Programming Problem...Really Weird UPS Problem

[g2ktcf]

I am really looking forward to seeing your work because we really need more sophistication to UPS than the current module offers including commercial/residential, negotiated rates, and dimensional input. Particularly curious how you have managed with the dimensional issue, does it figure out dimensions based on entire cart contents or just adding dimensional values together product by product?

That is the tough part of the algorithm.....

1. check the weight of the cart
2. check the volume of the cart using product dimensions (go through the cart and do the math)
3. If the total volume meets the "dimensional weight" requirements, then calculate the dimensional weight via UPS procedures (diff one for intl vs domestic)
4. Compare the two and take the larger weight.
5. Get the correct quote (neg, COM vs RES and so on).

Now the real killer is larger packages when the packages have to be different. I am thinking of a routine to split the cart into shippable blocks then run the quoting as a multi-package shipment. The XML side of my UPS class handles multiple packages (or did until I broke it yesterday). So I just need logic to "pack a box" lol. I have already added a table to the db for shipping boxes as most of us only use a few. Updates will come lol

[rstevenson]

I'm not sure if you've thought of this possibility...

Some stores sell large objects that are already boxed. A single item may ship in two or three separate boxes, so simply calculating the largest box that will hold all of the item, let alone all of an order that may contain more than one such item, won't work in those cases.

An example is a store I worked on last year which sells fountains. Each fountain may come with a base and maybe with a column, and possibly with a light, or a motor/pump, or both. And each of those partial items (some of which can't be sold separately) may already be in its own shipping container. So a single item order can end up being sent in two, three or even four boxes.

Did I make your day?

Rob

[g2ktcf]

I'm not sure if you've thought of this possibility...

Some stores sell large objects that are already boxed. A single item may ship in two or three separate boxes, so simply calculating the largest box that will hold all of the item, let alone all of an order that may contain more than one such item, won't work in those cases.

An example is a store I worked on last year which sells fountains. Each fountain may come with a base and maybe with a column, and possibly with a light, or a motor/pump, or both. And each of those partial items (some of which can't be sold separately) may already be in its own shipping container. So a single item order can end up being sent in two, three or even four boxes.

Did I make your day?

Rob

Actually, I have a boolean value in each product called "IsShipable". This is one item in the cart that can get a package by itself.