At a loss to fix Checkout. Cart refreshing

-- HikaShop version -- : 2.6.0
-- Joomla version -- : 3.4.5
-- PHP version -- : 4.0.10.7
-- Browser(s) name and version -- : Safari 9.0
-- Error-message(debug-mod must be tuned on) -- : debug mode is turned on
error reporting is set to maximum
no errors are being reported


I want to know first, please, if there is anything wrong with the settings that I have attached for the shopping cart workflow, default configuration, and plugins--because I feel like I've been throwing dice at the checkout settings to make it work again.

My cart worked great earlier today...I mean yesterday (I've been at this for a while).
I ran into problems after I disabled the ' redirect Joomla to Hikashop Registration ' plugin.
But, it's possible I made changes to my checkout workflow / registration / login settings before the problem resulted.
I am uncertain of the cause.

I have tried to re-enable the plugin, that did not fix anything (not likely the cause)
I have reduced my checkout process to the four essential steps: (Login, address, shipping, payment) and have tried, with all of the settings attached in the settings folder here, tried every variation of the checkout workflow. Each variation lead to checkout failure in one way or another: landing on a blank checkout flow (on step 1, or step 2, or step 3 depending)...usually resulting in a page getting refreshed over and over again. Two attempts lead to "Safari cannot find the page" when I tried to check-out (errors in config-15 and 16 in the folder attached).the errors I ran into for each variation are all attached here (if you need to see them).

I have downloaded and reinstalled the latest version of HIkashop and that has not fixed it.
I am using both shippable and virtual goods, paypal payment, and usps shipping plugin.
These all worked great earlier today, for both national and international shipping, and virtual goods.

changing the Joomla login (separating it from Hikashop login) is the only change I was making when these problems began.

I need the Hikashop to be "registered" not "inherit"
I've changed that setting too though, to see if it was a cause and it does not seem to be.

I have not installed any new plugins or extensions in the time since the checkout was working.

Attachments 1, 2, and 3 are my current settings.

Hello again Hikashop...

Here is an update:
I went to sleep
I woke up
I successfully checked out.

I didn't change anything. And it's working.
I am glad that it is working...but I hesitate to make the site live for my client when I know the cart recently stopped working for no apparent reason.

Is this the kind of thing that could stop working on customers for a few hours before it works again?
They probably won't come back.
And we would have customers getting stuck during checkout, experiencing blank pages / refreshes, unable to finish checking out...
and we may never know that it is happening to them unless they take the time to complain.

Alright,

I've successfully broke the cart again.
I adjusted my checkout workflow a few times and that caused the problem to reoccur.

Login--->Address---->Shipping---->Coupon

---

Cart

---

Payment
(it still worked)


then:

Login-->Address--->Coupon

---

Shipping----Payment

---

Cart

When I landed on Step 2 the message came up "No shipping method found" otherwise everything worked fine.

I then changed it to:

Login--->Address--->Shipping

---

Cart

---

Coupon

---

Payment

When I went to checkout I landed on Step 2 and could not continue, it kept refreshing.

Now I don't think there's anything wrong with the checkout-workflow (except in the case of the Address and Shipping being on the same step because I get the message "no shipping method found" since the address has not been entered yet)

The problem must be related to residual things my browser remembers (local or server cache)...?

(I'm going to empty some caches and return with an update)

SOLVED!

It's an issue related to my USPS plugin.
By ONLY changing the products in my cart (nothing else)
I was able to successfully check-out.

Here is the forum post that helped me, talking about cache and shipping plugins:
www.hikashop.com/support/forum/developme...hikashop.html#209915

I've isolated that this issue was a result of my shipping API (USPS)
and this leaves me with a new question that I would greatly appreciate more information on.

3 possible ways to begin Checkout:

Guest | Register | Login


3 possible varieties of product types:

digital only (should require no shipping)
tangible only (shipping needed)
combo (shipping needed)


Possible scenarios during checkout

- I click on checkout just to begin
- I begin in 1/3 ways (G, R, L)
- I checkout and go off to Paypal
OR
- I click the “continue shopping” button / I click on a menu item or site link / I go off to another webpage (and then come back)
- I change something (qty only, switch products, add new product) / or not
- I return to the checkout, do I make it to Paypal?

*if the products are only digital, and the problems were resulting from shipping, I should make it to Paypal in every scenario
*but if any tangible products are included, the shipping API may lead to unsuccessful checkout

What can I do to ensure that my shipping API does not cause any problems during checkout for the above, very realistic, scenarios?

Wrong again?

