The LinkedResources Applescript Factory

CartHandle

Applescript based shopping cart software for MacOS servers

[System Requirements] [Getting Started] [Pricing] [Frequently Asked Questions]

CartHandle (currently at version 0.39) is a suite of Applescript CGIs which allow Applescript savvy users to implement a functional shopping cart on MacOS servers. If you are reasonably comfortable with Applescript and HTML, you have in cartHandle an inexpensive, flexible tool for e-commerce.

System Requirements

MacOS version
CartHandle was developed and tested on MacOS 8.6 and 9. It should work under 8.5.1 as well; please let me know. Using cartHandle with earlier versions of the MacOS is entirely at your own risk, but please let me know how you do with it. I have found the most stable configuration to be MacOS 9.2.2 + WebSTAR 4.5.

Memory
Each of the CGI scripts is allotted 768k (I gave showcart.acgi more, but I'm not certain it's necessary). They choke somewhere below 512k because of the size of the cart.hndl library which it loads at runtime. Feel free to increase the memory allocation.

Server Software
CartHandle has been tested with Personal Web Sharing and WebSTAR 4.x (including 4.5). While it "works" with PWS, my experience was that PWS crashed and burned early and often under loads of a few thousand hits a day, making it grossly unstable and unusable for anything even pretending to be mission critical. PWS is acceptable for testing, not deployment.
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Getting Started

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Pricing

CartHandle is not freeware or public domain. If you use it in a way which allows actual transfers of money to occur, you must pay for it. There are 4 levels:
Shareware ($50) - Allows deployment on a single site. No guarantees of support (I'll try though).
Commercial ($100) - Allows deployment on a single site. You'll get support at a higher priority level.
Developer ($1000) - Allows you to deploy cartHandle royalty free on many sites, with a high level of support, including full code access. I reserve the option of charging additional fees if the support demands get too high.
Owner ($100,000) - Buy all the rights to cartHandle (and hire me too?)
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is cartHandle the best all around shopping cart solution for everyone under the sun?
A: Not at all. It is for Mac users using Mac servers who have at least some familiarity with Applescript and HTML. It is lean and inexpensive. It is definitely intended as a very expandable base for implementing e-commerce.

Q: How can I modify cartHandle to suit my needs?
A: You must have some familiarity with Applescript to make changes to cartHandle, including the necessary localizing changes. Study the code in the scripts. Developers have access to the code base in cart.hndl, the library file, and can alter it if they also change the name (eg. to "merchantcart.hndl"). In other words, if the name is cart.hndl, it must remain exactly as is. The CGI scripts may be modified but not further distributed (and must be modified to use the new name you give to cart.hndl - don't worry, it's easy). Other CGI scripts may be used to augment the functionality of cartHandle.

Q: What localizing changes?
A: In each of the five ".acgi" scripts there are several properties which need to be localized, such as the merchantID as established with Authorize.Net. Open the scripts and they should be fairly self explanatory.

Q: What if I don't localize cartHandle?
A: The release version is localized for FyHome.com, the first client to implement cartHandle. Using the confirmitem, showcart, and showprofile functions won't have any practical implications other than creating the impression that your business is called "FyHome.com." However, not localizing the other 2 or 3 scripts (checkout and createinvoice, and showinvoice in older versions) will have severe functional implications. You can experiment with the first 3 scripts as is, but the last 3 must be localized before they will even work for you (and you will need to establish a merchant account with Authorize.Net.

Q: What is Authorize.Net and how do I use it?
A: Authorize.Net is an Internet service for processing credit card and bank debit transactions and effecting the transfer of money. You must set up a merchant account through your bank before such transactions can occur. CartHandle includes all the code for the ADC Relay Response method. You can find out more about this and other methods of interfacing with Authorize.Net at http://secure.authorize.net/docs/developersguide.pml.

Q: Can I use another credit card processing service?
A: Yes, but you will need to significantly modify the code in the checkout.acgi and probably also the createinvoice.acgi scripts. If you do, please send a copy to me (address below) so I can consider including it in future releases of cartHandle.

Q: How many items can I have in my store?
A: CartHandle is not a database. You can make your store as large as your business, Mac server, hard drive, etc. can handle. You've just got to determine how to build it (hint: use Applescript).

Q: How many items can someone hold in his cart?
A: There is no specific limit, but it takes cartHhandle between 0.05 and 0.5 seconds per item (depending on data complexity and CPU speed) to render the cart. Carts with more than 30 items can become unwieldy, so it's a good idea to encourage your customers to check out before then.

Q:Is cartHandle secure?
A:There is very little inherently secure in the shopping cart itself (unique shopperIDs is about it). Because cartHandle uses Authorize.Net for credit card transactions, that portion of the user experience is secure. There should be no reason cartHandle cannot be run on a secure server. Please let me know if any problems arise when you try.

Q: I don't have a server. Can you host my store and my cart?
A: Yes, starting at $100 per month for site and shopping cart hosting and maintenance, more as volume dictates.