[Old] Royal Mail Modules

Philip,
Thanks once again for the update. I'll install it straight away and report back any issues!

Regards,
David

Version 1.5 is now available to download directly here

http://bouncing.org/big_royalmail_v1.5.zip

and will shortly be in the downloads section of this site. Couple of bug fixes including the number of boxes error, improved method of removing invalid shipping options from the shipping estimator, e.g. hiding Airmail values from British residents. Documentation now in the Docs folders. Changes from the beta include a couple of upgrade scripts that should be run by all users. If upgrading from v1.3 this is normally just a straight overwrite as no variables have been added to the database, but some text has been changed in the admin section which does require a sql patch. If upgrading DO NOT remove and install unless you realise that you will loose all of your setting for handling fees etc... unless you follow the upgrade instructions.

Philip

I just wanted to let you know I have had chance to look over the latest version of the contribution and you have done a splendid job of integrating all the changes.

Well done that man. :)

JJ

zigzak:

Philip,
Thanks once again for the update. I'll install it straight away and report back any issues!

Yes, thank you, this looks really good - and no one's replied (I guess) because no one's found any issues yet :smile:

Hi There

Been reading this thread with interest today as setting store to ship worldwide. Can you tell me does this module allow you to switch off certain postage options for certain goods. I don't mean Airmail for UK as you have already coded that in. (What a star!)

I only want to offer 2nd class options not 1st class in UK.

Note on insurance:
I would advise write something into Shipping/Returns and T & C. State clearly what insurance is on all types of shipping. I offer a 30 day money back including actual cost return post, but only up to the maximum of insurance on shipping option chosen. That way customer has choice to take risk or not. If you use paypal you may want to insist on tracking though for seller protection.

Probably advise putting remeinder to read t & c & shipping policy on top of basket as well together with line that if complete transaction deemed to have read, understood and accepted.

Installing 1.5:

Quick question as bit of newbie. Where do I find shopping cart directory? Do I install as an overide rather than overwrite?

Cheers

Oh yes, every shipping can be turned off or just not installed and it won't display on the user's screen.

faulkns:

Been reading this thread with interest today as setting store to ship worldwide. Can you tell me does this module allow you to switch off certain postage options for certain goods. I don't mean Airmail for UK as you have already coded that in. (What a star!)

faulkns:

I only want to offer 2nd class options not 1st class in UK.

Would you like me to add 2nd class signed for services just for you ? in the next release. won't be a problem

faulkns:

Installing 1.5:

Quick question as bit of newbie. Where do I find shopping cart directory? Do I install as an overide rather than overwrite?

Cheers

ow that's not a newbie question ! and the answer depends on what you are doing. Are you currently overriding anything ? if you are then the chances are that you will have to overwrite you tpl_shipping_estimar.... page in your custom template folder. If not though you could in theory use it as an an override, but I would overwrite the default (after backing up). If you upgrade and they pretty up the estimator, then it would rewrite over my version which would be a good thing, because I cannot obviously guarantee that a v1.3.5 ZC estimator would work with an upgraded zencart. To find the file you need to upgrade, I personally look for all versions in includes templates and then right a html comment <!-- this one number 1 --> for each one, then look in the html until I find it, I know there's a whole variety of ways e.g. looking at admin and which template is set and then going to that folder, but I've always found it quicker this way.

Thanks
Philip.

Pixxi:

Yes, thank you, this looks really good - and no one's replied (I guess) because no one's found any issues yet :smile:

I was wondering about that myself, although there was a double episode of Lost on this week.....

bouncingltd:

Oh yes, every shipping can be turned off or just not installed and it won't display on the user's screen.

Would you like me to add 2nd class signed for services just for you ? in the next release. won't be a problem.

That would be outstanding!!

bouncingltd:

ow that's not a newbie question ! and the answer depends on what you are doing. Are you currently overriding anything ? if you are then the chances are that you will have to overwrite you tpl_shipping_estimar.... page in your custom template folder. If not though you could in theory use it as an an override, but I would overwrite the default (after backing up). .

Currently developing offline and have my own template set up, together with appropriate overide folders in other directories. So do I put the images in template (images) or as I suspect is it a different path where I would need an overide folder. If so what is the pathway I need to follow.

Sorry to be a pain

Stewart

2nd class signed for, no problem at all, now that things seem stable I am working on a UK 3 zone based courier service module for people to customise themselves for version 2.0

Ahhh, no you won't have a problem the images should not overwrite anything at all and should just pop into the icons folder. The includes shouldn't overwrite either, its only the tpl_shipping.... file that you may want to overwrite if you are going to show people estimates for shipping, because the one that is in the ZC distribution is a table based layout with borders and cellpadding visible which doesn't match anything else.

Right all gone a bit weird now although it's probably the old ID 10 T error.

This is what I did:
images - in admin/images/icons
php files in - includes/languages/english/modules/shipping & & includes/modules/shipping

Went back to admin & shipping modules. Screen was filled with script (screenshot attached) pressed install and got error messages and screen full of script again

Help!

