FAQ

an example store

What information is required to create an instance of Your IPN Back-End Solution?

If your web host is listed in our database, the only information you need is your domain name and your primary PayPal email address.

If your web host is not listed in our database, gather the following information:

your web host's Perl bin directory (often /usr/local/bin/perl)

whether you plan to use SSL and your web host supports it

your domain name

your web site's cgi-bin directory (it must be in your domain)

your account home directory

your account www directory

your primary PayPal email address

Q:	What is the Digital Goods Delivery Verification System?
A:	This system provides a means to maintain the security of your digital goods on any web server, deliver the digital goods to a confirmed customer, and to provide positive feedback indicating a successful download. Your IPN Back-End Solution comes with a special advertising version that advertises Your IPN Back-End Solution and related items.

Q:	What capabilities must my web host provide for me to use Your IPN Back-End Solution?
A:	Your host must allow custom CGI in your own cgi-bin directory. Since Your IPN Back-End Solution is written in Perl, your host must have Perl 5 or higher available. And finally, if you want to keep your transactions completely private your host must provide SSL and you must have it enabled.

Q:	What capabilities must my customers have?
A:	If your customer purchases digital goods from you that must be downloaded, your customer must have JavaScript enabled and the Sun Java plug-in installed. Otherwise there are no requirements besides those for PayPal.

Q:	How did you create your database of hosts?
A:	The information provided by previous buyers of Your IPN Back-End Solution is added to our database of hosts. Periodically new entries are manually verified against public information provided by the indicated hosts. If you find erroneous information, please notify James.

How do I modify the customer's buying experience?

There are four html files that are used to fulfill the customer's purchase. They are "already.htm," "error.htm," "success.htm," and "success_cart.htm." These files are located in the cgi-bin directory you specified in the IPN Wizard. Your IPN Back-End Solution looks for field names that are delimited with "%%%" in the appropriate file. (See field references for the complete list)

Note that the page design is completely independent of the field references. However, the demarcation field references may have to be embedded in html tags to achieve the desired effect.

Q:	Is it possible to host more than one store from a single domain using Your IPN Back-End Solution?
A:	Yes! You must use unique URLs and directories for each instance of Your IPN Back-End Solution. Each instance will have its own tools and databases. (Note: The license for Your IPN Back-End Solution is for one instance only. Therefore you must purchase a new instance for each store.)