External Data Use

My website needs two functionalities before it is complete and maps to Unit 1 personalities.

I need a functional checkout button and a recommend, share buttons for social media.

The first API I am going to use is from PayPal. This API will help me implement the checkout phase which is the last and most important thing in the website.

The second API I am going to use is from facebook. This API will help the customer share and recommend my website with his/her friends.

PayPal API

Paypal Checkout gives the buyer a simplified and secure checkout experience. It presents the most relevant payment types to the shoppers, automatically, making it easier for them to complete their purchase using methods like PayPal Credit, Credit Card payments, and other payment types.

To implement this checkout method I need a Bussiness PayPal account which I already have, and within this account, I need to create an app for accepting payments. I will use a sandbox which is used for development and when I am ready I will go live (meaning I have to use my secret key to accept payments). I don't want to go live for the moment because I need to learn server processing for security reasons.

The API has the following steps:

I. Generate OAuth 2.0 credentials for the sandbox and live environments:

1. Log into Dashboard and type your PayPal personal or business account email and password.
2. In the REST API apps section, click Create App. The purpose of this app is to generate your credentials.
3. Type a name for your app and click Create App. The page shows your sandbox app information, which includes your credentials.

   Note: To show your live app information, toggle to Live.

4. Copy and save the client ID and secret for your sandbox app.
5. Review your app details and save your app

II. To test your web and mobile apps with mock transactions, create a personal account to represent the buyer and a business account to represent the merchant.

1. Log into Dashboard and type your PayPal personal or business account email and password.

   Note: If you do not have an account, click Sign Up.

2. Under Sandbox, click Accounts and click Create Account.
3. To create the buyer account, select the personal account type. Type these required and any optional fields and click Create Account:
   • Email Address. A fake or valid email address. If you use a valid address, you receive email notifications when you run test transactions.
   • Password. An easy-to-remember password, such as 12345678.
   • PayPal Balance. A high amount, such as 5000.
4. To create the merchant account, select the business account type, type account information, and click Create Account.

The API has a request and a response. The request is built before the customer makes a payment and the response is made after the customer authorizes the payment.

To make a request the API provides you with a tool to create the order with all its parameters that you collect from the shopping cart (in my case). Then, the order is sent and we wait for the response. Either, the customer has authorized the payment, canceled the payment or saved it for later.

Facebook API

Facebook API will help me add the share and recommend buttons in my website.

The steps needed are as follow:

1. Choose URL or Page

Pick the URL of a website or Facebook Page you want to use with the like button.

2. Code Configurator

Paste the URL to the code configurator and adjust settings like the width of your like button. Click the Get Code button to generate your like button code.

3. Copy & Paste HTML Snippet

Copy and paste the snippet into the HTML of the destination website.

4. Remove Duplication If Necessary

If you already have code to activate logging of app events, remove the autoLogAppEvents=1 statement from the pasted code to prevent duplicate logging.