I'm running into the cart refresh problem again now, and in multiple browsers.
Changing the product is no longer solving the refresh issue (as though it is in fact NOT caused by the shipping API)

I'm starting to lose my mind.
In the tutorials I have found and watched on shopping cart set up, they are not using the business version of Hikashop and aren't dealing with guest check-out, the 'switcher' option, or the customized checkout with the progress bar.

Can someone direct me to any documentation explaining how to properly configure my cart settings for the variety of desired checkout settings?

I'd like to first eliminate the possibility that there is anything wrong with my current configuration before I start changing anything else with my fingers crossed.

Update:

Hypothesis: that the Groundhog Day cart is being caused by the USPS Shipping API

Test:

1. Restore my website to the latest backup before utilizing the USPS shipping API
2. Make every other change to the site to bring it back up to date, except the activation of the USPS Shipping API in Hikashop, checking the cart as follows after each change:

Cart test:
Initial problem was consistently caused by attempting a purchase of products more than once regardless of quantity and the addition of new products.
set test product to 'unlimited' ; this is not a digital product and requires shipping.
the cart test is being done, over and over again with exactly the same product to ensure no other plugins, global configuration changes, or adjustments to the Hikashop checkout workflow and cart configuration are causing the issue.

Shipping is currently the Hikashop manual plugin.
I have made every other change and tested the cart. I am having NO bugs. Even the states in the dropdown menu display again. These changes have included: changing the checkout workflow, changing the default user group for registered users in both Hikashop and Joomla, checking with the 'redirect Joomla registration to HIkashop plugin' both enabled and disabled, checking the cart both with/without the 'checkout progress with ending', checking with varieties of Login & Registration configurations for 'All in one page' and 'Switcher', Login 'yes' and 'no', guest and registration.
The checkout process is currently successful, over and over again, with all of these varied settings.

I am about to backup the site again before activating my USPS shipping plugin once more. I am expecting this plugin to result in the Groundhog Day cart.

Solutions to the invisible states in the state dropdown menu are here:
www.hikashop.com/forum/4-how-to/18515-st...x-are-not-shown.html

This issue is not related to the USPS Shipping API

I have not re-enabled the USPS Shipping API yet, first I needed to ensure that my checkout configuration was exactly right (so other errors will not be confused as related to the shipping api)

I am sharing these settings for anyone else who has similar needs and is uncertain how to configure Hikashop's Checkout Settings.

Site needs:
*to support the registration of users on the Joomla website who are automatically granted unique access/viewing priviliges upon registration.
- I must ensure that someone making a casual purchase (guest / HIkashop customer) is never added as a Joomla User.
* Our registered site users must still be able to checkout with their email, over and over again.

Previous Errors Resulting from improper Checkout Settings:
-with previous configurations I unexpectedly would see the error "email address already in use" while attempting a test-guest checkout.This was because I had not yet logically considered the reality of users in the context of my site-testing email.

* Reality of Actual Site Users and customers:
users who actually register to our site can either log in or request their password. I now understand that these registered users cannot be given guest-checkout access, because otherwise anyone knowing their email address could use our guest checkout to obtain the person's private addresses.

Attached are screenshots of what I am believing is the most logical and successful configuration for our needs.

The following checkout configuration should accomplish the following:
1. It prevents Hikashop customers from being added as registered users
2. It ensures that registered users must login to checkout using their email (protecting their saved address information that would have been entered during previous purchases.)

Note: The plugin ' Redirect Joomla Registration to Hikashop Plugin' is disabled. Although, I think it would not matter if we enabled it, but I'd prefer that registered users enter their address at the time they are purchasing something instead.

Reason for setting the " Login " option to Yes :
If a registered user who has their browser set to remember their username and password is first making a purchase before logging in, it would be very inconvenient if they had to leave the checkout process because they had not yet logged in before shopping.

Reason for my choosing ' Switcher ' as the ' Display method for registration ' :
It looks better with this template.

Reason for my choice of 'Default Registration View :
I chose "Login" as the default Registration View so that Registered users are first presented with the option to Login, if they are not logged in at the time of their purchase. Otherwise, (people like me) would be inclined to simply enter their email and checkout as a guest, that's what I would try to do because it's more automatic than thinking to switch over to "Login". I would then be irritated by having to log in after seeing the error "email already in use". A guest, who has never registered, knows that they cannot log in and they will have to choose Guest. They will have no issues.

Reason for my choice options under ' Registration ' :
I am NOT allowing ' Registration ' because I do not want Hikashop customers to be added as registered Joomla Users
I am NOT allowing ' Simplified Registration ' ""
I am NOT allowing ' Simplified Registration with Password ' ""
I have chosen ' Guest ' and ONLY guest, so that people uninterested in joining the site can simply checkout as guests.

User group on Registration : irrelevant due to the above settings.

