Post Office CASS Address Verification module

Hi Zenners,

I've developed some code for ZenCard that will scrub the address a customer inputs via the United States Post Office CASS Address Verification API. If you want to see it in action, try filling in a gift subscription on this page:

http://www.yesmagazine.org/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=70

If you enter a correct address, on the shopping cart page you will see that the address is in the correct format, including zip+5. If you enter a bad address, you will see a prompt that alerts you to a problem with the USPS and asks if you want to correct the address or continue with it as entered.

I did a search on this forum and didn't see that anybody had developed something like this before. So I thought I'd put it out there and see if anybody is interested in having me wrap this code up into a module and making it open source. If you're interested, let me know.

Kevin Audleman

I would like to see it, I have a site I could use this on.

Please package the module and add it to the Free Add Ons section, I am sure it will be useful to many folks.

I am developing a site right now and am very close to going live. I have been looking for exactly this kind of mod. Please post as soon as you can so that I might be able to put it on our new site. Very excited. Thanks. :smile:

Hi gang,

I just finished wrapping up my code into a module. Here it is in beta form. I would call it a very strong beta, as I've been running the code on my site for almost a year (I just don't know what little issues might come up when somebody installs it fresh).

It is a very easy install as it doesn't touch any core files. Give it a go and let me know if you have any issues. I'll be happy to help debug them.

Cheers,
Kevin

Hello,

Please use this new version 1.1. It fixes a problem where the sql patch file was missing a configuration value that allows you to toggle the module on/off!

Cheers,
Kevin Audleman

Thanks to Jason for discovering a hard-coded table name in a sql query. Download the latest version, v 1.2, for a fix. If you want to make the fix yourself, go into the file

/includes/classes/observers/class.cass_validation.php

Around line 73 you will see this line:

$zone_query = "SELECT zone_code FROM zen_zones WHERE zone_id = " . $cass_address->fields['entry_zone_id'];

Replace it with this one:

$zone_query = "SELECT zone_code FROM ".TABLE_ZONES." WHERE zone_id = " . $cass_address->fields['entry_zone_id'];

Cheers,
Kevin Audleman

Hi Kevin,
Sorry it took me so long to get back to this.
I have the mod installed. My site is live.
Everything seems to be working just fine.
It's really great.
Thank you for the contribution.

Just a note to anyone else looking to install this mod:
The USPS process may indeed be quite tiresome.
On this page:
http://www.usps.com/webtools/webtoolsapirequestform.htm
Be sure to only check the top box. All of the rest are invalid uses of the API. I don't know why they feel like they need to quiz the customers. Anyhow, if you pick more than the top box, you'll have to beg and plead and explain yourself. Then maybe they'll let you in.
Also, do not expect quick service, friendly communication, or a helpful staff. So as long as you're prepared, no worries. Just be patient.

Cheers. :smile:
Jason

patternman:

Hi Kevin,
Sorry it took me so long to get back to this.
I have the mod installed. My site is live.
Everything seems to be working just fine.
It's really great.
Thank you for the contribution.

Just a note to anyone else looking to install this mod:
The USPS process may indeed be quite tiresome.
On this page:
http://www.usps.com/webtools/webtoolsapirequestform.htm
Be sure to only check the top box. All of the rest are invalid uses of the API. I don't know why they feel like they need to quiz the customers. Anyhow, if you pick more than the top box, you'll have to beg and plead and explain yourself. Then maybe they'll let you in.
Also, do not expect quick service, friendly communication, or a helpful staff. So as long as you're prepared, no worries. Just be patient.

Cheers. :smile:
Jason

While I can be patient. I have a client that might not be. How soon after you put in the request form did you get a response. I'm hoping I receive an email affirmative that will let me know when I can configure everything else.

how do i do validation on the billing address too
whats the best way to do the same validation for billing as for the shipping address

I can't install this module--

when I tried to use the uploader in the patch section, I got a syntax error. (I apologize for not having the wherewithal to actually copy it)

On a second try, I got a duplicate entry error:

1062 Duplicate entry 'USPS_CASS_USER_ID' for key 2
in:
[INSERT INTO zen_configuration (configuration_title, configuration_key, configuration_value, configuration_description, configuration_group_id, sort_order, date_added) VALUES ('USPS CASS User ID', 'USPS_CASS_USER_ID', '', 'Your user id for the CASS API as provided by the USPS.', 7, 20, now());]
If you were entering information, press the BACK button in your browser and re-check the information you had entered to be sure you left no blank fields.

Can anyone help me out with this? I tried version 1.2.
Thanks.

Hi,

Anyone using the CASS usps address validator shipping module successfully ?

It's the one at -
http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=115744

I've installed but when it goes to confirm the shipping address, I get a zen '404 page not found'.

Thanks

I've installed this module, but when it goes to display the shipping address warning (index.php?main_page=checkout_shipping_address_warning), I get a zen 404 page not found ...

