Today I’ve been working on the final bit of a PHP contract for a client where I am converting an older ASP site to PHP. This phase involves moving over the PayPal code. The API is pretty simple for PayPal actually, and involves sending a POST to a specific API with a specific format. So basically a RESTful service.

I’m not one to just slap up the code and test live, however, and wanted to do some testing first to make sure the work flow for this part of the application is correct. So I’m going over the documentation, admittedly in a hurry, and see that I need to use a sandbox URL. Ok, I try that, but get odd internal errors. I find that odd, but start pouring over a Google Search in an attempt to see who else has seen this and already solved said issue.

After quite a lot of getting nowhere, I finally see something that tells me that you can’t just use the sandbox URL with your normal PayPal credentials. You have to setup a separate sandbox account. Ooookkaaay… Fine.

I set out to do this task, and I create an account. I find this easy enough, and I also find setting up a “cookie cutter” pre-made accout for a buyer easy enough. But when I go to test that using the Website Direct Pay Pro thingie, it complains that my sandbox is not setup correctly. So I start to investigate this. Turns out the pre-baked accounts do not use this, and you have to set one up manually.

FINE. I start that process. I get past page one where I put in my email and password, and accept the terms, and then fill out all of page two with who my “business” is. When I submit this, however, I get a cryptic error. Come to find out my password from the PREVIOUS step is not valid, and it didn’t bother to tell me till I submitted step 2!!

By this point I’m ready to start sniping imaginary targets in thin air with my imaginary finger-rifle. But I move forward. I get the account setup. All I have to do now is verify the information in the email they sent me. Oh do I??? What email!! I asked for it 4 times, and never got it today. Yes, I checked Junk mail.

I’d like to go on the record and wonder how in the world PayPal has become one of the most popular solutions in the world if setting up a dev environment is this … icky!! GAH!