ozpost shipping module

[RodG]

G'day Rod,

version 1.38

There is no version 1.3.8 of ozpost. This does match a version of "AustPost" though, but as per previous recent postings, AustPost hasn't been able to give valid quotes for well over a year, and would/should have stopped working completely about a month or so ago when the server was decomissioned.

I have installed the latest version and it all works fine. But i have found a problem with my FCKeditor, it does not seem to want to work properly anymore.

There is no connection whatsever between the postage/shipping modules and the zencart editors.
An upgrade of the ozpost module will not be the cause of your problem. What else did you upgrade or change at the same time?

When i restore my website to a back up version running the fist version of ozpost my FCKeditor is working fine.

I can only repeat that there is no conenction whatsover between the shipping module(s) and the zencart editors.

Have you had this issue reported to you?

No. I don't expect to either.
I *have* seen a number of reports of people upgrading zencart to 1.3.9x and having problems with the FCK editor, and recall that the fix for it was quite simple - I don't recall the details though. I suggest you browse the FCKeditor thread(s).

Do you think the new ozpost module can interfere with the editor?

Not in any conceivable way that I can imagine.

Do you have any suggestions on how i might resolve this problem.

I suggest you browse the FCKeditor thread(s).

The original ozpost module was great but now doesn't want to connect to the Australia post server anymore

Why not? (And what, in your opinion, is "The original" ozpost module?)

is there anyway you could reset this module for the people that don't need all the new improvements of the newest version of ozpost.

Would you ask MicroSoft to reset to DOS for those of us that don't need all the new improvements of the newest versions of Windows?

This would solve my issues and would be greatly appreciated if you supported the early version to server once again.

Oh I miss the days of DOS. Windows has caused me no end of issues and problems, and you wouldn't beleive the stupid questions people ask these days. Back when everyone used DOS people seemed to have some idea what they were doing - I'm sure that as computers have got smarter people have got dumber. Please Microsoft, can you dump windows and support DOS once again, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,
Rod

[Mike_Dean]

There is no version 1.3.8 of ozpost. This does match a version of "AustPost" though, but as per previous recent postings, AustPost hasn't been able to give valid quotes for well over a year, and would/should have stopped working completely about a month or so ago when the server was decomissioned.

d

I think the Poster may have been referring to ZC 1.3.8 ??

[Mike_Dean]

OK, now I'm really, totally and completely stumped.


"ozpost" Version: V1.0.2 (a completely different module than "austpost") is one of the versions that the log files indicate *isn't* affected by the current bug/problem.

I wish I hadn't read that..

The version on my live site is in fact 1.02..
($Id: ozpost.php,v1.0.2 April 2009)

I was hoping to resist upgrading the live site, as I will be putting up a new site soon anyway with ZC 1.3.9z (I know its only up-to d.. but the rate they are going, in 1-2 weeks it will be up to 1.3.9z..!!)

As you know, I heavily mod the ozpost mod, so I was praying the issue had resolved itself...

I'm now starting to think.... actually I no longer know what to think.. perhaps MY best course of action would be to simply forget about the issue for a few days and perhaps see if it resolves itself in the same unexplained way that it has started?

Cheers
Rod

I have reverted to a flat rate for the next few days and will cross my fingers, as you are likely to be doing and see if it does indeed rectify itself..

Thanks.,
Mike

[RodG]

I wish I hadn't read that..

The version on my live site is in fact 1.02..
($Id: ozpost.php,v1.0.2 April 2009)

OK, so the situation now is that there *has* to be more than one thing involved here, because the logs clearly show regular server access by a number of sites (62 in the last 48 hrs) running ozpost v1.0.2 and currently one confirmed/definite report of a V1.0.2 failure.

I was hoping to resist upgrading the live site, as I will be putting up a new site soon anyway with ZC 1.3.9z (I know its only up-to d.. but the rate they are going, in 1-2 weeks it will be up to 1.3.9z..!!)

I appreciate where you are coming from, and all I can really say is that there is no need or benefit to upgrading both zencart and ozpost at the same time (other than sheer convenience).

As you know, I heavily mod the ozpost mod, so I was praying the issue had resolved itself...

Me too, but at the moment I still don't really know what to think.

I *think* I may have spotted another connection to the problem though - and IF I'm right, you may not need to upgrade. I am clutching at straws though, and I am making an assumption. Still, it is worth a shot.

The assumption I'm making is that both your live store and you test store have the same "store name" (admin/confuration/mystore/storename/).

If this assumption is correct, for some reason your 'live' store is being logged as "norts" and your test store is being logged as "norts and ones", which could indicate that the space character(s) are playing a role.

A closer look at the log files also suggest that there may be a pattern here - The stores with a storename without any spaces in them are also correctly reporting the ozpost version number, whereas this is completely missing on your live store (the version number is an optional input field, so its absence alone shouldn't cause a problem).

Anyway, although far from definitive, this may be the "key" that I'm missing.

Sooo, I've a favor/suggestion for you. On your live store (the one with the problem), change the storename to something with no spaces. See if that makes a difference.

I have reverted to a flat rate for the next few days and will cross my fingers, as you are likely to be doing and see if it does indeed rectify itself..

As much as I'd like to sit back and hope it resolves itself, I know deep down that it isn't going to. *Something* has changed somewhere at some time, and whatever it is really needs to be identified before it will truely be resolved.

