OpenCart

How to add an OpenCart store to ShipStation, what features are available, other need-to-know details, and troubleshooting tips.

OpenCart is a free, open-source, self-hosted, shopping-cart platform. With their plug-ins and friendly GUI (graphical user interface), build and customize your ecommerce store without any programming experience. As an OpenCart partner, ShipStation pulls in weight, images, and item options from OpenCart orders. Plus, we support internal and buyer notes, along with gift messages.

Learn more about OpenCart or register to get starting building your online store.

OpenCart Requirements

Connection Requirements:

An active account with OpenCart (version 1.5.1 - 3.0.2.0).
The ShipStation module installed in the OpenCart folder.
The ShipStation Key and ShipStation Verification Key from the ShipStation Config module.
Your OpenCart URL.

Scope of Support

Installing the module to the OpenCart folder is beyond the ShipStation scope of support. We recommend you contact your store developer or OpenCart Support if you need assistance with the module installation process, as the process can differ based on the unique configuration of other OpenCart files.

Order Import Requirements:

Include a Ship To address.

Connect an OpenCart store to ShipStation

To connect your OpenCart store to ShipStation:

Go to Account Settings.
Select Selling Channels from the left-hand sidebar, then choose Store Setup.
Click Connect a Store or Marketplace.
Select the OpenCart tile.
Select Your OpenCart Version from the dropdown.
Download the ShipStation module linked in the first step in the connection window.
Use an FTP program to extract the module to your OpenCart folder.
Modify the chmod on the ShipStation/config.php file to 777.
Log in to your OpenCart admin site.
Go to Extensions, then Modules.
Click Install next to the ShipStation module.
Click Edit next to the ShipStation module.
Copy the ShipStation Key and ShipStation Verification Key from this page. If they are not present, click Generate New Keys to create them.
Back in ShipStation, enter the ShipStation Key, ShipStation Verification Key, and OpenCart URL, then map any custom statuses if needed.
Click Test Connection, then Connect if the test is successful.

After you've completed the connection steps, your store will be connected to ShipStation. You'll be taken to the store's Settings page to adjust the store-specific settings like branding, notification preferences, and product handling.

Available Features for OpenCart Integration

The ShipStation integration with OpenCart supports the following standard features:

Common Integration Features

Feature	Supported?
Custom Statuses
Customer Emails
Customer Phone Numbers
Requested Service
Payment Method
Discounts
Identifies Gift Orders
Internal Notes
Notes from Buyer
Order Weight
Item Weight
Item Images
Item Options
Item Warehouse Location

Sent with Shipment Update

Status	OpenCart Status
Awaiting Payment	Pending
Awaiting Shipment	Processing
Shipped	Shipped
Cancelled	Cancelled
On Hold	Not Mapped

Additional Features For OpenCart

The ShipStation integration with OpenCart allows for the following additional features:

Feature	Description
Configurable Time Zone	By default, ShipStation assumes that the OpenCart store's server uses UTC as the timezone. If your OpenCart account uses a different server timezone, define it in the store's settings.

Additional Details about the OpenCart Integration

ShipStation cannot guarantee compatibility with any other third-party OpenCart modules. If a module changes the folder structure of your OpenCart site, that may prevent ShipStation from importing orders.

OpenCart Troubleshooting Tips

Here are some common issues experienced by users, potential causes, and available troubleshooting tips.

Issue

How to troubleshoot or resolve

Error: Unable to update order (order #). Reason: “text_update_success" version 2.3.0.2

What it means: Shipment notifications have stopped working because of a mismatched response in the OpenCart connector.

What to do: The line response that matches "text_update_success" should be changed to read "Status updated successfully!"

Connector configuration is beyond the ShipStation scope of support, but in your own connector, you may try to parse the ShipStation module for language specifications if the language your store uses is being rejected:

Download OpenCart’s ShipStation connector zip file and then unpack/extract the zip file.
Follow this folder-opening progression: upload (name of the zip after unpacking) > admin > language > en-gb > extension > module > shipstation.php. This video demo shows the process.
Search for language strings (or the error message text), and change the response in your connector for "text_update_success" to read "Status updated successfully!"

The Order Date in ShipStation is different from the Order Date in OpenCart

What it means: This usually occurs because the OpenCart server is using a different timezone than the timezone set in the store's settings in ShipStation, which causes the Order Date to be thrown off when converting the timestamp based on time zone.

What to do: Update the store's settings so the store is using the same timezone as the server your OpenCart store is hosted on.

Certain orders placed late in the day are not importing into ShipStation

What it means: Similar to the issue above, this typically occurs because the OpenCart server is using a different timezone than the timezone set in the store's settings in ShipStation, which causes our import process to inadvertently skip ahead.