COWOA (for ZC v1.5.x)

[countrycharm]

So I've been doing more work refining the on-screen text and error messages for this module.. In testing this module, my client and I both felt that some of them are a little awkwardly worded. I also realized that the Standard and COWOA error message I posted my corrections for previously should be separated and not shared. My client and I have been doing some informal research as to how similar guest checkout features are used with other online retailers (with a particular eye on some of the larger online retailers). My client and I are also gathering feedback from some of his customers who agreed to help us with a VERY informal usability study.

The purpose of this effort was to come up with clearer and more consistent on-screen messages for COWOA. I made a number of changes to several COWOA files to implement the changesIn this effort, I also found one instance of hard coded text in one of the COWOA files which I also corrected to use a language file define.

Wanted to share the changes I've made as a result. It's too much to post all the changes inside a post so I've uploaded screenprints of the changes I made. I will attache a zip file of the modified files my next post.. Would like to suggest that these changes (or similar ones) should be part of the next COWOA release. I would be happy to bundle these changes up, but wanted to throw it out to the community for opinions.. (and I don't want to step on my friend CountryCharm's toes!)

Files modified:
includes/languages/YOUR_TEMPLATE/english.php
includes/languages/english/YOUR_TEMPLATE/time_out.php
includes/languages/english/YOUR_TEMPLATE/login.php
includes/modules/YOUR_TEMPLATE/no_account.php
includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/templates/tpl_login_default.php

I also added an additional arrow image thought others might find it useful so I've included this as well
New_Installation\Optional_Arrows\arrow_checkout16.png

No problem Diva, since you have change and modified the code your welcome to upload the update. Just change the version number to 2.4 when doing so. I will continue to help support this thread when I have time.

[DivaVocals]

You can try this, change line 87 to 95 In the file includes/functions/audience.php, Changed function get_audience_sql_query to:

//if no match found against queries listed in database, then $selected_entry must be an email address
  if ($query_name=='' && $query_category=='email') {
        $cust_email_address = zen_db_prepare_input($selected_entry);
        $query_name   = $cust_email_address;
        $query_string = "select customers_firstname, customers_lastname, customers_email_address
                              from " . TABLE_CUSTOMERS . "
                              where customers_email_address = '" .     zen_db_input($cust_email_address) . "'  
                              and COWOA_account = '0'";
    } 

By doing this Cowoa will not send any emails to Cowoa customers.

Which order emails do you mean?


It seems to work


If you add this in de query around line 55 also, the COWOA clients are removed from the dropdown field too.

Should this be added to COWOA's core?? if so, I have a few questions:
Can someone share with me what the change at line 55 should look like (wanna test it)
Help me to fully understand what this change will do exactly.. When you say prevent COWOA from sending e-mails, which e-mails??

Lastly I think that there is one more change that COWOA should include. Sideboxes should be turned off during the checkout process to minimize customer distractions during checkout. (I believe FEAC includes this as part of it's default setup) looking at some of the larger e-commerce retailers, they too turn off "distractions" during checkout... That said I will be adding the following change to the COWOA version I will be submitting:
in the includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/common/tpl_main_page.php file:

  // the following IF statement can be duplicated/modified as needed to set additional flags
if (in_array($current_page_base,explode(",",'account,account_password,account_edit,address_book,account_history_info,account_newsletters,account_notifications,account_history,login,logoff,checkout_shipping,checkout_shipping_address,checkout_payment,checkout_payment_address,checkout_confirmation,checkout_process,checkout_success,shopping_cart,address_book_process')) ) {
    $flag_disable_right = true;
    $flag_disable_left = true;

[dw08gm]

Lastly I think that there is one more change that COWOA should include. Sideboxes should be turned off during the checkout process to minimize customer distractions during checkout. (I believe FEAC includes this as part of it's default setup) looking at some of the larger e-commerce retailers, they too turn off "distractions" during checkout... That said I will be adding the following change to the COWOA version I will be submitting:
in the includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/common/tpl_main_page.php file:

Please make this an option, not a default setting.

[DivaVocals]

Please make this an option, not a default setting.

Wasn't planning on making it a default feature.. Will be including it because its good practice and one that many of the larger retailers use for the reasons that many of the Zen Cart powerhouses/gurus suggest it.. If the reason that shopowners use COWOA is to decrease cart abandonment, and to increase sales conversions, this is simple low hanging fruit that should be included with COWOA..

[discoverytdi]

Wasn't planning on making it a default feature.. Will be including it because its good practice and one that many of the larger retailers use for the reasons that many of the Zen Cart powerhouses/gurus suggest it.. If the reason that shopowners use COWOA is to decrease cart abandonment, and to increase sales conversions, this is simple low hanging fruit that should be included with COWOA..

been using that edit since I started using zencart looks sooooo much neater.

[DivaVocals]

been using that edit since I started using zencart looks sooooo much neater.

yep I agree.. my edit is a tad more aggressive than most. I went through a painstaking process of reviewing the entire checkout process and all the pages that a customer can get to from each step. I added each one of those pages to the list of pages to turn sideboxes off. Now the checkout process is lean and mean..

[picandnix]

yep I agree.. my edit is a tad more aggressive than most. I went through a painstaking process of reviewing the entire checkout process and all the pages that a customer can get to from each step. I added each one of those pages to the list of pages to turn sideboxes off. Now the checkout process is lean and mean..

Ditto, me too. Much neater.

