trouble with tax multiplier var

[mhunter]

Here's one to scratch your head.

 

I wrote a function to call an external program from my osc:

 

get_new_tax($state, $zip, $new_city, $amt);

This function does a calculation and returns the results and I call this from tep_get_tax_rate()

 

In the main function function tep_get_tax_rate(){

the code returns $tax_multiplier. When I manually set this var to 8.25 for example, the amount is calculated and the tax is displayed into the shopping cart app in the correct place.

 

When I assign the value from my new function to the $tax_multiplier var, (8.25 because I echo it out)- the tax amount is missing from the shopping cart in the place it should be.

 

The value is the same both ways. I am returning $tax_multiplier each time back to the program. But I cannot figure out why it wont work when assigning the value:

 

$tax_multiplier = $var_from_function;

echo "**" . $tax_multiplier . "**";//this echos **8.25**

 

$tax_multiplier = 8.25;//this echo 8.25

echo "**" . $tax_multiplier . "**";//this echos **8.25**

 

return $tax_multiplier;

 

The last one shows up in my cart application in right place. The first doesnt show at all, but I can get it to echo on screen.

 

Any ideas ????

 

Here's the two functions:

********************************************************************************

 

function tep_get_tax_rate(){

global $amt, $city, $rate_mult, $id, $tax_rate, $order, $ver_subtotal, $ver_value, $value, $state, $zip, $id;

 

//$city = "San Antonio";

 

$amt = $ver_subtotal;

$city = $order->delivery['city'];

$new_city = str_replace(" ", "", "$city");

$zip = $order->delivery['postcode'];

$state_before = $order->delivery['state'];

 

//do query for state

 

$state_query = tep_db_query("SELECT `name`,`abbr` FROM `states` WHERE `name` LIKE '$state_before'");

$state_res = tep_db_fetch_array($state_query);

$state = $state_res['abbr'];

 

//echo $amt . $city . $state . $zip;

get_new_tax($state, $zip, $new_city, $amt); //this works

$tax_multiplier = 0;

 

$tax_multiplier = $rate_mult;

 

// $tax_multiplier = 9.00;

 

echo "here's taxmultiplier: " . "**".$tax_multiplier."**";

 

//echo "this is rate mult from get_tax: " . $rate_mult . "<br>";//this works

 

return $tax_multiplier;

 

}

 

 

function get_new_tax($state, $zip, $city, $amt){

global $rate_mult;

$b = "ssh -i includes/functions/key/vertex vertex@wolf $state $zip $city COD $amt";

 

exec($b, $c, $g);

 

$line = $c[4];

$new_rate = substr($line, 26, -10);

$rate_mult = $new_rate * 100;

return $rate_mult;

 

 

}

********************************************************

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

 

Thanks

Mignon