Member Avatar for A_Jobe

Hello all. I am a college student currently studying programming and web design. As a credited project, I will be developing a website for a local company. Can any of you direct me to resources related to coding a search with drop down criteria, a button to "click to fax", and a shopping cart feature? I spoke with my professor and he suggested software. But I am interested in doing as much as I can without buying software. I am willing and eager to learn. Any information is greatly appreciated. Book titles welcome!
Thanks ~ Alison

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A short, practical plan: split the project into three small features — the searchable dropdown, the “click to fax” flow, and the shopping cart/checkout. , start with the smallest feature you can complete end-to-end so you have working pieces to iterate on. Several replies here (for example and ) flagged complexity and pointed toward existing scripts; below are concrete, safe ways to build each piece yourself and where to read the authoritative docs.

For a searchable dropdown: use an HTML5 datalist for the UI and a tiny server endpoint that returns JSON suggestions. Debounce the input so you only call the server after typing pauses, and always use parameterized queries plus LIMIT on the server.

<input id="q" list="sugs"><datalist id="sugs"></datalist>

<script>
let t;
q.addEventListener('input', e => {
  clearTimeout(t);
  t = setTimeout(async () => {
    const qv = e.target.value.trim(); if(!qv) return;
    const r = await fetch('/api/search?q=' + encodeURIComponent(qv));
    const arr = await r.json();
    const dl = document.getElementById('sugs'); dl.innerHTML = '';
    arr.forEach(x => dl.appendChild(new Option(x.label)));
  }, 250);
});
</script>

See the HTML datalist and Fetch API docs for details: MDN datalist and MDN Fetch API.

Click-to-fax workflow: don’t try to implement T.30 fax yourself. Have the client POST the target number and doc ID to your server; server-side generate/collect a PDF (headless browser or library) and call a fax gateway API to deliver it. Providers document file upload and delivery status; test in their sandbox before going live. Useful references: Puppeteer for PDF generation and gateway docs such as Phaxio docs.

Shopping cart and checkout: keep cart state simple client-side (localStorage) but make inventory, pricing, and order finalization authoritative on the server. Use a PCI-compliant payment integration (example: Stripe) rather than handling card data yourself. Always use HTTPS, server-side validation, prepared statements, CSRF protection, and follow the OWASP guidance: OWASP Top Ten. Test edge cases (concurrent checkouts, stock race conditions) before launch.

Recommended Answers

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Member Avatar for colweb

I have a book about creating a webshop system but it isn't in English. Maybe this site: gives some useful information.

Member Avatar for qazplm114477

I did a quick search on goggle, this seems somewhat helpful regarding shopping carts, it's basically a shopping cart tutorial.

http://www.phpwebcommerce.com/

Member Avatar for Member #120589

Can any of you direct me to resources related to coding a search with drop down criteria, a button to "click to fax", and a shopping cart feature?

Can you use Google? If so, your PC should be as good as ours in retrieving search results. Try www.google.com or your local site, e.g. www.google.co.uk

Works for me.

Member Avatar for A_Jobe

Can you use Google? If so, your PC should be as good as ours in retrieving search results. Try www.google.com or your local site, e.g. www.google.co.uk

Works for me.

I have searched google. Perhaps I am not wording my search correctly. I am looking for the way to write the code. I will try again. I'm sorry if anyone thought I was asking you to search google for me. I was hoping someone would have a favorite site they like to reference or a book they have found helpful. My apologies.

Member Avatar for Member #120589

I have searched google. Perhaps I am not wording my search correctly. I am looking for the way to write the code. I will try again. I'm sorry if anyone thought I was asking you to search google for me. I was hoping someone would have a favorite site they like to reference or a book they have found helpful. My apologies.

No, don't apologise - my fault, feeling grouchy. Try sourceforge for loads of free open source scripts.

If you're looking for dropdown/suggestion boxes for searching, Ajax will probably do. There are LOADS of implementations available. You could try to roll your own, but jQuery and prototype (javascript libraries) both offer really good examples.

Shopping carts can be fiendishly difficult to set up - even the 'mature' open source ones are more than a little complicated to integrate to your site if you're not so sure of your coding. Most come with 'installers' and may suit you. If this is to be a live site - you'll also need a payment processor (PayPal or Google offer easy options).

I've heard a few people talk of PamFax (http://www.pamfax.biz/en/), but have never used it myself. I *think* faxes will incur a cost. I haven't come across free PC to FAX yet.

Member Avatar for Ozzzo

Hi!
Well, maybe I will not add smth really valuable in this post, but anyway...I just have googled your question, I used diff. word combinations and Google gave a me a great results! There are so many tutorails about codding! But as my fav. I can offer you to join codingforums.com - really great place and you can learn a lot from there!! And btw, one guy over there even found his on-line "coding-guru" :) who taught his on-line...maybe you will be such lucky as well! Good luck!

Best regards
Ozzzo

Member Avatar for jwd.adodis

Hello All
Please Try sourceforge.net.They Giving Lot of free open source scripts.

Thanks

Member Avatar for johnmarshel

Hello all. I am a college student currently studying programming and web design. As a credited project, I will be developing a website for a local company. Can any of you direct me to resources related to coding a search with drop down criteria, a button to "click to fax", and a shopping cart feature? I spoke with my professor and he suggested software. But I am interested in doing as much as I can without buying software. I am willing and eager to learn. Any information is greatly appreciated. Book titles welcome!
Thanks ~ Alison

You search for drop down list is easy if you have database then just only bind with that display what data you want,and click to fax, put link on button,and for a shopping cart you just make a table price,product name,quantity,and customer name all detail put in this table and bind shopping cart with this and you get the proper answer for that,you search on Internet and many books are there you find from library or Internet,I think it help you.

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