Royal Mail Basic UK Shipping Modules

[alcanlove]

Thank you Chuck, I will have a go & let you know how I get on.................

Candice x

[alcanlove]

I think I uploaded the files, correctly.........as for the admin bit I don't know where that is I have asked the live help on IPAGE this was there reply "You can change file permissions via FileManager and we use Linux 2.6 Debian Lenny (v5.0) - 32 bit operating system on our servers." I am totally lost here Chuck ;o(

[schoolboy]

I think I uploaded the files, correctly.........as for the admin bit I don't know where that is I have asked the live help on IPAGE this was there reply "You can change file permissions via FileManager and we use Linux 2.6 Debian Lenny (v5.0) - 32 bit operating system on our servers." I am totally lost here Chuck ;o(

The ADMIN BIT is your administration area for your zencart webstore.

The TARE settings are under CONFIGURATION >>> SHIPPING / PACKAGING

You will see tare settings of
0:3
and
10:0

There is an explanation of what these variables mean, in the little EDIT boxes that accompany them.

[Chuckl]

Thanks schoolboy, trust you're well and enjoying the summer? :)

Candice,
If you are referring to my comments about the file permissions and setting them, don't worry about that too much.
Simply logon to the admin section of your site, and see if it works.i.e. that you can set the Tare and Postcode, and can see a list of the shipping modules in the Admin-Modules-Shipping menu. (In all this we're assuming that you have installed the basic Zen Cart system and are able to access the main page of the shop, and can access menu items and the admin section?)

[Enfield]

As most of our products are books and other forms of printed papers, I should like to set up modules for these, by airmail and surface.

I realise that I can adjust the rates in the standard airmail and surface modules that you have provided, but I wondered whether I could alternatively set up new modules by editing the code in copies of rmairmail.php and rmsurface.php. Would it be sufficient to create a new module by, e.g. doing a global change of "rmairmail" to "rmairmailpp" and "RMAIRMAIL" to "RMAIRMAILPP", and creating a corresponding module at "includes/languages/english/modules/shipping/rmairmailpp.php" ? I would then of course have to input the appropriate weights and prices. Anything else?

[Chuckl]

Hi Enfield, the prices used in the modules are all the 'small parcel' and similar prices, which, as far as I'm aware, are the same as the printed matter prices for airmail and surface? (With the standard proviso that they are the 'counter' prices paid by the public, NOT account or franking machine prices).i.e. up to 2kg, they are the prices you would be entering anyway.
If you need the prices up to 5kg, then yes, you could do what you are suggesting, and yes, the class names and all constant names need to be changed in the files, as well as the filename itself, for both the files in the modules-shipping folder, and the languages-english-modules-shipping folder.
You could also add you new prices to the database inserts in the install method in the file.
Alternately, you could simply extend the excel spreadsheet in the distribution 'Misc' folder, and paste the extensions into the fields in admin, or in the database inserts as notedabove.
Finaly, you could simply enter them into the relevant fields manually, since they are simply weight colon price comma pairs (2.1:5.30,) means 2.1kg costs 5.30.

Hope that helps,
Regards,

Chuck

[Enfield]

Thanks. I have successfully set up new modules for printed paper rates, though as you say the prices are the same up to 2kg.

However I was getting erroneous prices for airmail items sent to zone 2 and tracked these down to a missing comma in the pricing table in front of the 1.7kg weight point, so that it appears as "1.5:21.06,1.6:22.341.7:23.62,"; this throws out all the items and prices above this weight. There is also a missing comma in the surface mail table before the 1.6kg weight point, with similarly disastrous consequences! I have not checked all the other tables ...

Hope this helps - I'm surprised that nobody has noticed it before.

[Chuckl]

Glad you're sorted out, and thanks for the heads-up on the missing commas. They arise in the merging of the price strings from the spreadsheet, and they probably haven't been noticed because few people ship internationally or ship relatively heavy items these days. The shipping charges are simply too steep.

I was going to order a small set of shelves on-line recently, till we got to the checkout stage, and I was quoted 38 pounds for an 8.5 kilo parcel valued at 20 pounds, to go 50 miles. End of sale.

The amended files are attached for anybody who needs them

Regards,

Chuck

[Enfield]

Another small change that I think needs to be made to display the number of boxes and the weight of each correctly is to replace:

----------------------------------------------------
// Display delivery weight?
if (constant('MODULE_SHIPPING_RMAIRMAILPP_DISPLAY_WEIGHT') == 'True') {
// Delivery Weight : x items of n.nnnn Kg's
$shipping_method = MODULE_SHIPPING_RMAIRMAIL_TEXT_WAY. ' : ';
if ($my_shipping_num_boxes > 1) { // Shipment split between several boxes/packets
$shipping_method = $shipping_method . $shipping_num_boxes . ' '.MODULE_SHIPPING_RMAIRMAIL_TEXT_ITEMS.' ';
}else{
$shipping_method = $shipping_method . $shipping_num_boxes . ' '.MODULE_SHIPPING_RMAIRMAIL_TEXT_ITEM.' ';
}
$shipping_method = $shipping_method . $shipping_weight. ' ' . MODULE_SHIPPING_RMAIRMAIL_TEXT_UNITS;
}
---------------------------------------------------------------

with


----------------------------------------------------------------

// Display delivery weight?
if (constant('MODULE_SHIPPING_RMAIRMAILPP_DISPLAY_WEIGHT') == 'True') {
// Delivery Weight : x items of n.nnnn kg
$shipping_method = MODULE_SHIPPING_RMAIRMAILPP_TEXT_WAY. ' : ';
if ($my_shipping_num_boxes > 1) { // Shipment split between several boxes/packets
$shipping_method = $shipping_method . $my_shipping_num_boxes . ' '.MODULE_SHIPPING_RMAIRMAILPP_TEXT_ITEMS.' ';
}else{
$shipping_method = $shipping_method . $my_shipping_num_boxes . ' '.MODULE_SHIPPING_RMAIRMAILPP_TEXT_ITEM.' ';
}
$shipping_method = $shipping_method . $my_shipping_weight. ' ' . MODULE_SHIPPING_RMAIRMAILPP_TEXT_UNITS;
}

----------------------------------------------------------------

I think it is better to round up the weight per box to the nearest 10g rather than displaying many decimal places. I did this by inserting a line after

$my_shipping_weight = ($shipping_weight * $shipping_num_boxes)/$my_shipping_num_boxes;

reading

$my_shipping_weight = (ceil($my_shipping_weight * 100))/100;


Finally, I might just note that the correct abbreviation for kilogrammes is "kg", and not "Kg's".

[Enfield]

I think it is better to round up the weight per box to the nearest 10g rather than displaying many decimal places. I did this by inserting a line after

$my_shipping_weight = ($shipping_weight * $shipping_num_boxes)/$my_shipping_num_boxes;

reading

$my_shipping_weight = (ceil($my_shipping_weight * 100))/100;

On looking more closely, the additional line I suggested above should be inserted further down, after two right-hand braces "}", so that the rounding applies even if the consignment has not been split into more than one package.