paypal pro form notn working

i have been trying really hard to get paypal pro forms working but it’s not working. the form here

https://www.michaelsharp.org/how-to-subscribe/student-rate-monthly

no matter what I try, doesn’t work. it takes me to paypal then says “almost done, you’ll need to confirm your payment back at the website” but then just returns to the same page and nothing happens. no user is created, no payment is processed, nNADA.

incidentally, the credit card options work through paypal. but when I select the paypal option, it just chokes.

HELP

p.s., if you do a test purchase i will refund your money

Hi Mike.

I tried the PayPal option for the payment and was taken to PayPal without that message, instead I’m given the choice to login to an existing PayPal account or create a new one (subscriptions with Express Checkout require the user to have a PayPal account).

Do you get those too and the error happens later in the process, or am I having a different experience from yours?

Do you have logging enabled? It’d be good to see the entries for those tests you did. If you post the the log entries here, remember x’ing out all private information from them. [hilite path]Dashboard -› s2Member® -› PayPal® Options -› Account Details -› Logging[/hilite]

Thanks!

it happens right after that. you click the button that says it will take you back to the site and it doesn’t work. you have to go a bit farther. don’t worry, it won’t work and you won’t be charged

hello?

Okay. I completed a test purchase with my wife’s PayPal account (Ana Danel) and got returned to the page with the pro-form. There were no error messages, but I haven’t gotten any emails about the purchase either.

Do you have logging enabled? I’d like to see the entries (from all the log files) for the transaction (x’ing out any private info). Thanks! [hilite path]Dashboard -› s2Member® -› PayPal® Options -› Account Details -› Logging[/hilite]

PHP v5.3.3 :: WordPress® v3.4.2 :: s2Member® v120703 :: s2Member® Pro v120703
Memory 44.60 MB :: Real Memory 45.00 MB :: Peak Memory 44.71 MB :: Real Peak Memory 45.00 MB
http://www.michaelsharp.org/
http://www.michaelsharp.org/how-to-subscribe/student-rate-monthly/
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 5.1; rv:12.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/12.0
——– Input vars: ( Fri Oct 12, 2012 1:12:56 pm UTC ) ——–
array (
‘METHOD’ => ‘SetExpressCheckout’,
‘RETURNURL’ => ‘http://www.michaelsharp.org/how-to-subscribe/student-rate-monthly/?s2member_paypal_xco=s$
‘CANCELURL’ => ‘http://www.michaelsharp.org/how-to-subscribe/student-rate-monthly/?s2member_paypal_xco=s$
‘PAGESTYLE’ => ‘paypal’,
‘LOCALECODE’ => ”,
‘NOSHIPPING’ => ‘1’,
‘SOLUTIONTYPE’ => ‘Sole’,
‘LANDINGPAGE’ => ‘Billing’,
‘ALLOWNOTE’ => ‘0’,
‘L_BILLINGTYPE0’ => ‘RecurringPayments’,
‘L_BILLINGAGREEMENTDESCRIPTION0’ => ‘$9.99 USD / Monthly ( recurring charge, for ongoing access )’,
‘PAYMENTREQUEST_0_SHIPTONAME’ => ‘Cristian Lavaque’,
‘PAYMENTREQUEST_0_SHIPTOSTREET’ => ”,
‘PAYMENTREQUEST_0_SHIPTOCITY’ => ”,
‘PAYMENTREQUEST_0_SHIPTOSTATE’ => ”,
‘PAYMENTREQUEST_0_SHIPTOCOUNTRYCODE’ => ‘US’,
‘PAYMENTREQUEST_0_SHIPTOZIP’ => ”,
‘EMAIL’ => ‘cristian’,
‘VERSION’ => ‘71.0’,
‘USER’ => ‘xxxxxxxt’,
‘PWD’ => ‘xxxxxxxx’,
‘SIGNATURE’ => ‘xxxxxxxxxxxx’,
)
——– Output string/vars: ( Fri Oct 12, 2012 1:12:57 pm UTC ) ——–
TOKEN=EC%2d8MJ548394V886131Y&TIMESTAMP=2012%2d10%2d12T13%3a12%3a57Z&CORRELATIONID=99621bdb71b7e&ACK=Succes$
array (
‘TOKEN’ => ‘EC-8MJ548394V886131Y’,
‘TIMESTAMP’ => ‘2012-10-12T13:12:57Z’,
‘CORRELATIONID’ => ‘99621bdb71b7e’,
‘ACK’ => ‘Success’,
‘VERSION’ => ‘71.0’,
‘BUILD’ => ‘3926908’,
)

FYI I checked the paypal IPN and pDT return settings and they are correct. also, I am NOT setting the success shortcode in the proforms shortcode. so i don’t know why the paypal RETURN url is wrong

Thanks for the log entry. Is that the only one? Weren’t there other log files with entries for the transaction? What about the IPN log?

