'Special Instructions' text area in checkout

[allenfreeman]

How can I add a text area to one of the checkout pages to let customers provide special instructions for their order? Thx...

[hmendenhall]

Re: 'Special Instructions' text area in checkout

How can I add a text area to one of the checkout pages to let customers provide special instructions for their order? Thx...

Hey

There are two options that can achieve you end goal.
1. You can download the Emporium Plus addendum module http://apps.miva.com/product/WCW-ADDENDUM5.html
The module allows you to Collect supplemental, required or non-required responses from customers at checkout. You can add as many additional checkout questions to your form as you want, within reason.
2. The second option would be to set up a custom order field. Here is some example code that may help
Here is some steps/code to point you in the right direction.


1. Create a new custom customer field in the admin under utilities. the Field Type should be a "Text Field"
2. Then on your account create page you need to add code like this to display the text field.


<div class="form_row developer_name">
<label class="optional" for="mobile_phone">Mobile Phone Number:</label>
<input type="text" name="mobile_phone" id="mobile_phone" value="&mvte:global:mobile_phone;" class="textfield" />
</div>


3. The last thing you need to do is to save the value into the custom custom field. On ACED add this code:


<mvt:item name="customfields" param="Write_Customer_ID(g.basket:cust_id, 'mobile_phone', g.mobile_phone)" />


This will save the value the customer entered into custom customer field with a code of 'mobile_phone'


Give this a try and let me know if you get stuck.

[allenfreeman]

Re: 'Special Instructions' text area in checkout

Thanks!

Our v5 store had EP Addendum module installed, but it hasn't worked since the v9 upgrade. I'm using the ReadyTheme Base, so maybe a call for it is now missing. So I turned that module off this morning.

The second option you describe sounds pretty simple, though, so I'll give it a whirl...

[allenfreeman]

Re: 'Special Instructions' text area in checkout

Wait, now that I look closer at your instruction, this is a CUSTOMER field you are describing.

I need to set up an ORDER text-area field, as it is special instructions for that particular order.

So I assume the Type = Order Field and the Field Type = Text-Area, yes?

And wouldn't it make more sense to add this instruction text area to the BASK page, and not to a checkout page?

If that's doable, can you please revise the code pieces you provided to match the above?

[Brennan]

Re: 'Special Instructions' text area in checkout

This video should help as well:

http://www.miva.com/videos/web_devel...-order-fields1

[Bruce - PhosphorMedia]

Re: 'Special Instructions' text area in checkout

Another option is to contact a Miva Merchant Integrator who could do this for a reasonable cost and free your time up to actually run your business. You can use the For Hire section to locate such a person. Just another option.

[allenfreeman]

Re: 'Special Instructions' text area in checkout

Dude, cmon...

[allenfreeman]

Re: 'Special Instructions' text area in checkout

Brennan, that video was perfect. I added the code to the OCST and OSEL pages and it worked perfectly.

But how might I get that same information to continue to pass along to the OPAY and INVOICE pages, plus into the order confirmation emails?

(I tried pasting the same code used on the OSEL page onto OPAY, but it didn't pick it up...)

[allenfreeman]

Re: 'Special Instructions' text area in checkout

I'll keep trying some different stuff...

[jsisk]

Re: 'Special Instructions' text area in checkout

FWIW, we use the addendum module and it works great for us. We found it cheaper to buy the module than to spend hours trying this and that.

[allenfreeman]

Re: 'Special Instructions' text area in checkout

I have the Addendum module, but for it to work in Miva9 I would have to go back and recode all of the module's tags into the new pages.

The custom fields instructions provided in the video are actually more simple to follow than the instructions for Addendum.

But the video stops its instructions after setting up the field; it doesn't provide the final two pieces needed: how to continue showing the field value across additional pages, and how to post the field value into the confirmation emails.

Miva can you give me those tags, please?

(The ideas I tried didn't work...)

[Bruce - PhosphorMedia]

Re: 'Special Instructions' text area in checkout

haven't seen the video so not sure this follows the same method outlined there, but...on the OSEL page, you need to read the custom basket fields, then write them to custom order fields. Once you read the custom basket, you can place them into hidden inputs to pass them through to the invoice screen for display, or just re-read them again on the INVC screen. On Fulfillment processes (i.e., emails), you'll use the Read Order functions.

[allenfreeman]

Re: 'Special Instructions' text area in checkout

Thanks Bruce, but without example code attached to each piece of advice provided, I don't have the knowledge to execute what you say here.

As I stated, following along on the video I pasted the same 'display' code from the OSEL page that worked (below) to the OPAY page but that didn't work:

<mvt:item name="customfields" param="Write_Basket( 'SpecialInstructions', g.SpecialInstructions )" />
<mvt:item name="customfields" param="Read_Basket( 'SpecialInstructions', g.my_SpecialInstructions )" />
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: &mvte:global:my_SpecialInstructions;

Then I guessed at a couple other variations, but without success.

I don't know what is different in a 're-read' or the format for the 'hidden inputs'.

Or for the email template, the 'Read Order function'. (I found this page http://www.miva.com/videos/articles/...-documentation covering the Read Order function, but I don't know what the 'Product Code or ID' should be as described there since this is for comments on an order...)

[Brennan]

Re: 'Special Instructions' text area in checkout

Your code look ok.

May sure you are writing the custom field on the page after you are collecting the data. You only need to write it once. This will save it to the database. Since you are writing the value of g.SpecialInstructions make sure your input is named SpecialInstructions.

Then to read it back in the code you're using looks correct:

<mvt:item name="customfields" param="Read_Basket( 'SpecialInstructions', g.my_SpecialInstructions )" />
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: &mvte:global:my_SpecialInstructions; 

If you still stuck, Private Message me admin access and I can login and take a look.

[jsisk]

Re: 'Special Instructions' text area in checkout

Silly question here. If you do this with a custom customer field, wouldn't the instructions become a part of all future orders unless they know/remember to remove the previous instructions from the field during their next order?

We use the addendum module now and will be rebuilding one of our sites from scratch and looking for the best solution. Currently we use it for gift messages and have several customers that place multiple orders with different recipients and messages.