Paypal IPN notification not being sent - php

Question

At this moment in time I have no ssl cert. I have just ordered it and I need to set up a new web server as currently while I build this app I'm using my existing server with an addon domain. When I have finished it i will get my new dedicated server and SSL cert installed.
I am using the following button:
<form target="paypal" action="https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post">
<input type="hidden" name="cmd" value="_xclick">
<input type="hidden" name="amount" value="25">
<input type="hidden" name="item_number" value="1111">
<input type="hidden" name="currency_code" value="GBP">
<input type="hidden" name="custom" value="123456">
<input type="hidden" name="business" value="[my-business-paypal-email]">
<input type="hidden" name="notify_url" value="http://www.[mywebsiteURL].com/gdpripnh-exec.php">
<input type="hidden" name="return" value="http://www.[mywebsiteURL].com/upgrade.php">
<input type="submit" border="0" name="submit" value="Buy Now!" />
</form>
I have setup my Paypal IPN url in my Paypal developer control panel, as it didn't work I added the notify_url to the button.
I tried the ipn testing simulator andd got this error response:
IPN was not sent, and the handshake was not verified. Please review your information.
I am using this IPN script
<?php
// CONFIG: Enable debug mode. This means we'll log requests into 'ipn.log' in the same directory.
// Especially useful if you encounter network errors or other intermittent problems with IPN (validation).
// Set this to 0 once you go live or don't require logging.
define("DEBUG", 1);
// Set to 0 once you're ready to go live
define("USE_SANDBOX", 1);
define("LOG_FILE", "./giggdipn.log");
// Read POST data
// reading posted data directly from $_POST causes serialization
// issues with array data in POST. Reading raw POST data from input stream instead.
$raw_post_data = file_get_contents('php://input');
$raw_post_array = explode('&', $raw_post_data);
$myPost = array();
foreach ($raw_post_array as $keyval) {
$keyval = explode ('=', $keyval);
if (count($keyval) == 2)
$myPost[$keyval[0]] = urldecode($keyval[1]);
}
// read the post from PayPal system and add 'cmd'
$req = 'cmd=_notify-validate';
if(function_exists('get_magic_quotes_gpc')) {
$get_magic_quotes_exists = true;
}
foreach ($myPost as $key => $value) {
if($get_magic_quotes_exists == true && get_magic_quotes_gpc() == 1) {
$value = urlencode(stripslashes($value));
} else {
$value = urlencode($value);
}
$req .= "&$key=$value";
}
// Post IPN data back to PayPal to validate the IPN data is genuine
// Without this step anyone can fake IPN data
if(USE_SANDBOX == true) {
$paypal_url = "https://www.sandbox.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr";
} else {
$paypal_url = "https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr";
}
$ch = curl_init($paypal_url);
if ($ch == FALSE) {
return FALSE;
}
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTP_VERSION, CURL_HTTP_VERSION_1_1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POST, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER,1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS, $req);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYHOST, 2);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_FORBID_REUSE, 1);
if(DEBUG == true) {
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HEADER, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLINFO_HEADER_OUT, 1);
}
// CONFIG: Optional proxy configuration
//curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_PROXY, $proxy);
//curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPPROXYTUNNEL, 1);
// Set TCP timeout to 30 seconds
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CONNECTTIMEOUT, 30);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, array('Connection: Close'));
// CONFIG: Please download 'cacert.pem' from "http://curl.haxx.se/docs/caextract.html" and set the directory path
// of the certificate as shown below. Ensure the file is readable by the webserver.
// This is mandatory for some environments.
//$cert = __DIR__ . "./cacert.pem";
//curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_CAINFO, $cert);
$res = curl_exec($ch);
if (curl_errno($ch) != 0) // cURL error
{
if(DEBUG == true) {
error_log(date('[Y-m-d H:i e] '). "Can't connect to PayPal to validate IPN message: " . curl_error($ch) . PHP_EOL, 3, LOG_FILE);
}
curl_close($ch);
exit;
} else {
// Log the entire HTTP response if debug is switched on.
if(DEBUG == true) {
error_log(date('[Y-m-d H:i e] '). "HTTP request of validation request:". curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HEADER_OUT) ." for IPN payload: $req" . PHP_EOL, 3, LOG_FILE);
error_log(date('[Y-m-d H:i e] '). "HTTP response of validation request: $res" . PHP_EOL, 3, LOG_FILE);
// Split response headers and payload
list($headers, $res) = explode("\r\n\r\n", $res, 2);
}
curl_close($ch);
}
// Inspect IPN validation result and act accordingly
if (strcmp ($res, "VERIFIED") == 0) {
// check whether the payment_status is Completed
// check that txn_id has not been previously processed
// check that receiver_email is your PayPal email
// check that payment_amount/payment_currency are correct
// process payment and mark item as paid.
// assign posted variables to local variables
$item_name = $_POST['item_name'];
$item_number = $_POST['item_number'];
$payment_status = $_POST['payment_status'];
$payment_amount = $_POST['mc_gross'];
$payment_currency = $_POST['mc_currency'];
$txn_id = $_POST['txn_id'];
$receiver_email = $_POST['receiver_email'];
$payer_email = $_POST['payer_email'];
$custom = $_POST['custom'];
include($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'].'/addme/config/connect.php');
include($_SERVER['DOCUMENT_ROOT'].'/functions/global-functions.php');
if (strtolower($payment_status) == 'completed'){
//good stuff happens here
}else{
//bad stuff happens here
}
if(DEBUG == true) {
error_log(date('[Y-m-d H:i e] '). "Verified IPN: $req ". PHP_EOL, 3, LOG_FILE);
}
} else if (strcmp ($res, "INVALID") == 0) {
// log for manual investigation
// Add business logic here which deals with invalid IPN messages
if(DEBUG == true) {
error_log(date('[Y-m-d H:i e] '). "Invalid IPN: $req" . PHP_EOL, 3, LOG_FILE);
}
}
exit();
?>
So I press the paypal button and get redirected to the paypal sandbox page where I login with a test account and make the payment. The payment is successful and I get returned to the page which I have specified. No IPN activity whatsoever.
Where I have put //good stuff happens here I am collecting information and entering it into my SQL database. I am also updating a log file which i use for testing. But nothing is happening.
I am baffled because i did get a log in giggdipn.log just one time. it stated:
[2016-02-26 17:27 America/Chicago] Can't connect to PayPal to validate IPN message: SSL connect error
I deleted it and tried again, just to see and now I do not get it at all.
So I googled and tried adding this:
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_SSL_VERIFYPEER, 0);
still I get nothing.

Answer 1

Make sure the Url provides for the IPN response is accessible to the outside world.