Facebook store as oscommerce shop

[Michalke 0]

This add-on installs a oscommerce shop on a facebook business or private page. It is linked to the database of your existing shop and uses the same images as the OsC shop. No update is needed as it automatically updates when products, prices etc. are changed on your already running shop. I was not satisfied with Vendingbox or other modules so I tried myself. See our running example under:

Our Oscommerce-Store: www.koenig-agrar.de

Our Facebook-Store: www.facebook.com/koenig.agrar ( you see the shop-part under "Produkte", due to some facebook-bug or because the site has just been set up, it sometimes says "Page not found" but it is there, so try again later)

 

I am not a trained programmer so that should not be to difficult. Having implemented many add-ons from the community I am very happy to give something back.

 

I would appreciate if you could like my facebook page.

Thanks in advance

 

Download here: My link

Edited February 3, 2011 by Michalke

[NicolasLinet 0]

Hi Michalke,

 

it seems to be a very nice job, "Bravo" !

 

I'm gonna try it this weekend, i'll keep you in touch :)

[Michalke 0]

Hi Michalke,

 

it seems to be a very nice job, "Bravo" !

 

I'm gonna try it this weekend, i'll keep you in touch :)

 

Thanks Nicolas!

 

Fortune favours fools! I don't need the application to be in any other language than German. But it should be possible to make it available in several languages according to the Facebook users set locale. Look here: http://fbdevwiki.com/wiki/Locales#Getting_the_User.27s_Locale. Facebook actually offers translations with the fb:intl tag but so far I only saw few words translated correctly.

 

You can go directly to my app here: http://apps.facebook.com/koenigagrar/index.php?cPath=

 

Good luck! I will try to help if I can.

[dehansen 0]

Nettes Tool, Canvas Pages sind sicher auch ein guter Weg was mich stört ist die Integration in die eigene Seite.

Oder anders gesagt, die App zu erstellen war nicht weiter schwer, aber diese App auch beispielsweise in einen Reiter "Shop" zu installieren erfordert ja das man an die APP rankommt, und das geht erst wenn man sie ins Anwendungsverzeichnis eingestellt hat. Und das wiederum geht erst wenn es 5 Benutzer oder monatlich 10 aktive Benutzer gibt.

 

Leider habt Ihr diesern Punkt komplett ausgelassen, also, wie bekomme ich die App in den Reiter auf der eigenen Seite wenn ich sie nicht ins Anwendungsverzeichnis bekomme?

[Michalke 0]

Nettes Tool, Canvas Pages sind sicher auch ein guter Weg was mich stört ist die Integration in die eigene Seite.

Oder anders gesagt, die App zu erstellen war nicht weiter schwer, aber diese App auch beispielsweise in einen Reiter "Shop" zu installieren erfordert ja das man an die APP rankommt, und das geht erst wenn man sie ins Anwendungsverzeichnis eingestellt hat. Und das wiederum geht erst wenn es 5 Benutzer oder monatlich 10 aktive Benutzer gibt.

Leider habt Ihr diesern Punkt komplett ausgelassen, also, wie bekomme ich die App in den Reiter auf der eigenen Seite wenn ich sie nicht ins Anwendungsverzeichnis bekomme?

 

Sorry, didn't really think of that when writing the add-on. The app should automatically appear as a tab on your private Facebook page. There you can test it at least before you make it public on the business page. But you do not have to have at least 5 users or any other conditions fulfilled. To integrate it into the business Facebook page I followed these instructions: http://www.hyperarts.com/blog/tutorial-facebook-pages-with-static-fbml-application/

Edited February 5, 2011 by Michalke

[ptt81 0]

I don't understand, why do you need to install new OSCommerce under existing shop? Im confused, can this apply to existing shop? I want to try it but the instruction is not very clear what you need to upload to FTP server. can you clarify it please? Thank you.

Edited February 6, 2011 by ptt81

[Michalke 0]

I don't understand, why do you need to install new OSCommerce under existing shop? Im confused, can this apply to existing shop? I want to try it but the instruction is not very clear what you need to upload to FTP server. can you clarify it please? Thank you.