Okay firstly images go in /images/icons but that's pretty irrelevant, what's the php error on the top of the page ? because it looks like it is reading the contents of the php files from includes/languages/english/modules/shipping and displaying them at the top of the page.

What OS are you using ? and it took me ages to work out ID 10 T, I recently saw a car number plate K 15 SES on a older BMW 7 series this is irrelevant, but no one donated me a ferrari 456 yesterday.

This is the list of files that are provided in the include section from big_royalmail_v1.5.zip so you should check that these are in the right place

includes/languages/english/modules/shipping/rm2ndletter.php
includes/languages/english/modules/shipping/specialdelivery9am.php
includes/languages/english/modules/shipping/rm1stpacketsf.php
includes/languages/english/modules/shipping/rm2ndlargeletter.php
includes/languages/english/modules/shipping/rm2ndpacket.php
includes/languages/english/modules/shipping/specialdelivery.php
includes/languages/english/modules/shipping/rm1stlettersf.php
includes/languages/english/modules/shipping/rm1stletter.php
includes/languages/english/modules/shipping/rm1stpacket.php
includes/languages/english/modules/shipping/rm1stlargelettersf.php
includes/languages/english/modules/shipping/rmamisfsmallpacket.php
includes/languages/english/modules/shipping/rm1stlargeletter.php
includes/languages/english/modules/shipping/rmamassmallpacket.php
includes/languages/english/modules/shipping/rmamsmallpacket.php
includes/modules/shipping/rm2ndletter.php
includes/modules/shipping/specialdelivery9am.php
includes/modules/shipping/rm1stpacketsf.php
includes/modules/shipping/rm2ndlargeletter.php
includes/modules/shipping/rm2ndpacket.php
includes/modules/shipping/specialdelivery.php
includes/modules/shipping/rm1stlettersf.php
includes/modules/shipping/rm1stletter.php
includes/modules/shipping/rm1stpacket.php
includes/modules/shipping/rm1stlargelettersf.php
includes/modules/shipping/rmamisfsmallpacket.php
includes/modules/shipping/rm1stlargeletter.php
includes/modules/shipping/rmamassmallpacket.php
includes/modules/shipping/rmamsmallpacket.php

I'm going to talk aloud and to myself as I find it helps sometimes to record my intentions especially with my short term memory problems. I have been asked to create a courier module based upon postal zones defined by the royal mail, but there is a hitch which is you lot. The module must be "zone based" as in Zenccart zones not postal zones. Some of you will have installed the UK biased zencart directly, some people will have downloaded one of the two all UK counties sql scripts. This means two things,

a) with the UK zencart script some of the counties will be found in England and the United Kingdom zones, therefore duplicating the zones needed to be assigned to postal zones.

b) zones are inserted with an autoincrement, so I can't lock onto one number and say, "right that's inverness-shire or invernesshire" assign that to postal zone 3

so here is the plan. I will create a shipping module based upon 3 zone definitions in the admin section. I will right a script to be run that will go through your system and try and assign the correct counties to the correct zones, but you will have to check it through after installation. It may also be the case that you have no UK counties on your system anyway ! in which case I shall try and insert them into the zone tables as well as the postal zones.

This is naturally quite a lot of work as I have to write the module (well rewrite something it's based upon), I shall assign parcelforce48 pricing to it as a starting point, then write the script, trying to guess what is on everyone's systems. It would be easier to drop everyone's UK counties but then any existing sales you had made and your invoices etc.. would loose the county and your existing users may find that that their address books have been fouled up, especially as I am going to have to insist that the shoppers from now on, choose their county from a drop down list (which is the default on the US version anyway).

People may "fear" having to do a little bit of work checking through that their counties are in the correct postal zone, but it is a good starting point, since the only other option would be to install the mzmt module (which this is based upon) and then modify constants in the database and probably some sql and php, so it should save hours of work anyway.

Thank you.

Hi Philip,

That sounds good - don't mind going through the counties at all, they could do with a sort-out anyway. :smile:

Just need to find a way now to stop central and local goverment messing around with the county names/boundaries every few months and we'd be set :D

Thanks for the list of pathways. I am going to check them all out to be correct.

I will get back to you soon

Stewart

WOW. This mod is the mutz.

I've just had the time to actually read this thread from start to finish and I'd like to say, Philip, you are cookin' mate - what a trooper! Sorry I haven't had any spare time to chip in since you emailed me.

Just reading your thoughts back there and I'm trying to grasp the problems you are having. (it is late) The UK template sql can always be changed or change existing entires to suit.

There is no way I want you to have to work around it. Time is precious and by the sound of it, yours is more than most.

What you've done is brilliant so tell me, what would you need changed or improved in the UK template so that everyone gets the best of both worlds and your task is made easier?

