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Link Widget - Inserting a "Donate" Button!

  1. steevg
    Member

    Hi & Happy New Year to you all!

    This is my first post here, looks like a cool place with plenty of answers - except the one I need (typical eh?)!

    My problem:
    I'm hoping to start a blog here on WordPress.com to fundraise for a lady in our community who has cancer. I need to create a "Donate" button in the sidebar if possible!

    I've managed to work out how to use the text widget, but so far (despite reading the forum's and FAQ's for the last couple of hours) can't seem to find out how I do this.

    Maybe it's not possible?

    I've got my html button code from Paypal, but if I insert it in the "Insert Link" area, nothing happens.

    Any help would be very much appreciated!

    Regards,
    Steve

  2. palmary
    Member

    I am a newbie to WP, Steve, and just went through this with trying to make an email button.

    It did not work for me to add it to the Links. I had to enter everything into a Text Widget. Here's my tribulations: http://wordpress.com/forums/topic.php?id=6642&replies=19

    Follow drmike's FAQ http://faq.wordpress.com/2007/01/04/put-your-email-in-a-widget/ for entering your "donate" button

    I'd hate to see you repeat all my mistakes. :)

    I did not work out how to create a clickable button. Someone must know what code is necessary for that, but not me.

    You can see the Email text widget at http://thesewingdivas.wordpress.com a group blog

  3. drmike
    Member

    Actually the nonsecure, nonjavascript from Paypal should work. We've discussed it in the past many times.

    I've got my html button code from Paypal

    Please assume that we're not looking over your shoulder and tell us the code if you still need help.

  4. drmike
    Member

    Steve, stop trying to post here for a second

  5. drmike
    Member

    Steve, please stop posting. You're missing the bit about putting code between backticks. A backtick is right about your tab key. Please post just the code that you're trying to add in.

  6. drmike
    Member

    Steve, please read teh posts up above. I would like to help you but you're not following my instructions.

  7. steevg
    Member

    Steve, please read the posts up above - drmike

  8. steevg
    Member

    Hi all,
    thanks for the replies, but I'm still not able to get the donation button to work.
    Here's what I'm doing:

    Go to my Presentation/SideBar Widgets page
    Open up the Text2 widget for editing
    Enter the following code:

    <ul><br /> <li><br /> <a href="paypal donation button code here">Click here</a><br /> </li><br /> </ul>

    Then I save and view my blogpage.

    Firstly I'm simply trying to get the link "Click Here" to work.

    If I enter standard html to open a webpage:
    ie:<a href="http://wordpress.com">click here</a> it works fine, but when I enter the Paypal code, I get a non-clickable link "Click Here" shown in blue.

    I then go back to my Text Widget to check, and find that the code has disappeared except for a few lines of the original code:

    This is what it looks like when I "go back" to the Text2 widget after viewing my blog page:

    <ul><br /> <li><br /> <a><br /> <img alt="" border="0" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" width="1" height="1"><br /> </form>Click here</a><br /> </li><br /> </ul>

    (there's lots of space between the <a> and the <img alt="" border="0" not shown above)

    This is before I even get to the problem of inserting the "Donate" image which Paypal provides me with as part of the button code.

    Hope someone can throw some light on this - or it's back to Blogger (Ugh!)

    Thanks guys.

    Steve

  9. steevg
    Member

    Sorry Dr Mike, had an urgent call and had to leave the posts rather rapidly - I thought I was editing my post, but obviously I was adding a new one every time I changed the post - My sincere apologies.

    I'll await your next post -
    If it's any consellation, I've managed to get the button in the Text2 Widget looking OK, and linking (hand appears on hover over the button), but I'm now getting the 404 Error page warning.

    Last post until I hear back from you - promise!

    Lets start again:

  10. raincoaster
    Member

    There must be a bug in posting today; several people have mentioned double-posting.

    If you're getting the 404 error, maybe there's something wrong with the link itself...have you triple-checked the URL? It certainly sounds like everything else is on track.

  11. steevg
    Member

    Raincoaster - I'd like to blame something else for the double, triple, quad (etc) posts, but I'll hold up my hand and admit it's my problem - not understanding how the posts work! I've got the "Edit Post" window up now - so hopefully I won't be making the same mistake again!

    The link works OK in Dreamweaver, and I've used these codes before for my webpage, and had no problems, so I presume it's digital (digits - fingers) trouble when trying to build my WordPress.com Blog - just need to hasten the learning curve!

    My guess is that as mentioned by DrMike with the backtick - it's probably something in the coding of the button I'm not aware of as a newbie!

    The code I've recently inserted looks like this:

    <a href=”paypal code inserted here”><br /> <img src="http://steevg.wordpress.com/files/2007/01/donatebutton.gif" alt="donatebutton" /></a>

    The only change I made was to remove the < & > at each end of the paypal code - after a few attempts, it seems that with these in place, the Donate Button on the blogpage does not work!

