Billing plugin

floyd

floyd

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Joined
Mar 29, 2005
Messages
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I have seen a number of billing plugins but so far none seem to do what I want them to do. I have already written something for myself but it is not a plugin for DA, it is a standalone product and it is very specific to my needs.

I am considering making it a plugin for all to use but I don't know if that is the right direction to go for you, the people who might want to use it. I know for myself I have multiple servers running DA and need a standalone product so that it can interface with all my DA servers and do things like suspend and delete accounts based on what I do with the billing information. If I choose to suspend an account it can log into the server that customer is on and suspend them in DA as well as mark them suspended in their billing account. Customers also to come to the main web site and log into their billing account their and they can change their information but they don't do it from within DA.

What I am wanting to know is would most people want it as a plugin or standalone?

This is just an idea and is in the very beginning stages and may take months to complete. I am in no rush to complete it. I will be doing it in my spare time.

I also want to keep it simple. Most of the commercial products out there I absolutely hate because they try to do too much. They have much more stuff than I need and I find I get lost myself when trying to use them. What I would like to know is what kind of stuff people really need. Not eye candy type stuff.

Keep in mind that I am not a real programmer. I am just a hack. But it will be secure.

So question:
Plugin or stand alone?

Stand alone: would interface with multiple DA servers but customers would not be able to get to their billing information via DA.

DA plugin: customers would be able to get to their billing information from within DA but admins would have to log into each server to see all their clients.

Features for client side:
Edit personal information
Edit payment information
Make payments
Invoice/statement tracking

Admin side:
Edit all the stuff the client can edit.
Create new accounts
Suspend/delete accounts

As people make suggestions I feel I can do I will update these lists.

If somebody feels this should be in another part of the forum then please move it. I wasn't sure where to put it. It kind of a feature request thing but its one I was working not one I was requesting of DA.

Also it will be written in perl but the source code will not be released. It will be compiled using perl2exe. I don't know what type of license that would be if any. It would be free for anybody to use and pass around.
 
It sounds like it's going to be a 3rd-Party product. Whether or not there's a cost or not shouldn't be the deciding factor.

So I've moved it to the Advertising forum. If you that's wrong, suggest a better one :) .

Jeff
 
I guess nobody is interested in this. I would have thought with all the questions about billing solutions people would have liked to have contributed ideas to a product made for them and on top of that it would be free.
 
I can tell you why I didn't respond ...

First of all, I do need a billing solution.

Like many of us, I've found other billing solutions wanting for one reason or another.

Based on previous experience with other billing solutions I fear that inputting ideas for, and waiting for, another billing solution, might just be counter-productive.

We've decided to continue by hand now, and in the meantime start developing our own specification.

For me this works because twice in the past I've worked on major proprietary billing systems, first in various versions of compilable BASIC and later in DataFlex.

But...

Am I wrong in moving the thread to the Advertising Forum? If so, then where should it be, considerating that it'll be a propretary program?

Jeff
 
Am I wrong in moving it to the Advertising Forum?
Click to expand...

I am not disputing that with you all.

I was just basically throwing an idea out there letting people know I was about to work on something they could benefit from and was wanting ideas about what they wanted.

But if nobody wants to contribute ideas then I will just build it the way I want to and still release it. I just thought people would like to have some input first rather than waiting for the product to be released and then requesting changes. I am not sure I will be able to accommodate changes after its done, mostly because I will be busy on something else by that time.

I hope you are not detecting any kind of negative tone in my posts because none is intended.
 
Not at all; I was just a bit afraid that I might have done you a bit of a disservice by moving it to the Advertising Forum.

Jeff
 
3rd Party Software might be better.

This community has helped me a lot and I am just trying to give something back. In order to give something back that the community can use they have to give me some input.
 
I think you're probably right; I just moved this thread to 3rd Party Software.

I hope you get some visibility here :) .

Jeff
 
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