 

Sorry, for not being so very clear. It is my first add-on. You have on your webserver folders like

admin/

includes/

images/

... and so on. You have identical ones on your machine. Then you create a new folder let's say facebook/ on the same level as the above mentioned folders on your machine and copy all these folders (admin, includes, images...) into this new folder "facebook" on your machine. You then upload the facebook-folder from your machine to your webserver so that you have

admin/

facebook/

includes

images/

... etc on your webserver. The folder facebook then contains your webshop as is. Then delete all product images in the folder facebook/images. You only want to have them once. When everything works except your product images not showing up then there is something wrong with the images sti in the facebook/includes/configure.php. In the facebook/includes/configure.php we direct the images back to the original images folder not to have to upload them twice.

 

I do all this to be able to redirect the URL in the facebook/includes.configure.php to http://apps.facebook.com/... which is necessary for Facebook to correctly display your app. There is probably some simpler way to achieve that. But this works for me. In the facebook/includes/configure.php file I point to the same database as the existing shop. So all stored information for your shop will be unique and not having to store and update everything twice. I did actually upload the original OsCommerce download to the facebook-folder. I have a heavily modified onlineshop that I expect to be getting me into trouble with the fickle Facebook. But just try.

 

Hope that was of some help. If you run into troubles, I am always happy to help.

 

Regards Michael

[npn2531 37]

Basically it look like you have the nonssl pages opening up in Facebook. What are you doing about the SSL pages? For example, login.php, checkout_payment.php, or the account pages? This is a nice way to display your products on your Facebook page, however.

[ptt81 0]

Thank for your help. I understand it now. I will try it and if I have problem, i will post back.

[Michalke 0]

Basically it look like you have the nonssl pages opening up in Facebook. What are you doing about the SSL pages? For example, login.php, checkout_payment.php, or the account pages? This is a nice way to display your products on your Facebook page, however.

 

Hei, as I have said, we do not use it as an onlineshop, so no payment and no registration and no checkout.php etc. But I guess that should not be a problem, just try. It doesn't take that much time. Sorry, I am to much of a programmer greenhorn to answer your question properly.

[Michalke 0]

For all who wonder how to integrate the created app into your business Facebook page, have a look at this link: http://developers.facebook.com/docs/guides/canvas.

[npn2531 37]

The problem with the SSL pages would go to the issue of which website the user is on. The point of the SSL certificate is to ensure the user, and the payment processor, that the website where the cc info is being typed into is that actual website. I don't know how you would be issued an SSL certificate on your FB page and process a secure OSCommerce transaction on a FB page.

[Michalke 0]

The problem with the SSL pages would go to the issue of which website the user is on. The point of the SSL certificate is to ensure the user, and the payment processor, that the website where the cc info is being typed into is that actual website. I don't know how you would be issued an SSL certificate on your FB page and process a secure OSCommerce transaction on a FB page.

 

You could let it run in an iframe or you could redirect the payment module from facebook to your real webshop. Or you could use on of the facebook payment modules. It does not take that much time to set all this up. Just give it a try.

[npn2531 37]

I see, do you mean when the customer signed on to their OSCommerce account, or started the checkout process, then they would be forwarded out of FB to the OSCommerce shop?

 

or:

Have you worked out a feed of the OSCommerce shopping cart, or perhaps even the posting of 'buy' button to a FB payment module? (something similar to how Paypal works with OSCommerce).

[Michalke 0]

I see, do you mean when the customer signed on to their OSCommerce account, or started the checkout process, then they would be forwarded out of FB to the OSCommerce shop?

 

or:

Have you worked out a feed of the OSCommerce shopping cart, or perhaps even the posting of 'buy' button to a FB payment module? (something similar to how Paypal works with OSCommerce).

 

The first option is probably the easiest. Redirect away from one page is always a possibility to loose the customer. So maybe it works to let that payment module run in an iframe.

 

As we don't need a payment module on our "shop" I don't really know. Just try. If you are a bit experienced it takes probably not more than a couple of hours to get your Facebook shop started. You can install the app first on your private page and see how it looks. Go to developers.facebook.com there you might find more informations about payment and credits.