Meanwhile I'm still gathering data and watching the logs for pretty much anything that will shed more light on the matter.

Cheers
Rod

[Mike_Dean]

Sooo, I've a favor/suggestion for you. On your live store (the one with the problem), change the storename to something with no spaces. See if that makes a difference.
Cheers
Rod

Ummm silly question of the day.. Where do I change the store name ??

[Mike_Dean]

By Joves I think you've got it Holmes..!!!

I changed the name via Admin/My Store just to Norts and Voila... Shipping rates were retrieved...


I'll revert back to the original name with spaces and see what happens..!

[pawspoint]

Hello Rod,

I've been using the ozpost contribution for over 12 months on my site very successfully.
I am running Zen Cart V1.3.8a using Bluehost for hosting. I use ozpost contribution v1.0.2 April 2009. Sometime Friday morning between 12:29am and 8:42am the postal quoting on my site stopped working and instead returns the error for all postal quotes:

Aussie Post ( Unexpected error (no valid methods). Using AP Flat Rate.)

There have been no code changes applied to the site for at least 1 month.

I've trawled through this forum today to see what others are experiencing and it looks like I am not alone.
Could you please provide advice on what I should do.

Does the ozpost contribution ultimately call web services provided by Australia Post? Perhaps these have changed Friday morning some time.

Will the most recent version of ozpost solve the problem and does it work with the version of Zen Cart (1.3.8a). I note the contribution section says the current version works with v1.3.9.

Anthony

[Mike_Dean]

Sooo, I've a favor/suggestion for you. On your live store (the one with the problem), change the storename to something with no spaces. See if that makes a difference.


Cheers
Rod

Ok it just went from weird to ridiculous...

With the store name just a single name...

I can add products to the cart and the estimator works.. If I edit the shipping address and update, the estimator disappears..

If I then clear my browser cache and update the cart, it comes back.. But if I then go and change the shipping state and postcode..it will be gone again.. until I clear cache....


With the store name in as Norts And Ones... back to the problem of no rates..

but

On my test site, in Admin, my store name is Norts And Ones.. and it's still pulling rates perfectly.


So I don't know if you can conclude anything from that..

[RodG]

Ok it just went from weird to ridiculous...

Agreed.... however, each repeatable finding does help narrow things down a little. Even though it may not appear that way (Well, that's what I keep telling myself).

With the store name just a single name...

I can add products to the cart and the estimator works.. If I edit the shipping address and update, the estimator disappears..

Disappears as in it simply doesn't show, or disappears in that it can't find any valid methods?

If I then clear my browser cache and update the cart, it comes back.. But if I then go and change the shipping state and postcode..it will be gone again.. until I clear cache....

There is a clue here somwhere... why am I not seeing it?

With the store name in as Norts And Ones... back to the problem of no rates..

So for the primary problem the spaces are definitely relevant, and the version is also relevant. I consider these to be 'known facts'

but
On my test site, in Admin, my store name is Norts And Ones.. and it's still pulling rates perfectly.

Your test site is using V2.0.5 and unless I'm mistaken no one has reported an issue with this version yet.

So I don't know if you can conclude anything from that..

I can conclude that the problem doesn't affect all users. Of those that are affected they have the same things in common.

1. They are using v1.0.x version of ozpost.
2. Their store names all have at least one space character.

Although the server code hasn't been changed for over a week (and this problem has only been occurring in the last few days ) I'd normally be clearing the server code of any blame or involvement, but the fact is some of the latest changes made did involve a bit more input validation and error checking, and even though neither the storename nor the ozpost version information is used for anything other than logging/statistical purposes, I'm now thinking that there is probably some kind of connection ... This latest discovery of being space character related does actually make a little bit more sense than being version related (even though version still plays a part).

Current conclusion .... there is something about v1.0.2 (and possibly other V1's) that has always been broken, but broken in such a way that it had no obvious ill effects.
Recent changes to the server code has now detected/reacted to this broken code, meanwhile the broken code was fixed at some point after 1.0.2, even though I wasn't aware it was broken in the first place.

Does this seem reasonable, or does it seem a little far fetched?

Either way, it doesn't take your cache related issue into account (which I would be treating as an entirely separate issue at this stage, on account of the fact that I can't think how to fit it into the currently known facts).

I can however give you one tiny tip/suggestion, the new server code is somewhat fussy about postcodes, in that they must now actually be legitimate ... with the older code it was possible to enter invalid codes such as '9999' and still get a legitmate *looking* quotes. The new code will fall back to the flat rates if such postcodes are used.

Cheers
Rod

[RodG]

Will the most recent version of ozpost solve the problem

From all reports so far, yes.

and does it work with the version of Zen Cart (1.3.8a).

It works with all versions of zencart 1.3.7 upwards. (and perhaps even earlier).

Meanwhile, if you really have been reading the messages posted in this thread over the last couple of days you may note that the problem has now been narrowed down to affecting only those folk using V1.x.x of ozpost and only then if there are space characters in the storename (/admin/configuration/mystore/ Store Name), so if you are not in a position to upgrade and cannot wait for me to solve the issue serverside, you may get temporary relief by renaming your store to something without spaces (eg "My_Store" instead of "My Store".

Cheers
Rod