where would I add this attribute?
Error with Paypal Auto-Return URL
where am I supposed to add this attribute?
Adding the “Success Return URL” attibute worked for me.
I mentioned it in my post of Nov. 7th.
First you need to create a “Thank you” page.
Then you need to add the attribute: success = "https://yoursite.com/yourpersonalthankyoupage/" in the shortcode of the Paypal button.
And that’s it.
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Hi Gabe, thanks for your reply… Can I add that attribute anywhere between the brackets [ ] or in a particular place.
ok… So I have added that attribute and set up a thank you page. I am assuming that I will need to change the auto return url in paypal to my thank you page for this to be effective… is this the case or should I leave it to the standard https://www.mysite.com/?s2member_paypal_return=1
I added it as the last attribute, right before the closing bracket, like this:
[s2Member-PayPal-Button level="1".......... success="https://....com/thankyoupage/" /]
And no, I didn’t modify any auto-return settings in Paypal.
As i said in Nov. 7th, for me it didn’t work as it was supposed to do.
It was supposed to load the Thank you page, but it didn’t.
It loaded the Auto-Return URL: https:// …com/?s2member_paypal_return=1
… the page I really wanted to have loaded.
Very strange… but somehow it got fixed.
it probably loaded the standard auto return url because thats what its set to in paypal. I have just performed a test transaction with the standard auto return url set in paypal with the attribute you suggested in the paypal button shortcode and the error message still presented.
My next test will be to change the auto return url to my thank you page containing instructions for the customer to register their username and password via the link in their email.
If this doesnt work I guess I will have to remove s2member and look elsewhere.
could this be the problem : Maybe this option needs to be turned off as it clashes somehow with auto return url.
PayPal account optional
When this feature is turned on, your customers will go through an optimised checkout experience. This feature is available for Buy Now, donation and shopping cart buttons, but not for subscription buttons.Customers Can Check Out Without a PayPal Account
When the “account optional” feature is turned on, customers don’t need a PayPal account to complete a purchase. They use an alternate checkout and have the option to sign up for a PayPal account afterwards. Customers with PayPal accounts still log in to their PayPal accounts to check out.
This feature is available for Buy Now buttons, donations and shopping carts.
Please note that if both the “auto return” and “account optional” features are turned on, customers who don’t log in to PayPal can choose to go back to your website after checkout, but won’t be returned automatically.
I added a
success=“https://www.mysite.com/?s2member_paypal_return=1” /]
to the button shortcode on my site…
same error received upon post payment return:
[ site ] says…
ERROR: Unable to verify $_SERVER[“HTTP_HOST”].
Please contact Support for assistance.
If you are the site owner, please check the custom value in your Button Code. It MUST start with your domain name.
Can anyone please recommend an alternative to S2Member that does not have auto return url problems with paypal?
Hi Sean.
Not everyone is having that issue, though. I’ll be happy to help you troubleshoot your installation.
Could you please show me the log files with the entries for the transaction with the problem? I’d like to review them. You can send them privately, or here but edit them to remove sensitive information.
What troubleshooting actions have you tried so far?
Hi Christian, I just wouldn’t know where to start to find those log files to be totally honest. Besides I wouldn’t know which information would be deemed sensitive or not so I wouldn’t want to take a risk.
the transaction is fine… it completes, but the auto return url fails with an error message. This is just unacceptable as it will prompt the customer to demand a refund if not create a ton of administrative work.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with the installation, its a standard basic installation that delivers a complete financial transaction, accept it fails to action the auto return after paypal complete transaction.
You mention that not everyone is having this issue, but those that are and have the ability to circumvent the error seemed to have done so by using s2member in an unintended way, which I think is an irritating inconvenience to them.
S2Member should do what it is intended to do, and it just doesn’t. Is this S2Member’s fault? who knows, maybe it’s paypal causing the fault. Either way it’s unsatisfactory as S2Member’s compatibility with Paypal doesn’t stack up.
I’m very frustrated with this… I just want to be able to buy a simple solution that just works as advertised!
I will perform one transaction test this evening…
This will be to see if I can circumvent that auto return url error message.
I have set in paypal the auto return url to my thank you page which directs the customer to follow registration instructions outlined in the email s2member sends them after they have paid at paypal.
I have also added the attribute success=“https://www.mysite.com/mythankyoupage” to the paypal button shortcode as suggested by Gabe.
If this doesn’t work and the error persists… I will have no choice but to pull the plug on s2member and maybe paypal too and look for an off the shelf alternative.
*** UPDATE*** Unfortunately all tests failed, The Auto Return URL Error persists though it does everything else correctly. Don’t know what else to do now. I do not know enough about code to tinker with it.
Thanks to all that tried to help.
I fully agree that no one should be getting this inconvenience.
What I meant is that there’s a factor causing it in some installations, and I still have to narrow it down to the actual cause to get it fixed for good.
My installation is not giving an error. If I can’t manage to reproduce it in an installation I have access to, it’s harder for me to troubleshoot it.
I just got back here a few days ago after not being in the project for about 4 years, so I’m catching up with a lot. I apologize for not having solved this one yet.
I’m truly sorry… 
I will keep working on it and post an update when I finally figure it out. In the mean time there may still be some conversation with different users while working on it.
Christian, no need to apologise!
I’ve substituted my current IPN url in paypal with the IPN url w/ Proxy Key … don’t know if this will make any difference, but will test with transaction tomorrow.
There is clearly a mis-communication of paypal with s2member immediately after paypal transaction. However, after successful paypal transaction completion when the error has presented itself, hitting the reload or back on the browser results in the desired page where the customer can click a link to register usernames and password. This could be a time out communication driven fault, or maybe it needs some kind of key.
Will test tomorrow with IPN url w/ Proxy Key and report it here…
Best… Sean.
Thank you! I look forward to your update.
Yes, I also think it’s a miscommunication.
From what I see in someone’s log, PayPal may not be sending the custom attribute as it used to and as s2Member expects it.
PayPal does seem to have changed something, although I haven’t confirmed it yet.
I’ll do a new test as soon as I hear back from this person. Hopefully it’ll bring us closer to the root of the issue.
Christian, this is how my custom attribute presents itself in the shortcode of the paypal button : custom=“www.mysite.com”
Is this correct?
does it need a https:// in front of it?
Also, what do you have entered in paypal for IPN url? This https://www.mysite.com/?s2member_paypal_notify=1 OR the IPN url w/ Proxy Key?
How should it in your expertise be set up?
No https://.
That custom value looks okay, if you actually use the www. in your address. See: https://www.primothemes.com/forums/viewtopic.php%3Ff=36&t=1066.html
In PayPal you enter the normal IPN URL s2Member gives you, not the one with the proxy key. https://www.mysite.com/?s2member_paypal_notify=1
That one will be the default in your PayPal account, but whatever IPN URL specified in each transaction will have priority. See the explanation under WP Admin > s2Member > PayPal General Options > More Information.
Yep. The issue is apparently still happening for me too.
Thanks for the udpate, Matt.
I think I may have found what the issue is. I’ll try a quick fix later to see if that takes care of it. I’ll give you guys more details after I verify it.
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