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The Stone Edge Order Status System was developed to provide those merchants whose shopping cart systems do not accept order status information from an outside source, such as the Order Manager, a way of communicating order status and tracking information to their customers. This system cannot function as a standalone application - it requires a copy of the Order Manager to be installed on at least one workstation that will act as the Shared Stack Controller.
The purpose of the Stone Edge Order Status System is three-fold:
it adds a new level of sophistication to the merchant's web site
it improves customer service
it saves time and money by reducing the "Where's my order?" telephone calls
It all starts with the Stone Edge Order Manager. The Order Manager has about thirty status events that the Order Status System can track, such as Order Received, Payment Received, Ship Date Entered, Tracking Number Imported, etc. The merchant decides which of those events to track, and enters the status text, or label, that they want to use for each event. Different status labels can be entered for each event in the status life cycle of an order, as well as for the status life cycle of each line item in the order.
Whenever one of those status events occurs, the Order Manager immediately sends that information to the Stone Edge servers. The merchant can include links to the Order Status System in their email messages and on their web site.
To check their order status, the customer either clicks a link in the email that they received from the merchant, or goes to the merchant's web site and enters their Zip Code and order number. The Stone Edge servers respond with the up-to-the-minute order status information. The response page can include the merchant's HTML header and footer, so the page will have the same "look and feel" of the merchant's web site. If any tracking numbers have been entered or imported for the order, those tracking numbers will appear as hyperlinks to UPS, USPS, FedEx or other carrier's order tracking pages.
The Order Status System requires a copy of the Stone Edge Order Manager. Once the Order Manager has been set up, there are three main steps to complete in order to begin using the Order Status System:
Purchase an Order Status System Subscription, which can be done online at www.StoneEdge.com, or by calling Stone Edge Technologies at 610-994-3699 Option1, from 9am - 6pm Eastern time.
Set up the Status Events feature within the Stone Edge Order Manager.
Set up the Order Status System account settings.
The Status Events feature in the Order Manager lets the merchant define a set of status labels that the Order Manager can automatically apply to Order and/or Line Items when certain events occur. An event is defined as an action that takes place in the Order Manager such as approving an order, logging a payment, returning a line item, etc.
By itself, the Status Events system only sets status codes within the Order Manager, it does not necessarily transmit order information to any web site. However, this feature can be used in conjunction with the web-based Stone Edge Order Status System, and some shopping cart systems or other order status programs.
NOTE: Use of the Stone Edge Order Status System requires a separate subscription, which is available at www.StoneEdge.com or by calling Stone Edge Technologies, Inc. at 610-994-3699, Option 1.
As each order is added to the Order Manager, the program can send information about the order to the Stone Edge servers. Posted information includes the following:
Bill To Name
Bill To Zip Code (for security purposes - it is not displayed)
Bill To Email Address (for security purposes - it is not displayed)
Bill To Phone Number (for security purposes - it is not displayed)
Ship To Name
Order Manager Order Number
Shopping Cart Order Number (if applicable)
Current Order Status
Line Item SKU
Line Item Quantity Orders
Line Item Quantity Shipped
Line Item Quantity Needed
Line Item Status
NOTE: No payment or address information is sent to the Stone Edge web site. Only the fields listed above are ever sent to the Order Status Server, so there is no reason to worry about confidential information being exposed to the Internet.
As changes are made to various orders, the Order Manager can transmit those changes to the Stone Edge web site in real time, assuming that an Internet connection is available, so your customers can easily view up-to-the-minute information about their orders. As Shipping Carrier's Tracking Numbers are added to the Order Manager, they are also sent to the Order Status System server. Tracking numbers are displayed as hyperlinks, which can be clicked for immediate access to the appropriate shipper's package tracking system.
