TaxCloud Developer Blog

A new version of the TaxCloud implementation for Zen Cart version 1.5 is now available. This version has the same functionality as the previous versions. It has been updated to be compatible with the newest version of Zen Cart.

The module is available for download here.

It is also available on GitHub

There have been several reports of issues with certain versions of PHP when using Zen Cart and TaxCloud. The TaxCloud module uses web services to communicate with the TaxCloud server to calculate taxes. This communication is done over an SSL connection. Therefore we require a PHP configuration that is set up with cURL and SSL.

PHP version 5 is the minimum version that would meet these requirements. However, it appears that there are a few newer versions that are having issues with SSL. So far we have seen this issue with versions 5.2.13, 5.2.14, 5.2.15 and 5.2.17. The error received looks like the following:

Fatal error: Uncaught SoapFault exception: [WSDL] SOAP-ERROR: Parsing WSDL: Couldn’t load from ‘https://api.taxcloud.net/1.0/TaxCloud.asmx?WSDL’ : Start tag expected, ‘SoapClient(‘https://api.tax…’) #1 /home/wysecent/public_html/dsb/init.php(1314): require(‘/home/wysecent/…’) #2 /home/wysecent/public_html/dsb/preauth.php(69): include_once(‘/home/wysecent/…’) #3 /home/wysecent/public_html/dsb/auth.php(60): require(‘/home/wysecent/…’) #4 /home/wysecent/public_html/dsb/home.php(52): require(‘/home/wysecent/…’) #5 {main} thrown in /home/wysecent/public_html/dsb/modules/TaxCloud/taxCloudConfig.php on line 22

The solution to this issue is to upgrade to PHP 5.3. There may be other solutions but they have not been verified.

We are proud to announce that the TaxCloud implementation for Zen Cart now fully supports PayPal Express Checkout. Without this implementation, the default implementation of PayPal Express Checkout in Zen Cart is not complete in that it does not support dynamic tax calculations within PayPal. When the “Express Checkout Shortcut Button” is used on the shopping cart page, the Zen Cart checkout process is skipped so tax is never calculated.

We have resolved this issue by implementing the “callback” process within PayPal. Once the customer is redirected to PayPal and logs in PayPal then calls back to the server to retrieve shipping options and tax rates. Once the customer chooses a shipping option they are redirected back to Zen Cart to complete the order. We now have a complete integration with PayPal, Zen Cart and TaxCloud.

If the “Express Checkout Shortcut Button” is not used PayPal Express Checkout can still be used. PayPal can be selected as a payment method and the taxes calculated by TaxCloud will be passed over to PayPal.

The new code is available for download here.

Note: Your server will need to have SSL enabled to be able to use the callback process. Not all shipping modules have been implemented yet. Currently we support Flat Rate, Per Item, Free Shipping, Per Weight Unit and Store Pickup.

New Version of TaxCloud Implementation for Zen Cart – Now Supporting Tax Exemptions!

We are proud to announce a new version (v1.4) of the TaxCloud implementation for Zen Cart. This version includes a number of enhancements and bug fixes. It also supports coupon functionality and tax exemptions!

Zen Cart does not support tax exemptions on its own. The TaxCloud implementation allows customers to create, view, apply, and delete tax exemption certificates from within Zen Cart. Certificates are stored in TaxCloud so that they can be retrieved and applied to the order each time the user logs in to Zen Cart. None of the customer’s private data is stored on Zen Cart’s server. It is all securely stored within TaxCloud. The coupon and tax exemption modules can be turned on and off from within the Zen Cart management console.

This release is the only full-featured tax management solution for Zen Cart.

The installation directions are the same as for the other versions. The files can be downloaded here.

TaxCloud is a free, easy-to-use sales tax calculation and remittance service for retailers. It’s the only service created to comply with the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SSUTA) at a scale to support all internet merchants.

Zen Cart e-commerce is free, user-friendly, open-source shopping cart software. It is available from http://www.zen-cart.com/.

TaxCloud is now available for use with Zen Cart as a “Module”. It was developed using v1.3.9 of Zen Cart. To install this module you merely have to extract the zip file into the Zen Cart installation directory and configure it through the Zen Cart admin application. The zip file contains a readme file which provides further instructions.

The files for the module can be downloaded here:

https://github.com/taxcloud/ZenCart

Configuration:

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