If you have not yet signed up with Authorize.net (ANET), please do so before activating real time credit card processing for your store. Otherwise, your store will NOT function properly.

** This document ONLY applies to Shopping-Q stores running Version 3.4 (Released 07-04-2003) or later **.

If you are not running the latest version of Shopping-Q, please have your hosting company upgrade your store.

REQUIRED fields are shown with a * star

API LOGIN ID*
Once your ANET merchant account is setup, ANET will provide you with a code called "API Login ID". This is not the same Login ID that you use to sign onto the ANET Virtual Terminal.

This code is located inside of your ANET Virtual Terminal Account under a Setting called "API Login ID and Transaction Key".

Enter the API Login ID that ANET displays into the field above. This is required in order for your online store to access your ANET merchant account and post credit card transactions. This field is required.

This setting is used for both the SIM and AIM gateway protocols.

Do not enter your ANET password here. The password is only needed when you access your ANET Virtual Terminal account with a web browser.

IMPORTANT SECURITY NOTE
Part of ANET's new security measures is the ability to require that your virtual terminal password be provided for ALL transactions when accessing their gateway. Since this store uses the SIM and AIM connection methods (and passes a transaction key in place of the VT password), this feature can be enabled for maximum protection.

To turn the ANET Password-Required feature on, please visit the "Settings" link in your ANET virtual terminal account. This link is located on ANET's Virtual Terminal home page under the ACCOUNT sub-section.

Then click on the "Password-Required Mode " option. Find the checkbox for the "Require Password for ALL Transactions" option and make sure it's checked and then click the "Submit" button.

Transaction Key*:
This field is required and is provided by ANET. The transaction key is unique to your ANET account and is NOT your ANET password. You must first access your ANET VT account, click the "Settings" option, and then click "API Login ID and Transaction Key". Next, complete the ANET screen to generate the Transaction Key. Finally, copy and enter it into this field exactly as shown by ANET.

This setting is used for both the SIM and AIM gateway protocols.

** In order for the store to post customer transactions to your ANET VT account, this transaction key must be correctly defined in the store's ANET configuration at all times!

If you change your ANET VT account's transaction key, you must update the store's ANET configuration with the new transaction key.

IMPORTANT SECURITY NOTE:
As of April 2003, Authorize NET will no longer accept payments from your store using the old WebLink method. This was the method used by the store prior to v3.2. Starting with v3.2, the store now uses the SIM or AIM gateway method for Authorize NET which is much more secure and much safer for your customers.

You should access your ANET account and configure the Virtual Terminal (VT) to only use the SIM or AIM gateway. To do so, please log into your ANET account, click "Settings", the click "API Login ID and Transaction Key". Complete the secret question and obtain the transaction key - please copy, print, or write down this key!

This transaction key MUST be entered exactly like it appears into the store configuration for ANET as described above. This key will be encrypted by the store and included in all communications with ANET. This will insure that the transactions being posted to your ANET account are secure and valid.

Before proceeding with the next step, please process at least one test transaction from your store to ANET to make sure the transaction key is working properly. When it does, you should complete the step below.

ANET Gateway Method*
This store supports both of ANET's gateway protocols: "SIM" (Simple Integration Method) or "AIM" (Advanced Integration Method). Please choose which method you wish the store to use during customer checkout.

IMPORTANT: Your domain name MUST be using its own SSL certificate in order to use the AIM protocol. Some web sites may not be compatible with the AIM protocol, and as a result, will need to use the SIM protocol.

SIM Protocol: when using this connection method, the store will switch over to ANET during the customer's checkout so it may collect the customer's credit card securely using ANET Server's SSL. The credit card information will be input by the customer while on the ANET server. Once the transaction has been processed, ANET will post the results back to the store as well as return the customer back to the store to display the Thank You Page. This protocol is compatible with all web sites running this store software and does NOT require the web site to have its own SSL certificate.

AIM Protocol: when using this connection method, the store DOES NOT have to switch over to the ANET server during checkout. Instead, the entire checkout process takes place on your web site. During checkout, the store will collect the customer's credit card data on a secure web form (SSL certificate is required) and then internally open up a secure socket connection to ANET to process the transaction in real-time during the checkout process.

NOTE: In order for the AIM protocol feature to work properly, your web site MUST have its own SSL certificate installed and working. Some web sites may not be compatible with the AIM protocol, and as a result, will need to use the SIM protocol.

POST TO ADDRESS*
This is the web address that ANET will accept credit card transactions for your merchant account. This store needs to know where to post credit card transactions to in order for ANET to receive them. This address is normally the same for all merchants with a V3.1 ANET account. This field is required.

This setting is used for both the SIM and AIM gateway protocols.

The default address is:

https://secure.authorize.net/gateway/transact.dll 

CAUTION: do not change this address unless ANET instructs you to do so. This address is only for V3.1 of their gateway. 

POST FROM ADDRESS
Previously (before the SIM or AIM connection method was implemented), ANET required that you configure your Virtual Terminal account with the location (URL) that credit card transactions will be posted FROM. This was the location from which customer orders were posted to the ANET gateway from your store. 

Sometimes this was called a "referrer URL". This was an important security measure in ANET's old Weblink connection method but it's no longer used by ANET's SIM/AIM connection method. The store still displays this field for backwards compatibility but this field will not be needed once ANET discontinues the use of the Weblink connection method (April 2003).

SIM PROTOCOL: RETURN STORE ADDRESS
When a customer completes their credit card information (which occurs on ANET's server using SSL), ANET will charge the customer's credit card for the total amount of the sale (assuming the credit card is valid).

Once that is done, ANET will display a receipt page on their server. At that point, the customer will need to click the CONTINUE button on ANET's receipt page in order for ANET to return the results of the customer transaction back to your store.

