MyStore3™ Option Arrays

MyStore3™ provides total flexibility when offering your customer shipping, payment, and discount options by using option arrays.

The arrays are simply numbered lists of the options offered. They are set up in the configuration file. The shipping and payment options are viewed on the order form as drop down menus. The discount array (not supported in the Lite version of MyStore3) is not seen by the customer; however the results are. Always keep the zero entry line of the arrays. The arrays available to you are listed below. Values can be entered using the configuration mentor or by directly editing the configuration.htm file.

The shipping array, shipby[ ], is where you give the customer options to select a preferred method of shipment. If you only want to offer one option, then eliminate all lines but shipby[0] and shipby1] and identify the option with the text in line 1.

Each line of the array is in two parts: the HTML portion that creates the menu (the part within the <>) and the text that follows. The text portion will be seen by the customer for selection from the drop down list. You can change this text to suit your purposes. The "value=" element is where you enter a shipping cost factor or multiplier associated with that option. The effect of this value entry is explained in detail under "shipping" in these instruction pages.

The payment array, payby[ ], is where you offer the customer options to select a preferred method of payment. If you only want to offer one option, then eliminate all lines but payby[0] and payby[1] and identify the option with the text in line 1.

As above, each line of the array is in two parts: the HTML and the text. You can change the text to suit your purposes. The "value=" element is a coded instruction to the order processing host computer telling it how to respond based on the customers selection. The codes used and how they are responded to is explained in detail under "purchase order" in these instruction pages.

Associated with the payment array is a payment instruction array, payinstruct[ ]. Each line in the payby[ ] array must have a corresponding line in the payinstruct[ ] array. This is simply payment instruction or advisory text that will show up on the purchase order in response to the payby[ ] option selected. You can change this text to suit your purposes. Note however that some of the text shown in the initial configuration file is dynamically generated to incorporate parameters of your store. If you make changes here, be careful to follow the format carefully.

The quantity discount array, qfact[ ], is used in the commercial version on myStore3™ to provide a method of offering discounts on purchases of multiple items. It is applied on an item by item basis and not on the entire order. A discounted price is reflected in the shopping basket and on the purchase order in the "amount" column.

This array contains two values separated by a comma within the ( ). The first value is an item quantity and the second value is the price factor, a decimal multiplier of the base price of that item. It is the equivalent of 1 minus the discount being offered expressed in decimal format. The quantity value is the number of an item that must be purchased for the discount to apply. You can have as many levels as desired making sure that each succeeding level represents a higher quantity.

If you do not wish to offer quantity discounts, simply remove all but the zero line. Note that this discounting is global. That is, it applies to all items in the store on a per item basis. The advantage of this is that you can conduct a store wide sale simply by eliminating all but the zero line and changing the price factor to a desired value less than 1.

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