Google Checkout - XML API associate callback serial number with original order

Question

Via the XML API, how do you associate an Google Checkout callback serial number with the original order?

On the same line - What does the serial number in the "Option B - Submit a Server-to-Server Checkout API Request" section of the XML API doc correspond to (format: serial-number="981283ea-c324-44bb-a10c-fc3b2eba5707")? Does it relate to the serial sent by the callback URL (numeric-only)?

Deguzman

Answer 1

The way I've done this in the past is using the <merchanrt-private-data> tag in the original cart, so something like:

<checkout-shopping-cart xmlns='http://checkout.google.com/schema/2'>
 <shopping-cart>
  <merchant-private-data>
   <merchant-note>[some secret about the cart on my system]</merchant-note>
  </merchant-private-data>
  <items>
   ...
  </items>
 </shopping-cart>
</checkout-shopping-cart>

Then, after Google has called back with a serial number, I use the Notification History API to retrieve the order details, which then includes my private data, something like:

<new-order-notification xmlns="http://checkout.google.com/schema/2" serial-number="[serial number from google]">
 <buyer-billing-address>
  ...
 </buyer-billing-address>
 <timestamp>...</timestamp>
 <google-order-number>...</google-order-number>
 <order-summary>
  <total-chargeback-amount currency="GBP">...</total-chargeback-amount>
  <google-order-number>...</google-order-number>
  <total-charge-amount currency="GBP">...</total-charge-amount>
  <total-refund-amount currency="GBP">...</total-refund-amount>
  <purchase-date>...</purchase-date>
  <archived>false</archived>
  <shopping-cart>
   <merchant-private-data>
    <merchant-note>[the secret about the cart from my system]</merchant-note>
   </merchant-private-data>
   <items>
   </items>
  </shopping-cart>
  <order-adjustment>
   ...
  </order-adjustment>
  <promotions />
  <buyer-id>...</buyer-id>
  <buyer-marketing-preferences>
   <email-allowed>false</email-allowed>
  </buyer-marketing-preferences>
  <buyer-shipping-address>
   ...
  </buyer-shipping-address>
  <order-total currency="GBP">...</order-total>
  <fulfillment-order-state>NEW</fulfillment-order-state>
  <financial-order-state>REVIEWING</financial-order-state>
 </order-summary>
 <shopping-cart>
  <merchant-private-data>
    <merchant-note>[the secret about the cart from my system]</merchant-note>
  </merchant-private-data>
  <items>
  </items>
 </shopping-cart>
 <order-adjustment>
  ...
 </order-adjustment>
 <promotions />
 <buyer-id>...</buyer-id>
 <buyer-marketing-preferences>
  <email-allowed>false</email-allowed>
 </buyer-marketing-preferences>
 <buyer-shipping-address>
  ...
 </buyer-shipping-address>
 <order-total currency="GBP">...</order-total>
 <fulfillment-order-state>NEW</fulfillment-order-state>
 <financial-order-state>REVIEWING</financial-order-state>
</new-order-notification>

I can then use the secret to match the orders up to the details I'd stored in the database previously.

Engedi

Do you know of a good example of how to process this XML? When I try and use the API getMerchantPrivateData returns an AnyMultiple and I can't seem to get the data out of it. – Sundowner

@Sundowner it sounds like you're using some kind of wrapper around the XML API which only returns XML, and not objects - you may be better to ask a new question, and specify what libraries you're using – Engedi

@RowlandShaw This saved my life. I don't understand why google don't mention this in the doc. – Haymaker