Setting up Mals Shopping Cart

The slscart system uses Mals-E shopping cart to handle the order processing.

Set up a free Mals account. Once your Mals cart is activated and configured, you will need to make the following changes.

Note that a secure site needs to have its own valid SSL certificate.

Mals: Create a Mals-E cart account and set the following:
- ```
Cart Setup -> Advanced Settings -> Remote Call
```
  The HTTP call must be set up in Mals for the inventory control and order tracking to work.
  - URL: In the URL field, add website/go/finish.php (note: no http://). You can also use the direct IP address to the finish page (e.g. 123.456.789.012/~client/go/finish.php)
  - Method: Select HTTPS POST if you are using https or HTTP POST if you are using http for the method.
  - Debug: Do not check the debug checkbox; this is only used if you are having problems with inventory control and order tracking, and want to receive debug notices.
- ```
Cart Setup -> Customize -> Return Link
```
  Optional! A return page updates the store inventory immediately after the order is placed, if the customer clicks the 'continue' button.
  - Your website address: In this field, add website/go/return.php (note: no http://). You can also use the direct IP address to the site (e.g. 123.456.789.012/~client/go/return.php)
  - Select https for a secure site, http for non secure site.
  - Select 'Form button with the word CONTINUE. POST request.'
    - OR -
    Select 'Form button using the text above. POST request.' and enter some text in the 'Text for the link' box.
- ```
Cart Setup -> Customize -> Continue shopping button
```
  Appending the cart content allows the continue shopping button in the cart to go back to the item you were originally viewing.
  - Select 'Hyperlink'
  - Check the box marked "Append cart content vars".
- ```
Cart Setup -> Email Settings -> Order Notifications
```
  We recommend using a domain email or gMail email address for order notifications. Mailings may not work seamlessly with free emails like AOL or Yahoo email
- ```
Cart Setup -> Messages and General Settings
```
  If a secure store is being used, check "Use secure pages for name and adress".
  Click 'Submit Changes' button at bottom
- ```
Cart Setup -> Messages and General Settings -> Thumbnails
```
  If you want a thumbnail to show up upon checkout, fill in the URL to the store. If you have a secure store, use https.
  For example: https://www.mydomain.com/
  Don't forget the trailing slash.
  
  Fill in the thumbnail size you want, like 150 height, 150 width. The units are pixels.
- ```
Cart Setup -> Payment Methods
```
  Select the payment processor or method you will use to take payments from customers. Make sure you use a processor that works with 'Remote call' in the payment processor list.
- ```
Cart Setup -> Payment Methods -> PayPal
```
  If you are using PayPal as a payment processor, enter the PayPal email and then:
  - Under 'Return link from PayPal', select the second option: 'return the customer back to the cart. See the notes below...'.
  - Select the 'IPN - Instant Payment Notification' checkbox. (If you do not, a customer can close the window and it won't post back.)
PayPal: Please note that if you want to use PayPal as a payment type, you must use a business account if you want to automate inventory control or log orders and sales. Personal accounts can be used with the cart, but the inventory control and order tracking will not work!
- ```
My Account -> Profile -> Website Payment Preferences -> Auto Return
```
  If you are using PayPal as a payment type, you must turn the 'Auto Return' setting On. This automates the return back to Mals after a customer pays via PayPal. (If this setting is turned off, the cart will require the customer to push a button to go back to the cart, and not all customers will do this.)
- ```
My Account -> Profile -> Website Payment Preferences -> Return URL
```
  The Auto Return setting requires a thank you page to return to after the payment is made. Mals creates a page automatically and submits it without any effort on your part. However, if you plan to use PayPal for any other reason, you will need to make a thank you page on your site. Create the page, following PayPal's thank you page rules (shown on the auto return setting page) and enter the URL in the space provided in PayPal.
  Note: If you have a DNS glitch, try using the IP address here.
```
e.g.) 123.456.789.012/~client/pages/thankyou.php
```
  instead of:
```
website/pages/thankyou.php
```
slscart: Add your Mals cart details and create a thank you page.
- ```
Storeadmin -> Catalog Setup -> Mals-E Cart ID
```
  Make sure this is set to be your Mals-E user name. It's important there are NO spaces before or after the cart ID!
- ```
Storeadmin -> Catalog Setup -> Mals-E Server
```
  Make sure this is set to be your Mals-E server. It should only be the www part (e.g. ww8 or ww12)
- ```
Storeadmin -> Pages -> Add Page
```
  You only have to add a thank you page if you are using PayPal as a payment processory.
  
  Create a web site page called "thankyou.php".
  On this page, type out the following text:
```
Thank you for your payment. Your transaction has been completed, and a receipt for your
purchase has been emailed to you. You may log into your account at https://www.paypal.com
to view details of this transaction.
```
  Save this page to your web site.

Important! slscart's inventory control system decreases stock counts automatically, and will discourage a customer from ordering more than is available. While we have implemented checks to decrease over ordering, we cannot guarantee that a customer will not try to change the quantity within Mals or otherwise try to order more than is available.

***