VioletEye:

I can't install this module--

when I tried to use the uploader in the patch section, I got a syntax error. (I apologize for not having the wherewithal to actually copy it)

On a second try, I got a duplicate entry error:

1062 Duplicate entry 'USPS_CASS_USER_ID' for key 2
in:
[INSERT INTO zen_configuration (configuration_title, configuration_key, configuration_value, configuration_description, configuration_group_id, sort_order, date_added) VALUES ('USPS CASS User ID', 'USPS_CASS_USER_ID', '', 'Your user id for the CASS API as provided by the USPS.', 7, 20, now());]
If you were entering information, press the BACK button in your browser and re-check the information you had entered to be sure you left no blank fields.

Can anyone help me out with this? I tried version 1.2.
Thanks.

The exact same thing happened to me today. I was installing this so that I could reliably use the local tax codes for WA state, which require the +4 zip codes.

I don't get a "Enable CASS Address Validation" in Shipping/Packaging as the readme.txt indicates I should, although there is a place to enter the CASS Username.

When I go through the checkout process, there is no indication that anything is different than pre-installation of this mod. No errors, but also no functionality.

I'm using Zen Cart 1.3.8a, minimal modification at this point, but the USPS Shipping module is active.

Would appreciate any help!

• Matt

This is the error message from ZenCart:

1064 You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near '·, NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array(''true'', ''false''), ' )' at line 1
in:
[INSERT INTO configuration (configuration_title, configuration_key, configuration_value, configuration_description, configuration_group_id, sort_order, use_function, set_function) VALUES ( 'Enable CASS Address Validation', 'USPS_CASS_ENABLED', 'true', 'Toggle the USPS CASS Address checking module.', 7, 21·, NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array(''true'', ''false''), ' );]
If you were entering information, press the BACK button in your browser and re-check the information you had entered to be sure you left no blank fields.

FARK! Just took the time to inspect the error message a little more closely and I saw the little dot next to the "21". I removed the dot and it installed.

• Matt

OK, let me start over and explain the problem, how I made it worse, how I made it better, and how I resolved it.

1. Tried to upload the SQL Patch and got a syntax error. "> 1064 You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near '·, NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array(''true'', ''false''), ' )' at line 1

in:
[INSERT INTO configuration (configuration_title, configuration_key, configuration_value, configuration_description, configuration_group_id, sort_order, use_function, set_function) VALUES ( 'Enable CASS Address Validation', 'USPS_CASS_ENABLED', 'true', 'Toggle the USPS CASS Address checking module.', 7, 21·, NULL, 'zen_cfg_select_option(array(''true'', ''false''), ' );]
If you were entering information, press the BACK button in your browser and re-check the information you had entered to be sure you left no blank fields.

2. Thought that it might be a problem caused by uploading the file rather than copying and pasting, so I copied the whole thing and pasted it into the SQL Patch pane and submitted it. That got me the error listed by VioletEye.

3. So, I realized that the first half of the patch had installed correctly on the first try, it was just the second that was a problem, so I copied that and pasted it, and stopped getting the Duplicate Error, but got the Syntax Error instead.

4. Looked at the syntax (finally!) and found an extra dot next to "21" and deleted it, then copied the second half of the code into the patcher, and it worked just fine.

The syntax is an error in the 1.2 release, so hopefully the author will notice this post and fix it!

• Matt

I'm having problems with this module.

Using Zen Cart 1.3.8a

I received the API access confirmation from USPS. USPS sent the email indicating I'm enabled for their production server. The user ID and enable CASS fields appear in my MySQL database after installation. The includes files appeared to copy over to my installation OK. However, address validation does not occur in my Zen Cart site (yes, it is enabled and user ID added in the Admin Panel).

Can anyone suggest what the problem may be? Are there any known compatibility issues with certain templates or other mods?

Thanks!

Is there supposed to be something in this folder?

CASSValidation_v1.2\includes\modules\pages\checkout_shipping_address_warning\

JMatthewGore:

4. Looked at the syntax (finally!) and found an extra dot next to "21" and deleted it, then copied the second half of the code into the patcher, and it worked just fine.

The syntax is an error in the 1.2 release, so hopefully the author will notice this post and fix it!

• Matt

Same error here. Just had to remove the · after the 21

INSERT INTO configuration (configuration_title, 
						   configuration_key,
						   configuration_value,
						   configuration_description, 
						   configuration_group_id, 
						   sort_order, 
						   use_function, 
						   set_function) VALUES (
						   'Enable CASS Address Validation', 
						   'USPS_CASS_ENABLED', 
						   'true', 
						   'Toggle the USPS CASS Address checking module.', 
						   7, 
						   21·,
						   NULL, 
						   'zen_cfg_select_option(array(''true'', ''false''), '
						   );