Setting PayPal return URL and making it auto return?

Question

This is a follow up question to: PHP: Easy way to start PayPal checkout?

So, my problem is that I am specifying the return url. However, after paying with PayPal, I end up at a a screen that says:

You just completed your payment. XXXX, you just completed your payment. Your transaction ID for this payment is: XXXXXXXXXXXXX.

We'll send a confirmation email to [email protected]. This transaction will appear on your statement as PAYPAL.

Go to PayPal account overview

I need it to not show this screen and go directly to the return URL. I have:

• Set the "return" variable
• Set the "rm" variable to: 2 (which according to the guide = "the buyer’s browser is redirected to the return URL by using the POST method, and all payment variables are included")

In fact, here's my whole form:

<form method="post" action="https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr">
  <input type="hidden" value="_xclick" name="cmd">
  <input type="hidden" value="[email protected]" name="business">
  <!-- <input type="hidden" name="undefined_quantity" value="1" /> -->
  <input type="hidden" value="Order at The Greek Merchant:&lt;Br /&gt;Goldfish Flock BLG&lt;br /&gt;" name="item_name">
  <input type="hidden" value="NA" name="item_number">
  <input type="hidden" value="22.16" name="amount">
  <input type="hidden" value="5.17" name="shipping">
  <input type="hidden" value="0" name="discount_amount">        
  <input type="hidden" value="0" name="no_shipping">
  <input type="hidden" value="No comments" name="cn">
  <input type="hidden" value="USD" name="currency_code">
  <input type="hidden" value="http://XXX/XXX/XXX/paypal/return" name="return">
  <input type="hidden" value="2" name="rm">      
  <input type="hidden" value="11255XXX" name="invoice">
  <input type="hidden" value="US" name="lc">
  <input type="hidden" value="PP-BuyNowBF" name="bn">
  <input type="submit" value="Place Order!" name="finalizeOrder" id="finalizeOrder" class="submitButton">
</form>

Any idea how I can get it to automatically go back? Alternatively, how do I get the result of the payment back to my website so I can update the database? What is IPN?

Answer 1

You have to enable auto return in your PayPal account, otherwise it will ignore the return field.

From the documentation (updated to reflect new layout Jan 2019):

Auto Return is turned off by default. To turn on Auto Return:

1. Log in to your PayPal account at https://www.paypal.com or https://www.sandbox.paypal.com The My Account Overview page appears.
2. Click the gear icon top right. The Profile Summary page appears.
3. Click the My Selling Preferences link in the left column.
4. Under the Selling Online section, click the Update link in the row for Website Preferences. The Website Payment Preferences page appears
5. Under Auto Return for Website Payments, click the On radio button to enable Auto Return.
6. In the Return URL field, enter the URL to which you want your payers redirected after they complete their payments. NOTE: PayPal checks the Return URL that you enter. If the URL is not properly formatted or cannot be validated, PayPal will not activate Auto Return.
7. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and click the Save button.

IPN is for instant payment notification. It will give you more reliable/useful information than what you'll get from auto-return.

Documentation for IPN is here: https://www.x.com/sites/default/files/ipnguide.pdf

Online Documentation for IPN: https://developer.paypal.com/docs/classic/ipn/gs_IPN/

The general procedure is that you pass a notify_url parameter with the request, and set up a page which handles and validates IPN notifications, and PayPal will send requests to that page to notify you when payments/refunds/etc. go through. That IPN handler page would then be the correct place to update the database to mark orders as having been paid.