Authorize.net SIM method

I am trying to find some step by step directions for setting up the authorize.net sim method. I can find somewhat complete directions for the aim method, but not for the sim method. The integration guides on the authorize web site are disagreeably vague and complicated.

I have searched this web site and forum for hours now and can't find one piece of info on how to set this up.

I don't see why my web site should have to have a secure certificate if I don't want to save credit card info. A person's name, address and phone number are public records and I shouldn't sell off customer's info, but I don't see a reason to have a secure cert for this.

MBAngel:

I don't see why my web site should have to have a secure certificate if I don't want to save credit card info. A person's name, address and phone number are public records and I shouldn't sell off customer's info, but I don't see a reason to have a secure cert for this.

Technically true, but your visitors/customers may feel differently. Web users are taught to look for the 'padlock' before entering personal info.

SSL certs aren't that expensive.

Helpful answer. I still would like directions on how to set up the sim method. I've been looking for directions for days. I'm not sure why there's a plugin for this, and no directions on how to use it.

At the risk of being 'helpful' again, though I don't use Authorize.net, looking at the setup options in Admin - Modules - Payment for both SIM and AIM, they seem to be pretty similar. I wonder if the AIM instructions would help with SIM setup.

You might also mention what specific problems you're having.

OK, so I set this up, and find on the checkout page that it still wants credit card info when using the Authorize.net SIM method.
The point of using the sim method is so that your user enters the credit card info into THEIR secure form, and not mine at all.

I can see why you'd think that a secure cert was needed, with this module defeating the purpose of SIM that way. People sign up for web sites all the time without a secure server, hence the confusion.

I need to turn that off on the checkout form. I have gone to the credit card settings and turned off all of those. I have the authorize.net sim module as the only payment module turned on.

If there's no button to turn this off, where would I go to change this behavior in the code? - the sim module's code? or the form's code?

Ok, after some digging into the sim module, I can see that it clearly specifies that that box be shown. Funny how other shopping carts that interface with the sim method don't ask for credit card info on the checkout page, and this one does. I guess I'll be hackin code tonight.

Good grief.

from the SIM module configuration settings:
*Gateway Mode
Where should customer credit card info be collected?
onsite = here (requires SSL)
offsite = authorize.net site

default = offsite
*

If you want the card to be processed on the Authnet site, set the SIM module into "offsite" mode. Otherwise it'll attempt to collect the card on your site the same way the AIM module will.

No need to hack code at all.

As for the recommendation to use SSL on your site ... ANY site that collects ANY personal information SHOULD protect that info via SSL. The choice is yours, and at the same time it's also the customer's choice. Many people DO in fact refuse to provide personal address information if the page is not protected by SSL. Even SSL-protecting password-entry pages is also preferred, and for many customers if it's not an option, they'll click to another site where they can see that the storeowner cares enough to spend the chump change to get themselves an SSL certificate and treat their customers' data securely. Do what you like, but realize there are consequences to your choice.

Where did you get that quote from? I'd certainly like to see some directions on using this, lol. Exactly what configuration are you talking about, because this (below) is the option panel for the sim module in my interface. I don't see a checkbox like that in here at all. I also don't see another version I can download from the site in the payment modules section.

Enable Authorize.net Module
Do you want to accept Authorize.net payments?

True
False

Login ID
The API Login ID used for the Authorize.net service

Transaction Key
Transaction Key used for encrypting TP data

Transaction Mode
Transaction mode used for processing orders

Test
Production

Transaction Method
Transaction method used for processing orders

Credit Card
eCheck

Customer Notifications
Should Authorize.Net email a receipt to the customer?

True
False

Payment Zone
If a zone is selected, only enable this payment method for that zone.

Set Order Status
Set the status of orders made with this payment module to this value

Sort order of display.
Sort order of display. Lowest is displayed first.

There is no "downloadable" SIM module. It's built-in.
A brand new clean install of Zen Cart v1.3.8a (which is the current version as of today) has the following options in the Authnet SIM module:

Enable Authorize.net Module
Do you want to accept Authorize.net payments?

True
False

Login ID
The API Login ID used for the Authorize.net service

Transaction Key
Transaction Key used for encrypting sent transaction data

MD5 Hash
Encryption key used for validating received transaction data (MAX 20 CHARACTERS)

Transaction Mode
Transaction mode used for processing orders

Test
Production

Transaction Method
Transaction method used for processing orders

Credit Card

Authorization Type
Do you want submitted credit card transactions to be authorized only, or captured immediately?

Authorize
Capture

Request CVV Number
Do you want to ask the customer for the card's CVV number

True
False

Customer Notifications
Should Authorize.Net email a receipt to the customer?

True
False

Payment Zone
If a zone is selected, only enable this payment method for that zone.

Set Order Status
Set the status of orders made with this payment module to this value

Sort order of display.
Sort order of display. Lowest is displayed first.

Gateway Mode
Where should customer credit card info be collected?
onsite = here (requires SSL)
offsite = authorize.net site

onsite
offsite

Enable Database Storage
Do you want to save the gateway communications data to the database?

True
False

Debug Mode
Would you like to enable debug mode? A detailed log of failed transactions may be emailed to the store owner.

Off
Alerts Only
Log File
Log and Email

Let me add something. A secure certificate has NOTHING to do with the info stored on your website. A SSL encrypts the entered information during transport from the clients computer to your server. This prevents anyone from "port sniffing" or other methods of viewing the data as it is being transfered. The data gets encrypted on the customers computer using code contained in your SSL and then your server would unencrypt it. The SSL does not keep the data on your server secure. The data is unencrypted as soon as it gets to your server. Additionally if you are logged into your admin without a SSL anyone along the way who knows how, can view EVERYTHING you type or see.

Hope this helps..
Steve

ok, well, I've used a lot of carts but not this one before, and I wasn't trying to turn this into an ssl discussion, but a discussion of how to get the sim module working.

What I did was download a new copy of the whole zencart, copy just the module files up to the server, uninstalled it from my admin and reinstalled it. It reset up the database for itself, and worked like a charm.

I had a good laugh reading "three easy steps to upgrading your zencart". Since I just copied all of this down from one server to move to a new one, because the old webmaster wouldn't even make updates, I don't really need to do all the multiple, "install it to this folder" stuff.

I guess my point is, all of the documentation is either so "leet" even the leet have problems reading it, or it's non existent, as in the case of the sim module instructions. There's more to setting up authorize.net to work with a cart than cart settings.

Now to figure out what things need to be changed on authorize to return the authorization, and know what page it's supposed to be coming from etc etc which isn't covered in any of the directions on the site for any module.