WordPress.org

Why do I just get a bunch of text when I search?

Check that XSL file is set properly in your prefs and is a full URL to an externally visible file. The Amazon servers will grab this file to format your results.

Note that if you change the XSL file it may take a minute or two for the Amazon server's cache to update it.

What did you use for development?

• WordPress 2.7.1
• MAMP 1.7.1
• Firefox 3.1b3
• MacOS X 10.5.6

What are some of the limitations?

• you cannot choose the sorting order
• you cannot choose which item data that is shown in the result [unless you know XSLT]
• the search part of the plugin requires that your HTTP server have cURL support

Uh... Why?

I originally wrote this for the Geeklog CMS. When I wrote it, Amazon did not provide widgets, and Amazon Associates received more income for direct links than for others. So I wrote this so Associates could generate more direct-link income from their sites.

Amazon now provides a widget that does most of what the search provides. What it doesn't do is integrate nicely with your website. This plugin is intended to provide seamless integration with your site's theme and give you more control over the layout and information presented.

After porting the search facility I added support for the special tags to add text links to posts. Stephanie Leary then provided me with some code to add buttons to the editors which I modified and included with the plugin.

If I get decent feedback and people are using it, I will continue to improve it.

How do I contact you?

You can email my gmail account imol00.