Grabbing cart data when not in the cart

Sweet, thanks!

The docs say the JSON object is loaded whenever foxycart_includes.js is called...which is on all of my pages. In order to access this object, do I need to explicitly call it, like this...

$(document).ready(function() {
	$.getJSON('http://mysite.foxycart.com/cart?output=json&cart=view&callback=?' + fc_AddSession(), function(data){
		// do something with `data`
		alert('total price: $' + data.total_price);
	});
});

...and then use the jQuery html() function to dynamically write the cart contents to my EE template...or is there a better way?

Thanks for the response Luke. Turns out I don't think I'll need to use the FC function to build the cart.

My approach is to use ExpressionEngine's (EE's) tags to build the cart instead. This is the only way I can have all the flexibility I need. Process would be like this:

1. Store the EE product IDs as a custom option
2. Grab the EE product IDs from the JSON object and parse with PHP
3. Embed the EE product IDs in the EE tags (so we can pull the correct products)

I have to use PHP because I can parse PHP before the EE tags.

In an effort to spare you guys some time on this next question, I did a bunch of homework trying to find an answer, but had no luck. I'm trying to read the FoxyCart JSON object into a PHP file so I can parse it. I know the object is sitting there; I'm just not sure how to grab it.

I tried this:

$json_stuff = json_decode(file_get_contents("https://example.foxycart.com/cart?output=json");
echo $json_stuff->total_weight;

But that outputs a 0, even though I verified there is a total weight by visiting that URL.

Doing the following:

$json_url = file_get_contents("https://example.foxycart.com/cart?output=json";
echo $json_url;

Outputs:

{ "products":[ ], "product_count": 0, "total_price": 0, "total_weight": 0, "session_id": "7luumgcnjkef4e8dbfuf7", "custom_fields":{ }, "messages":{ "errors":[], "warnings":[], "info":[] } }

So it looks like only session_id is populated. Maybe file_get_contents isn't the way to go...?

I'm sorry to pester you guys with this; I know it's more of a PHP question. I ask here because you know the FC JSON object better than anyone, and I want to make sure I'm calling it only when I need to (see previous post by Luke).

Hey Brett,

Thanks - what you're saying kinda makes sense. What I don't understand is that the session ID is the only thing that actually shows up when I use file_get_contents to load the JSON. If the JSON is already present on the page I'm using (the page that has the PHP snippet in it that loads the JSON) and it has the session ID, why would I need to pass the session ID to the JSON to load it? Can't I just...reach out and grab what's already there?

I guess the more important determination is getting the FCSID and appending it to that URL. I read the docs on JSONP and it says something about adding the session ID using fc_AddSession(). Is that what you're talking about?

I'll try working that function into my PHP snippet later on tonight, so if I get to that before I hear back I'll report my findings. Thanks again for your help.

Update - please continue to disregard my previous messages

The cart wasn't generating at http://example.foxycart.com/cart because jQuery wasn't being called properly. I've got the cart showing up now and working at http://example.foxycart.com, but now the remove links don't work. I've tried recreating the functionality of the default FoxyCart cart; e.g., by making sure the remove links all look like this:

<a href="#" onclick="fc_RemoveItem(X); return false;" title="Remove this item">Remove</a>

Where X is the item's # in the cart.

I've then made sure that the quantity input field is generated. The input value is set to 0 as fc_RemoveItem() says:

function fc_RemoveItem(item_count) {
			jQuery("#quantity"+item_count).val(0);  // this happens, but...
			fc_UpdateCart();
		}

But then the page reloads and the removed item is still in the cart, with the quantity value set as before.

Hey Luke,

Thanks for getting back. I know that you guys aren't responsive on the weekend, so no problem. You need some time to yourselves

You can ignore everything but my most previous message -- I ended up posting and then subsequently solving my own problems.

I managed to get my own custom cart working by following the cart tutorial on this wiki page. The only issue I'm currently having with my custom cart is that the "Remove" functionality does not work. You can see my custom cart here; visit the store here if you need to add some products. I feel better about this cart because I don't need to use PHP or cURL to get to it; simply accessing it via fc_json.[x] works great.

Interestingly, I couldn't get fc_BuildFoxyCart() to fire, so I didn't use it.

Hey sorry about the lack of prices Luke...we're still adding those. Here are a couple of products that do have prices, if you're interested in giving them a whirl:

[li]

Bath tub #1[/li]
[li]Bath tub #2[/li]


I made sure to define fc_BuildFoxyCart after including foxycart_includes.js; placed an alert function in there, but that never fires.

Thanks Luke. I see now where it says the build cart function fires after closing the FoxyBox. So the question becomes: how do I drop a product from the JSON object by clicking "Remove" on my custom cart? It looks like this is normally done by setting the Qty to 0. I thought I could copy the default cart functionality:

1. Using jQuery, build a qty input field that has the same name and ID as the ones in your default cart, like:

<input type="text" class="fc_cart_item_quantity" id="quantity1" name="quantity1" value="1">

2. Build the "Remove" links like:

<a href="#" onclick="fc_RemoveItem(1); return false;" title="Remove this item">Remove</a>

The "Remove" click does set qty to 0, but that might not mean anything since my input fields may not actually be talking to the FoxyCart scripts -- if that makes sense.

I realize I'm out in Custom Land and that I signed myself up for this, so if you don't know where to point me I totally understand. That being said -- any thoughts on how to get my remove links talking with your scripts and the JSON object is appreciated. I'll keep working on it.

As an aside, this cart is by far the most customized FoxyCart implementation I've done, and I continue to be very impressed and amazed at just how flexible and powerful your product is. Thanks again for making FoxyCart a developer's dream!

Hey Luke,

I found the info on removing items from the cart here. The docs say to "send" something like:

&cart=update&1:quantity=0&1:id=<product id from json>&2:quantity=0&2:id=<product id from json>

If I type in a URL like...

http://example.foxycart.com/cart.php?&cart=update&1:quantity=0&1:id=<product id from json>&2:quantity=0&2:id=<product id from json>

...the product is removed fine. My questions are...do I need to point my form action to a URL like that? Wouldn't that require me writing a function separate from fc_RemoveItem, since that function doesn't work for me? Where is that URL being generated on the default cart? I don't see any submit buttons or hidden fields or form actions pointing to anything like that. I ask because I need to recreate that string in my custom cart for the remove button to work. The thing is, I'm already taking advantage of some of your functions (fc_RemoveItem, fc_PreventCheckout) and don't want to rewrite them if I don't have to.

I hope my question(s) makes sense.

Hey Luke,

I thought about using the default cart at the beginning, but if you take a look at what I've got (attachment) you'll see a few extra columns and rows that aren't in the default cart. Rather than manipulate everything to death with jQuery and CSS, I figured I'd build from scratch.

I suppose I could use some jQuery functions (like insertAfter and insertBefore) to get my stuff where I want it, but I think it's easier if I figure out a way to get the remove functionality working. I won't bug you guys on this anymore; thanks for all of your help on this. I'm totally down for Brett's idea of a templating language!