Nice PayPal Button not playing well with pPGallery

[skyvault]

Hello,

I've built a product database, using pPGallery to display the items.
I was told I could load Nice PayPal buttons on each item, so that
customers can order before or after the window pane opens .

Site: http://www.skyvaultpublishing.com/ArtsyDancewear/

However, when I place the Nice PayPal code inside the pPGallery
tag, it doesn't function. It works just fine outside the tag. Any
tips? Thanks...

Lance T. Walker, Project Manager
SkyVault Web Design & Photography
http://www.skyvaultwebdesign.com

[Michael]

Hi,

Can you send me a copy of the tag you are using and a direct URL or instructions on where I can find the faulty button on your site?

Also, try typing the button tag in by hand. Sometimes when folks copy and paste the button tag from the documentation, they get bits of hidden HTML code mixed in with the tag, which fouls the tag syntax.

Any additional information you can provide regarding this anomaly would assist me greatly in sleuthing out a solution.

Thanks,

Michael

[skyvault]

Hey Michael,

Here's a response I got from C. Schneider in Germany, who has been very helpful in the past (and who I believe is a creator of the pPGallery script):

Hi,

instructions insider the '{ppgallery}...{/ppgallery}' are beeing ignored, except the ones that are useable as 'inline overrides'. tThe PayPal button will not work within this gallery.... sorry!

Regards CS

This is not good news. I am in serious need of a solution. Here is the url:
http://www.skyvaultpublishing.com/Artsy ... &Itemid=53

- Button set #1 is outside the {ppgallery} tag, is visible, and works.
- Button set #2 is to the right of the second item, inside the tag, and is invisible.

I could use an alternative option if this is not doable...

LTW

[Michael]

It sounds like the "{ppgallery}...{/ppgallery}" tags are only for passing predesignated overrides. And they do not allow a straight pass through of just anything that you input.

The Nice PayPal Button works by replacing the button tag text on the page with a PayPal button form. This is accomplished as such:

1. The site visitor requests a page.
2. Joomla builds the requested page in HTML. Joomla gathers/runs all of the scripts/extensions required to build the page. In your case, it has to run the gallery component scripts at this time.
3. Just before Joomla pushes the HTML page to the visitor's browser, the Nice PayPal Button plugin "grabs" the HTML page.
4. NPB searches the HTML page for button tags and replaces them with the HTML based PayPal button form.
5. NPB submits the altered page to Joomla and signals that it has finished its job.
6. Joomla pushes the page to the visitor's browser.

So, the stick point here is that the gallery component you are using won't allow the button tag to pass-through its page building process. Essentially, the tags get stripped out during step 2 in the process I outlined above. When the Nice PayPal Button plugin "grabs" the HTML page and searches it for the button tags, it doesn't find any. So, there are no tags to replace with the PayPal button form.

I would check the documentation of the gallery component and see if there is a different set of tags ( i.e. {ppgallery}...{/ppgallery} ) that will allow you to pass text/data straight through the galleries build process. If you can find such a tag set, the NPB button tag will show up on the HTML page and then can be replaced with the PayPal button form.

[skyvault]

OK, I think I got that explanation. However, I still have a problem to solve...

Bottom line, I need a catalog solution that will be easy for my client to maintain, and one that uses Nice PayPal Button.
Obviously, pPGallery won't do the job, but I have to believe something else will. Any suggestions appreciated...

LTW

[Michael]

Well, the issue isn't so much that Nice PayPal Button won't do the job, as it is that PPGallery is removing the Nice PayPal Button tag. If PPGallery would display the tag properly and not remove it the Nice PayPal Button would work flawlessly.

As for suggestions, I really don't know of any other extension that will work with PPGallery the way you would like it to. There is another PayPal Button plugin in the JED that works similar to the one I offer. However, it uses a similar methodology as mine. You would run into the same road block if you used it instead.

Most of the other e-commerce solutions (shopping carts) require that you use their built in product catalog pages. This would limit you to having to put a link into PPGallery in the same way that you are entering the Nice PayPal Button tag. The link would point to the product listing/buy page. Without knowing more about PPGallery, I wold imagine that it would strip out any link you put into it. If not, then you can simply link to a Joomla article that has a Nice PayPal Button on it and your problem will be solved.

From my prerogative the issue is more about the PPGallery restrictions than anything else. Have you looked at using other galleries? A gallery that allowed for photo captions would probably do the trick.

[skyvault]

Michael,

I was inquiring about replacing pPGallery, not Nice PayPal. I'm very happy with both of them, but the payment button is definitely the higher priority.
Your last sentence was a good suggestion. I'll start looking for gallery extensions that can actually handle PayPal ecommerce. The key, of course, is
to make sure my client will be able to upate inventory easily - that's why I asked if you had any ideas. The hunt continues...

LTW