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[mitchie]

We just released v0.4.4

vm Invoice Manager is a FREE component for Joomla CMS / VirtueMart e-store that generates PDF deliveries and invoices documents for VirtueMart purchases. It can even print out delivery labels for your envelopes/boxes.
vm Invoice Manager is a TRUE Joomla! component, it means that it doesn't hack your Virtuemart installation! It means you keep your virtuemart installation safe and don't need to re-hack it on each Virtuemart upgrade!

Thanks to tcpdf's author that included in its class a method to control tcpdf version (on our request), vm Invoice Manager is now able to check if you have the right tcpdf class version installed, preventing tcpdf's class error(s). Tcpdf class is part of Joomla! installation package.

With vm Invoice Manager v0.4.4 you are now able to template labels too. Using simple placeholders you can define the position of title, first name, last name, address1, address2, zip, country, state etc., as different states have different layout.

You can customize invoice and delivery documents template, as they are separated from the logic of the script.
If you haven't practice with tcpdf language, don't worry, in a few days we will release few template that will auto-resize if you change page format. So you will be able to use them in both A4 or USLETTER format without any change.
If you want to adjust something into these template, you can do it setting only variable values. We made a big work to let you change everything just setting variables values. More than 60 variables, well commented and with example of values allowed, are placed at the very top of each template, so you don't need to loose your time inside the code! You will be able to costomize bank info and even a marketing news (in html code) inside the invoice!

You can download the script for free and install it in a minute like any other Joomla! component without any hack (!).

Languages supported:
italian
english
dutch
french
german
romanian
slovenian
spanish

official site and support forum
www.joomscripts.com

Enjoy,
claudio

[robgul]

I have downloaded this extension (on the free, unsupported basis) prior to buying it if it works (having tried out earlier versions that didn't).

I submitted a Support Ticket as follows : 
=========
Installed VM Invoice and upgraded TCPDF to latest version - Labels work fine but trying to create a pdf Delivery Note or Invoice (from the standard template) gives an error :

TCPDF ERROR: [Image] Unable to get image: http://www.--- my site --- /administrator/components/com_vminvoice/images/logo.jpg

I have checked the logo.jpg file it is present. 

Any ideas please?  Running Joomla 1.5.22
=========

However my support ticket was closed almost immediately with a terse message about paid options for the extension. 

NOW, I know I have the freebie BUT given that whole TCPDF thing seems to have been a problem with this extension I would have expected a response for what seems a fundamental problem.

Does anyone else have any guidance or suggestions please?

Thanks

Rob

[Johnwood]

I have downloaded this extension (on the free, unsupported basis) prior to buying it if it works (having tried out earlier versions that didn't).

I submitted a Support Ticket as follows : 
=========
Installed VM Invoice and upgraded TCPDF to latest version - Labels work fine but trying to create a pdf Delivery Note or Invoice (from the standard template) gives an error :

TCPDF ERROR: [Image] Unable to get image: http://www.--- my site --- /administrator/components/com_vminvoice/images/logo.jpg

I have checked the logo.jpg file it is present. 

Any ideas please?  Running Joomla 1.5.22
=========

However my support ticket was closed almost immediately with a terse message about paid options for the extension. 

NOW, I know I have the freebie BUT given that whole TCPDF thing seems to have been a problem with this extension I would have expected a response for what seems a fundamental problem.

Does anyone else have any guidance or suggestions please?

Thanks

Rob

I will suggest you to fix the problem of image paths--
try to download all the latest extensions like Phoca PDF component and Phoca PDF VM Plugin and add these to library.

[robgul]

I have downloaded this extension (on the free, unsupported basis) prior to buying it if it works (having tried out earlier versions that didn't).

I submitted a Support Ticket as follows : 
=========
Installed VM Invoice and upgraded TCPDF to latest version - Labels work fine but trying to create a pdf Delivery Note or Invoice (from the standard template) gives an error :

TCPDF ERROR: [Image] Unable to get image: http://www.--- my site --- /administrator/components/com_vminvoice/images/logo.jpg

I have checked the logo.jpg file it is present. 

Any ideas please?  Running Joomla 1.5.22
=========

However my support ticket was closed almost immediately with a terse message about paid options for the extension. 

NOW, I know I have the freebie BUT given that whole TCPDF thing seems to have been a problem with this extension I would have expected a response for what seems a fundamental problem.

Does anyone else have any guidance or suggestions please?

Thanks

Rob

I will suggest you to fix the problem of image paths--
try to download all the latest extensions like Phoca PDF component and Phoca PDF VM Plugin and add these to library.

I struggle with understanding some of this!  I assume that you mean that the Phoca pdf stuff is an alternative to VMInvoice ... is that correct please?

