Ecommerce Solutions
Ecommerce Software for Selling Online

Connecting to a Payment Gateway

To connect to the gateway - SOME MINOR PROGRAMMING VIA CGI, ASP or any programming language that interfaces with your web server must be performed by the merchant or its ISP. This documentation provides a general overview on the subject.

This information is for customers who don't purchase the Ecommerce Solutions Total Package.

What is the Gateway Payment Connection:
The Gateway Payment Connection is a secure web server that provides an interface for merchant websites that require real-time transaction processing. The merchants either have an SSL server or not and can connect via http with the payment gateway to get a real-time credit card card authorization.

The Payment Connection is NOT plug-in software for packages purchased by merchants, but rather a series of scripts that reside on the goEmerchant.com Secure Payment Servers that provide an http interface for the merchant website to connect.

The Gateway Payment Connection does nothing more than fetch an authorization and pass that information back to the merchant server. It is up to the merchant to do whatever pre and post-processing that is required, such as storing order information, sending email invoice notification, and logging of transactions.

General Requirements:
The merchant's website must be able to generate a unique UserID (like an invoice number), the Total for the transaction. and have a URL that is a working script for the Payment Connection to return the authorization information. Sample scripts for receiving the Get (via http query string) variables (key=value pairs) are supplied at the back of this document in both Perl and ASP.

EZ Payment Gateway HTML Help - (guidelines for linking a web site)
Who programs a web site to link with goEmerchant.com - Payment Connection?
The responsibility of linking a web site with goEmerchant.com belongs to the owner of the web site or whoever is responsible for the web site in general. goEmerchant.com support personnel cannot and won't be responsible for ensuring that a web site is programmed properly for use with goEmerchant.com. Merchants that are unable to implement the HTML/CGI/ASP requirements for using goEmerchant.com - Payment Connection should consult with a local Internet web designer/programmer for assistance or purchase the goEmerchant.com Internet Store.

All basic Internet web sites are really a single or many HTML coded text files and graphics files that are linked together and stored on an Internet server. In order to use goEmerchant.com - Gateway Payment Connection, you must have a few additional lines of HTML code placed in the web page file that represents the final order page of a web site.

Payment Connection Overview There are two different ways to link a web site to the Payment Connection for real-time transaction processing:
Option 1: Link to the Payment Connection Secure Payment Form
(For merchants who do not have a secure server or for merchants who prefer to use the Payment Connection Form)
Merchant web site posts to the Secure Payment Form on goEmerchant.com's secure servers
(Unique UserID, a Total, and has a script with a URL to return authorization information.)
Gateway Payment Connection - Secure Payment Form
(Collects Credit Card and Billing Information and Gets an Authorization.)
Payment Connection - Transaction Gateway
(Sends the Authorization Variables via http GET method back to merchant URL and script.)

Option 2: Link directly to the Payment Connection Transaction Gateway
(Only for merchants who have a secure server)
Merchant web site Posts to the Secure Payment Server
(All necessary Billing Information, The Total and a script with a URL to return authorization information.)
Payment Connection - Transaction Gateway
(Sends the Authorization Variables via http GET method back to merchant URL and script.)


NOTE: For purposes of this section, a secure server is defined as a webserver that has installed and is running at least SSL 2.0 (Secure Sockets Layer) and has a verifiable secure server digital certificate from a recognized certificate authority.

You must have a moderate understanding of HTML/CGI/ASP in order to fully exploit the features of goEmerchant.com Payment Connection. Although it is true that the following snippets of HTML code can be copied and pasted directly into a web site and it would "work", it is not likely that all of the specific needs you have with your web site will be met simply by copying and pasting this code. These code snippets below will send the data to the Gateway Payment Connection, but the transaction status information will never make it back to the merchant without a script on the merchant server. Merchants that are unable to achieve the custom look/feel and programming required on their own should consult with a local Internet web designer/programmer for assistance or purchase the goEmerchant.com Internet Store.

At the very minimum, you web site must do the following in order to be linked properly with the Payment Connection Secure transaction gateway:

Your web site must calculate a total amount that is to be authorized by the Payment Connection system. The Payment Connection code samples below DO NOT demonstrate how to calculate totals; calculating a total amount is not part of the Payment Connection system, and usually requires script programming in your web site. Your web site must pass at least the total amount, the Unique OrderID associated with the shopping cart, the CARD TYPE, the CREDIT CARD NUMBER, EXPIRATION DATE, The NAME ON CARD, CARDHOLDER ADDRESS, CARDHOLDER CITY, CARDHOLDER STATE, CARDHOLDER ZIPCODE, CARDHOLDER COUNTRY, and a URL to return transaction information to the Payment Connection Gateway. The code sample below demonstrates this. Any other fields, such as Invoice, Customer ID, Name, Address, etc.. MUST be stored stored in a data file on your system that can be retrieved via the OrderID field that will be passed back to your system.