My Checkout Without Account Mod

This looks great, I can't wait till you get it finished! Thank you so much for this.

Alright, I've made a few more modifications.

1. Conditionally editing account references out of follow-up e-mails:
   Done, update e-mails no longer contain the "detailed invoice" link.

2. Giving the page a more integrated look with the rest of checkout, including alternate page header('Step 1 of 5', 'Step 2 of 5' etc.) definitions:
   Done, no_account looks like another checkout page now.

3. As an optional add-on, a modified tableless order steps mod that will also conditionally display 4 or 5 steps:
   Done, you can see this on the test server. The order steps div shows 4 or 5 well formatted steps depending on whether you are checking out with or without an account.

Not done:
A page to check order status with e-mail address and order number.

This is all up on the test server. I'll have it repackaged for download in the next few hours, along with some screen shots from my live store which is a bit nicer looking.

Also of note, I went ahead and took down the forms asking for Company name and fax number. These are still available using the stock Configuration -> Customer Details.

--Joe

Clarification: Regular account holders still receive "detailed invoice" links with their update e-mails.

In addition to the changes above, I've created an auxiliary readme detailing a couple of optional modifications, including logout upon checkout_success.

I've also taken some screen shots of this on my live store. They do much better justice to what can be done with this mod using a more attractive template. You can find the links in my sig.

There is one thing I'd like some input on. As you can see from the first screen shot, I'm telling my customers that an account is necessary, then I offer them the option to checkout without one. Obviously I need to change this. Can anyone think of a good, short, one sentence, fairly inclusive reason why someone should create an account?

That would help. (;

To do: Simplify the readme and installation instructions. Create that page for checking order status.

Thanks much,
Joe

PS: Please keep nitpicking. (;

Looks really good Joe!

How about something like...

Create a Customer Profile which will allow you to shop faster, create an address book and take advantage of other member benefits.

It's needs tweaking, but maybe it's a start. :smile:

Thanks for all the support, godspeed and Boggled.

I've got the Order Status page up, if someone could give it a look. That's the last of my planned features. I think I'll clean up my code tomorrow, then leave it open to testing and feedback for a few days.

Thanks again for the help,
Joe

Nice work KGZotU! My hack needed someone to come along and make it what I really would like it to be. When I was forced to choose account or no account, I chose no account... wishing I could choose optional account. I would prefer optional account, but do not have enough experience with PHP to do this. I am looking forward to making another test site where I can play around with your mod. I can say this.... I have had more orders come through after removing accounts. I think it would be even better with optional accounts.

Thanks for your hard work. I can't wait to poke around and see what I can do with this! And of course I am pressed for time at the moment. It figures.

kelvyn:

Can anyone tell me what advantages/benefits there might be over the other checkout without account mod. Both are really appreciated!

Kelvyn,

Sure. Basically, my mod allows a user to either create an account for checkout, or to checkout without an account. So, it's a bit more featured but it's probably also a bit more complicated, a larger pain to upgrade with, etc. Both mods are otherwise similar.

I think the essential strength that both of our mods share is that whether the customer creates an account or "doesn't create an account", we still capture and store all essential user contact info. As I mentioned, I was inspired by Craftzombie's mod.

I've added a couple of extras, like a page to check order status and a modification of tableless order steps that displays 4 or 5 steps depending on whether you're using an account or not.

Craftzombie, well thank you for the inspiration. (; I've really been wanting to do this for a long time. IIRC some studies have found that having to create an account is second only to hidden charges as a reason for cart abandonment. None of the other checkout without account mods seemed like they had a lot of potential, though. Glad I found yours. (;

Thanks again,
Joe

Hi all great mod... BUT :-)

Just went throught the install in the test version runs great plonked it on the live site and all hell breaks loose!!