Thanks

Rob

[mitchie]

Hello Rob,
I'm surprised to find you here.

You submitted, in different time, more than one support request just writing the component doesn't work. With our investigation we find out it doesn't produce PDF, with more investigation we find out you got error loading an image producing PDF document (an error that we were not able to reproduce in our servers, btw).
From "the component doesn't work" to "PDF's tcpdf class return an error loading an image" there is a difference. And you are not alone in this, so don't get me wrong, there is nothing personal. Unfortunately this has a cost: the time we spent to investigate and to get the info about server, version used, tcpdf class uploaded in the wrong locations and so on. All things that have nothing related to the scripts itself.
I suppose this is nothing new for all developers, but still is a cost for us.

We made more than 10 releases in 8 months and we improved the script even more each time. However, in the same time, tcpdf class developers team have released more than 30 (I mean, 30!) different releases of tcpdf class. As all of you (should) know, Joomla produce PDF documents using this 3rd party developed class and we choosen to use the same, so we had to follow this class development changes and updating our script just to keep it working with this class latest releases. To be clear on this, if you try to produce pdf document with joomla and last tcpdf class, it fails! And I'm speaking about Joomla!
Like some one written before me, open source doesn't means free nor open support. Supporting and developing the script just following the tcpdf class new releases and giving support to it (because for our users read tcpdf class document is difficult and costs time!) had slow down our true script development, that development that adds features. So we changed our rules.

v0.4.4.4r3 is free, installed and working fine on more than 3.000 sites and counts every day. However it doesn't garantee you that it works fine in "every" site, as there are a lot of different combinations of php-server-tcpdfclass-vm invoice manager's versions combinations.

After changed rules the script's development has speed up, and during our development we find out how to fix a very rare case of image error returned by tcpdf class. It is included in a newer version and available only for project's supporters. Donation allow us to still use our free time to develop our script, give full support, and explain to our childrens and wives because we are not with them all the time. Open source means freedom, not free. It's written in the GNU-GPL licence statement. And we enjoyed to become supporter of other scripts we used to manage membership plans (just to say one of them). Our grew up support other grew up. I'm sorry but I can't see nothing wrong in this.

So Rob, I'm sorry you understood you "have" to pay. 99,9% if you read into Tcpdf class's official site (where your error comes from) forum and docs you find out the solution for free for your free version of vm Invoice Manager v0.4.4.4r3. The same place where we fish from every day for you (I mean all of our script's users, it is not personal, don't get me wrong!) to enjoy. You will discover hom much time it needs to find out what you are looking for and works for your case too, and maybe you will value a donation worths the latest release, understanding the meaning of "open source".

Thanks,
claudio

[robgul]

I got lost in all that text.

I have no problem in paying for the components/modules to do the job BUT, not unreasonably, I would like to be sure that the item I'm paying for works.  The whole concept of try before you buy is great ... and time limits, watermarks etc protect the developers work.

The instructions for the installation and TCPDF etc were followed to the letter and part of the VM Invoice component works (producing labels) but the production of invoice or delivery note documents did not.   The suggestion of paying for the component which apparently has a fix in just to find out whether it works is not acceptable.

If it works I will buy it.

Rob

[mitchie]

Hello Rob,
You can always use the invoice and delivery template we made for this cases which do not include images. These templates are already installed in your server as they are installed with the package. To use them you have to set them in config page. Set 'invoicewithoutimage.pdftemp.php' and 'deliverywithoutimage.pdftemp.php' in your pdf's sections config. You already have the solution because we thinked to it in advance.
For the upgrade, as I written to you in the support ticket reply, if the solution will not work for you, we will look for a solution just for you. We consider it still a development. But nobody can garantee you on a software pourpose (implicit or not) as it is declared the opposite in the GNU-GPL licence. You should have a look at it.
So Rob, you already have the solution installed (templates without image logo) and already got the answer for special development just for you if needed.
What's the new?

claudio

[robgul]

OK - thanks - I'll give that a try when I get time.

Rob

[robgul]

OK - thanks - I'll give that a try when I get time.

Rob

Getting there - got it to print a delivery note and invoice BUT the invoice shows   "GBP" against the item price (it's a UK site) in the body of the form BUT has a Euro symbol, not a £ in the summary at the foot of the page [The site has all currencies except British Pounds removed ... I assume the Euro must be in the code somewhere but I can't find it)

Have to say, if I can sort the odd things like this it will be great for my 4 or 5 e-commerce sites.

Rob

[mitchie]

OK - thanks - I'll give that a try when I get time.

