Need PHP function that will post invoices to our online Quickbooks system

[wajake41]

Hello forum: Looking for someone experienced with the QuickBooks online API. The project will be to create invoices on our store's QuickBooks system. The function to be created will be provided with all the necessary data elements needed to do this from our own PHP application and will be executed as a function of that program. Our application will also schedule frequency of the update so that need is not to be included in this project. No synchronization of invoices or customers will be needed, we just want to create a bare bones QB invoice that is adequate for invoicing customers.

Interested parties please contact me at [email protected]

Thank you, Larry

[Bruce - PhosphorMedia]

Re: Need PHP function that will post invoices to our online Quickbooks system

Have you looked at off the shelf solutions? Guaranteed to be less expensive than a custom solution (which, if the quote is for less than 1/2K would be VERY suspect of).

[wajake41]

Re: Need PHP function that will post invoices to our online Quickbooks system

Hi Bruce: Only one I am aware of is EmediaSolutions Quibber which runs $30 per month. We need this for 2 domains so $500 would have a payback of < 1 year. Miva support told me that their solution only works for desktop, we use QB online. Do you know of any others?

[Bruce - PhosphorMedia]

Re: Need PHP function that will post invoices to our online Quickbooks system

Good point...but here's the rub. First of all, I said 1/2K is minimum, then QuickBooks has a history of changing its API and Functions which would require you to pay the same person (perhaps even find a new one...which could mean even more costs) to update it.

This is the problem with 'do it yourself' and custom solutions in general. The web is a very malleable and evolving space. Things become obsolete sometimes in months, not to mention a year or two. If you 'do it yourself, you may be redoing again and again.

[Rick Wilson]

Re: Need PHP function that will post invoices to our online Quickbooks system

What about Thub?

[wajake41]

Re: Need PHP function that will post invoices to our online Quickbooks system

Hi Rick: I'd never heard of Thub. Just did the Google and took a quick look at it. At first glance, it looks like more than we need. I'll dig a bit deeper when I can.
We're pretty gun shy about complicating our QBO interface, I'd love to keep it as simple as possible, QBO is already giving us plenty of problems mostly because of hosting!
Our last host went down for several days, finally we went back to a 4 day old backup, installed QB on our platform, spent several days getting the files current and now we are on a new host. Nobody yet has had the kind of super support that we get from Hostasaurus/Miva!

[Bruce - PhosphorMedia]

Re: Need PHP function that will post invoices to our online Quickbooks system

The one advantage you do get from a Custom solution is a 'targeted' solution. But, I'd bet you $100 that at the end of the day...a custom solution (or even roll your own) will cost you more :)

(I'm not arguing one over the other, just pointing out something that I see people miss over and over again: its complicated. Some think 'DIY' saves them money, or off the self is better than custom, or custom better than whatever. There are a lot of factors impacting each decision, its never one better than the other.)

[wajake41]

Re: Need PHP function that will post invoices to our online Quickbooks system

Hi Bruce: We're still looking for ideas on the approach as well as the requirements. We appreciate any comments, etc. that we can get from the Miva community.
We just completed our own Bill of Lading shipping interface for our four carriers, the Estes Express API being a real challenge because of poor documentation. This BOL work took well over 100 hours of design, programming and testing so I guess I agree with you on the cost/effort issue.
Larry

[wajake41]

Re: Need PHP function that will post invoices to our online Quickbooks system

I think we are going with Quibber.

[wajake41]

Re: Need PHP function that will post invoices to our online Quickbooks system

Resolved: We were going to go with Quibber but instead, using the Keith Palmer web connector SDK, we have done this in house. Since our only needs are to add QB customers and Sales orders, Quibber was overkill.
Larry

[wajake41]

Re: Need PHP function that will post invoices to our online Quickbooks system

Hi Bruce:
You were correct about "The one advantage you do get from a Custom solution is a 'targeted' solution". Once we implemented our Miva/QB interface, we found that we needed to tweak it to include Miva item attributes when posting to QB.
Example: One Miva product available in 3 colors becomes 3 QB items by appending the attribute opt_code to the Miva product code during Sales Order add. I don't think that feature would be found in an off the self module and getting it would have required customization of the module.

We've also been able to include payment capture in our Miva/QB feed. All was done using QB Web Connector so it's almost real time.

Larry
BTW, we use QB desktop, not online as I stated in an earlier post.