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| New Currency Converter Service for Shopping Sites |
We have developed a new version of our Universal Currency Converter® that can be "embedded" directly into your shopping website. Here's one below -- try it out:
As you can see, it allows you to perform currency conversions without leaving this page.
Unfortunately, only Microsoft Internet Explorer currently allows embedded frames. To support Netscape users, we provide the ability to launch the Shopper's Currency Converter™ in an independent floating window.
So, what you see above will depend on the browser that you are using:
We recommend that Webmasters view this page with both browsers -- Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator -- to see the difference.
Instructions for customization can be found below.
| Terms of Use |
Before proceeding on the the customization below, you must read and accept the terms of use.
XE.com to you or your organization the right to generate a customized version of the converter as a part of your Web resource provided that all of the following conditions are met.
WARNING: No other use of the spinning currency logo is permitted. It is copyrighted intellectual property and a trade mark of XE.com. You are not permitted to duplicate it, distribute it, or alter it in any way. To protect our rights and identity, we must aggressively pursue legal action against violators of our internationally protected intellectual property rights.
XE.com is not a financial institution, not affiliated with any financial institution, and not a rate feed provider. We do not distribute currency rates for a fee. Our rates are derived from a variety of publicly available sources, and we reserve the right to change our sources at any time without notice. Although we strive to ensure our figures are correct, we can make no guarantees as to their accuracy or suitability for any purpose. While effort is taken to ensure their accuracy, errors can from time to time appear. Currency rates specified by financial institutions will differ from ours, sometimes significantly. In addition, currency rates will vary by geographical market. The end user assumes all risk for the use of any information provided by our services.
TIP: If the contents of some or all of the cells of the table above "disappear" or go blank, simply minimize (NOT close) your browser window, and then restore it. This problem is due to a bug in some browsers, most notably Netscape Navigator 3 for Windows.
TIP: If the contents of some or all of the cells of the table above "disappear" or go blank, simply minimize (NOT close) your browser window, and then restore it. This problem is due to a bug in some browsers, most notably Netscape Navigator 3 for Windows.
| Fast-Track Customization Instructions |
The new service is much easier to customize than the old one, primarily because our computers do all of the work, serving up both the input and the output pages. All you have to do is code your page to call the service properly.
Netscape Navigator vs. Microsoft Internet Explorer
As discussed above, the big difficulty is that while MSIE supports internal frames (via the IFRAME tag), Netscape does not. What we have done is to work around this limitation in Netscape is to support the same functionality through a "pop up" window. Whether embedded in your page or shown in a "pop up" window, the service is exactly the same.
To implement this new service on your Website, there are two code blocks you will need to insert in your page. Just copy the code in the windows below and paste into your Web page as directly.
Javascript code to be placed between the <HEAD> and </HEAD> tags in your web page:
That's it! That's all you need to do to support both Netscape Navigator and MS Internet Explorer.
| OPTIONAL: Further Integration with Your Site |
Automatically Filling In the Amount and Currencies
This section is intended for Webmasters with an advanced understanding of HTML who wish to further integrate the Shopper's Currency Converter™ into their site.
In many situations, it is desirable to automatically fill in the amount and/or currencies in the Shopper's Currency Converter™. This makes it faster and easier for customers to use, and cuts down on input errors.
For example, the webmaster of a U.S. website might want to automatically pass a "From" currency of U.S. Dollars, since that is the sale currency of their goods. Additionally, that same webmaster might want to also automatically pass the Amount field so that it shows a single price or the total of a shopping basket.
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These instructions should be pretty straightforward to people familiar with HTML and forms. If you need assistance, please do not contact our staff. We cannot possibly support a free service whose primary components are off of our server and outside of our control. This customization process has been tested and works perfectly, so any problems you experience are at your end. Again, we regret that we cannot support your development efforts. For information on HTML programming, use the Internet as a resource. You may wish to start with the following resources:
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Actual Examples of Automatically Passed Variables
Here are some examples of these features in action. Remember, the converter will only appear "embedded" in the page if you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer. If you are using Netscape Navigator, you will have to click to open a floating version of the service.
Below is an example where the "From" currency has automatically been passed U.S. Dollars. The Amount box and "To" currency dropdown are unaffected.
Below is an example where the Amount has automatically been passed 50.00 and the "From" currency has been been passed U.S. Dollars. The "To" currency dropdown is unaffected. (Remember, you can pass any amount you wish.)
Here is an example where all fields have been automatically passed. Below is an example where the Amount has been passed 50.00, the "From" currency has been passed U.S. Dollars, and the "To" currency has been passed Canadian Dollars. All the user can do in this case is click the "convert" button..
How To Do It: Passing the Amount and/or Currencies
Passing the fields is actually very easy to do. Unfortunately, it is also easy to mess up your version of the converter in the process. Remember, if things get too messed up, just start over with a fresh copy of the HTML. (Which you can get in the fast-track instructions section of this page.
Building a Query String
To pass the fields, all you need to do is add a query string to the <IFRAME> section where you call the converter. Here are examples of how to build query strings:
Passing the Amount field (remember, you can pass any amount you wish):
Passing the "From" currency:
Passing the "To" currency:
Passing the Amount field and the "From" currency:
Passing the Amount field, the "From" currency, and the "To" currency:
As you can probably deduce from the above examples, here are the guidelines for building a query string:
Once you have a query string, you must encode it into the converter.
Encoding Your Query String into the Converter
Once you have built your query string using the techniques outlined above, you must encode it into your converter. This is very easy to do.
You will have to insert your query string into three places in the <IFRAME> HTML. Below is an example showing proper insertion of a query string, which is highlighted in red.:
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NOTE: Do NOT change the Javascript code in the <HEAD> section of your page. Only make the changes to the <IFRAME> section explicitly indicated above.
In essence, you must insert your query string in the following three places in the <IFRAME;> wrapper:
That's it. Remember, again, the only changes you have to make are in the <IFRAME> section that you inserted during the Fast-Track Instructions. Although you will need to preserve the Javascript section in your Page's <HEAD> section, you will not need to change it. If you do, Netscape browsers will not work properly with your page.
That's it! That's all there is to it.
| Legal Notices |
Click here for important legal information about these services.
This service is a component of the Universal Currency Converter®. Universal Currency Converter services, programs, compiled binaries, interface text and graphics, and documentation is copyright © 2003 XE.com, all rights reserved. Universal Currency Converter, the spinning currency logo, and other indicated marks are trade marks of XE.com.
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