Changes to the bid system, need some help!

[rookers]

Hello,

So here's what I want to do and I am having a lot of problems with it.

I want my directory to use the bid system. But, instead of paying through the regular payment gateways to bid on an item I want to use something else. Payment through text messages. For example, you want to bid on a listing, you send a text message from your cell phone to a specific number and in return you get a code. You then enter your code on the site and that's it.

Is this possible? If so, how would I proceed about doing it ?

[ezykiwi]

Youd have to talk to a specific texting company , then just set it up so when people text it updates the database based on that text.

For example

Text comes in with $5 bid then it would update the value in the database (im guessing by a sql update)

Could do it yourself if you had a cellphone which connected to the computer and could do the queries but wouldnt be as reliable im guessing

[rookers]

Well I already have a texting company in mind. That's not the issue. The issue is the technical part. Indexu has payment gateways, with let's say paypal. So when a payment has been made and confirmed by paypal, indexu automatically updates the bid on that listing. Now in case of text messages things are not the same. You send a text message from your mobile phone to a specific number, then you get a code, then you have to enter that code on the site somewhere and the bid is going to be updated. That's what I want to do and I am having a hard time doing it, technically.

For example, I have been thinking on something like this: the user goes on the bid page and instead of seeing all the payment gateways like paypal and so on the user will see a text where it says that he has to send a text message to the number to get a code. Then he receives the code on his mobile phone and uses it on that page to update the bid.

[ezykiwi]

oh ok... if they are texting and that is where the payment is collect from the text id just have that update the database directly ... saves having to do the text back and changes to indexu ... thats just me though....

[rookers]

yes but how would I go about doing that? i have limited knowledge of php..

[ezykiwi]

based on the way id do it , there would be no need for php , just give the sms provider the details of the database and they should be able to do the scripting for it .. I looked into it here in NZ but at that stage wasnt cost effective to impliment.