Paypal, WPS, Subscriptions, IPN, and custom variables
Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 3:09 pm
Hello,
1) I'm currently doing PHP development which requires users to subscribe to the site via Paypal.
2) I'm using Paypal's Web Payments Standard solution ( via their subscription model )
3) I need to keep track of (obviously), that payments made by a user are correctly mapped in my database (MySQL) to the proper user who is signing up. All temporary data gathered during the signup process is stored in a table of its own for later transfer to the users table, but only after their payment has been made and they have verified their login email, etc.
4) My issue is that, even after sifting through the several PDF manuals from Paypal (why they spread pertinent and related data across several manuals instead of just one is beyond me), it is not immediately obvious how I can send a custom variable to the Paypal server during the signup process that can be returned to me via IPN (Instant Payment Notification), that will positively identify the subscription purchased with the user account.
I've been going through the Paypal forums, searching the issue, and posting, and have received relatively little help, and the help I have received was not pertinent to the subscription model, or even to WPS.
I have a feeling the answer is quite simple, and perhaps I'm feeling frazzled in general by the sheer amount of other coding I'm entrenched in, but I would appreciate any hints that anyone may have about this, as it pertains especially to IPN and to the Paypal subscription process.
Thanks.
1) I'm currently doing PHP development which requires users to subscribe to the site via Paypal.
2) I'm using Paypal's Web Payments Standard solution ( via their subscription model )
3) I need to keep track of (obviously), that payments made by a user are correctly mapped in my database (MySQL) to the proper user who is signing up. All temporary data gathered during the signup process is stored in a table of its own for later transfer to the users table, but only after their payment has been made and they have verified their login email, etc.
4) My issue is that, even after sifting through the several PDF manuals from Paypal (why they spread pertinent and related data across several manuals instead of just one is beyond me), it is not immediately obvious how I can send a custom variable to the Paypal server during the signup process that can be returned to me via IPN (Instant Payment Notification), that will positively identify the subscription purchased with the user account.
I've been going through the Paypal forums, searching the issue, and posting, and have received relatively little help, and the help I have received was not pertinent to the subscription model, or even to WPS.
I have a feeling the answer is quite simple, and perhaps I'm feeling frazzled in general by the sheer amount of other coding I'm entrenched in, but I would appreciate any hints that anyone may have about this, as it pertains especially to IPN and to the Paypal subscription process.
Thanks.