[npn2531 37]

I understand now, this contribution doesn't integrate an OSCommerce shop into FB, it just does a really nice job of displaying products on your FB page.

 

If you do figure out how to integrate the two, you'll be a Rockstar around here.

[ptt81 0]

Hi, on step 6. Try your application, how exactly can you test the application or the shop on FB? When calling the application on the tab menu of your Facebook page, where can you find this? When I go to my personal/private Facebook page, i dont see any tab or app there. Also, im using OSCmax which use BTS template and the css link look like this:

 

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="<?php echo (bts_select('stylesheet','stylesheet.css')); // BTSv1.5 ?>">

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="<?php echo (bts_select('stylesheet','stylesheet-new.css')); // BTSv1.5 ?>">

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="<?php echo (bts_select('stylesheet','print.css')); // BTSv1.5 ?>" media="print">

<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="<?php echo DIR_WS_TEMPLATES; ?>cssmenu.css">

 

Should I change them to direct link like in your instruction? Please help. Thanks

Edited February 6, 2011 by ptt81

[ptt81 0]

Nevermind the post above, i got it to work now, i just have to remove some illegal tags in index.php, some of my images and css menu stopped working but I will play with it some more until i like how it looks on FB. Thanks

[ptt81 0]

Hi, after i get it working, how does one make it show in FB like your link?

[Michalke 0]

I understand now, this contribution doesn't integrate an OSCommerce shop into FB, it just does a really nice job of displaying products on your FB page.

 

If you do figure out how to integrate the two, you'll be a Rockstar around here.

 

Hi npn2531, your shop is NONSSL until you get to checkout. From there you will have a problem because of the SSL. I only built one other OsC-shop with a payment module and that was clearpark which was run in an iframe. As an facebook app is running in an iframe already I don't know how this payment iframe would behave. My example shop for this add-on doesn't need a payment module. I don't see what payment modules you use for your shop. Do you have to use them with SSL? If you can use your payment modules without SSL then it should work.

 

And, yes, it integrates my OsC into Facebook. We have over 600 products and these are all in one database and I use in both cases the same product image.

[Michalke 0]

Hi, after i get it working, how does one make it show in FB like your link?

 

Hi ptt81, when you got it working you mean you can call it like apps.facebook.com/YOUR_APP/index.php, or what? If you got your app running, try this FB documentation about how to integrate an app in pages where you are the administrator: http://developers.facebook.com/docs/guides/canvas. Read all of it. The integration part for a page tab is quite at the bottom.

 

Good luck. Please let us know if you get it done.

[chrissmith 0]

Is this Contribution compatible with php4?

[Michalke 0]

Is this Contribution compatible with php4?

 

I guess it is as there is not much php coding involved. It runs on Facebook in an iframe, so why not.

[npn2531 37]

Visiting your link your FB page, I only see the index page (minus a product string) in the browser no matter what is clicked on. There is no way to add a product to a shopping cart, much less process a sale, and there is no place to login, or for a customer or user to create an account, or view customer account information.

 

This contribution appears to do nothing more than display products. That is a long way from integrating a shopping cart into FB.

[Michalke 0]

Visiting your link your FB page, I only see the index page (minus a product string) in the browser no matter what is clicked on. There is no way to add a product to a shopping cart, much less process a sale, and there is no place to login, or for a customer or user to create an account, or view customer account information.

 

This contribution appears to do nothing more than display products. That is a long way from integrating a shopping cart into FB.

 

Here: http://www.facebook.com/koenig.agrar?v=app_157818144268807 it only displays products because I want it that way. Visitors can fill out a form and so get in touch with us. We get at least two customers per day. It works perfectly for us. It is an Oscommerce-onlineshop v2.2 where I deliberately deleted the buy button. I can easily make it an onlineshop buy just adding the buy-button. When you upload your onlineshop it will display the buy-button and everything else you want it to display. In the next days I will upload a demo version with the OsC-dummyproducts.

 

Did you even try? Upload your own shop following the steps in the contribution and see what happens. Takes a couple of hours and you have a Facebook shop. It is up to you.