Paypal Testing

[developer21]

Hi all,

New to the forum here. I've been customizing Zen Cart for a client for the past few months- A big thanks to the developers that have made this project happen. I'm sure this is an FAQ, but I couldn't find the answer in the forum-

1. Where & how can I run a test paypal transaction?

I've seen discussion about a flag in the DB that sets paypal to live or test. I'm hoping someone can direct me to more information about this. I'm looking for more than just a SQL query to change the flag- I'd like to know what that will actually change. Does the cart then hit a different URL at paypal or does it simply fake a response?

2. Is SSL necessary when using PayPal?

The PayPal IPN documentation says that IPN doesn't require SSL since the credit card transaction occurs on their server. I'd be interested to hear any recommendations from experienced users out there regarding whether SSL is necessary/recommended when using PayPal.

TIA for your help.

[TShooters]

PayPal has a developer's test environment. Just do a Google search on "PayPal Sandbox".

[Merlinpa1969]

actually the sandbox sux,
best to create a 1 cent product with free shipping,

test it live

no ssl is not needed but customers like to see the little gold lock

[developer21]

Thanks for the tip Merlin. It appears to be working fine. One question- After PayPal processes the transaction, the status of the order is being set to "pending." It seems the store owner must login to their PayPal account to "accept" the funds for each transaction and then update the order status in the admin section.

Is this the expected workflow or have I missed something?

TIA!