UK Shipping by postcode

[schoolboy]

Hi,

Forgot to mention that the module automatically enables/disables itself based on the customer's postcode so you don't get any "We don't ship to your Country/Postcode" error messages... nasty things! :)

It also allows the defining of specific messages for each zone in the language files. For example, from our client's config:

define('MODULE_COUNTRY_POSTCODE_TABLE_TEXT_TITLE_3', 'Flat Rate or FREE!');
define('MODULE_COUNTRY_POSTCODE_TABLE_TEXT_WAY_3', 'Free if Order Total Over £50, £2.95 if Under');

define('MODULE_COUNTRY_POSTCODE_TABLE_TEXT_TITLE_5', 'Flat Rate');
define('MODULE_COUNTRY_POSTCODE_TABLE_TEXT_WAY_5', 'Standard Shipping to Madeira/Azores'); 

These language definitions also use fallbacks (if you don't define definitions for zone 4, as above, the definition for zone 3 is used).

Think this would be a nice module to bring to release status but we'd need a few people to be interested... can't spend a day off work writing something only 1 or 2 people want (unless someone wants to donate)!

All the best...

Conor

Hello Conor


I use your C.Card module on some sites, so if anyone can tackle this shipping thing, I'll bet it's YOU !!!


Thanks so much for the input, and yes... I think we need to see who / how many UK zen users would like something like this.

The geomapping, I believe, is fundamental to it...

Then... if we could build in some feature that also allows shop owners to factor in a volumetric weight component (over and above the geomapping function), I think we're on our way:

The store owner should also have options to do the following:-

1. Configure as many "distance zones" as they need (up to a maximum of ten, possibly) The input screen would say something like:

- How many zones do you want to set up, and what is each zone's radius from the shop?


2. Shop owner then applies a cost to each zone:

- Zone 1 = £5.00 ; Zone 2 = £10.00 ; Zone 3 = £15.00 (etc)

3. Then, an OPTION to include a weight/volume surcharge to each zone. (Zencart can already record item weight, and totals these up in the shopping cart.)

- Zone 1 weight/volume surcharge = £1.50 / kilogram ; Zone 2 weight/volume surcharge = £1.25 ; (etc)

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I'll undertake to commit £100 to the project to start with - anyone else out there prepared to do the same???

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[conor]

Hi,

Apologies for the delay in getting back to you, I was having a good think about what should be done about this. (Actually, I'd written most of this two weeks ago but we got busy... where does the time go? ;) )...

Since it's quite an advanced module I was thinking about including the package tracking features suggested by JollyJim. Then I started thinking about completely rewriting the Zen Cart shipping class to allow the reuse of shipping modules each with its own configuration (for Next Day Express Delivery as an extra option etc.). I've finally come round to deciding that that's too much to take on right now (purely in terms of time, none of it would be hard to code) and that getting the following going would be a good enough module to be useful for the moment...


The module can define an unlimited number of Zones to be shipped to. (The number is adjusted through the admin and extra Zones added dynamically, no hacking of variables within files is required; I've got this code working already [in the only way Zen Cart will allow]).

Each Zone works like the "Table Rate" module... i.e. you can define various Ranges for each Zone, with each Range having an individual Shipping Price.


The module would have a two step process in determining what Shipping Price should be applied to the current order:

1. First off, the module determines which Zone the user is in by looking at their ISO Country Code, then the Outbound portion of their postcode (for UK), or initial digits of their postcode (for France, Portugal, Italy etc.).
   
   Each Zone you have defined in the Admin is checked in numerical order to see if it matches the customer's Country Code/Postcode.
   
   Two methods can be used to determine if the customer's Country Code/Postcode match...
   
   
   
   • If the current Zone being examined is set up to use Geolocation Matching then a method for determining the distance from the shop by comparing the shop's postcode to the customer's Country Code/Postcode is called if it exists. E.g. if your shop is in the UK and the customer's Country Code is FR and their postcode is 20030 then the following method will be called if it exists: $this->getDistanceGBFR('20030'). The distance is then checked against the table of distances defined for this zone. If it matches one, this zone is used for the shipping calculation.
     
     
   • If the current Zone being examined is set up to use Postcode Range Matching then the customer's Postcode is simply compared against the ranges defined for this zone, again if a method for checking the range for the customer's Country Code exists. E.g. For the UK you might set up some ranges as follows:
     
     GB:BT1-10,GB:BT24-27
     
     Then, if the customer's Postcode is BT124FG the method $this->matchesARangeGB('BT124FG', 'GB:BT1-10,GB:BT24-27') is called. If the customer's Postcode matches one of the ranges passed this zone is used for the shipping calculation.
     
     (Negation modifiers can also be used for Postcode Range Matching.. !GB:BT13 would exclude UK postcodes in the BT13 region from the current zone).
   
   
   
2. Once a (the first) matching Zone has been identified, the Ranges for that Zone are used according the mode of operation for the module.
   
   The module would be able to select a particular Shipping Price to use based on Weight or Price in exactly the same way the Table Rate module works (You had mentioned volumes... how were you thinking volume would be tracked? An extra field in the product form?).

I think that's a reasonably flexible system which should provide many advantages to shop owners. It could be so much better but, as I said, it will do for the minute, I don't have time to rewrite Zen Cart's shipping right now.

Don't forget that this module uses a "match or move on" policy... you could end off your module configuration with the last few zones just being overall country code matches: FR, IE etc. with either a table of rates for each or just an individual price (just like every other zone). This would allow you to be very specific price-wise locally then much less specific globally.

Last thing... the module would of course disable/enable itself based on whether or not the customer's Country Code/Postcode combination matches any of the defined zones.

Looking forward to your thoughts on this... hopefully I'm clear enough in what I'm trying to convey above. Also, hopefully a few more people are interested... if so please let me know... it would really raise my priority on getting this going if I knew more people really wanted it (or wanted to contribute towards developing it ;) ).

All the best...

Conor
ceon

[schoolboy]

Conor

This sounds like a very good start. I would use this, and as stated earlier, will contribute £100 to your efforts.

[conor]

Hi schoolboy,

Thanks for the feedback... and for the offer, it would make a great start!

Hopefully over the next few days we can get more feedback on whether people think this will be able do the job for them and then I can set aside some time to start working on it!

Could you please send me the code for the geolocation for the UK so I can start looking through it? Thanks!

All the best...

Conor

[conor]

Hi,

I've got round to releasing the first version of this module... should hopefully bring a smiles to a few faces here!

Enjoy

All the best...

Conor