob Patin wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> 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
>>>>> Twitter: bobpatin
>>>>> iChat/AIM: bobpatin
>>>>> FileMaker 10 Certified Developer
>>>>> Member of FileMaker Business Alliance & TechNet
>>>>> --------------------------
>>>>> FileMaker hosting and consulting for all versions of FileMaker
>>>>> PHP * jQuery * ExpressionEngine
>>>>> Full email services * Free DNS hosting * Colocation * Consulting
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> 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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>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> -|
>>>>>>>>>
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