I am new to this technology. I have tried to read / use the documentation but it seems to be written for people who already know what they are doing with the API. It's more of a reference guide than an aid to getting started.
When I try to find answers to rather simple questions, I get more confused with terms that I don't understand. The appendix / glossary doesn't help--it just rehashes the same terminology.
I can "feel" that this service will do what I want it to do, but I'm just lost and frustrated trying to find out how to do it.
Is there a Beginner's Guide or better yet, a "how-to" guide that lists common things to do and the sequence of events for doing that?
08-05-2011 01:24 PM
The documentation is what it is - it expects you to be a fairly experienced programmer and be familiar enough with the terminology to understand what it's saying. It's also not the clearest thing in the world. I had more success looking at the docs and lib files that came with the SDK and then referencing the documentation for certain things like error codes, rather than trying to figure it out from the documentation alone.
Might be more helpful to give a list of terms / concepts that you're having problems with. Also, what are you trying to do, exactly? One-time charges, subscriptions, ongoing accounts that charge whenever they go over a certain balance? Do you want the payment forms on your site?
I have successfully implemented both AIM (one-time charges) and ARB (subscriptions) with the PHP API.
08-05-2011 02:20 PM - edited 08-05-2011 02:21 PM
Thanks TJ.
I have been programming for decades and am largely self-taught. I pick up technology fast by poking around and doing a ton of testing. I've worked through a lot of poor documentation in my career.
If I had the time I'd figure this out eventually as well, but I'm under the gun to implement this rapidly so I don't have the time for this project.
Authorize.Net seems like a good product in desperate need of good documentation and good support.
08-07-2011 06:16 AM
As I said, download the SDK and look in the doc folders. If you're familiar with PHP and need this done REALLY fast (like in the next week), you can give me a call at (636) 825-2299 and we can talk over the parts I know (AIM for one-time payments, ARB for subscriptons) or have looked at (CIM for scripted payments) and discuss if any of it sounds like what you need. If so, I can consult for a few hours and probably get you up and running for a modest fee. I just finished implementing for a client and I know how to avoid the usual stumbling blocks because I ran into most of them on the way.
08-07-2011 07:36 PM