[ic] Cart contents dropped when going back

Thore Karlsen interchange-users@lists.akopia.com
Thu May 31 13:47:00 2001


On Thu, 31 May 2001 09:00:46 -0700, you wrote:

>>On our site we use a separate payment server to handle payments. That works
>>fine, but sometimes the customers change their mind and go back to change
>>their order after they have connected to the payment server to finish the
>>transaction. The problem is, when they get back the cart contents are
>>dropped.
>>
>>Is there an easy way of correcting this behavior? I've enabled cookies and I
>>set mv_save_session in the form that sends the user over to the payment
>>server, but it doesn't work.

>Hmmm... it shouldn't happen if they use the 'Back' button on their browser, 
>because the cookie or session id string (depending upon how their browser 
>is set up) should put them back into their existing session.  When the 
>basket contents disappear, either the session has expired or IC no longer 
>knows which session belongs to the user, so a new (empty) session is started.
>
>If they follow a link back to your site without completing payment, that 
>link should contain the session id string, just to be sure that they get 
>back into their existing session:

Since cookies are enabled, I thought that would take care of everything? I
can see the cookie being made as I press the submit button on the form, yet
it seems it's not used when the user presses back.

What could cause the session to expire, then? All this form does is follow
the main route, and the files that follow next don't seem to explicitly
cause the cart to be emptied or the session to be expired. These files only
save the order info into a file and then connect to the payment server and
send it the order info.

I'm just maintaining the site, I'm not the original designer. As such, I
don't have a full overview of what is happening behind the scenes. If I
should look for something, please let me know.

-- 
Be seeing you.