Token.Instance.UserId vis-a-vis PayPal Express Checkout

[moustafa]

Hi there,

Let's say you choose to check out with PayPal Express Checkout and then you change your mind. You'll be presented with a number of payment options on /Checkout/Payment.aspx. These payment options are those that are available for Token.Instance.UserId.

I have the following questions:

1. I never logged into AC, but AC still knew who I was, apparently from the PayPal info. The email address and shipping addresses I used for previous orders are different than the PayPal addresses. I also deleted PayPal payments for all of my previous orders and signed out, but it still knew how I was. How (where?) does it do this.
2. Is there a way to test a first-time PayPal Express Checkout user given that I have, in fact, used the PayPal account in the past? i.e. How do I erase my history?
3. If a user who has never purchased from our store in the past does so through PayPal Express Checkout and then cancels out, what will their Token.Instance.UserId be and what payment methods will be available to them?

Thanks,
Moustafa

[david-ebt]

Moustafa,

The PayPal Provider looks at two things returned from PayPal to try to match an AbleCommerce user.

1. It looks for the PayPalId in the ac_Users table. If it finds a matching PayPalId, then it assigns that user to the token instance.

2. If the PayPalID does not match, then it uses the email address returned from PayPal and compares that against the UserName in the ac_Users table. If it finds a matching email/username, then it assigns that user to the token instance.

If #1 or #2 return no matches then the PayPal provider code creates a new user. At this point they will be a standard user and would have the standard set of payment methods available if they canceled out of PayPal and returned to your site.

[moustafa]

Thanks, this worked great. I just NULL'd the PayPalId for my account and it brought up the correct payment methods.