ProForma Invoices

Hi everyone

I have been asked to set up a proforma option on our existing website.

Basically so clients that can't pay by credit card (eg schools, etc) are able to choose a 2nd option, being the ProFORMA invoice.

When this option is chosen and the order is placed, the system would then send them a PROFORMA invoice by email. With our bank details on (but we can add that ourselves).

I have hunted high and low in the plugins section and all I can find is an invoice options that is about 7 years old.

Can anyone please offer any help or a advise me on a good software plugin that could help us to achieve this? I would be very grateful.

Thanks in advance.

You could clone the cheque/money order payment option, or change the display text of the original.

Thanks Twitchtoo

Is there an option or plugin where the invoice can be made available (or a variation of it) via the front end?

Twitch Account$ has been developed to make Zen Cart into an invoicing/accounting system. Stage One is working nicely right now, if you'd like to sign up I can send you an invoice (fake of course) to see how it has been developed for general use. It's not currently setup to act as a single payment method but with some custom coding I'm certain it could be molded to your needs.

The best way to describe the Twitch POS system right now is that I've developed a new type of cash register and everyone that buys it wants the 'extra buttons' custom programmed.

Done.

When you say custom coding, is this something that you could do (or guide us on)?

I approved your test account, you can log back in and see the 'invoice' in your shopping cart. If you checkout with the 'cheque' payment option you'll see the 'invoice' via email.

So currently you could make an invoice and the customer could log in and pay it with the available payment methods, or you could change the wording and 'checkout' the customer -> sending them an email 'invoice' they could pay on their own.

Another option is to checkout the invoice and add your own alternate payment links (not available in Zen Cart) to the email.

It's all about how you would like to process orders/send invoices and what the client experiences on their end.

Some clients just want an invoice, others want invoice tracking history and don't mind logging in.

Where the client just wants the proforma invoice sent to them once checkout is completed.

This is an existing plugin you may want to try: http://www.zen-cart.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=131

If it's not what you're looking for something custom will need to be coded.

Ok we got something custom coded and everything was working fine, except the fact that using the payment option generates an order number. This is not what he wanted.

I will check out your Twitchoo because anything from the system will generate it as an order and thats where the problems lie.

Thanks

The big problem is if someone opts to pay by Proforma invoice and then Proforma is not accepted then this in turn leaves gaps in the invoicing sequence which has enormous accounting consequences.

I have asked a couple of developers if there is a way a proforma invoice can be issued without creating an order on the system. But there is not. Orders are generated when they come through to the checkout. And that's the issue. :frusty:

Can this be achieved via Twitchoo or will it also generate the order as a record? Please advise.

I could tell the system to 'not' record the order/order number when performa invoices passed the checkout. **None **of the order would be recorded at all as many of the zen functions rely on an order number for tracking/reference.

or

They could be recorded in a performa table. We bypass the order number and save the data somewhere else. That would prevent the order index from changing.

twitchtoo:

It's not currently setup to act as a single payment method but with some custom coding I'm certain it could be molded to your needs.

Is this something that you could custom code?

twitchtoo:

I could tell the system to 'not' record the order/order number when performa invoices passed the checkout. **None **of the order would be recorded at all as many of the zen functions rely on an order number for tracking/reference.

or

They could be recorded in a performa table. We bypass the order number and save the data somewhere else. That would prevent the order index from changing.

My only question with this is when the invoice is paid then what would become of the info? Can it then be generated as an order or do we need to add it manually?

I a keen to know. :)

It would likely be easier to develop a separate order section just for these types of orders., so when they are paid or not paid they aren't part of the Zen Cart system.