Waverider Systems

Contents

• Overview

• Installing the Affiliate DBI Software
• Creating the Database Tables
• Using the Order Affiliate DBI Plugin
• Using the Plugin Self-Test

• Linking your Affiliates to your Web Site

• Installing the Perlshop Office Affiliate DBI Tools
• Using the Perlshop Office Affiliate DBI Tools

Overview

The Perlshop Office Plugin component of this package requires Perlshop Office version 2.3 or later.

Database tables used by this plugin:

create table ps_affiliate_hits
(
    aff_id    varchar(40),
    order_id  varchar(40),
    hit_date  date,
    hit_time  time
)

Column aff_id contains the Affiliate ID number.
Column invoice_id contains the Invoice ID number.
Column hit_date contains the date that the shopper hit your web site.
Column hit_time contains the time that the shopper hit your web site.

All sales from affiliates will be stored in database table ps_affiliate_sales.
This table is expected to have the following form:

create table ps_affiliate_sales
(
    aff_id    varchar(40),
    order_id  varchar(40),
    sale_date date,
    sale_time time,
    subtotal  float
)

Column aff_id contains the Affiliate ID number.
Column invoice_id contains the Invoice ID number.
Column sale_date contains the date that the order was finalized.
Column sale_time contains the time that the order was finalized.
Column subtotal contains the item subtotal for the order.

Installing the Affiliate DBI Software

Installing the Affiliate DBI Plugin:

1. Place the PS_Affiliate_DBI.pm file into the same web server directory as your perlshop.cgi file.
2. Give this file the same permissions as your perlshop.cgi file.
3. Add the Affiliate plugin to the plugin registration table in your ps.cfg file.

Example plugin registration table before adding the Affiliate plugin:

%plugins =
(
    # Calendar example plugin
    'calendar'  => 
    {
        'program'    => 'ps_plugin_gencal.pl'
    }
);

Example plugin registration table after adding the Affiliate plugin:

%plugins =
(
    # Affiliate plugin
    'affiliate_dbi'  =>
    {
        'module'       =>    'PS_Affiliate_DBI.pm',
        'event'        =>    'after_enter_shop|after_place_order|add_to_company_email',
        'display'      =>    'no',

	'hits_table'   =>    'ps_affiliate_hits',
	'sales_table'  =>    'ps_affiliate_sales'

	'send_email'   =>    'yes',
	'cc_webmaster' =>    'no',

	'init'         =>    'no'
    },

    # Calendar example plugin
    'calendar' => 
    {
        'program'   =>     'ps_plugin_gencal.pl'
    }
);

Installing the Affiliate DBI Plugin Web Server Utility Program:

1. Place the ps_affiliate_dbi_util.pl file into the same web server directory as your perlshop.cgi file.
   This is not a CGI program, and is intended for web server command line use only.
2. Give this file the same permissions as your perlshop.cgi file.

Using the Affiliate DBI Plugin

Optional features:

1. By default, all affiliate hits information is stored in table ps_affiliate_hits. If you want to change this, then you can alter the value of the hits_table setting in the plugin information.
2. By default, all affiliate sales information is stored in table ps_affiliate_sales. If you want to change this, then you can alter the value of the sales_table setting in the plugin information.
3. By default, this plugin will send an email to the store email address each time a sale is made via an affiliate. If you do not want to receive this email, then set the send_email setting in the plugin configuration to 'no'.
4. If you want a copy of the plugin email to be sent to the store webmaster email address, then set the cc_webmaster setting in the plugin information to 'yes'.
5. The database tables used by this plugin can be created through Perlshop Plugin Initialization (see below). In order for this feature to work, you must set the init setting in the plugin information to 'yes'. Once the database tables have been created, you should set the init setting in the plugin information to 'no'.

Creating the Database Tables

Creating the database tables through Plugin Self-Initialization

http://www.yoururl.com/yourcgipath/perlshop.cgi?action=init_plugin&plugin=affiliate_dbi

Creating the database tables using the web server command line utility:

Once created, these tables can be cleared from the web server command line using this command:
ps_affiliate_dbi_util.pl CLEARDB

Using the Plugin Self-Test

http://www.yoururl.com/yourcgipath/perlshop.cgi?action=selftest

Linking your Affiliates to your Web Site

http://www.yoururl.com/yourcgipath/perlshop.cgi?action=enter&thispage=somepage.html&order_id=!ORDERID!&affid=affiliate_id

• yoururl is replaced with the actual URL for your site
  
• yourcgipath is replaced by whatever your ISP has required of you
  
• somepage is replaced by the actual name of your store entry page file
  
• affiliate_id is replaced by the Affiliate ID value you've assigned to that affiliate
  

The Affiliate plugin will also work with QuickBuy mode. To do this, simply replace the enter action with quickbuy.

The Affiliate plugin may also be combined with the optional enteraction parameter.

Installing the Perlshop Office Affiliate DBI Tools

1. Place the PSO_Affiliate.pm file into the same web server directory as your psoffice.cgi file.
2. Give this file the same permissions as your perlshop.cgi file.
3. Add the Perlshop Office Affiliate plugin to the plugin registration table in your pso.cfg file.

%office_tool_plugins =
(
	# Affiliate hit report
	'affiliate_hit_report'	=>
	{
		'label'		=>	'Affiliate Hit Report',
		'module'	=>	'PSO_Affiliate.pm'
	},

	# Affiliate hit summary report
	'affiliate_hit_summary_report'	=>
	{
		'label'		=>	'Affiliate Hit Summary Report',
		'module'	=>	'PSO_Affiliate.pm'
	},

	# Affiliate sales report
	'affiliate_sales_report'	=>
	{
		'label'		=>	'Affiliate Sales Report',
		'module'	=>	'PSO_Affiliate.pm',
		'selected'	=>	1
	},

	# Affiliate sales summary report
	'affiliate_sales_summary_report'	=>
	{
		'label'		=>	'Affiliate Sales Summary Report',
		'module'	=>	'PSO_Affiliate.pm'
	},
);

Using the Perlshop Office Affiliate DBI Tools

Affiliate Hit Report

Affiliate Hit Summary Report

Affiliate Sales Report

Affiliate Sales Summary Report