We are using the latest edition (3.7) edited and uploaded all files and get this error

---

Warning: main(includes/modules/no_account.php) [function.main]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/jms-music-de/htdocs/Shop/includes/modules/pages/no_account/header_php.php on line 17

Warning: main() [function.include]: Failed opening 'includes/modules/no_account.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/jms-music-de/htdocs/Shop/includes/modules/pages/no_account/header_php.php on line 17

The php reads:

<?php /** * no_account header_php.php * * @package page * @copyright Copyright 2003-2006 Zen Cart Development Team * @copyright Portions Copyright 2003 osCommerce * @license <http://www.zen-cart.com/license/2_0.txt> GNU Public License V2.0 * @version $Id: header_php.php 4035 2006-07-28 05:49:06Z drbyte $ */ // This should be first line of the script: $zco_notifier->notify('NOTIFY_HEADER_START_NO_ACCOUNT'); require(DIR_WS_MODULES . zen_get_module_directory('require_languages.php')); include(DIR_WS_MODULES . zen_get_module_directory(FILENAME_NO_ACCOUNT)); $breadcrumb->add(NAVBAR_TITLE); // This should be last line of the script: $zco_notifier->notify('NOTIFY_HEADER_END_NO_ACCOUNT'); ?>

---

We use 5 language packs as we have customers in various European countries and I figure it has something to do with this as we added the other 4 language files and copied the English data across.... (will make the translations available when finished)

I guess this is an easy php fix but either I am stoopid or its more serious....

Uploading the back-up as its a working shop so you wont be able to see the error but if a php wiz has an idea we would really welcome a reply....

Kind Regards

Richie
JMS Music
https://www.jms-music.de

Richie,

The server is basically saying that it wasn't able to find the no_account.php file at includes/modules/YOUR_TEMPLATE/no_account.php.

The most common reason for this would be misnaming the YOUR_TEMPLATE folder. Unfortunately this mod has its fingers in a lot of pies, so it can be tough to nail down every last YOUR_TEMPLATE. (;

If you renamed these folders from your computer, you might be able to go into the folder you uploaded to see whether or not this was the case.

If this isn't the cause, and this is actually the cause of some language issue I'm not familiar with, then you could temporarily work around it by placing the includes/modules/YOUR_TEMPLATE/no_account.php file directly into /includes/modules.

That said, I'm working out a couple of bugs today, namely around gift certificates.

Thank you for your encouragement. I hope it was this simple problem.

I hope this helps,
Joe

It looks like a css problem, the text / layout is all over the place, have proofed the file names and had written spanish and french wrong (with CAPS), hey its only 00:30 here be crazy not to go for another upload :-)

Thanks once again for all your help....

Richie

Sure. (;

Let me know how it works out for you. Also, could you let me know what you think of the installation instructions? I separated the new pages and the overrides/writes into two separate folders for the convenience of the user, but I'm afraid that it might be confusing.

Thank you for your help,
Joe

I have this running on a clean install of 1.3.6 (I don't use 1.3.7 - yet). Here is the test site if anyone would like to check it out:

http://craftzombie.com/optionalacct/shop/index.php

I have not added the order steps or order status parts of the mod.

I started off as a "no account" customer. Did that twice with same email. Works great.

Then I used the same email to become an account holder. Worked great.

Then I used the same email address to checkout without an account and got the message that I already have an account. As it should. Worked great.

There were no issues with the text emails either.

Tried it in Firefox and IE7. Worked great all the way around.

The only issue I had was with the Log Off part of the checkout success page, which looked like this:

Easy fix I'm sure, in fact I may remove it altogether.

This is the way Zen should be for those of us who still want to have accounts. My mod is good for those who don't need them, but won't work for sellers of downloads and gift certs, so yours would be good for those people too.

Really great job. Thanks for putting it all together and sharing!

:smile:

I've taken care of a gift certificate issue with today's package. Namely, if you redeem a gift certificate during COWOA then you'll never be able to log back in to use the remaining balance. So, COWOA customers should not be able to redeem gift certificates.

My solution:
If you haven't begun COWOA, behavior is pretty much the same.

If you have the gift certificates module installed, then a line in the COWOA box on the login page says that you can't use a GV during COWOA.

