ShopSite was designed with developers in mind, and has several programming interfaces that enable developers to build tools to extend ShopSite's capabilities. The features listed below are a few of the more powerful interfaces we provide for developers.
Order API
The ShopSite Order API in ShopSite Pro stores allows developers to create a custom application to be run immediately after a customer completes a purchase. Developers can use this to automatically update order management software, create a feedback form, or for any number of other tools. For more information, see the ShopSite Order API Help
Tax API
The Custom Tax API, available in ShopSite Pro stores, is designed to allow developers to create their own system for calculating tax rates. To learn more, check out our Tax API Help page.
Shipping API
The Custom Shipping API, available in ShopSite Pro stores, is designed to allow developers to create their own system for calculating shipping costs. Developers can use this tool to integrate their preferred shipping service with ShopSite. To learn more, check out our Shipping API Help page.
Inventory Tracking API
The Custom Inventory Tracking API, introduced in ShopSite v.10 Pro stores, allows developers to create their own applications for tracking and updating product inventory in ShopSite. Developers can integrate with existing third-party applications, or build their own tools to work with order fulfillment or a brick-and-mortar store to ensure up-to-date inventory status information. To learn more, check out our Inventory API Help page.
XML Order Download API
ShopSite Pro's automated XML Order Download utility allows developers to write custom applications for downloading ShopSite orders in XML format, which can then be easily converted to import the order data into third party applications. A great example of what you can do with the XML Order Download API is our QuickBooks Order Transfer module, which will download and import ShopSite orders into the QuickBooks program. For more information, see our help pages for the XML Order Download API.
XML Products and Pages Upload and Download API
ShopSite Manager and Pro have an API to let developers create programs to automatically upload and download store product and page data in XML format, and regenerate ShopSite content. This is an easy way to combine ShopSite with an inventory control system, or to manage multiple ShopSite stores from a single location. For more information, see XML Products and Pages Upload/Download
One of the more powerful features of ShopSite Custom Templates (available in ShopSite Pro and Manager) is the Call tag, which can be used to invoke an external CGI program. To learn about using Call tags, see the Custom Template Global Tags specification.
JavaScript is a great way to incorporate advanced functionality into a Web site, and ShopSite makes it easy to do just that. Our Shopping Cart JavaScript Variables in ShopSite Pro stores, contain all the shopping cart data as variables, which developers can access using JavaScript, and our MiniCart features and Customer Registration JavaScript are two ways we've already added advanced tools to ShopSite Pro stores. You can insert JavaScript into many of the data fields in the ShopSite back office, including a special field in ShopSite Pro Shopping Cart and Checkout screens that will add your JavaScript to the beginning of our built-in cart validation script. You can also insert JavaScript into the head of Pro and Manager store pages using the technique described in our JavaScript in ShopSite Pages FAQ. For ideas of how to use JavaScript on your ShopSite store, check out our examples of the MiniCart JavaScript and Customer Registration JavaScript, or see the information about using our Shopping Cart JavaScript Variables available in ShopSite Pro stores (there are also a few Shopping Cart JavaScript Variables in Manager stores).
To see some of the things a developer can do using ShopSite, you may want to look at our page of Third-Party Add-Ons for ShopSite.
ShopSite also has a number of Designer Tools that developers may be interested in.