    The 404 error is a "file not found" error - is that correct?

    Thanks,
    Steve

  12. raincoaster
    Member

    Unfortunately, I'm probably the least techie helpful type in the forums. But I DO know how to link an image to a particular web page, if that's all that you have to do. The only thing I do differently is that I add target="blank" to the first link, the actual go-to link. Otherwise, my code would be identical to yours.

    PS when I check your blog for the donate button and check the link code on the button itself (Where you say you paste the Paypal code), this is what I get: http://steevg.wordpress.com/%E2%80%9D, which is clearly an incomplete URL. I think what you need to do is go back to paypal and when you highlight the link to copy it, pull your mouse down and to the right as far as it will go, until you see the whole URL is highlighted. I know that tripped me up when I first started posting pix: I'd only use the first line of the URL, unaware that there were more lines below.

    Try taking the paypal code and pasting it into a new window. Does that take you to the correct page? If not, it's a problem with the code they've given you.

  13. steevg
    Member

    Hmmm,
    It's strange alright, as I mentioned, if I open a page in Dreamweaver and save it, I can paste the code into the new html page and "test" the page in my browser.

    If I click on the button which then appears - I'm taken to my Paypal page! Therefore I'd "Assume" that the PayPal code is correct (?).

    It HAS to be the way I'm inserting the code into my Text Widget.

    DrMike . . . . can you enlighten me please?

    Thanks for your help Raincoaster - very much appreciated!

    Regards,
    Steve

  14. jeremiahandrews
    Member

    I've been trying to copy/paste paypal code into my site as well and when I save changes, the editor deletes code as well making the button useless, I can't seem to figure out how to modify the code to work within word press.

    I tried altering the code as some of my other buttons "look" code wise, but there is too much encryption and information code unlike the simple "link-to-image-url" buttons.

    Jeremy
    14 jan 07

  15. timethief
    Member

    This is all I know on the subject. You cannot use the paypal code that is written in javascript as the programming will strip the code to preserve security. There is a code that is not written in javascript on the paypal site. That's the one you need. There are threads in the forum search box that contain the information you need as well. If you are having trouble linking to the image there is a "how do I insert an image into my sidebar" thread in the FAQs and you can use the search box there to find it. I'm sorry I can't be of more help. :(

  16. drmike
    Member

    Working on this. Please wait until I'm done.

    - At Paypal go, Login -> Merchant Services -> Page down until you see 'PayPal Website Payments Standard' -> Look for 'Donations' under Key Services along the right hand side of the page.

    - Click on Donations

    - On the next page:

    Fill in what you want for Service and number. Leave Donation blank I would guess. Security Settings get set to No for encrypt.

    - Click on create.

    You're get two different links. One labeled 'HTML code for websites.' You can't use that one since it's a form. The other one is for emails. That's the one you can use.

    I get a code like the following:

    https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_xclick&business=username%40mydomain%2etld&no_shipping=2&no_note=1&tax=0&currency_code=USD&lc=US&bn=PP%2dDonationsBF&charset=UTF%2d8

    I just added it as a text link to a text widget and it went fine. I'd come up with a button or somesuch and put it as part of the link.

    Hope this helps,
    -drmike

  17. drmike
    Member

    The above is finished. I don't want to reedit it because I'll probably muck up my link.

    Steve is trying to use the HTML version of the link which is not a javascript but a form. That's why it's being stripped here in teh forums and on his blog.

    Hope this helps,
    -drmike

  18. steevg
    Member

    Dr Mike, yes you're absolutely correct - I had the basic understanding that the encrypted (javascript) code for the paypal button wouldn't work (checked in these forums before trying).

    So I chose the "Un-encrypted" (html web page) version. But as you again correctly mention, they ARE both FORMS, and this looks like why the code is being stripped out when I go back to check the text Widget.

    I'm at work at the moment and so don't have access to my Paypal button's email code, but I'll try it this evening when I get home and post back here to let you know what happened.

    Can you give me a brief idea of how I'd use my "donate" button image to link to it!

    I'd assume I use the facility to edit a link in the "Manage/Uploads" area of Dashboard (as my button's in there at the moment)?

    If so, will all the email code go in there, & how would I include the url code (in my wordpress uploads area) in this link - had some problems trying to get a long link in there before, let alone trying to attach an image file into existing paypal code.

    Thanks for the input guys, I'm sure I'll get there in the end!

    Regards,
    Steve

  19. jeremiahandrews
    Member

    I'm going to bump this thread and see if anyone has found a resolution to the question yet? Thanking you in advance

    Jeremy A.

