special instructions on checkout pages

I'd like to have the special instructions on the shipping checkout page, but remove it from the payment checkout page. I tried to do that by just deleting it from the payment page, but now the instructions aren't going through to the confirmation page.

How can I remove it while pushing those comments from the first screen all the way to the last checkout page?

Here is the code in question from the payment checkout page:

<fieldset> <legend><?php echo TABLE_HEADING_COMMENTS; ?></legend> <?php echo zen_draw_textarea_field('comments', '45', '3'); ?> </fieldset>

Isn't there a way to keep it on the page, but make it hidden? Hmmm...

You might look at how comments are transferred from page to page and clone the method ...

Geez, you're fast!! And rather cryptic... but, I like it. :smile: Alright, I'll do some more homework.

Peek in the
/pages/checkout_shipping
/pages/checkout_payment
/pages/checkout_confirmation

Then compare the tpl_ files for those pages ...

Note how $_SESSION['comments'] and $comments are utlized ...

I've given up trying to impress people with my coding skills. My goal now is just not to reveal myself as a dumbs#*&. That goal might be falling to the wayside soon enough. I really thought I was an intelligent person before I tried to learn about programming. But, I digress...

It seems to work opposite of the way I expect it should. I'm obviously missing something fundamental. In the tpl_payment and tpl_shipping template files, there's the same zen_draw_text_field. No difference.

In the shipping header, we have:

  if (isset($_SESSION['comments'])) {
    $comments = $_SESSION['comments'];
  }
// process the selected shipping method
  if ( isset($_POST['action']) && ($_POST['action'] == 'process') ) {
    if (zen_not_null($_POST['comments'])) {
      $_SESSION['comments'] = zen_db_prepare_input($_POST['comments']);
    }
    $comments = $_SESSION['comments'];

In the payment header, there's just:

$comments = $_SESSION['comments'];

And in the confirmation header, it's:

if (isset($_POST['payment'])) $_SESSION['payment'] = $_POST['payment'];
$_SESSION['comments'] = zen_db_prepare_input($_POST['comments']);

So $comments is being set on the delivery page, but because there's no text field to continue the chain, it's getting a NULL value on the payment page. So, I thought if $comments wasn't getting redefined on the payment page, it would remain defined to the value from the delivery page. I removed the bit from the header. That didn't work.

I tried $comments = $order->info['comments'] in the payment header, that didn't work.

So, I've been trying to find the right syntax to assign the value in the payment header to whatever was written on the delivery page. I tried a whole bunch of junk, but got nowhere. Can you verify that I'm somewhat moving in the right direction?

I'm still trying to crack the code on how to have special instructions on the 1st checkout page, no special instructions box on the 2nd checkout page, and the info to continue along to the confirmation checkout page.

I'm not going to get this working on my own so if anybody can throw me a bone, I'd appreciate it. Any kind of hint or clue is appreciated.

Where on the page do you want the instructions?

I have the special instructions on the checkout_shipping page -- it's fine, sitting under the "Your Address" part. I just don't want it at all on the checkout_payment page. But, if I remove it completely, the instructions typed into the first checkout page doesn't get forwarded to the confirmation page, so they're lost.

Anybody know how to do this? I was trying to challenge myself to figure it out and failed miserably ;)

They will be on the checkout_shipping page and I need the instructions to carry over to the confirmation page, but I can't find a way to remove them from the checkout_payment page without them getting lost completely by the time one arrives at the confirmation page.

I've gotta get this site done and launched, so any help in removing the special instructions from the checkout_payment page would be highly appreciated.

<fieldset class="shipping" id="comments">
<legend><?php echo TABLE_HEADING_COMMENTS; ?></legend>
<?php echo zen_draw_textarea_field('comments', '45', '3'); ?>
</fieldset>

Comment out or remove the above setion of the template files for the checkout.

Hi Kim, thanks for the reply...

Unfortunately, it's not that easy. When I remove that area from the checkout_payment template file, the comments aren't forwarded from the shipping page to the confirmation page -- they're lost somewhere in the middle.

Ajeh had offered some advice earlier to look into the modules/pages files for these pages but I couldn't figure out how this info is handled. (I only really understand the basics of cut-and-paste coding)

Any advice?

I'm interested in this thread for two reasons: I'd like to have the order comments only entered at the shipping page, not visible in the payment page, and maybe editable in the checkout confirmation page.

However my problem is worse than that. For some reason the comments are passed from shipping to payment, but don't get transferred to confirmation. Go back, and they are deleted.

I've tried reinstalling the template_default templates directory, and the relevant includes/modules/pages instead some of these are corrupt.

I've tried switching to the Classic template (which is unaltered) but that makes no difference: the comments are always lost at the Checkout Confirmation stage.

Help! I've had to remove order comments altogether.