Anybody else having problems with XE.com?

I have recently encountered problems connecting to XE.com to
update exchange rates. Also have some problems connecting to
Oanda. Has anybody else been having problems ?

I have contacted my hosting service and there does not appear to
be a problem with the server. I don't know if XE.com is blocking
the server or maybe they are no longer allowing free access to
the exchange rates. Or, MAYBE, it's the code ( localization.php )
Perhaps the URL 'http://www.xe.net/ucc/convert.cgi' is no longer
appropriate.

I have also contacted XE.com and am awaiting a response.

Any suggestions?

John

Just a quick update. We are running Zen Cart 1.3.8a on a
Linux server. The connection issue is very recent.

John

I think you should wait for XE.com to answer ... I know waiting is sometimes frustrating but you cannot rule them out as long as you haven't received their answer ... when you receive their reply you can post it here ...

Both xe.com and oanda seem to be working fine for me.
Your problem does sound like it's unique to your server's ability to do the outbound communication.

Do keep in mind that xe.com will probably remind you that without a subscription to their services you may be in violation of their TOS ... which might explain why they could be blocking you.

That's why there's an ECB addon that allows you to get rates without subscriptions or TOS violations ... and is built-in to v1.5.0 and newer.

What is the ECB addon referred to by DrByte? Is it available for download and will it work with 1.3.8a ?

Thanks

http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?main_page=product_contrib_info&products_id=430

And, as I said, ECB is the default in v1.5 ... the beta was released yesterday.

Okay, I get it. I will see if I am smart enough to set up a cron job,
unless the currency_update.php could be called directly from the
URL bar of my browser. HMMM !

John

DrByte,

If I were to put the file "currency_update.php" in the Admin
directory, then after logging in to my admin could I not just
execute the currency_update.php file by invoking it from the
URL bar of my browser (assuming of course that the file is
set to be executable)? The PATH_TO_STORE_ROOT variable
would be blank.

HMMM!

John

Answered my own question. I have my site running on a localhost Linux
server. I installed the file in the file to the admin directory and set the path
to the root directory "/opt/lampp/htdocs/postlynx/" on the server. I am then able
to execute the file. Seems to work fine.

Thanks.

John

Works like a charm on the live server.

I installed the file currency_update.php to my admin directory.
For the variable PATH_TO_STORE_ROOT I simply put '../' which
uplifts the path one level from where the file is.
I can then execute currency_update.php from my URL bar
when I am logged in to my admin. VIOLA !

Thanks to all that commented.

John

I have submitted a mod that uses a file from the
"automatic_currency_updates_3-1" mod and a modified
"currencies.php" file. The mod will allow the user to get
updates from the ECB by invoking the "update currencies" button
in their Admin>>Localization>>Currencies page .

john

Um ... as I said already, the ECB support is already built-in to the next version of Zen Cart. Are you encouraging people to plug addons onto old versions with known security problems?

DrByte:

Both xe.com and oanda seem to be working fine for me.
Your problem does sound like it's unique to your server's ability to do the outbound communication.

That's why there's an ECB addon that allows you to get rates without subscriptions or TOS violations ... and is built-in to v1.5.0 and newer.

FWIW, I have always had problems with both xe and oander. I think it may be related to the number of lookups requested within a certain time frame.

This is the typical error message
Warning: The primary exchange rate server (oanda) failed for Canadian Dollar (CAD) - trying the secondary exchange rate server.
Error: The exchange rate for Canadian Dollar (CAD) was not updated via xe. Is it a valid currency code?

If I do another manual update the CAD will be successful, but one or more of the others will fail.

It has never been a serious problem, because there never seems a problem with the daily cron updates, and if needed a couple of manual refreshes takes care of whatever the glitch is.

Anyway, the main purpose of my input is to let you guys know that the ECB support in the v1.5 Beta has worked perfectly every time, and for the first time ever I can now manually update my exchange rates without being greeted with warnings and errors.

Thanks.
Rod