VibeFox Australia Post for OpenCart — Help

Requirements

OpenCart: 3.0.x (tested on 3.0.5.0) or 4.0.2 and later (tested on 4.1.0.3).

PHP: 8.0 or later.

Australia Post PAC API key (for live rates only): live rates use the Australia Post Postage Assessment Calculator (PAC) API. The key is free: register for a PAC API key on the Australia Post Developer Centre (developers.auspost.com.au). The settings page links to the registration page. You also need the 4-digit Australian postcode you ship from. If you only use fixed prices per country, you do not need an API key.

VibeFox license key: bought on vibefox.net. One key works on one domain.

Installation

The download is one zip file with the packages for both OpenCart versions. Unpack it on your computer. It contains README.txt, the OpenCart 3 package vfd_australia_post-oc3-(version).ocmod.zip and the OpenCart 4 package vfd_australia_post.ocmod.zip. Install only the package for your OpenCart version. The license key is the same for both versions.

OpenCart 3

1. In the admin go to Extensions > Installer, click Upload and choose the file vfd_australia_post-oc3-(version).ocmod.zip. The extension adds no OCMOD modifications, so you do not need to refresh Extensions > Modifications. Instead of the Installer, you can copy the contents of the upload folder of this package into the root folder of your store.

2. Go to Extensions > Extensions and choose the extension type Shipping. Find VibeFox Australia Post and click Install (the green + button).

3. Click Edit (the pencil button) to open the settings page.

4. Paste your VibeFox license key into License key in the license block at the top of the Edit page and click Activate (see License key).

5. Choose the Rate source. For fixed prices, add rows to Country prices. For live rates, enter the PAC API key, your ship-from postcode and, if your store default currency is not AUD, the AUD conversion rate (see Configuration). Turn on Enable Australia Post and click Save.

OpenCart 4

1. In the admin go to Extensions > Installer, click Upload and choose the file vfd_australia_post.ocmod.zip. Do not rename the file: OpenCart 4 takes the extension code from the file name, and a renamed package does not work.

2. The package appears in the list of installed extensions on the same page. Click Install (the green + button) next to it.

3. Go to Extensions > Extensions and choose the extension type Shipping. Find VibeFox Australia Post, click Install (the green + button), then Edit (the pencil button).

4. Enter the license key and the settings as in steps 4 and 5 for OpenCart 3. The settings page and its fields are the same in both versions.

After install the method is off until you turn on Enable Australia Post and save. If you install the extension again after an uninstall, the Australia Post settings you kept are used again.

Configuration

All settings are on the extension page: Extensions > Extensions > Shipping > VibeFox Australia Post > Edit. The sections are listed on the left. One Save button saves the whole page without reloading it. Every save also clears the cached Australia Post rates. Only admin users with the modify permission for this extension can save the settings.

Some errors stop the save, and nothing is saved: a Method title longer than 64 characters, a Sort order that is not a whole number, or an unknown tax class or geo zone. Other problems are shown as warnings above the panel, and the rest of the settings is saved. A number field with a value that is not a number or is negative keeps its previous value, and the warning names the field. Number fields accept a point or a comma as the decimal separator.

If a live rate source is chosen but the API key, a 4-digit ship-from postcode or the AUD conversion rate is missing, a warning is shown after saving. It also says what happens until you fix it: the method is hidden at checkout, or the fixed country prices are used in the fallback mode. The page also warns if your store has no weight class with the unit kg or no length class with the unit cm. Product weights and dimensions are then converted by the unit of their class (kg, g, lb, oz; cm, mm, m, in), and other units are read as kg and cm.

General

The settings apply to every geo zone. You can limit the method to a geo zone in Conditions, or to a list of countries in Availability without shipping zones.

Enable Australia Post: shows or hides Australia Post at checkout. Default: off.

Method title: the shipping method name shown to the customer in the cart and at checkout. Default: Australia Post. At most 64 characters: a longer title is refused and nothing is saved. If the field is empty, a warning is shown and Australia Post is used.

Rate source: how the price is calculated.

Error details go to the log, never to the customer.

Sort order: the position of Australia Post among the shipping methods at checkout. A whole number.

Australia Post API (live rates) (not needed for fixed prices)

PAC API key: your free Australia Post PAC API key. It is sent to Australia Post in the AUTH-KEY header. After saving, the field stays empty and shows Saved — leave empty to keep it. Type a new value only to change it.

Remove the saved API key: turn on and save to delete the saved key. Live rates then stop.

Ship-from postcode: the 4-digit Australian postcode the parcels are sent from, for example 2000.

Domestic service: used for deliveries within Australia (up to 22 kg, 105 cm per side): Parcel Post (default) or Express Post.

International service: used for deliveries outside Australia (up to 20 kg): International Standard (default), International Express or International Courier.

Remove GST: divides domestic API prices by 1.1. Domestic Australia Post prices include 10% GST. Turn this on when OpenCart adds tax on shipping itself (a Tax class is selected), so GST is not charged twice. International postage is GST-free and is never changed.

