Hack 100 Go Live

Take the training wheels off your Sandbox application and start working with real money .

Once you've finished developing your application and have completed your testing in the Sandbox [Hack #87] , you'll ultimately want to take your application live. You'll need to do the following:

1. If you haven't done so already, set up a real, verified Business or Premier account on the live site outside the Sandbox, as described in the introduction to Chapter 3.

2. Obtain a new digital certificate with a new certificate ID and password.

3. Log into your PayPal Business account and click the Profile tab.

4. Click the API Access link and then click the API Certificate Request link.

5. All accounts need to be verified [Hack #2] before requesting a certificate ( otherwise , you won't see a Request link). When you have finished this process, you will receive a link to a new certificate with a new user ID and password.

   

   Unlike the Sandbox, when you have finished the request process, you will not automatically be given the option to download a certificate. Some businesses will even be denied because they do not have an account in good standing. Others might be denied because they are too new. The exact reasons for being denied a certificate are not clear, but it if it happens to you, contact PayPal Customer Service and try to get it resolved.

   
   

6. Change the URL of the PayPal API in your application. If you've built a modular application, it should reference the URL for the API in one or two locations. Find those locations and change the URL from:

   https ://api.sandbox.paypal.com/2.0/

7. to:

   https://api.paypal.com/2.0/

If you're using the API wrapper [Hack #89] , you'll find the URL inside the wrapper class.

8.16.1 Performance and Efficiency

Since access to the PayPal API is currently free, you don't have to worry about tracking and limiting the number of calls your application makes over a given time period. However, since web services calls hamper the performance of your application, you should be thinking about efficiency as you develop. For instance, you might want to cache repeatedly accessed information so that your users don't have to wait while your application retrieves data unnecessarily.

8.16.2 Finishing Up

Once you've made these changes to your application, it's prudent to test your application with real money on the live site before distributing it or installing into a production environment. When you feel your application is ready, go ahead and launch, sit back, and enjoy.

Rob Conery and Dave Nielsen