Log in required - but not shopping cart - for downloads?

**valtx** · 2 Jan 2007, 06:28 PM

For the site I'm developing, we want to offer forms that our users can download. These forms will be free, but I would like to force the user to register and log in to be able to download the forms.

From what I've found thus far, it appears that if I use the product type Document-General and set "Add to Cart" to "Y", the user has to go through the full checkout screens to get to the download. But if I set the "Add to Cart" as "N", the user can download the form without logging in. Am I correct on this, or have I missed something?

My ultimate question - is there a way to force the user to log in to do a download, but not make them go through the entire shopping cart purchasing process to download?

Any thoughts and ideas would be appreciated. My apologies if I should have already found this answer elsewhere - I've been searching threads for over an hour for this, and broke down and just posted this question. Thanks!

**misty** · 2 Jan 2007, 07:55 PM

Similar Thread at
http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showth...ight=documents

**valtx** · 2 Jan 2007, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by misty

Similar Thread at
http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showth...ight=documents

Yes, that's one of the many threads I read trying to get to the bottom of this. Unfortunately, it didn't really answer my question. It seemed the original poster wanted to enable downloads without login. I can get that to work with no problem. I want the opposite - a user must be logged in to download... but I don't want them to have to go through the entire shopping cart process because the item is free.

Maybe it's not even possible. I don't know. I'm hoping that there's a way to do it, but I'm just too inexperienced to figure it out. Thanks for the reply, though. I do appreciate it. Any little bit helps.

**misty** · 2 Jan 2007, 08:35 PM

but I don't want them to have to go through the entire shopping cart process because the item is free.

Not possible, as stated in thread outlined in my earlier post.
ZenCart Free Charge card is payment module to activate/use
HTH

**barco57** · 2 Jan 2007, 08:44 PM

Possibly move the free forms to ezpages and then mod the ezpages to allow php in them to check and see if customer is logged in and then show a download button if they are or a login to download button if they are not.......
This is the only way I see around processing them through the cart

**valtx** · 2 Jan 2007, 09:06 PM

Okay, thanks, everyone, for the insight.

The ezPages workaround may be feasible; it's beyond my PHP skills, but I could always hire outside help to explore it if we get resistance on having to use the Shopping Cart.

I also found the "One-Page-Checkout" module; I may explore that to see if it gives the illusion of a simpler checkout process for something that's free.

Thanks, all! Input has been much appreciated.