Rob

Getting there - got it to print a delivery note and invoice BUT the invoice shows   "GBP" against the item price (it's a UK site) in the body of the form BUT has a Euro symbol, not a £ in the summary at the foot of the page [The site has all currencies except British Pounds removed ... I assume the Euro must be in the code somewhere but I can't find it)

Have to say, if I can sort the odd things like this it will be great for my 4 or 5 e-commerce sites.

Rob

Hi Rob,
well it seems you succed to print out a pdf document! ;-)

vm Invoice Manager uses Virtuemart's currency class (com_virtuemart/classes/currency/class_currency_display.php) to format prices, so you can't find '€' anywhere in the script.

Be sure you have the latest vm Invoice manager version installed (v0.4.4.4r4). If so, open a ticket in the support area and attach the file com_vminvoice/pdf/temp/invoice.pdftemp.php you are using in your site, we will check it out.
mitchie

[lindapowers]

I tried your component and is quite confusing.

Why do I have to create a delivery if a delivery is already created in VM.

Even creating it to be able to do an invoice the "order status" dissapears in Virtuemart.

Would be great if you made it as simple as.. create invoice. Seems like its not well connected with VM.

[mitchie]

Hello, it seems you have in mind your needs only, but a lot of people need more control over delivery. Not everybody just sell downloadable products.
It seems you didn't read wiki site either. The script was born to fit personal needs only. Now we are rewriting the whole script and it will be possible to make direct invoice (without producing delivery) with the next release.
It seems you didn't see the installation video instruction (!!!) as well!


If creating delivery the order status disappear in Virtuemart you didn't read the instruction on how to install the script, not on the site nor in the final page of installation process.

It would be great if you could follow basic process installing new component:
1. Read the site you are downloading the component from
2. Read documentation of the script
3. Install the component, config it following the video instruction
4. Test it following the video instruction on how to make your first invoice
5. Enjoy it because it works nicely

:-)

claudio

I tried your component and is quite confusing.

Why do I have to create a delivery if a delivery is already created in VM.

Even creating it to be able to do an invoice the "order status" dissapears in Virtuemart.

Would be great if you made it as simple as.. create invoice. Seems like its not well connected with VM.

[lindapowers]

Hi Claudio
You didnt not tell one right about me

I did read all your instructions.
I saw the videos.
I don't sell downloadable products.

The blank order status happened because I had not created a status for your component in VM and assigned it, something I figured out myself as your instructions don't mention it.

Having to create a delivery before creating an invoice is nonsense for downloadable or physical products.

You have an order... next step you make an invoice... is quite simple.

Is great that you have options to create labels etc.. but delivery? what the hell is that? is the same as an order actually
Why on earth do I have to select which products are "delivered"? All products are delivered as metioned in the order

Is great news that you are planning to create direct invoice in next release as I'm going to donate money to support your latest version.

This is not my personal needs Claudio, your component is great but understand that 90% users just want to do this:

Orders and Invoice of that orders.

Please tell me when you have this done and would get the latest version.

[mitchie]

Hi Claudio
You didnt not tell one right about me

I did read all your instructions.

So you deliberately have not followed these instructions
http://www.joomscripts.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=107&Itemid=159
AND these
http://wiki.joomscripts.com/index.php?title=Installation

Having to create a delivery before creating an invoice is nonsense for downloadable or physical products

It's your opinion and I do respect it. Different countries/states have different laws so someone requires it (even if I could agree with you it is a nonsense, but the laws are laws).

Why on earth do I have to select which products are "delivered"? All products are delivered as metioned in the order

If it's your case it doesn't means is the case of everybody. If the store hasn't all products available it can deliver all available products with a first shipment and the rest of products when they come available with a second shipment. In this case, some local laws require two different delivery documents (now is it clear why VIM produces it?) each with the exactly (not 1 product more and not 1 product less) list of products in that specific shipment. So in these countries/states you have to be able to split the order in more than one delivery document (in these countries/states order and delivery are two VERY different things).

This is not my personal needs Claudio, your component is great but understand that 90% users just want to do this:

Orders and Invoice of that orders.

I'm happy, it means 90% of the people will be happy just with the next release.

Users around the world, project's supporters, asked and are asking for these and new more futures. They drive our development and we are happy to satisfy all of them as they support the project. A lot of new options will be available with the next version(s), so stay tuned.

Hope this help to understand a lot of features that can apper not useful if referred to our own countires/states only, so thank you for the opportunity.

Take care,
claudio

[lindapowers]

Hello

Thanks for the info.

Can you tell me where to delete the invoices created? I created some test invoices from test orders but don't know how to delete them, I want to get your latest version and don't want those invoices there.

I'm a bit worried of the amount of space those pdf's will take if you create all invoices from orders.

Thanks