If you're viewing checkout_payment during COWOA, the GV box will not be displayed.

If you try to redeem a GV by any other method during COWOA, you are 'logged out' of your COWOA session and directed to create an account. Your cart however will be preserved.

I've gotten that all packaged up. That should be all of my features, now it's just bug fixes, cutting out the junk code, etc.

craftzombie: Thank you for testing this, for your feedback, and for your very kind words! (; The way I look at it, we're all pretty useless without the ideas we pick up from each other. I'll see what I can figure out regarding that issue.

Richie: I've got a few more ideas. I've got a couple of installs now that haven't replicated your problem, but there might be some other issues at hand.

Thanks again,
Joe

I've tried to install this mod (which I think is great!) and I also added the checkout steps add-on. I get to enter in my information and then receive this error:

Warning: main(includes/templates/template_default/templates/tpl_checkout_default.php): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/content/(userroot)/html/includes/templates/serious_docs/common/tpl_main_page.php on line 119

Warning: main(includes/templates/template_default/templates/tpl_checkout_default.php): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/content/(userroot)/html/includes/templates/serious_docs/common/tpl_main_page.php on line 119

Fatal error: main(): Failed opening required 'includes/templates/template_default/templates/tpl_checkout_default.php' (include_path='.:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/content/(userroot)/includes/templates/serious_docs/common/tpl_main_page.php on line 119

I've tried removing it, and then reinstalling it, but I get the same error.

What did I do wrong? lol

Thanks!

DevilsAvocado:

Warning: main(includes/templates/template_default/templates/tpl_checkout_default.php): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/content/(userroot)/html/includes/templates/serious_docs/common/tpl_main_page.php on line 119

DevilsAvocado,

I was scratching my head over this for quite a few minutes. "tpl_checkout_default.php"?

Apparently you have one page checkout either installed or incompletely uninstalled. I don't have plans right now on modifying this to a one page checkout, or to be compatible with one page checkout.

If you have previously tried uninstalling it and weren't aware that it was still around I might be able to give some pointers if you'd like to PM me.

Sorry I can't be of more help,
Joe

Ok now for the latest installment on the LIVE SITE!!

uploaded the files agin after running my back-up, same error... see earlier post, edited the files listed and now have a small problem, the WHOS ONLINE is not refreshing i.e. enter the shop = 1 guest leave the site and re-enter = 2 guests
same when logged in as customer, looks great for traffic figures!! :-)

I guess this is an issue within the log out... digging deeper and will keep you informed :-)

Richie

DOH !!!!

Cache

Admin > whos_online.php

and the 5 language files

:-)

Ok will go for another upload on the test server later today and see if this is an issue with the languages + the new mod from Joe incoorperated

Translations almost finished will post as a ZIP soonest...

Richie

Okay KGZotU, I've got this running on my live 1.3.6 site and its working beautifully. The process was pretty quick too. So once again, I'm sure you'll get sick of this, but I gotta say it again... THANK YOU! That is all. I will shut up now.

Not sure what i have done wrong but i have installed the IntegratedCOWOAbeta.zip file on my test 1.3.7 store running php 4.4.4 http://modscity.co.uk/test/, i uploaded all the files in the overrides-writes folder, but when im about the checkout of my store i click checkout with no account i get a 404 error what have i done worng ?

bean_2k1:

Not sure what i have done wrong but i have installed the IntegratedCOWOAbeta.zip file on my test 1.3.7 store running php 4.4.4 http://modscity.co.uk/test/, i uploaded all the files in the overrides-writes folder, but when im about the checkout of my store i click checkout with no account i get a 404 error what have i done worng ?

bean_2k1,

From the behavior of your test store, it looks like you might not have uploaded the /includes folder. There's an IntegratedCOWOA/includes/, an IntegratedCOWOA/overwrites-rides/includes/, and an IntegratedCOWOA/overwrites-rides/admin/ folder to upload. You mention the two folders in the overwrites-rides folder, but did you get the top level includes/?

This gets back to the issue of me figuring out a less confusing installation. (;