And best of all, I now understand that the shopping cart refresh had NOTHING to do with any of these settings.
These settings are only meant for logically customizing our user needs.

Confirmed first error resulting from the USPS Shipping API : "No shipping method found"

Step 1: Login
Step 2 (top to bottom): Address, Shipping
step 3: Payment, Coupon, Cart, Status, Fields

I have not changed my checkout workflow yet, and this is the first item calling for the shipping calculation, so there is not looping / cart refresh occurring yet.
This error did not appear as a result of this checkout workflow until the USPS shipping API was enabled.
This error does not appear with the Hikashop manual shipping plugin.

It makes sense that I could see this error come up, because Step 2 calls for the shipping calculation (which is automatically selected) and when the customer gets to Step 2 they have not yet given their address; so shipping cannot be calculated.

At this stage, the shipping is successfully calculated once the user enters their address and clicks Next.
The rest of the checkout process is successful.

During this test, I will be creating a new tangible test product to use with the next checkout configuration, and I will ensure that it has a different weight. (as I suspect that the looping / refreshing cart may have been resulting from the API being asked to calculate shipping for the same product more than once.)

I want to fix this 'no shipping method found' error first.

*Note, this would not be a problem if the message read "Please enter your shipping address" OR if I had the option to ONLY request a Shipping address--and before the API tries to calculate shipping--- I do not (at this time) understand the need for any other address, since I am not mailing out a bill.

Attempted Solution : Remove the Address field from the checkout workflow (because I don't want a billing address) and change the option 'Show Shipping Same as Address Box ' to NO.
Why? : I thought that by selecting 'NO' for 'Show Shipping Same as Address Box' that I would see a shipping address field, and thus not need the "billing address" field.

Step 1: Login
Step 2: Shipping
Step 3 : Payment, Coupon, Cart, Status, Fields

BAD Cart Configuration Confirmed:
This also lands on Step 2 with the error message "No shipping method found"
Only this time the user has no way to enter their address.
The 'Next' button refreshes the page.

It makes sense that we cannot complete checkout at this point, since the item needs to be shipped, and shipping needs to be calculated. It would be a much bigger problem if we could finish checking out and then couldn't send the package and had to email a shipping bill and address request.

Attempted Solution #2
Another BAD checkout-configuration, and why:

Change Checkout Workflow back to:
Step1: Login
Step 2: Address, Shipping
Step 3: Payment, Coupon, Cart, Status, Fields

Change the Shipping and Payment Options:

-Change 'Show Shipping Same Address checkbox' back to " Yes"

-Change 'Auto Submit Shipping and Payment methods selection' to No
Why? I thought that by changing this option to 'No' that the user would not see the error message "No shipping method found" at Step 2. I thought it could mean, by auto-submit, that it would wait until the user hit "next" before calling the Shipping API for the calculation, giving the user time to enter their address first. This was not the case, and I still saw the error 'No Shipping method found' at Step 2 because the user had not entered an address yet.

-Change ' Auto Select default shipping and payment methods ' to 'No'
Why? I thought that if the shipping method were automatically selected when the user landed on Step 2, that it might be what produced the "No shipping method found" error. This was not the case, and it only made checkout very irritating (because I only have one Shipping and Payment method) The user wouldn't know to select them because it doesn't make sense to need to select them and the popups are then startling.

*Realization Regarding Guest Checkout and No Registration:
With the proper Login/Registration Settings for my site's needs, when a user is not registered they immediately land on Step 2, skipping the Login option altogether. Before I understood the Login/Registration configuration, I had thought that Step 1 being skipped was an error, but it's not. It's perfect because I don't want guest customers to be registered as Joomla Users from Hikashop and I like that they don't need to select "guest" and can just move on with checkout.

SUCCESSFUL CHECKOUT FLOW and SHIPPING/PAYMENT settings Using USPS Shipping API:

Step 1: Login
Step 2: Address
Step 3: Shipping
Step 4: Payment, Coupon, Cart, Status, Fields

Shipping and Payment:
'Auto Select default shipping and payment methods' : If only one method is available (most logical choice)
'Auto submit shipping and payment methods selection' : Yes (This avoids surprising the user with unexpectedly needing to)

I am also including my other checkout settings for anyone wanting to reference them.

Next Test:
Attempt to checkout several times purchasing the same product:
1. as different users, and no other items or quantities
2. as the same user, and no other items or quantities

I tried.
I can't break it.

XOXO HIkashop!

and thank you programmer for the USPS Shipping API!!!

It's solved. The cart is working wonderfully!

I was sharing what I learned so that it could help someone else (that's how I find a lot of help).

Thanks for your reply Nicolas