Cloned table rates with zones - is this possible?

[petersonfenn]

Hi, I have cloned the table rate and created (UK) First Class Royal Mail and Next Day Delivery table rates. That is all working fine.

However, I now need to allow shipping to other countries. I know I can do this in the zones, but can the zones work in conjunction with the table rates I have already set up? Do I need to start from scratch or do I just install the zones and input the countries?

Please can someone advise because I don't want to mess up what I've already done which is working great. Thank you.

[schoolboy]

While there is a Royal Mail / ParcelForce module available (Big Royal Mail) ... (which we use on many sites), you may like to consider the free add-on ZONETABLES module, which allows for much more flexibility when configuring RM options.

We have also used ZONETABLES for RM configurations, and it would appear that the BIG ROYAL MAIL module has made significant use of the code that drives ZONETABLES.

ZONETABLES can be cloned as many times as you need to.

HOWEVER... Using Zonetables MUST be done in a proper sequence. Before you install this module, or any clones you may have made, you need to set up your ZONES first. If you are going to use RM/Parcelforce data and configs, I think there are about 12 zones that need setting up first.

If you fail to set up the required number of zones BEFORE you install the zonetables module - and then try to add more zones AFTER installing the mod, you will get errors and the site will "fall over". This can be rectified by "removing" the module(s) in admin, and then ading new zones, but then you have the tedious task of re-entering all the shipping rates.

[petersonfenn]

OK thanks for your response. But I already have the table rates set up the way I want them for UK shipping. It's just the other country zones that I need to set up. So is it OK to set up the zones alongside the table rates that I already have in place?

I didn't think I'd need to install a mod because the zones option is already there.

[schoolboy]

In our experience with this, the ZONES shipping module is not adequate for Royal Mail International. So we used ZONETABLES for our international configurations.

If you wanted to just use the ZONES module, you would need to "clone" ZONES about 12 times, so that each "clone" can be configured for each international zone.

ZONETABLES is a clever combination of the ZONES module and the TABLE module.

By installing ZONETABLES, you only need it ONCE, because it will enable you to apply the TABLES OF RATES to a NUMBER OF ZONES.

But as I said... you MUST configure all your ZONES and ZONE DEFINITIONS FIRST, before you install ZONETABLES.