Shipper 3.4, build 3470 is now available. The changes in this release were primarily driven by feedback from customers at UserVoice. Your suggestions help make Shipper 3 the best shipment processing product available.

Update: The initial build (3457) included a bug in the installer which prevents Shipper from loading on some machines. Build 3470, released on 7/2 corrects the issue.

One new feature in particular will speed up order processing for many of you: Add a Recall by Order ID box was implemented as Print Order Label in Shipper 3.4. Enter or scan the order number and press enter to print the corresponding package label. If the order has more than one package, just repeat until all the labels are printed.

Other UserVoice suggestions that made it into Shipper 3.4 include: Highlight Express Orders, and Option to use Cost Value.

• Shipper Update Page
• Shipper UserVoice Page

This is a work in progress...as I learn more from customers and my own experiments, I will post it here.

Shipper 3 is designed to use ShipRush to generate labels for UPS, FedEx, USPS, and Endicia. Some customers have asked if they can use alternatives such as UPS WorldShip. The answer is a definite maybe. Shipper 3 does store the order and package information in a database. So it seems like you should be able to read and write to that database from UPS WorldShip.

To be honest, I don't even have UPS WorldShip installed right now. I did of course when I was working on Shipper 1, but now that Shipper 3 has replaced Shipper 1--I have abandoned UPS WorldShip and its ilk. The upshot is that this is all theoretical and completely un-supported. It may cause your computer to catch fire (not really).

Still here? Then here is what I would do:

First, make the data available to UPS WorldShip.

UPS WorldShip (and FedEx Ship Manager and Endicia Galaxy) all use ODBC to access external data. So the first step is to make the Shipper 3 database accessible via ODBC. There are 2 ways to do this:

1. Add an ODBC driver for SQLite (Shipper 3's native database format) and then define an ODBC Data Source Name.
2. Configure Shipper 3 to use one of the database formats that you already have an ODBC driver for, and then define an ODBC Data Source Name.

It looks like this site has an ODBC driver for SQLite. I have never, ever, used it and have nothing good or bad to say about it. If you try it, feel free to send me your impressions.

If you would prefer to use one of the ODBC drivers that come with Windows, then you will need to configure Shipper 3 to use the corresponding database. To do that that you will need to change the database connection string in a file called Shipper3.exe.config. The config file is in the directory where you installed Shipper 3. The file is XML which you can edit with Notepad. There are some comments in there with sample database connection strings for Microsoft SQL Server. Shipper 3 can use any one of about 20 different database file and server formats.

Once you have the ODBC driver, create a new Data Source Name using Control Panel > Adminstrative Tools > Data Sources. There are about 100,000 sites on the internet that describe how to create a Data Source Name. Please refer to one of those if you need help.

Second, Read the Unshipped Package Data

Shipper 3 stores Package data across several tables. You will need to join the data when you read the unshipped package data. For example, here is a sample SQL query that joins data from the Package, Order, Item, and Address tables (note that PackageStatus = 0 selects the Unshipped packages):

SELECT Package.Oid, 
       [Order].OrderNumber, 
       Address.City, 
       Address.Company, 
       Address.Country, 
       Address.Email, 
       Address.LastName, 
       Address.Line1,
       Address.Line2,
       Address.Phone,
       Address.PostalCode,
       Address.Region,
       Address.Residential,
       SUM(Item.Weight) AS Weight
FROM   Package INNER JOIN [Order] ON Package.[Order] = [Order].Oid
       INNER JOIN Address ON Package.Destination = Address.Oid
       INNER JOIN Item ON Package.Oid = Item.Package
WHERE  (PackageStatus = 0)

Third, Write the Ship Date and Tracking Number

After you have printed the labels, you should write the ship date and tracking number back into the Packages table, and set the PackageStatus = 1 (labeled). Refresh the Packages view in Shipper to see your changes and then send the tracking information back to your store.

The Shipping Rate Rule Providers for BVC5 Service Pack 4 are compatible with Service Pack 5. There are no special instructions for upgrading BVC5 related to the Shipping Rate Rule Providers.

ShipRush 6.2.3226 is compatible with Shipper 3.3 and is now available for download.

Shipper 3.3, build 3414 is now available. The changes in this release were primarily driven by feedback from customers at UserVoice. I'd love to hear your suggestions for version 3.4. What can Shipper do to help you reach your goals?

• Shipper Update Page
• Shipper UserVoice Page

I've started consolidating the Shipper 3 documentation,

Shipper 3 Documentation

I hope to spend at least a few minutes on it each day. Let me know if there is a particular topic you want covered by leaving a comment on UserVoice,

UserVoice Suggestion: Create Documentation

UPS has released UPS WorldShip 2009 Version 11.0 and you may be wondering if it is compatible with Shipper 1.4. I have heard mixed results. It works for some people and not for others.

Now that Shipper 3 is available, Shipper 1 is no longer being updated. Shipper 3 does not rely on UPS WorldShip (or any carrier software) and is a much better product.

http://structured-solutions.net/Shipper3Editions

Several people testing Shipper 3 on Vista have reported trouble. I'm sorry it has been such a struggle. All the trouble seems to be caused by 2 issues:

• Some of the features in Shipper 3 did not run in 64-bit Vista.
• One of the features in Shipper 3 Gold Edition required Administrator permission.

I think I licked the first one with Shipper 3.2 by compiling everything in 32-bit mode (which runs fine in 64-bit Vista). In version 3.1 and before, I compiled some parts in 32-bit and some parts for "Any CPU". That seems to be the root cause of the problem. Let me know if you still cannot run Shipper 3.2 on 64-bit Vista.

The second issue is not a problem for most people on XP, but it is a big problem with the UAC on Vista. The good news is that I just pulled out the code that required Admin permission and replaced it with code that runs without requiring Admin permission. It seems to work great...and it may even be a little faster! The new code will be in version 3.3.

I want you to feel like a hero for your company and Shipper 3 can help. Shipper 3 is a high velocity shipment processing system for e-commerce websites. It helps you ship your orders quickly and keep your customers informed. But I know it can be better.

Please help me design the best damn program you've ever seen. Head on over to UserVoice (http://shipper3.uservoice.com) and make your voice heard. On UserVoice you can make suggestions and vote on the suggestions others have made.

Tell me what will make you a hero and that is what I will work on.

Shipper 3.2 is now available. Enhancements include:

• Huge UI speed improvements (switching between Packages and Orders now takes just 2 seconds with 65,000 orders).
• Replace MS SQL Server Express with SQLite for the local database. This makes the install much easier without loosing performance.
• Additional address verification festures (Platinum Edition only)
• Support for Microsoft Commerce Server 2007
• Support for Zen Cart 1.3.8

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