AUD → (your currency) rate: the label shows your store default currency. Australia Post prices are in AUD. If your default currency is not AUD, enter how many units of your currency one AUD is worth, for example 0.61. The rate must be greater than 0. Without it, live rates are not used. If your default currency is AUD, the field says no conversion is needed: leave it empty.

Parcel for live rates

The cart is sent as one parcel. Product weights and dimensions are converted from their OpenCart weight and length classes to kg and cm. The values below are used for products without weight or dimensions.

Default product weight (kg): used for each product that has no weight, in the Australia Post request and in the Min cart weight (kg) / Max cart weight (kg) check. Default: 1.

Default parcel length (cm): used when no product in the cart has dimensions. Default: 22.

Default parcel width (cm): used when no product in the cart has dimensions. Default: 16.

Default parcel height (cm): used when no product in the cart has dimensions. Default: 8.

When products have dimensions, the parcel takes the largest length and width among them, and the height grows until the parcel holds the volume of all items.

Fixed prices (used with fixed prices and as the fallback of live rates)

Country prices: a list of countries and prices in your store default currency, tax excluded. Click Add row to add a row and the × button to remove one. Choose * All other countries for a price used for every country without its own row. A country without a price (and without a * row) gets no fixed rate, so the method is hidden for it. Rows without a price are dropped on save. The table is empty until you add prices.

Fixed price per: Order (default) charges the price once. Item (price × quantity) multiplies it by the number of items in the cart. This applies to fixed prices only. Live rates are always calculated for the whole parcel.

Conditions

Min cart weight (kg): hide the method below this cart weight. 0 means no limit (default).

Max cart weight (kg): hide the method above this cart weight. Default: 22. 0 means no limit, an empty field means 22 kg. Australia Post parcels: 22 kg domestic, 20 kg international. If Min cart weight (kg) is greater than the maximum, the method would never be shown: a warning appears and both weights keep their previous values.

Minimum order amount: show the method only when the subtotal of the products that need shipping (after the coupon, tax excluded, in your default currency) reaches this amount. Leave it empty to always show it.

Free shipping: turn on free shipping from the amount below.

Free shipping from: the subtotal of the products that need shipping (after the coupon, tax excluded) from which shipping is free. No API request is made in that case. Used only when Free shipping is on.

Tax class: the tax class of the shipping cost, or No tax (default). Domestic Australia Post prices include GST: with a tax class, turn on Remove GST.

Geo zone: offer Australia Post only for addresses in this geo zone. All zones (default) means no limit. Geo zones are managed in System > Localisation > Geo Zones. Not used with Ignore shipping zones.

Availability without shipping zones

Normally the method is offered in the geo zone selected in Conditions (All zones means everywhere).

Ignore shipping zones: offer the method for the countries below, whatever the geo zone.

Countries: the destination countries for that mode. Type to search and select several. Leave it empty to allow all enabled countries of the store. Used only with Ignore shipping zones.

Advanced

Debug log: logs rate calculations to storage/logs/vfd_ap.log.php. The file cannot be read from the web. API errors are always logged. The API key and customer postcodes are not logged. Turn the log off when you are done. When the file reaches 5 MB, it is moved to vfd_ap.old.log.php and a new log is started.

Log: shows the size and the latest entries of the log. Click Clear log to empty it.

Remove data on uninstall: when on, uninstalling the extension deletes the settings, cached rates and the log. When off (default), they are kept for a re-install.

Import / Export

Export: click Download JSON to save the settings as a JSON file. The API key is not exported.

Import: paste previously exported JSON and click Import to restore the settings, for example on another store. The values are checked like a normal save. The saved API key is kept.

How it works at checkout

When OpenCart shows the shipping methods, it asks the extension for the Australia Post price. If a Geo zone is set (and Ignore shipping zones is off) and the address is outside it, Australia Post is not offered. With Ignore shipping zones the Countries list decides. Only products with Requires Shipping set to Yes count: other products add no weight and are not included in the order amount. The extension then checks the cart weight and Minimum order amount. The order amount is the price of the products that need shipping, after the coupon discount and before tax. Gift certificates, reward points and store credit are not taken into account. If free shipping applies, the price is 0 and no request goes to Australia Post.

In the fixed mode the price is taken from the table. In the live modes the extension sends Australia Post the parcel weight and, for deliveries within Australia, the ship-from and delivery postcodes and the parcel size; for international deliveries, the destination country. A domestic live rate is requested only when the delivery address has a 4-digit postcode. No request is sent when the parcel is over the Australia Post limits (22 kg or 105 cm domestic, 20 kg international). The AUD price is converted with your rate, and GST is removed from domestic prices if Remove GST is on. The price is calculated in your default currency, rounded to its decimals, and shown to the customer in their currency with the tax of the selected Tax class.

