PayPal return URL

Question

Here's the code for my Paypal button:

<form action="https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
    <input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_xclick">
    <input type="hidden" name="business" value="[email protected]">
    <input type="hidden" name="lc" value="GB">
    <input type="hidden" name="button_subtype" value="products">
    <input type="hidden" name="no_note" value="1">
    <input type="hidden" name="no_shipping" value="1">
    <input type="hidden" name="rm" value="0">
    <input type="hidden" name="return" value="http://www.example.com"&gt;
    <input type="hidden" name="item_name" value="My Item">
    <input type="hidden" name="amount" value="25.00">
    <input type="hidden" name="currency_code" value="GBP">
    <input type="hidden" name="bn" value="PP-BuyNowBF:proceed_btn.gif:NonHosted">
    <input type="hidden" name="item_number" value="4BD9569402CDE">
    <input type="image" src="http://www.example.com/image.gif" border="0" name="submit" alt="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online.">
    <img alt="" border="0" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_GB/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" height="1">
</form>

Is it possible to add the item_number to the return URL?

For example, after completing the payment within PayPal the user gets sent back to http://www.example.com?item_number=4BD9569402CDE

Answer 1

As far as I know, you can't return vars in the paypal return link. Paypals biggest drawback and I've no idea why they don't let you.

I've always got round it by storing vars in cookies - its by no means an ideal solution though.

There may be more option in PayPal Pro though?

Answer 2

I remember reading in their docs that you can add a new hidden field with any custom value, that will be posted back to you.

You could use that field for whatever you want - I don't recall from memory how it was called, though, sorry, but if you have the docs at hand you'll find it pretty easily.

Answer 3

Why not just encode it in the name of the file:

http://www.mysite.com/ppreturn/2938

And then use mod_rewrite to turn it into a query string:

RewriteRule ^/ppreturn/([1-9]+[0-9]*)  /ppreturn/myscript.php?prodid=$1

If paypal adds querystring data to your url (always) then you can use mod_rewrite to add it to the end.

A full mod_rewrite tutorial is a bit out of scope, but the Interwebs are full of info. Start with the Apache docs. There is also a comparable system for IIS.

Answer 4

I've decided to go about it a different way.

I realized that you can tell PayPal to send back all of it's queries via POST, so I'll add some POST checks to my PHP and it should work fine.

Thank you for the responses.