SHORT TUTORIAL: CONFIGURE AUTHORIZE.NET MODULE

[myopicseer]

How to configure authorize.net payment module in VirtueMart 1.1.2 and Joomla 1.5.9

You must create or have an authorize.net account first.  Once you have the account for payment processing, you will need a merchant account too, which is the location (e.g., a bank) where authorized.net will transfer funds during checkout once the processing has been approved.

So the checkout interaction would be as follows:

Your Site's Checkout Page >> (transparently) to authorize.net  >>  your merchant account >> confirmation back to authorize.net >> confirmation to the buyer's browser window.  The order is now listed in the orders link of the VM admin area.


HOW TO CONFIGURE VM's AUTHORIZE DOT NET (CREDIT CARD) PAYMENT MODULE:

Activate the VM payment method: "credit card" (with the code that is "AN")
On the configuration tab, put your Authorize.net "API Login ID" here, NOT your authorize.net profile login ID.  You may need to go login to auth.net and select account>>settings>>API ID and Transaction Key to establish credentials for the VM payment module. 

Go to the VM admin area.  Go to the store>>payment methods>>credit card.  To enter the authorize.net Transaction ID, you click the link on the configuration page, and enter your JOOMLA! Admin Password to access the input field for the Transaction ID.  Now enter the transaction ID, and your Joomla! Password below it.  Submit. 

Lastly, if you are using SSL (which is strongly advised so that the data submitted by the buyer is encrypted when sent to authorize.net), go to the VM Admin area>>Configuration>>security tab and input the SECUREURL (maybe https://yoursite.com/).  It depends on what your host requires, and how your  SSL is setup.  There are two types of SSL's, shared and dedicated.  The shared SSL is generally free to use and is supplied by your host, but gives an unacceptable WARNING in the visitor's browser, which is difficult to navigate around. 

TROUBLESHOOTING
Many cryptic error codes during the confirmation process can be determined by looking at the auth.net manual:  http://www.authorize.net/support/AIM_guide.pdf
Use authorize . net in TEST mode and set the payment module in VM to test mode "Yes".   Use the fake card to test with:  5424000000000015 MasterCard (along with any future date as the expiry field and any name.  If you use the 3-digit CCV on your site, any number works, I think.)

Take auth.net out of test mode when you are prepared to take the site live.

[EquiProVM]

WOW!  Thanks!  Just did this, but haven't tested it yet.  If this is all there is to getting this done, then it was  BREEZE.  Hopefully it will work great. 

Again, many thanks!

[TEST 123]

Need to do Test mode? No in VM admin when module becomes live?

[creativelady]

This is VERY helpful information.  I wish someone would have been nice enough to have even just posted a link to this whenever someone had asked about this. I found lots of posts in the forums where people asked the same question that I had but n one answered.  I have spent hours searching for hours both through all the documentation and manuals and the forums and just finally found this, the ONLY place that states: a SSL certificate is not absolutely needed to use an authorize.net gateway but is HIGHLY recommended. We are ALL busy but at some point everyone has a question they need answered and this is the best way to find it, share the answers. 

I will try to go back and find all those posts and post a link to this awesome tutorial! 
Thanks myopicseer for the link to the authorize manual and test mode tip as well, awesome!