[countrycharm]

You can try this, change line 87 to 95 In the file includes/functions/audience.php, Changed function get_audience_sql_query to:

//if no match found against queries listed in database, then $selected_entry must be an email address
  if ($query_name=='' && $query_category=='email') {
        $cust_email_address = zen_db_prepare_input($selected_entry);
        $query_name   = $cust_email_address;
        $query_string = "select customers_firstname, customers_lastname, customers_email_address
                              from " . TABLE_CUSTOMERS . "
                              where customers_email_address = '" .     zen_db_input($cust_email_address) . "'  
                              and COWOA_account = '0'";
    } 

By doing this Cowoa will not send any emails to Cowoa customers.

Back in July 2010 some were getting a duplicate email address/duplicate email send bug.. JTheed in one of his post shared the fix if you were getting them. Unless you are getting them also I wouldn't worry about this.

Which order emails do you mean?


It seems to work


If you add this in de query around line 55 also, the COWOA clients are removed from the dropdown field too.

I understand what he was talking about sorry for not explaining it.

Whenever a customer check out using the guest checkout his email address is saved.
When the same customer returns and use the guest checkout again there email address is saved again.

If he decides to make and permanent account it is saved again the difference is you can not use the guest checkout again unless they use a different email address.
Each time the he/she returns and use the guest checkout there email address is saved in the database.

What is the point here if you need to send that customer a email from under admin/tools send email there email address is there by my example under the drop-down menu 3 times. The more that customer uses the guest checkout the more there email address will show up when sending emails.

If you add this code to line 57 in the includes/functions/audience.php
"and COWOA_account = '0' " .

the cowoa customer email address will not show but 1 time. I hope that makes since to you.

Should this be added to COWOA's core?? if so, I have a few questions:
Can someone share with me what the change at line 55 should look like (wanna test it)
Help me to fully understand what this change will do exactly.. When you say prevent COWOA from sending e-mails, which e-mails??

Lastly I think that there is one more change that COWOA should include. Sideboxes should be turned off during the checkout process to minimize customer distractions during checkout. (I believe FEAC includes this as part of it's default setup) looking at some of the larger e-commerce retailers, they too turn off "distractions" during checkout... That said I will be adding the following change to the COWOA version I will be submitting:
in the includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/common/tpl_main_page.php file:

  // the following IF statement can be duplicated/modified as needed to set additional flags
if (in_array($current_page_base,explode(",",'account,account_password,account_edit,address_book,account_history_info,account_newsletters,account_notifications,account_history,login,logoff,checkout_shipping,checkout_shipping_address,checkout_payment,checkout_payment_address,checkout_confirmation,checkout_process,checkout_success,shopping_cart,address_book_process')) ) {
    $flag_disable_right = true;
    $flag_disable_left = true;

This is how I have set up my regular checkout. Yes I think it would be a good idea. Yes it have being proven the less distraction a customer has the more likely he will finish the checkout process.

[countrycharm]

Here the whole code staring on line 53 and ending with line 64 includes/functions/audience.php

//if this is called by an emailing module which offers individual customers as an option, add all customers email addresses as well.
if ($query_category=='email') {
$customers_values = $db->Execute("select customers_email_address, customers_firstname, customers_lastname " .
"from " . TABLE_CUSTOMERS . " WHERE customers_email_format != 'NONE' " .
"and COWOA_account = '0' " .
"order by customers_lastname, customers_firstname, customers_email_address");
while(!$customers_values->EOF) {
$audience_list[] = array('id' => $customers_values->fields['customers_email_address'],
'text' => $customers_values->fields['customers_lastname'] . ', ' . $customers_values->fields['customers_firstname'] . ' (' . $customers_values->fields['customers_email_address'] . ')');
$customers_values->MoveNext();
}
}

[DivaVocals]

Back in July 2010 some were getting a duplicate email address/duplicate email send bug.. JTheed in one of his post shared the fix if you were getting them. Unless you are getting them also I wouldn't worry about this.

But it seems to me that this isn't as much of a bug as it is a function that needs to be modified if you have COWOA installed.. Based on the original post which necessitated this fix, this would still be an issue if a customer uses COWOA and later signs up for an account.

If a customer checks out without an account, then later signs up for a full account, you have two accounts with the same email address.
If I then send a gift certificate from admin, the customer gets 2 gift certificates with 2 different redemption codes!
You may be asking yourself why am I sending gift certificates? Well, I have a competition running where the prize is £30 of gift certificates.

Seems that this code should be part of the core to prevent this from happening..

I understand what he was talking about sorry for not explaining it.

Whenever a customer check out using the guest checkout his email address is saved.
When the same customer returns and use the guest checkout again there email address is saved again.

If he decides to make and permanent account it is saved again the difference is you can not use the guest checkout again unless they use a different email address.
Each time the he/she returns and use the guest checkout there email address is saved in the database.

What is the point here if you need to send that customer a email from under admin/tools send email there email address is there by my example under the drop-down menu 3 times. The more that customer uses the guest checkout the more there email address will show up when sending emails.

If you add this code to line 57 in the includes/functions/audience.php
"and COWOA_account = '0' " .

the cowoa customer email address will not show but 1 time. I hope that makes since to you.

Makes perfect sense, and thanks for the explanation.. and it seems that this too needs to be a part of the core COWOA code for the reasons you explained. However would it not make sense that the dropdown only show one instance of the e-mail address versus hiding all the COWOA customers (as the suggested code would do).

This is how I have set up my regular checkout. Yes I think it would be a good idea. Yes it have being proven the less distraction a customer has the more likely he will finish the checkout process.

Gonna remove the checkout_success page though.. No reason to hide the sideboxes once the sales transaction is complete..