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Adam Kalsey

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Content Management

New MTAmazon forthcoming

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19 May 2003

Amazon has released a new version of the Web services system that MTAmazon uses (AWS). MTAmazon is being updated to include some exciting new features.

Keyword searches have always been possible, but now you can search for keywords within wishlists, browse nodes, and ListMania lists. Use MTAmazon to display just the Sony items on your wishlist if you want. I’ve got some clever ideas for how to use this feature for some highly targeted searches that I’ll share once the plugin is done.

You’ll finally be able to search by price. Got a community photoblog? Show your users low-budget digital cameras and camera phones.

This is still expiremental, so things may change, but the plan is to let visitors add items to their Amazon shopping carts while staying on your site. Once they are ready to check out, the cart will be transfered to Amazon where they can enter their payment information.

I’m also planning better support for people without XML::Parser installed. If you haven’t been able to use MTAmazon because your host didn’t have the required modules, there’s still hope. I’m trying some things that will let MTAmazon parse the AWS XML responses using modules that are easier to install.

I’m also going to add some access to more information about products like customer reviews.

Anything else? Tell me what you want to see in the next MTAmazon.

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