Could you also install the Email Log plugin? I’d like to see if the emails are being sent. http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/email-log/

If you are okay with it, I’d like you to send me the site’s info so I can set up a test pro-form for 1 cent and do a bit more testing and looking at the logs, to see if I can spot this faster than exchanging a post after each thing. s2Member® » Private Contact Form

Thanks!

ok i sent you the login information. there was no information in the IPN log related to your transaction so I didn’t include it.

Thanks, got the email.

I read the logs (most of the entries) and the IPN log very often shows the custom field missing. Could you verify that your pro-form shortcodes aren’t missing the [hilite mono]custom[/hilite] attribute? [hilite path]Dashboard -› s2Member® -› PayPal® Pro Forms -› Shortcode Attributes -> custom[/hilite]

Did you import users with existing subscriptions to the site? If so, you need to populate their profiles with the gateway and subscr. ID.

I looked at the plugins you have installed and found that W3 Total Cache has object caching enabled. This is known to cause problems. http://www.primothemes.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=6309#p62322

I noticed this in the paypal-rtn.log file:

2 => ‘Note. This can sometimes happen when/if you are offering a free Trial Period. There are times when a Payment Gateway will NOT supply s2Member with any data immediately after checkout. When/if this happens, s2Member must process the transaction via IPN only ( i.e. behind-the-scene ), and the Customer must wait for Email Confirmation in these cases.’,

Could change Pro Forms / Recurring Profile Behavior to “in real-time”? [hilite path]Dashboard -› s2Member® -› PayPal® Options -› Account Details -› Pro Forms / Recurring Profile Behavior[/hilite]

If those don’t solve the problem, you could test the other plugins. You have over 50 installed, half of them active, and it’s possible that there is a conflict somewhere. To test, deactivate them and try doing a transaction, see if it goes well. Remember to do a backup before starting the tests.

Let me know how it goes. :)

the custom attribute is missing. i took it out because the form wasn’t working and I thought you didn’t need it. what is the correct value for that custom attribute?

s2Member Pro opens the door for Custom Return URLs upon success. You can add a special attribute to any Form Shortcode ( success=”/my-thank-you-page/” ). This makes it possible to integrate PayPal® Pro Forms in very creative ways; and even receive/verify Replacement Code variables, as needed. For example, ( success=”/my-thank-you-page/?subscr_id=%%subscr_id%%” ).

A Custom Return URL is 100% optional. In fact, if you only need to obtain details for the purpose of tracking sales, you should just use the simpler API Tracking methods provided by s2Member, under: s2Member -> API / Tracking. In other words, if you don’t use the success=”” attribute in your Shortcode, s2Member will handle things gracefully, all on its own. So using a Custom Return URL is only necessary when you need advanced customization for one reason or another.

—

says in the above custom attribute is not needed

my mistake. the custom attribute is there. it is set

[s2Member-Pro-PayPal-Form level="1" ccaps="" desc="$9.99 USD / Monthly ( recurring charge, for ongoing access )" ps="paypal" lc="" cc="USD" dg="0" ns="1" custom="www.michaelsharp.org" ta="0" tp="0" tt="D" ra="9.99" rp="1" rt="M" rr="1" rrt="" rra="2" accept="paypal,visa,mastercard,amex,discover,maestro,solo" accept_via_paypal="paypal" coupon="" accept_coupons="0" default_country_code="" captcha="0" /]

Right, I see it there: [hilite mono]custom="www.michaelsharp.org"[/hilite]. Could you confirm that it is in every pro-form shortcode you’re using?

What about the other things I mentioned? :)

i haven’t tested without plugins yet. i’ll do that today. and yes the shortcode is in there.

Cool. I look forward to your update after the tests. :)

Did you import users with existing subscriptions to the site? If so, you need to populate their profiles with the gateway and subscr. ID.

I looked at the plugins you have installed and found that W3 Total Cache has object caching enabled. This is known to cause problems. http://www.primothemes.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=6309#p62322

And these?

i did not import users. all users are new. old ones that were there before work fine

i checked the w3cache issues link, it doesn’t seem like it should be related. but we’ll see today cause I’ll disable all plugins and try like that

Okay, thanks. :)

ok i did everything you said. i disabled every plugin except s2 and tried the paypal thing again and it STILL DID NOT WORK. i am returned to the form with the following URL

https://www.michaelsharp.org/how-to-subscribe/student-rate-monthly/?s2-ssl=yes&s2member_paypal_xco=s2member_pro_paypal_checkout_return&token=EC-1HY77150C1628484U&PayerID=FMFT3DKZW3HB4

it shouldn’t be going to that form, it should be going to the return page specified in the paypal return right? but for some reason paypal is getting the wrong return.

What URL do you have specified in the PayPal Return? If you want to send the customer to a special thank you page after they complete their payment, you should be using the success=”” attribute in your Pro-Form shortcode (see Dashboard -› s2Member® -› PayPal® Pro Forms -› Shortcode Attributes (Explained)).

the return url is

RPN http://www.michaelsharp.org/?s2member_paypal_return=1
IPN http://www.michaelsharp.org/?s2member_paypal_notify=1

I’m not trying to send them anyplace special, i just want the bloody form to work.

https://www.michaelsharp.org/how-to-subscribe/student-rate-monthly/?s2-ssl=yes&s2member_paypal_xco=s2member_pro_paypal_checkout_return&token=EC-1HY77150C1628484U&PayerID=FMFT3DKZW3HB4

it shouldn’t be going to that form, it should be going to the return page specified in the paypal return right? but for some reason paypal is getting the wrong return.