Each successful answer is cached for 1 hour, so the same cart does not trigger a new request. A failed request is cached for 10 minutes, so the checkout does not wait for Australia Post on every refresh. The API timeout is 10 seconds. API errors are never shown to the customer: the method is hidden, or the fixed price is used in the fallback mode. The reason is written to the log.

The extension calculates rates only. It does not create shipping labels, eParcel or MyPost Business shipments or manifests, track parcels or let customers choose parcel lockers or Post Offices. It adds nothing to orders: the order shows the method title and the shipping cost like any other OpenCart shipping method. The cart is always priced as one parcel. Letters, satchels and contract (eParcel) rates are not included.

On OpenCart 4 the customer clicks Choose in the shipping method block of the checkout page and picks Australia Post in the window Shipping method options. The method works the same way as on OpenCart 3.

License key

The extension works with a VibeFox license key from vibefox.net. The license block License — VibeFox Australia Post is the first block on Extensions > Extensions > Shipping > VibeFox Australia Post > Edit, above the settings. Paste the key into License key and click Activate. After that the block shows the key masked, the status (for example the date the license is active until and your domain) and the buttons Check now to check the status again, Change key to enter another key and Remove key to remove the key from this store. Below them are the line Product: opencart-shipping-australia-post and the link Manage licenses and domains in your account, which opens your vibefox.net account. Only admin users with the Modify permission for the extension can change the key. The texts of the block follow the admin language (English and Russian are included).

If the key is not accepted, the block says why, for example Key not found, This key belongs to another product, Domain limit reached or License expired on a date. After the store address changes, or after you free a domain slot in your account, click Check now. If the license server cannot be reached, the extension keeps working on the last known status.

One key works on one domain: the store address from the OpenCart configuration. Removing the key from the store does not free its domain slot. Free the slot in your vibefox.net account.

Without an active key, Australia Post is not shown to customers at checkout and no rate is calculated. An admin user who is logged in to the admin in the same browser still sees the method in the store, marked (unlicensed — visible to admins only), so you can set up and test the extension before you buy a key. On OpenCart 4 this preview is not available: the store does not see the admin login, so without an active key the method is hidden for everybody. After you have opened the Edit page once, a reminder appears on the admin Dashboard. Close it with × to hide it for 7 days. Existing orders are not affected.

When a license expires, the extension keeps working, but updates and support need a renewal. The status is checked again automatically when you open the admin Dashboard or the Edit page: once a day for the first 14 days after the key is entered, then once a week. No cron job is needed. Uninstalling the extension always removes the license key and license status.

Troubleshooting

Australia Post does not appear at checkout: check that the license is active and Enable Australia Post is on. Check Geo zone (or Ignore shipping zones and Countries), the cart weight limits and Minimum order amount. In the fixed mode, check that the country or * All other countries has a price. Check that the products have Requires Shipping set to Yes.

Live rates do not appear: turn on Debug log, reload the checkout and look at the Log field on the extension page. It shows the reason: no API key or ship-from postcode, no 4-digit delivery postcode yet, a parcel over the limits, no AUD conversion rate, or the Australia Post error message. With Live rates, fixed price if the API gives no rate customers still get the fixed price while you fix the problem.

My store is not in AUD: enter the conversion rate (how many units of your default currency one AUD is worth) in the AUD → (your currency) rate field. Fixed prices are always in your default currency.

GST is charged twice on shipping: domestic Australia Post prices include 10% GST. If a Tax class is selected, turn on Remove GST, or set Tax class to No tax.

The price is too high or too low: check the product weights and dimensions, their weight and length classes, and the default values in Parcel for live rates. With Item (price × quantity) fixed prices are multiplied by the number of items.

Rates look outdated after a change: click Save on the extension page. This clears the cached Australia Post rates.

The page says "Warning: You do not have permission to modify VibeFox Australia Post!": your admin user group may only view the settings. Give the group the modify permission for extension/shipping/vfd_australia_post (OpenCart 3) or extension/vfd_australia_post/shipping/vfd_australia_post (OpenCart 4) in System > Users > User Groups.

For developers: the PAC API address can be replaced with the setting vfd_ap_api_url (for tests); it has no field on the settings page.

Uninstall

Go to Extensions > Extensions, choose the type Shipping and click Uninstall (the red − button) next to VibeFox Australia Post. The license key and license status of this extension are always removed. OpenCart always resets Enable Australia Post, Sort order, Tax class and Geo zone. The cached rates are always removed. If Remove data on uninstall is on, the Australia Post settings and the log are deleted as well. If it is off, the other settings are kept and are used again when you install the extension again. Existing orders keep their shipping method and cost.

On OpenCart 4, to remove the files of the extension as well, go to Extensions > Installer after the uninstall and click Uninstall (the orange − button) next to VibeFox Australia Post in the list of installed extensions, then Delete (the red bin button) to remove the uploaded package.

Australia Post is a trademark of its respective owner. This extension is not affiliated with or endorsed by Australia Post.