The Order Manager comes with a set of standard, or pre-defined status events, which are listed in the chart below:
EVENT |
OCCURS WHEN... |
Drop Ship Canceled |
A drop ship order is canceled at the (View) Orders screen. |
Drop Ship Ordered |
A drop ship order is placed at the (View) Orders screen. |
Item Add |
A line item is added to an order at the (View) Orders screen. |
Item Cancel |
A line item is canceled at the (View) Orders screen. |
Item Change Status |
This event is fired when the user manually changes the status of one or all line items on the Ship Dates and Status tab of the (View) Orders screen . Do not specify status labels for Item Status or Order Status in the Set Up Order & Item Status Events page of the Setup Wizard (Page 2 of Order Status System section). The values will be pulled from the order or item status at the time the event is fired. |
Item Exchange |
A line item is exchanged for another product at the (View) Orders screen. Status will change for both the original order and the newly created order. |
Item Fill Backorder |
Backorders are filled at the (View) Orders screen or at the Fill Backorders screen (form). Status will change for both the original and newly created orders. |
Item Return |
A line item is returned at the (View) Orders screen. |
Item Revise |
A line item is revised at the (View) Orders screen. |
Item Set Expected Ship Date |
The expected ship date is set for a line item or items. If a status label is not selected for this event, date information will not be included in the status update for the item. |
Item Set Actual Ship Date |
The actual ship date is set for a line item or items. |
Item Unreturn |
The return of a line item is reversed at the (View) Orders screen. |
Order Add Tracking Number |
A new tracking number is manually entered at the (View) Orders screen – Shipping and Tracking tab. |
Order Approve |
An order is approved through the (View) Orders screen, Web Import or Manual Orders. |
Order Cancel |
An entire order is cancelled at the (View) Orders screen. |
Order Cancel Back Order |
A back order has been canceled. |
Order Change Status |
The user manually changes the status of an order at the (View) Orders screen – Ship Dates and Status tab |
Order Credit Issued |
The user "Logs Credit Issued" or transmits a credit through the Payment Terminal. |
Order Edit Tracking Number |
Revisions are made to an existing tracking number. |
Order Force Backorder |
A backorder has been forced for an item in this order. |
Order Fill Backorder |
Backorders are filled at the (View) Orders screen or the Fill Backorders form. Status will change for both the original and newly created orders. |
Order Import |
An order is imported from a text file or from the Internet. This is the first status applied. Subsequent events may follow immediately after import (such as Approved, Paid or Shipped) that will change the status again. |
Order Pack |
The order is closed following the packing of a box in the Packing form. |
Order Payment Edit |
The payment information is modified on the (View) Orders screen. |
Order Payment Received |
A user "Logs Payment Received" or transmits a capture or sale from the Payment Terminal at the (View) Orders screen. |
Order Payment Void |
A user transmits a "Void" via the Payment Terminal at the (View) Orders screen. |
Order Set Actual Ship Date |
The actual ship date is set for the entire order (all line items). |
Order Unapprove |
An order is "Unapproved" at the (View) Orders screen. |
Order Uncancel |
An order is "Uncanceled" at the (View) Orders screen. |
The Order Manager has pre-defined status labels that the merchant can use, or the merchant can define their own status labels. Be advised that some shopping cart systems only accept a specific set of status labels. See the Shopping Cart's Knowledge Base page for more details.
| Backorder Canceled | Item Canceled | Payment Edited |
| Backorder Filled | Item Exchanged | Payment Received |
| Credit Issued | Item Returned | Payment Voided |
| Drop Shipment Canceled | Order Approved | Pending |
| Drop Shipment Ordered | Order Backordered | Pending Shipment |
| Item Added | Order Canceled | Shipped |
| Item Backordered | Order Received | Tracking Number Edited |
The merchant can manually set each parameter mentioned below or use the Order Status Section of the Store Setup Wizard.
