Thanks for the update Denny. AS everything in life(it seems) unpredictability is always a key factor.

I wish you luck on getting things in place.

And remember, don't stretch yourself too thin, man.

....runs off to purchase from RPGNow...!

-Floyd

One of the big issues is timed downloads vs quantity based downloads. Most cart systems that handle digital downloads give you a time based system (say 24 hours to claim your file). The problem with that is someone could spread their download link to 1000 of their closest friends and bandwidth rape your site. If you place an IP identifier on the download link to prevent sharing you create another problem because not everyone has a fixed IP (dial up users). The only real solution is to have a “2 strikes and you’re out” kind of download system. 2 downloads maximum (for example) would account for any disconnects or file retrieval issues. This is the same system RPGNow uses. This has caused major issues for my programmer and he can’t seem to make the switch to a download maximum.

The other issue is the complete lack of login/logout functionality in the current mish-mash of a system. I need this so that I can competently track purchases made by individual users. Customers need this so that they can retrieve a purchase history and some basic account information. A store without login/logout abilities seems pretty silly to me and in all honesty I falsely assumed that most cart systems included it.

How much do you charge Robby? Seriously...(If you have time maybe you can take a peak at the quagmire). Things are looking pretty grim on this end and frankly I'm not quite sure what’s going on anymore. The "programmer" seems to have problems with his e-mail. I have two cart systems installed from what I can tell and they both lack the functionality I need...Big stinking mess…Sigh

Denny - I sent you a PM about the store.

No login system is a big deal. This element should be immediately apparent to any developer when dealing with purchasable PDFs. You really HAVE to have a system where the user identifies himself by logging in, then has access to the downloads. That way, even if they give their friend access to download, they are responsible because it's using their login/password.

It's easy for me to come in on the back end and badmouth the current developer, but I'd be concerned about a developer that didn't see this right off the bat.

btw, if you've got a user based system, it should be easy to track how many times a user has downloaded a file and log it to your database.

I agree with Robby and EbbTide.

Robby's right on the money with how you handle the download. a download "page" repackages the PDF with the right mime type and sends that file as it's HTTP response to the client browser. This is effectively how dynamic graphs and such are done from databases for web pages. The IMG tag references a .PHP or .ASPX page instead of a .GIF. Once an HTTP request occurs, the code in the .PHP takes over and returns an output stream equal to what is needed (in my example, a GIF).

And yes, your database better have a "user" table and some other associated tables to track login/logout times, downloads, login name and password. If that hasn't occurred, your design is suspect.

Janx

Have you thought of a 3rd party cart system? Something like Kurant's Storsense or something. The big problem with most merchant providors is secure transaction processing. If you do credit cards all yourself you need to conform to VISA CISP requirements (which cost the company I worked for over $100,000). It might be easier to develop the store if you use an established system.

--Chris

So buy one set to keep yuou busy in the meantime!

That way, you get a distraction, and Denny gets funding to hire someone to fix the store, then you get the benefits of the store that much quicker!

Yay!

Alright, so I'm a spaz, but you have to admit it makes sense!