Authorize.Net, what a pain!

can anyone help with setup?

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I don't know where to begin, I have a client that want's to add Authorize.Net to his site, but I can't get it to accept any of my testing payments.

I am using PHP and MySQL for my site so if he provides me with an Authorize.Net login, I'm passing the payment option on to Authorize.Net instead of PayPal. But it doesn't accept my payment and it's very cryptic with the error message.

Specifically, I'm having trouble understanding what the loginid should be, is that different from the username for the Authorize.Net site? Also, how do I get a transaction ID? Can I generate it myself or do I need to get that from Authorize.Net?

You think that a site like that would have some "plug and play" code. Or atleast a better "How To" section of their site...

Anyway, anyone have any ideas?

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Nobody has any suggestions?

I have been trying to log into the test account that they sent me and I either get an ASP error or an error saying that the RPC server is not available.

I can't believe it is so dificult to set up a simple form to pass a description, item number and price to a payment service.

(I wish I could talk my client out of dealing with them but it's to late now.)

[tedster]

It's been a while since I set up a new account with them, but I do remember some convoluted stuff. Yes, it was a pain, and their online help files were cryptic. However, their phone support was good and I needed it.

They are big, and because of this they are a target and have been forced to do a lot to upgrade security -- and all of that leaves a confusing footprint. Still, they have given my clients solid service, even in the face of significant fraudulent charges. And then we needed to update a few things as the years passed and new security procedures went into effect.

My advice is to call them.

[StupidScript]

tmi: Which method are you using for your setup? AIM? SIM? Are you using the transaction code provided by your client's merchant banker specifically for Authorize.net? In addition to calling them, I suggest downloading the PDF User Guide for whichever method you are using. Sample code [developer.authorize.net] is also available to get you started.

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I'm using the SIM version because I don't want to deal with a shared https setup.

The sample code is very simple but I'm having trouble with the transaction key and the sample code is set up to verify a card, not submit a payment which is what I need.

I can obsfucate the code on the fly so security on the form will be pretty good, but getting the system to accept the payment is not easy at all.

I've been down with a cold so I haven't been able to make time to call them for the phone support. So far my email questions have been coming back slowly and the answers have not been very detailed.

Is there a way to automatically generate the transaction key? That seems to be my main problem. They sent me an email telling me that I would have to login to the account, create a transaction key after answering a question then send the payment. Is that how their system works?

*edited for spelling