Set the following system parameter:
Set the following system parameters (in the SETI parameter group):
SETISendStatusUpdate - set to TRUE
SETID - enter the Order Status System User Name that was provided by Stone Edge when the subscription service was purchased
SETIPassword - enter the Order Status System Password that was provided by Stone Edge Technologies when the subscription service was purchased
SETIMerchantID - enter the Merchant ID that was provided by Stone Edge Technologies for use with the Order Status System
SETIURL - enter the URL to the Stone Edge Order Status ASP page; this URL will be supplied by Stone Edge Technologies when the Order Status System subscription is purchased
SETIStatusLinkURL - enter the URL that will be presented in the email link that customers use to access the order's status information. The default URL is "http://www.stoneedge.net/setistatus/checkstatus.asp". It is possible to enter a URL from your web site that will redirect inquiries to the Stone Edge Order Status System URL, instead. Refer to Appendix A.
Use the Order Manager's List Maintenance feature to define your own status labels, however, labels should not exceed 50 characters and they cannot contain single (')or double quotes (") in the text. Open the List Maintenance screen from the Maintenance tab of the Maintenance Menu or via the [Enter Status'] button on Page 2 of the Order Status Section of the Store Setup Wizard. If the status labels will be added via the Store Setup Wizard, it will not be necessary to choose a list type from the Select List section of the screen, as seen in the figure below, it will already be loaded.
Figure 1: List Maintenance screen
Choose the Status label from the Select List section of the screen.
Enter the name of the new status label in the Status field.
Click the [Save] button or press the [Enter] key twice.
The entry will appear in the List Entries section of the screen. The entries are in alphabetical order.
To add more entries to the same list, repeat steps 2-3 as often as necessary to create all of the new status labels.
When finished, click the [Close] button to exit the List Maintenance screen.
Choose the Status label to be removed from the Select List section of the screen.
Click the [Delete] button.
The entry will disappear from the List Entries section of the screen.
When finished, click the [Close] button to exit the List Maintenance screen.
Use the Status Event screen to designate the status label that will be applied to an order or line item when a given status event occurs. Applying status labels is optional for any given event. If no label is applied to an event then the existing status will not be changed.
The Status Event screen can be accessed via the Setup Functions tab of the Maintenance Menu or via Page 2 of the Order Status System section of the Store Setup Wizard.
The Event column lists the various Order Manager events that can change the status.
In the Item Status column, select the label to apply to affected line item or items when the event occurs. If an event is item-related, the label is applied to the single affected line item. If an event is order-related, the label is applied to all line items in the order.
In the Order Status column, select the label to apply to the order when that events occurs.
The Notify Cart column indicates whether the program should send the changes in order/line item status to the Shopping Cart. Verify that the shopping cart system accepts status updates from an outside source before checking the box in the Notify Cart column, as it may adversely affect program performance if updates are not accepted. Depending on the shopping cart system, other system parameters may also need to be set. Refer to the Updating Order Status with _______ Shopping Cart for the specific cart that is in use. This field has no effect on the sending of updates to the Order Status System, however. Status changes will always be sent to the OSS as long as the Send Status to Order Status System box is checked on Page 1 of the Order Status System section of the Store Setup Wizard.
Figure 2: Set Status Events screen
In the example shown in the figure above, the status event, Order Add Tracking Number, has been assigned the status label of Shipped. When an order has new tracking information added to it, the status of the order will change to Shipped when the Status Event is triggered by the Process Tracking Numbers function. For more information about that function, see the Related Topics at the end of this article. Since the Notify Cart box is checked, the program will also send the status updates to the shopping cart.
Click in the Item Status or Order Status column in the row for a particular event.
Click the drop-down list indicator on the right side of the field (where the cursor is pointing in the figure above), which will display the list of status labels that were supplied with the program or added via the List Maintenance screen. It is not possible to type in a new entry into the field, any new labels must be added via the List Maintenance screen.
Select the status label that should be assigned to the order or item when the event occurs by clicking it in the list.
Repeat steps 1-3 for any other events that will be used. Changes made at this screen take effect immediately.