That’s fine. The user is going back to the return URL and then forwarded by s2Member to the URL you quoted. If you used the [hilite mono]success[/hilite] attribute and the checkout goes well, the user would then be taken to the URL specified in your [hilite mono]success[/hilite] attribute.

Cristián said:
Could change Pro Forms / Recurring Profile Behavior to “in real-time”? Dashboard -› s2Member® -› PayPal® Options -› Account Details -› Pro Forms / Recurring Profile Behavior

Did you change that setting? Have the new test transactions had any problems? Did the payment happen? Do the logs show any problems?

I’ve also emailed Jason asking him to look into this.

Thanks for the heads up on this thread.

Regarding this return URL which s2Member Pro is returning you to after Express Checkout via PayPal.

https://www.michaelsharp.org/how-to-subscribe/student-rate-monthly/?s2-ssl=yes&s2member_paypal_xco=s2member_pro_paypal_checkout_return&token=EC-1HY77150C1628484U&PayerID=FMFT3DKZW3HB4

This URL is correct. Express Checkout via s2Member Pro Forms is NOT the same thing as PayPal Standard (e.g. there is no special return page configured for this type of transaction via Express Checkout).

With PayPal Express Checkout, the customer is returned immediately back to the Pro Form that they started with, and a message will be displayed above the Pro Form indicating success or failure of the transaction result that took place during PayPal Express Checkout.

Note however, the link above will NOT work now, because s2Member Pro Forms will ONLY analyze return data for any given token= value, for up to 20 minutes after checkout, and only for the active session. Therefore, it’s best to test this in a sandbox and/or live environment, and not to make an attempt to test this link after the checkout session has ended (e.g. it’s after the fact).

---

To clarify…
The only time in which this return URL would be something other than what you’ve posted here:

https://www.michaelsharp.org/how-to-subscribe/student-rate-monthly/?s2-ssl=yes&s2member_paypal_xco=s2member_pro_paypal_checkout_return&token=EC-1HY77150C1628484U&PayerID=FMFT3DKZW3HB4

Is if you set the success="" Shortcode Attribute explicitly telling the Pro Form to redirect to a custom thank-you page that you’ve designed specifically for s2Member Pro Forms. You can learn more about this under:
Dashboard -› s2Member® -› PayPal® Pro Forms -› Shortcode Attributes (Explained)

---

ok i did everything you said. i disabled every plugin except s2 and tried the paypal thing again and it STILL DID NOT WORK. i am returned to the form with the following URL

It sounds to me like the issue you’re experiencing is that after Express Checkout at PayPal, upon returning to your s2Member Pro Form, there is no message being displayed above the Pro Form? Is that correct? Your logs indicate this as well, so I’ll assume that I’m right about this.

I received details for your site, and took a quick look at your s2Member Pro log file here:
/plugins/s2member-logs/paypal-api-xxxx.log

The lack of anything in this log file, other than API calls to “SetExpressCheckout”; indicates to me that s2Member IS posting details for PayPal Express Checkout (i.e. s2Member is handling “SetExpressCheckout”), but customers are never returning to your site? Or, if they are returning, s2Member is missing the details submitted in the query string of the URL (i.e. the token= value). This is not normal behavior. Which leads me to think there could be a theme and/or plugin compatibility issue preventing certain variables in the URL from being interpreted properly by s2Member. This could also be caused by server configuration, or even by the configuration of your caching plugin.

The site which I investigated via emails related to this thread, was running a non-default WP theme with 25 other plugins, besides s2Member. If problems persist, please setup a test installation with this issue, running on the default WP theme, and with only the s2Member plugin active. We’ll be happy to take a closer look for you.

To my knowledge, this is not a widespread issue (i.e. nobody else has reported this), so we’ll need to exclude the possibility of a theme or plugin conflict in order to move forward please. Thanks!

you know, is there a way to just turnoff the paypal express option and just use the pro? I tried taking out the paypal option from the form but it shows up anyway

[s2Member-Pro-PayPal-Form level="1" ccaps="" desc="$9.99 USD / Monthly ( recurring charge, for ongoing access )" ps="paypal" lc="" cc="USD" dg="0" ns="1" custom="www.michaelsharp.org" ta="0" tp="0" tt="D" ra="9.99" rp="1" rt="M" rr="1" rrt="" rra="2" accept="visa,mastercard,amex,discover,maestro,solo" accept_via_paypal="paypal" coupon="" accept_coupons="0" default_country_code="" captcha="0" /]

No, Express Checkout always has to be an option according to PayPal’s terms, that’s why it can’t be removed.

well i tried everything now. i tried a test install with the default theme and only s2member running and it still doesn’t work.

at this rate it will be six months before this is resolved. a response every two days is just dragging this out? is that intentional?