USPS MODULE ERROR---"Prestashop could not connect to USPS webservices..."

[jharris]

I have googled and tried everything I could find to solve this problem, but I can't get the USPS module to work. It says, "Prestashop could not connect to USPS webservices : USPS Webservice seems to be down, please wait a few minutes and try again." I EVEN HAD USPS SWITCH MY PROFILE/USER ID TO PRODUCTION and it is still not working (I read somewhere that you had to switch to the production servers to work, so I did). I AM ABOUT TO LOSE MY MIND OVER THIS! I want this to work so bad and can't open my store until I get this fixed :'-(

I am using Prestashop version 1.5.6.0 with the USPS module that came along with it version 1.3.1. I haven't made any upgrades or updates and I don't know enough to troubleshoot (I am totally winging it with trying to figure this whole thing out, a LOT OF TRIAL AND ERROR).    I will say that there is one other thing that I can't figure out what it means and that is that on my module page it says: "If you want to be able to fully use the AdminModules panel and have free modules available, you should enable the following configuration on your server: - Enable allow_url_fopen" I have been ignoring that because I don't have A CLUE what that means (just thought I would throw that in while I was at it)

[benjamin utterback]

Hi Julie, thank you for this message. Please contact your host and tell them to enable allow_url_fopen 

That allows the module to connect with USPS in order to get the rates. 

Who is your hosting provider?

[jharris]

My hosting provider is ipage. I will check with them to see about enabling the allow_url_fopen (this all seems so strange and doesn't make sense, I AM SORRY!  )

[benjamin utterback]

Don't be sorry. We are here for help. Ipage has some weird settings because alow_url_fopen should be enabled by default on most servers. 

 

Let me know what they say. Thanks!

[jharris]

Benjamin, THANK YOU for your willingness to help! I JUST heard back from my web host (I had called them, but they had to escalate a support ticket to a higher tier of support in order to get the issue resolved). I will give detailed instructions on what I had to do to get the issue resolved, in case someone else check's this forum post and has this same problem that I had.

 

I had included a copy of these instructions http://doc.prestashop.com/download/attachments/1409083/PrestaShop-System-Administrator-Guide.pdf  (I googled this and found these instructions after reading your post) in order to help them understand what I needed them to do. In the support ticket, I let them know that these instructions said: (This is from the Prestashop Administration Guide) it says:

PHP configuration 
Manipulating php.ini 
Many of the advices in this guide require you to edit the php.ini file, found in your server's PHP install (not in PrestaShop's folder). 
Not all host will allow you to edit this file, so contact your host if you cannot access it. For instance, you probably won't have access to 
php.ini on a shared hosting. If your host doesn't provide the required configuration by default and you cannot touch php.ini , then you should either move to a dedicated hosting, or change to a more permissive host.

 
Editing the PHP configuration requires you to change some values in the php.ini file, most of the time from "On" to "Off" or vice versa. The file 
contains a lot of documentation for each line, be sure to read them in order to better understand your changes. Be careful of what you edit, as 
this has a direct impact on the way PHP runs, and therefore on your servers stability and even security. 

Required settings 
The MySQL extension enables to access your data. PrestaShop simply cannot work without it. The allow_url_fopen directive enables modules to access remote files, which is an essential part of the payment process, among others things. It is therefore imperative to have it set to ON. 
In short, it is imperative to have the following directives set to the indicated values: 
extension = php_mysql.dll 
extension = php_gd2.dll 

allow_url_fopen = On  

 

Well, apparently, that did the trick! Because when I heard back from support, they said:  

 

"Hello Julie, 

I am sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Thank you for your patience. 

I have enabled 'allow_url_fopen' in php.ini file at: http://www.ipage.com/controlpanel/cgiManagement/PHPplus.bml . Please check if the website is working fine now. If still the issue persists please provide exact URL and steps to replicate the issue. Also provide admin login details."

 

So NOW the USPS module says, "Connect to USPS is configured and online!" So that is SOME SUCCESS but now, I am just trying to get the USPS to show up in the front end of my store, because it is not showing in the carrier list of the shopping cart (SIGH  ).

 

ALSO, when I tried to see what a checkout experience would be like using my shopping cart, when I get to the payment screen and click on Paypal, it says:

 

We cannot process this transaction because there is a problem with the PayPal email address supplied by the seller. Please contact the seller to resolve the problem. If this payment is for an eBay listing, you can contact the seller via the "Ask Seller a Question" link on the listing page. When you have the correct email address, payment can be made at www.paypal.com.

Your purchase couldn't be completed

 

There's a problem with the merchant's PayPal account. Please try again later.

 

So, I am SO CLOSE to getting one issue fixed, when another one shows up! I feel like I want to get excited about how my Prestashop store is coming along (because I REALLY like my other configurations), but I just haven't gotten all these hiccups worked out   Is this paypal issue any way related to the allow_url_fopen? I had read that in order for the modules to work it this needed to be enabled because the modules depend on this configuration, but now that it is enabled my paypal module still isn't working. And why isn't the USPS carrier option showing up in the front end?

[jharris]

I found the fix to the Paypal Problem! The solution to fixing the issue that I was having is found here: http://www.prestashop.com/forums/topic/266127-paypal-error/

[cosmosolano]

I had the same problem, but when I contacted my host, they said it was already set to "on".
I've had another shopping cart running and using usps, so I imagine that it was on for that to work?

I still get the same problem as the original post here.

 

any other ideas?