USPS July 28 J5 update / ShipStation problem

ShipStation just sent a note saying that the J5 update is providing the wrong USPS code

ZenCart J5 update is sending: United States Postal Service (First-Class Package International Service™

Where it is supposed to be: United States Postal Service (First-Class Package International Service™

The difference in the &trade and ™ allegedly is causing every ShipStation mapping function to fail since the update.

I realize that I am playing middleman here and am happy to provide anything within my capabilities to help remedy the issue.

Rick

Well now isn't that going to be a fun one ...

The question is ... are they deviating from what USPS actually is sending back vs what USPS use to send back vs how ShipStation interpreted USPS changes and have decided that this is there way and everyone needs to do it that way?

Some places cannot work with anything but code without anything ... other places want the code the old way, some want it the new way and others let you map what you are really using to what they are really using ...

IF you were to make a number of test orders with the current USPS July 28, 2013 J5 version and then look in the database at what is really being stored in the database, are you able to in the mapping with ShipStation tell it that when your data contains:
Priority Mail Express International™

Or contains:
Priority Mail Express InternationalTM

Or contains:
Priority Mail Express International

Or contains:
Priority Mail Express International**™**

that they mean:
Priority Mail Express International

If not, how are you able to say with other places that:
United States Postal Service (Priority Mail Express International™ (With Tracking))

actually is:
Priority Mail Express International

What if you had shortened:
United States Postal Service (Priority Mail Express International™ (With Tracking))

to be:
USPS (Priority Mail Express International™ (With Tracking))

Or shortened it to be:
USPS Priority Mail Express International

How would it read all of these methods?

Or are they unable to do the mapping because now many of the trade marks and registered trade marks are in the middle of the code and they only know how to strip out 1-Day, 2-Day and 3-Day or is your code going to break is that is in the shipping method as given back from USPS?

It makes we wonder why things have to be so strict on some parts of shipping method and not on others ...

What are they doing with this code:
Priority Mail 1-DayTM
Priority Mail 2-DayTM
Priority Mail 3-DayTM

On when there is:
Priority Mail Express 1-DayTM Flat Rate Envelope
Priority Mail Express 2-DayTM Flat Rate Envelope
Priority Mail Express 3-DayTM Flat Rate Envelope

are they saying that they can handle the different number of days but not the what is used for Trad Mark and Registered Trade mark unless in the form of:
™ and ® ... that isn't even what USPS gives back ... it is in the format using the HTML numeric form and that is surrounded with other HTML code for superscript etc.

Which company is the right way?

What did they do on First Class when USPS does not even do their own First Class in the same format as the documentation?

Please do not think my aggrevation extends to you, as it does not and I appreciate you bringing this up ... but so far, I think we need to have a few more step up with how their individual shipping is being affected for those using things like ShipStation and other methods that have an interface that cannot do the mapping properly as I am not feeling really confident that what ShipStation wants is the same as the next guy and the next ...

What I am trying to avoid is running into a fix for one breaks it for all ...

I am starting to think that the final data in the database should be stripped completely of RM and TM and ™ and ® and ™ and ® and anthing derived from USPS's new code of <sup>™</sup> and ```
^®

I am also curious how many when they read:
2013-july-webtools-release-notes.rtf

see the numeric values #174; and #8482; and how many see the ™ and ® ... I have opened that in a few word processors and they display differently and sometimes the same word processor has shown one way other the other on the same day ... talk about a confusing situation!

Do they have more information or full documention of this?

Other than USPS changing their mind mid-year about what has a registered trade mark and what is trade marked and where that belongs and whether it is Express or Priority Express, which of these companies is the "right way" for USPS vs should they all be interfaces where you tell them what you are using and they just strip it on their mapping interface?

The more information that you might be able to provide the better on this one ...

What were you using in January 2013?

Just poured the first cup of coffee here. After I finish that, I'll read things a bit more thoroughly. Just the messenger here but my initial comments back to ShipStation were pretty snippy about that techicality.

ShipStation documentation is nearly non-existent with regards to the Mapping function but I suspect that their support engineer response to me could be flawed.

From the example that I can find, I should be able to take the 'chosen shipping method' which was imported into their code and map that string of text into ANY of their choices. If that is a valid example, then it should not matter how the datastring appears from zencart.... I should be able to manually map "Rick's fly-by-night delivery" to ShipStation's USPS First Class International equivalent.

So for now, can we wait until/if I receive a response back from my 4 responses to their statement. 3 were my own semi-snarky responses and 1 response which had your questions. I'll untie my knicker knots until I hear back from ShipStation.

I think that they only work old-school banker's hours Monday-Friday.

I really appreciate all that you do for the zencart community and understand that a patch or custom code for one person here and one person there will create a support nightmare down the road; especially given the varying degrees of proficiencies of zencart users.

Let's see what information you get ...

I have another nice fellow that had to do mapping with someone the other day and based on what I told him and the lack of hearing and pleas for help, I am guessing he resolved it in a similar fashion of matching up the new text ... but I will call and see if that is the case or he is rolled up in the corner crying his eyes out ... :lookaroun

I'm confused because the SS developers acknowledge that the string can be anything and then mapped within their software.... I have asked that they specifically respond to Ajeh's comments and have yet to receive anything.....

Here's the first reply from the ShipStation developers.....

The strings that is sent to us as the requested shipping service is only a name. In the SS UI that string is mapped to an actual carrier and service combination. You could send me a string that says “paper cup” and match that string to Endicia First Class Mail if you so desired. This has absolutely nothing to do with what we send to Endicia, that is all handled for you automatically by us in the back end.

The problem that we are having is not with the HTML entity ™ or ® but rather that we are getting a double HTML Encoded value in the response from your server. Instead of ™ I am getting ™. As a result this is preventing our system from being able to allow a mapping to be created.

I'm still waiting for their next reply with my knickers unknotted but confused since I don't understand a "double HTML encoded value".

Don't feel too bad as their answer has be a bit confused too ...

I am trying to understand the differences of what they want:

Priority Mail Express InternationalTM
Priority Mail Express International
Priority Mail Express International**™**

when they all are:
Priority Mail Express International

And if they just want to know what is "contained" in a particular database table field, then wouldn't you be able to say look for:
Priority Mail Express International

and it would not matter if the field actually contains any of these:
Priority Mail Express InternationalTM
Priority Mail Express International
Priority Mail Express International**™**

NOTE: all of the data for each shipping method should have the three possibilities

Do let me know what you come up with in some kind of better explanation from them ... :lookaroun