  20. timethief
    Member

    I believe drmike resolved this in his post 3 posts above your own. The post in question commences with" Working on this. Please wait until I'm done."

  21. jeremiahandrews
    Member

    I have a secondary blog over on Blogger that I have linked back to my word press blog. It was a quick and easy remedy to facilitate what our work needs at the moment.

    Aside from being a writer I am also a Religion Major and I have been part of a service ministry to my readers for many years over on Blogger - when I decided to come over here.

    In the past, on other blogs, (ie after katrina) and the likes, as well, with parents who needed help with disabled children who needed some financial support, pay pal came in very handy for them and us.

    What I want to know is (what are the rules of engagement) in having readers able to donate to ministry work within the parameters of Word Press. My pay pal button is not hosted here - but on Blogger, but is linked back to this primary blogging site.

    Since I have only been here a few months, maybe someone in the Word Press Rules of Engagement office can tell me whether or not I am breaking some cardinal rule of the Word Press Community???

    If so I will remove my links.

    It is easier to ask then to hunt through pages of text.

    Thanks
    Jeremy A.
    Montreal

  22. steevg
    Member

    Hi guys,

    Well after quite a bit of searching through these forums, I finally found the solution in words I could understand (doh - sorry guys, having a bad few days)!

    So this is the SIMPLE solution to making an image clickable and linking it to another website/URL etc.

    The following is copied from notes I've made for myself!

    -------------------------------------

    OK, Firstly, this relates to the site: http://wordpress.com - ONLY!

    To link an image to a webpage, it's important to remember the following:

    1) If using Paypal (for example) - the link required will be the Email link and NOT the html link for a website.
    2) The following link is based on uploading an image to your WordPress.com account first (Dashboard/Write)
    3) Once you've uploaded the image, write down or copy the URL of your image file (it'll be found in the Dashboard - Manage/Uploads - and then double click the image you've just uploaded to display the html link information of your image).
    4) Go to Presentation/Sidebar Widgets and add a Text Widget for the linked Image file you're about to create.
    5) Now simply add a link in the following format inside the TEXT widget:

    <a href="insert website link here"><img src="insert picture file link here including file extension.gif"></a>

    -------------------------------------

    If anyone is still not sure, please post back here and I'll run you through it step-by-step.

    Thanks for all the support everyone.
    Have a great week

    Steve
    (It was there all the time - just needed to get more familiar with how to search the forums and Faq's)

  23. marktb
    Member

    Steve, can you walk me thru it? I dont understand the "uploading image" part. Its a code that I copied from the paypal site. There is no image.

    Mark

  24. drmike
    Member

    Mark, chances are you're coping the wrong code. Please see a few posts up for the discussion of which code to use from Paypal.

    Jeremy, not sure why you're telling us your life story but you'll note a few posts above yours is the solution.

    Regards,
    -drmike

  25. marktb
    Member

    Ok, I admit I am not technical WHATSOEVER. I copied the code from paypal, but its NOT AN IAGE FILE. Its a code. Further, I don't know or understand how to add "donate" to the top of the blue bar. I apologize for my ignorance but I am a step-by-step guy like youre talking to a 2 year old.

    Mark

  26. drmike
    Member

    OK, let's start from the beginning.

    What's the code that paypal gave you? (Please note that to post code here in the forums, you need to put it between backticks. That's the key above the tab key on a PC keyboard)

    And also do you have an image that you want to use?

  27. marktb
    Member

    `<form method="post" action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr"><img border="0" width="1" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" height="1" />

    </form>'

    I thought this was the image.

    Mark

  28. drmike
    Member

    That's the HTML code we're discussing up above. When you go through all the link creation stuff as mentioned in the walkthru a few posts up, it will give you two bits of code. One is the form that you give (they label it as HTML code) and the other is the email code. The email code is the one that you want to use. It will start with the following:

    https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/

    Take that code and put it in the code that steevg lists as the "insert weblink" bit. Find some image off of Paypal's site for you to use (You'll probably have to upload it to your wp.com site) and put that into the img tag bit.

    Put all of that into a text widget and save it.

    Hope this helps,
    -drmike

  29. coconutgrl
    Member

    All'ya'll - you just rock my world. Thanks for all the support. Like the Wonderbra of support. xo c-grl

  30. jeremiahandrews
    Member

    Oh My Goodness, I actually did it...

    '<img src="(image link here from word press)">'

    Whoop!!!

    I'm so silly, but this is the coding. Get the "email link" from Pay Pal (donations area) Security settings to "No" and then get the email code. Then right click the pay pal button and save the img to your computer. Upload the image to your WP blog and click edit and capture the link and take that link, with the email link from Pay Pal and paste it into the form above and put it into a "Text widget" and voila - there it is ...

    Jeremy

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