TOPIC: [SOLVED] Paypal return error

I've checked out the other threads on this but it doesn't look like the issue has been solved as of yet. When Paypal returns users to the client website, the get one of the following errors:

Could not instantiate mail function
(When PHP Mail is being used)

PHPMAILER_EXECUTE/usr/sbin/sendmail
(When Sendmail is being used)

In both cases, emails do get sent out to the client, but the registration records are not updated in DT Register component, and the form on the page is not fully being populated. The price appears, but name and email are empty.

I am running DT Register 2.6.9 and Joomla 1.5.20.

Please provide a fix for this asap...

I sent DTH a ticket last week. I've been pulling my hair out trying to figure this one out.

Here's what I found:

Paypal has been randomly rolling out their "New Paypal Checkout" (says so at the top of the Paypal login page). They're randomly rolling it out more often than before, so that it just about shows up all the time. The random roll out occurs on both the live site and the sandbox site.

I was able to get the Classic Paypal Checkout to reappear only once in a great while after repeatedly trying different browsers with caches cleared prior to loading paypal.com.

The "New Paypal Checkout" fails every time you return to the joomla/dtregister site.

The Classic (old reliable) Paypal Checkout used to have a BUTTON to return to the joomla site. The New Paypal Checkout has a HYPERLINK.

The Classic Paypal, when you hit the button to return to the joomla site, would POST a FORM to the return page. The New Paypal DOES NOT POST ANYTHING--it simply hyperlinks you to the return page. The return page is specified in the initial form posting to paypal ("Please wait while you are being redirected to PayPal to complete your payment . . .").

Paypal is aware of many tickets about this issue. It is not joomla nor dtregister specific. Paypal says the work around is to use "PDT," whatever that may be or however difficult it will be to implement on joomla/dtregister. Here's what I found on a paypal forum:

In addition, there is a known issue with 'rm=2' not posting back transaction details with the new PayPal checkout pages. This is a known issue that is currently being addressed. A workaround will be to use PDT to get the transaction data on the return page. Information on PDT can be viewed at: https://www.x.com/community/ppx/pdt

Changing joomla's global configuration, mail settings to phpmail, sendmail or smtp does not fix this issue.

Emails ARE being sent to the registrant as well as the event administrator after paypal processes the "pay now" button press.

While the records on my site are updated, the same page that says "could not instantiate mail function," those fields are not populated with the name or address and any tags like [EVENT_NAME] are ignored. Also, the message displayed below "could not instantiate..." is the GLOBAL dtregister "thanks" message. The event-specified thanks message, if there is one, is ignored, it seems.

Hope this helps.
joomla 1.5.15, dtregister 2.6.9. I get the same error in dtreg 2.6.8e.


(couple of edits to polish up the info).

I'm getting the same error, only in my case I get these errors:

a. Error message Could not instantiate mail function. This is displayed twice. Could this be related to the two missing fields noted in (b) below?
b. In the fields below, neither name nor address are displayed.
c. Total cost is displayed

The recipient receives the email confirmation and the transaction is complete when displayed in the Records section of DT Register.

As latour said, this is not a DT Register issue... but due to recent PayPal changes. We are looking to see what we can do to resolve the issue in the meantime.

Admin, I think I know the solution here. If DT Register is looking for POST variables you should simply add in a switch statement on the return page.

If no $_POST variables are found from PayPal, check for $_GET variables instead because that is definitely what PP is sending back. I remember seeing them in the browser address bar, just don't recall what they all were.

If you could try testing that out and posting an immediate fix my clients would be OH so happy with us.

Is there any update on the Paypal return errors yet?

Thanks!