This setting is used ONLY for the SIM gateway protocol. If you are using the AIM gateway protocol, please ignore this field.

When the transaction is returned to the store, the store changes the customer order's status from "Pending" to "New".

NOTE: If the customer does not click the continue button on the ANET receipt page, the store is never informed that the transaction was completed, and as a result, the customer's order will remain in the store with a "Pending" status.

In order for all of this to happen properly, ANET needs to know what the return link address (return URL) is for your store so it can return the customer (from ANET's receipt page) back to the store.

ANET requires that you configure your VT account with the EXACT return link address shown above. The address is case sensitive.

To change this setting in ANET, log into your ANET VT account, click SETTINGS, and then click "Response/Receipt URLs" option. Using the options provided by ANET, enter the URL shown by the store in the "Return Link Address" field into the "Default Receipt Link URL" field asked for by ANET. Next, select the "POST" radio button option on the page. The "Receipt Link Text" field is optional. Once all settings are correct, click the SUBMIT button to record them into the ANET VT account settings.

This is an important security measure and insures that nobody other that you can receive the results of processed credit card transactions from your ANET account.

SIM PROTOCOL: TRANSACTION RESULTS POSTING ADDRESS:
When you use this new feature, ANET will "silently" post the results of this credit card transaction back to your store after ANET has charged the customer's credit card (regardless of whether or not the customer returns to the store from ANET's receipt page).

When this post happens, the store changes the order's status from "Pending" to "New". The store will also send a confirmation email to the customer and a copy of it to you.

In order for all of this to work properly, ANET needs to know what the Transaction Results Posting Address ("Silent Post URL") is in order to post the results back to the store. 

This setting is used ONLY by the SIM gateway protocol.

To use this optional (by highly recommended) feature, you need to configure your ANET account with the exact web address shown here. To do so, sign onto your ANET account over the Internet. Next, click on the "Settings" option. Under Settings, click the "Silent POST URL" option listed. A page will be displayed to the right which contains a field called "URL". Enter the exact address shown above into this field. Be sure to click the "Submit" button at the bottom of the page to record changes.

TROUBLESHOOTING THE ANET CONFIGURATION:

1) In ANET's VT, be sure the Transaction Version is set to V3.1 and NOT v3.0.

2) Be sure the RELAY RESPONSE settings and fields in ANET'S VT are NOT used.

3) Be sure the transaction key in the store's ANET configuration EXACTLY matches the transaction key in the ANET VT settings.

4) Be sure the Return Link Address provided by the store has been setup correctly in ANET's Response/Receipt URL field as the "Default Receipt Link URL".

5) Be sure that your web server's date and time is set correctly!

ANET only accepts transactions from a store whose time is within a few minutes of ANET's time and date (the server's date/time must NOT be set in advance of the current time and date).

Therefore, the time and date of your web server must always be set correctly!

6) If you are using a custom skin, make sure the checkout skin pages ONLY have one <form> block with "Qstore.cgi" as the form action. Failure to adhere to this important guideline will cause your store to fail when attempting to communicate with ANET.

7) ANET's "Silent Post URL" field should contain the correct "Transaction Results Posting Address" displayed by the store.

8) ANET's "Default Relay Response" URL field must be blank.

9) Be sure you entered the correct API LOGIN ID into the first field on the store's ANET setup page. This is NOT the same ID as you use to sign onto ANET's Virtual Terminal System.

TYPE OF CREDIT CARD PROCESSING TO PERFORM*
There are two types of credit card processing that can be done for each credit card order. A "normal sale" or a "pre-authorize only". Please read the information below and then select which type of processing you want done. 

This setting is used for both the SIM and AIM gateway protocols.

A "normal sale" is a traditional credit card sale in which the credit card is validated and approved by the credit card company, the charge is posted to the customer's account, and then the money from the sale is deposited into your company's checking account. This is what most merchants choose to do. 

A "pre-authorize only" will just validate the credit card and put a temporary hold on the customer's credit limit for the amount of the sale. It will NOT actually charge the customer NOR will it deposit money into your bank account UNTIL you review the order and complete it as a normal sale (called "forcing" a sale).

RUN ANET GATEWAY IN TEST MODE?*
This controls whether or not the store sends transaction to the ANET gateway in "test" mode.

This setting is used for both the SIM and AIM gateway protocols.

If set to YES, then all transactions sent to the ANET gateway will be processed BUT NOT posted to your merchant account, and NOT charged to the credit card. You will NOT see these transactions in your ANET virtual terminal, but the simulated transaction results will be posted back to your store as part of the order.

NOTE: Only set this to YES when you are first testing the store and real-time ANET processing. Once testing has been completed, you need to change this setting to NO in order for customer transactions to actually be processed and posted to your merchant account.

ANET TO SEND PROCESSING RESULTS EMAIL TO STORE MANAGER?*
This controls whether or not ANET sends a "transaction result" email to the store manager upon successful processing of a credit card transaction.

This setting is used for both the SIM and AIM gateway protocols.

When this is set to YES, ANET will send the store manager (#1 email address only) an notification email that will contain the results of the real-time processing.

The default setting is YES and is the recommended setting you should use.

ANET TO SEND PROCESSING RESULTS EMAIL TO CUSTOMER?*
This controls whether or not ANET sends a "transaction result" email to the customer upon successful processing of the credit card transaction.

This setting is used for both the SIM and AIM gateway protocols.

When this is set to YES, ANET will send the customer an notification email that will contain the results of their order's real-time processing.

The default setting is NO and is the recommended setting you should use. The store will send the customer an email once they click the final button on ANET's receipt page. This button sends the transaction results back to the store. Once that happens, the store marks the customer's "Pending Order" as a "New Order" and then sends out the store manager email and the customer's confirmation email.