Select the label in the Item or Order Status columns in the row for the appropriate status event.
Press the [Delete] or [Backspace] key to remove the label.
The change will be saved immediately. Repeat as often as needed.
Close the screen when finished.
To view the current status of an order or line item, go to the Orders screen and click the Ship Dates & Status tab found on the lower portion of the screen. The Orders screen is accessed from the Main Menu by clicking the View link in the Orders section of the screen.
The status of the current order will appear in the Order Status field on the top left of the tab. The status for each line item appears in the list of line items in the lower left. It can also be found in the main line item area in the upper portion of the Orders screen. It is possible to manually set the status for an order, a single line item, or all line items in the sale.
Figure 3: The Orders screen - Shipping Dates & Status tab
Select one of the status labels from the list in the lower right-hand corner of the screen, or manually type a status label into the text field immediately above the list of status labels.
Click the [Order] button to apply the chosen label to the order.
Select the item to be changed from the list of items included in the order from the list is the lower-left-hand corner of the screen.
Select one of the status labels in the list of status' in the lower right-hand section of the screen, or manually type a status label in the text field above the status list.
Click the [Selected] button to apply the chosen label to the selected line item.
Select one of the status labels in the list of status' in the lower right-hand section of the screen, or manually type a status label in the text field above the status list.
Click the [All] to apply the chosen label to every line item that is included in the current order.
Leave the text field above the status list blank, or manually remove any data that is entered there.
To clear the status of a single line item, select the line item from the list in the lower left-hand corner of the screen; click the [Selected] button to remove the status label from the selected line item.
To clear the status of the order only, click the [Order] button to remove the status label from the currently viewed order. The individual status of each line item will remain unchanged.
To clear the status of all line items as well as the order status, click the [All] button to remove the status label from the order and every line item contained in the order.
Occasionally, changes may not get posted to the Order Status System for a variety of reasons. If it becomes necessary to re-send the current status information to the Stone Edge Order Status server, click the [Send Status To Web] button that is found next to the Order Status field in the top, center portion of the Ship Dates & Status tab.
The Stone Edge Order Status System has a web-based interface from which the user can select the fields that will be included in their order status displays, as well as enter HTML headers and footers to format the data, etc.
All account settings are maintained at the following URL: http://www.stoneedge.net/setistatus/admin
To access your account, it is necessary to enter the User Name and Password, that is assigned by Stone Edge Technologies when the Order Status System subscription service is purchased, in the appropriate fields in the center of the user interface. That information can be found in the order confirmation email that is sent to the email address specified in our customer records. Click the [Login] button.
Figure 4: The Stone Edge Order Status System User Interface
The left-hand side of the screen is the Navigation Pane, which includes links for accessing the many functions that are available in the Order Status System, which are organized by purpose.
Check Orders - use this screen to view order status information outside the Order Manager. It is possible to sort the list of orders by date, order number, web order number, billing name or shipping name
Figure 5: Check Orders screen of OSS Admin
Generate HTML - this page displays a generic non-formatted HTML or Java Script source code that can be copied and pasted for use on your site; just choose which fields (Email, Zip Code or both) that should be included along with the order number field and click the [Generate HTML Form] button
It is recommended to use both the Zip Code and Email fields, although the example in the figure below shows that only the Zip Code field will be included along with the order number field.
Figure 6: Generate HTML screen of OSS Admin
Of course, you are free to create your own forms from scratch or from any HTML editor that you use. If you are creating your own form, please be aware of the following required and optional fields and the appropriate formatting:
| Field Name | Required? | Expected Value |
| MerchantID | YES | Merchant Provided: Your assigned MerchantID |
| Order Number | YES | Customer Provided: Either the web site order number or the Order Manager order number |
| Zip and/or |
Both can be specified alone or together, but at least one of them is required to be present. | Customer Provided: The Bill To: Zip Code or the customer's email address that was used for the order |
The values passed to the Order Status System script to do the actual lookup, such as e-mail address, Zip Code, or order number, are not case-sensitive. The key/value pairs can be submitted in a URL or from a form using either the POST or GET method.
