Session-Based shopping cart

[NickG21]

hey everyone im looking to create a basic shopping cart without using a MySQL database. the reason for this is because i am working for an E-Mail Marketing and Newsletter company that also does web-hosting.

They offer 2 different packages for their services and I want to be able to provide a user to add multiple services to a cart and then afterwards only fill in their contact information and billing etc.... one time. I have searched for tutorials and i am unsure of where exactly to begin with this. anyone with any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance

[themarty]

hey everyone im looking to create a basic shopping cart without using a MySQL database. the reason for this is because i am working for an E-Mail Marketing and Newsletter company that also does web-hosting.
How is working for an E-Mail Marketing and Newsletter company that also does web-hosting a reason for not using a database?

As for the tutorial:i think google gives enough links:
http://www.google.com/search?q=php+cart+tutorial

[NickG21]

because i figured with only 6 services offered there is no reason to populate an area from a database. all it is is the name of the service and a price that matters, after the person chooses a service, i want them to have a form specific to that selection to have to be filled in, and then allow them to choose another service(s), fill out the individual forms for them, and then process on to Contact Info, Billing Info and so on, so they are only adding their contact info and such once instead of once for each service? make sense or no? i could have a terrible logic to this as well i am rather new at PHP

thanks again

[themarty]

Well, if you don't work with a database you have two options:
1) work with files to store the information
2) put everything hard-coded between the rest of the code

I wouldn't recommend 1). Databases are far easier to deal with than files. Especially if you're rather new at PHP.
And i also wouldn't recomment 2). Services change, prices change and that means that every time that it does you have to make these changes directly in the code, which could cause bugs, etc.

Also, i can assure you that once everything is running they're gonna want more: log the orders, etc.
And that you definitely want to do in a database! So better start with one from the start

[NickG21]

thank you that sounds like what i need to do