How to use PayPal payment system from a Desktop Application?
I develop a desktop windows application. I'd like to add the ability to use PayPal to bill for my product on a subscription basis. This means, my product (running on a windows machine on somebody's desk) needs a way ( once a month or so ) to ask "did the user pay?" -- so it knows if it should keep working. In a related feature, I'd also like the user of my product to be able to purchase an add-on option module or make some other one-time payment using the Paypal system. In this case, I suppose they'd click a button in my app, and I would pop up the browser to bring them to Paypal's web page where they can transact with Paypal. But then, my desktop windows application needs to find out "did the user complete the payment?" so it can know whether to enable the feature or not.
When I look at Paypal's developer web-site, I understandably see all kinds of support for mobile apps, or for web-sites. Its not clear how a desktop application can use the PayPal system. Will it require that I develop and support some code running on a server somewhere? Or can PayPal provide me everything that is needed and make it easy on me to do the things I describe above? Or, the "middle way", do I have to find a company or consultant that helps people connect a desktop App into Paypal's world? I want to work on my desktop product -- I don't want to figure out webpages and web server programming. How best to reach my goal in an easy and expedient way? I can't be the first person wanting to do this.
When I look at Paypal's developer web-site, I understandably see all kinds of support for mobile apps, or for web-sites. Its not clear how a desktop application can use the PayPal system. Will it require that I develop and support some code running on a server somewhere? Or can PayPal provide me everything that is needed and make it easy on me to do the things I describe above? Or, the "middle way", do I have to find a company or consultant that helps people connect a desktop App into Paypal's world? I want to work on my desktop product -- I don't want to figure out webpages and web server programming. How best to reach my goal in an easy and expedient way? I can't be the first person wanting to do this.
Another way to say what arnold said, is...
1) No way to do exactly what you describe, as your approach can be spoofed by the user, so they never have to pay.
2) You'll require having an API system to call to validate the subscription... And a simple API can also be spoofed...
3) What most people do is to provide encrypted payloads, so the local system is stupid... contains no code... then upon startup, encrypted payloads of code are downloaded into the App.
If you've never done this before, you might prefer starting with a Web based system first...
Or hire someone who does this all the time.
Tip: My preference is to run API systems which provide data only. In other words, I run/control all the code + only produce data. Then the API client (App, Browser, whatever) only sees data.
This way, if they stop paying, data stops flowing... instantly... No muss... No fuss...
Might be good for you to hire a few people who run API systems + talk through your App. Likely they can provide you with some good tips for monetizing your system, while also blocking theft of your code.
1) No way to do exactly what you describe, as your approach can be spoofed by the user, so they never have to pay.
2) You'll require having an API system to call to validate the subscription... And a simple API can also be spoofed...
3) What most people do is to provide encrypted payloads, so the local system is stupid... contains no code... then upon startup, encrypted payloads of code are downloaded into the App.
If you've never done this before, you might prefer starting with a Web based system first...
Or hire someone who does this all the time.
Tip: My preference is to run API systems which provide data only. In other words, I run/control all the code + only produce data. Then the API client (App, Browser, whatever) only sees data.
This way, if they stop paying, data stops flowing... instantly... No muss... No fuss...
Might be good for you to hire a few people who run API systems + talk through your App. Likely they can provide you with some good tips for monetizing your system, while also blocking theft of your code.
ASKER
Hard to believe there aren't people with desktop apps that would like to hook into Paypal's world. Is my request so unusual?
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paypal is a way to collect payments. I do not think you would want to hard code into your desktop application credentials to access paypal account....
the desktop app would need to use the the http-request with IE extensoins to present the user or direct the user to paypal......
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