Troubleshooting PayPal IPN Issues

Introduction

• Presenter: Veena Prashant
• Focus: Easy ways to troubleshoot PayPal Instant Payment Notification (IPN) issues
• Importance of IPN: Critical for subscription management in membership sites

Understanding PayPal IPN

• PayPal uses IPN to notify third-party systems about events like:
  • Cancellations
  • Refunds
  • Subscription payments
• Dapp relies on IPN to manage user access based on payment status

Setting Up IPN in PayPal

1. Log into PayPal account
2. Navigate to Account Settings
3. Click on Notifications
4. Update Instant Payment Notifications:
   • Ensure Notification URL is set correctly
   • Use HTTPS if your site runs on HTTPS
   • Ensure "Receive IPN Messages" is selected

Troubleshooting IPN Issues

Checking IPN History

• Access the IPN History Page:
  • Allows you to view notifications sent by PayPal for the last 28 days
  • Look for statuses such as:
    • Sent Successfully
    • Retrying (indicates failure)
• If nothing appears on the page, contact PayPal support

Diagnosing Server Issues

• If notifications are sent but not processed by Dapp, consider the following:
  • Server rejecting messages from PayPal
  • Dapp receiving messages but failing to process
• Check the message details by clicking on the Message ID number
  • Verify that the notification URL is correct

Dapp Payment Orders Page

• Review the payment orders processed by Dapp:
  • Select appropriate date range to view transactions
  • Check the Status field:
    • Success: Access extended
    • Processed affiliation successfully: Access extended
    • New: Dapp received notification but needs verification

Resolving 'New' Status

• To change status from "New" to "Success":
  • Edit the transaction and click "Update"
• Investigate communication issues between server and PayPal
  • Change communication protocol in Setup Config Page from FOpen to CURL, or vice versa

Resending Notifications

• Use the IPN History Page to resend notifications:
  • Select the transaction and click on the resend button
  • Check Dapp orders page again for updated status

Final Steps

• If issues persist after following troubleshooting steps:
  • Open a support ticket for assistance
• Key Tools: IPN History Page, Dapp Payment Orders Page

Conclusion

• Importance of monitoring IPN notifications for ensuring user access
• Presenter: Veena Prashant
• Thank you for watching!