It could be that those using the counties.sql files can have them manipulated or vice versa. I'm no whizz with the sql but I'm sure there is a way to do whatever you need.

And like wise all you other Brits. What are your thoughts.

To me the Post Office is one of our UK institutions, we use it's services every day.

At the moment the UK template is still only a 1.3.5 Beta. It works, but it hasn't really gone anywhere yet.

I'd be more than happy to start changing bits or creating an update sql plugin. Adding anything that makes life easier for UK businesses should be as simple as possible. Your mod adds real value to those who use it. Big time!

Some thoughts I just had are:

We know there are other couriers who will be touting for business from Royal Mail. Do we know if they all use counties?

Would it be better to move the emphasis of the UK template to Post Codes or Post Towns?

Off the top of my head (it's even later now) my only real concern would be, the way we use zones for VAT?

Thanks again for your efforts. Stunning.

Kev

We know there are other couriers who will be touting for business from Royal Mail. Do we know if they all use counties?

Would it be better to move the emphasis of the UK template to Post Codes or Post Towns?

All the couriers I've encountered over the last several years have all used postcodes - they often don't even bother to print the post town/city on the label. GPS systems in the cab, no doubt :smile:

I think Philip's original idea of concentrating on Royal Mail (ie. ParcelForce) zones for parcels is the best solution for a basic (and reliable) parcels module that everyone in the UK can use.

Attempting a courier/postcode-based module may well prove problematic. A courier-based module would involve a fair bit of research into what method(s) most couriers use, and where to obtain that postcode data from. Plus the categorisation of that postcode data into (maybe different) zones/rates for each of the courier services, which would, of course, have to be kept up to date in the future.

Also - much easier to change ParcelForce rates once every now and again than several courier companies :smile:

profitshock:

What you've done is brilliant so tell me, what would you need changed or improved in the UK template so that everyone gets the best of both worlds and your task is made easier?

I put a couple of bug fixes into your forum yesterday or the day before about the way Ireland and Scotland were split out. But they are not that important.

profitshock:

Would it be better to move the emphasis of the UK template to Post Codes or Post Towns?

Yes it would but I don't have a list and the royal mail publish a map like layout for the zones. I know of one case where an inverness-shire postcode costs £20 extra than the county it's in. I think counties are as good a starting place as any. Basingstoke is in Hampshire, yet has a Reading (Berkshire) postcode

profitshock:

Off the top of my head (it's even later now) my only real concern would be, the way we use zones for VAT?

Ahh, but I'm cunning you see and I'm not using already established zones, well it's not me that's cunning, it's Dreamscape's original mzmt module that I am modifying. The installation will try and guess which counties are installed an put the right counties in the right zones, because there's your template and 2 other UK counties on the download page (which appear to miss out Ireland) and then there's another one that is floating around the forum. If someone doesn't have any UK counties installed because they are installing this first, I think I may hit a brick wall.

Pixxi:

All the couriers I've encountered over the last several years have all used postcodes - they often don't even bother to print the post town/city on the label. GPS systems in the cab, no doubt :smile:

I have a GPS, I have no idea where I am going most of the time, I've had one system or another since an RS2 I once owned five years ago, so I pretty much don't know where I've been either.

Pixxi:

I think Philip's original idea of concentrating on Royal Mail (ie. ParcelForce) zones for parcels is the best solution for a basic (and reliable) parcels module that everyone in the UK can use.

So do I, in fact that's such a good idea I shall pretend it was my own. It was actually TonyRobbo's

Pixxi:

Attempting a courier/postcode-based module may well prove problematic.

I agree, specially as it would be my problem.

Pixxi:

Also - much easier to change ParcelForce rates once every now and again than several courier companies :smile:

Ahh well what I thought was, was to supply Parcelforce as an example, and a "blank" for other people to customize for their own couriers, because I don't actually use parcelforce myself. I am still working on this, I'm just working on some other things too. After I've done this, I am going to actually launch my shop which should have been done before I got into this malarky, maybe have a bath and then I shall be downloading the Japanese Zencart that apparently is set up for parcel dimensions as well as weight, which sounds exciting.

Phil

No luck on stopping the code appearing. Using 1.3.5 and Win XP on wamp local server.

Re: the other comments.

I don't see the problem over zones or postcode (unless I'm being a complete numpty). Doing some research, postal towns and counties are irrelevant to the Post office and most couriers, they only work on the postcode, which relates to the main sorting depot (e.g. RG for Reading also relates to places outside Berks.)

I think what is important is that UK is picked up, if this is how the module functions (Correct me if I'm wrong). Distance across UK is irrelevant to charge for delivery with the Royal Mail. It's only the size and weight that count.

What may be needed (if not in already- as I am struggling with install) is ability to define your classification (large letter etc) and recalculate where multiple items bought. Tricky one that. Do 2 large letters make a packet by size, if not by weight? Maybe even to restrict type of postal service by item as stock catalog?

Anyway lets see if I can get it working.

See ya