Settings (Global) - this page is where you can control how your customers view their order's status
POST Methods (Generic and Formatted are most widely used):
Generic - this is the "no frills" format. The customer will see the status of their order on a white page with black text.
Formatted - this method is recommended for most merchants because it gives the merchant a lot of control over the appearance of the data without any special programming. Copy and paste the HTML from your existing site into the header and footer. Use this method when you want the same "look and feel" as your web site.
Query String to URL - this method should only be attempted by users with advanced programming skills
When using this method, the order status data will be sent to a web page that you specify. Contact Stone Edge Technologies to obtain more information about using this method, however, Stone Edge does not provide the technical resources necessary to implement this type of custom modification.
XML- only - this method should only be attempted by users with advanced programming skills
This method gives the merchant the most control over the data that is displayed in the Order Status System. Contact Stone Edge Technologies to obtain more information about using this method, however, Stone Edge does not provide the technical resources necessary to implement this type of custom modification.
Days before Deleting Orders: all orders will automatically be deleted out of the system based on the number of days that are specified here. The maximum number of days to keep the orders in the Order Status System is 60. If you need to retain order information for a longer period of time, contact Stone Edge Technologies. Additional charges may apply due to increased storage requirements.
Select which fields to use: this section of the screen is where you indicate which fields should be visible to customers when using POST Method 1 or 2. If using the Query String to URL method, it determines which additional fields are sent in the query string to the specified URL, along with those fields that are always sent by default. All fields are always sent in the XML-only method, regardless of which boxes are checked in this section of the screen.
Inquiry (Mail) Settings - this page gives the merchant control over the email inquiry option, which allows your customers to send an email to inquire about an order
Mail Settings
Figure 7: Mail Settings screen of Inquiry Settings for OSS
Check the box labeled "Enable Customer email form?" to permit email inquires.
Specify the subject line that will appear on every inquiry email, along with the email address to which the inquiries should be sent.
Form Settings
Figure 8: Form Settings screen of Inquiry Settings page in OSS
The first text box is where the user specifies the text that will be displayed as the hyperlink to the email form in the order status system page.
The second field is optional and is used to specify a label for the mail form, such as "Please enter your message below", or "Compose a message about your order", etc.
The third box is where the user can enter a confirmation message that will be displayed to the customer after they have sent an email inquiry; plain text or formatted HTML can be used
(Optional) The fourth box and fifth boxes are where HTML code can be added to the header and footer of the email inquiry pages to maintain the "look and feel" of your web site.
Account Information - edit the information in the text boxes as needed and click the [Submit] button to make the changes.
Change Password - if it becomes necessary to change your password, click on this link to be taken to a page that will ask for your current (Old) password, the new password, and confirmation of the new password; click [Submit] to make the change
Contact Us - this link opens the Contact Support email page for Stone Edge Technologies Technical Support; enter your information and click the [Send] button
Documentation - this link opens this page of the Stone Edge Technologies Product Knowledge Base
Open the Email Template Editor, which is found on the Maintenance tab of the Maintenance Menu, and select the template that will be sent to your customers to provide tracking information for their order. The email templates that are used for various purposes can be identified in the Email section of the Store Setup Wizard.
Insert the <<Status Link>> tag into the body of your email template. The tag can be located using the All or Orders radio buttons.
Save the changes to the template.
Merchants typically set up an HTML form on their store site where customers can retrieve orders status information. To get their order status information, customers will enter their order number and email into an online form.
To generate the HTML for a "check status" form, click Generate HTML on the navigation bar of your Order Status System Web Services.
Choose which type of form you want and which fields to include.
Click Generate HTML Form button. Copy and paste the HTML to the area or page you have designated on your web site.
Created: 4/15/11
Modified: 5/11/11
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