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brittainmark edited this page Mar 24, 2026 · 11 revisions

Big Royal Mail

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Installation overview

This module is an encapsulated plugin. It installs like other encapsulated plugins. First copy the contents of zc_plugins to your site zc_plugins folder. Then log in to your admin and navigate to Modules::Plugin Manager find Big Royal Mail in the list of plugins and install. Then go to Modules::shipping to enable the shipping methods you want to use.
For each of the methods you want to install, select that line and click [Install].
Next, click [Edit] and switch it on (enable this shipping option "true").

You may want to also switch on "Hide invalid shipping" so customers aren't shown methods they can't use.

The rates are the current RM charges, so are best left unchanged.
If you want to add an amount for packaging cost, put that into the "Handling Fee" box. Then any changes in postage costs are easy to update.

If the order total is more than a set amount, this shipping method won't be offered. To change this limit, alter the amount in the "Maximum order value" box. To disable the limit, enter -1 in the box.

Some items are too big for certain postage methods. If you want to restrict the shipping options for a product, you assign a read-only attribute to the item, which sets the "minimum" delivery method.

Then it is easy to use the Attribute Controller to assign the relevant postage methods to an item.

If you read Attribute Pricing it lists how it works.
In the first table on that page, across the top, there are the different attribute values you might have assigned to the item. Down the side are listed the modules that can be offered if that attribute is set.
To read the table, look down the column under the attribute you have set for an item, and the rows marked with Y show the delivery modules available for that product.
As you can see, if no attribute is set, all options are shown to the customer. If you set an option, that and any "larger" options are shown. Further down the page there is another table. This is for when you have enabled "Attribute match" to "true" for specific delivery options. Only exact matches will be available, not giving the customer the option of a "bigger" alternative. For example, with "Attribute match" off, an item set to "large letter" would also show the option of "small parcel" and "medium parcel". With "attribute match" on, only "large letter" would be offered. Where items in the basket have different options, only the biggest one will be offered. Once you have assigned the relevant attribute value to an item, Zen Cart has a feature to copy that item's attributes to other items or to all items in specified categories. So if you start with an item with no other attributes, you can easily copy it around your store.

Thanks to Hairydog for the text above, hope you find it useful.

How to Install Big Royal Mail

See Version History for licence and contributors.

INSTALLATION

  1. Copy the files from BigRoyalMail_V4.0.0/zc_plugins/* onto your server into:

    • YOUR_SHOPPING_CART_DIRECTORY/zc_plugins

  2. Install the plugin

    1. Login to your admin.
    2. Navigate to Modules > Plugin Manager
    3. Find BigRoyal Mail in the list of plugins
    4. If a presented with multiple versions select the version you want to install/update to.
    5. Click Update or Install (which ever option is presented)
    6. Confirm you want to proceed by clicking Update of install on the new screen

  3. Set up the modules you want

    • Note: If you intend to use the UK tracked 24 or 48 modules, please check that your post office is accepting these.

    1. Login to your Zen Cart admin.

    2. Navigate to Admin > Modules > Shipping

    3. Select the modules you want to install by clicking on it then clicking install.

    4. Modify any of the settings, then click Update.

    5. Repeat steps 3) and 4) for all the modules you wish to install.

      NB. Version 4.0.0 is an encapsulated plugin and requires Zen Cart 2.1.0 upwards. Use version 3.9.2 for any lower versions of Zen Cart. You will have to manually update the rates which you can find in the (rates file. You will also need to turn off the following methods ( rmamlargelettersf, rmamlettersf, rmamparcel, rmamparcelsf, rmamtletter, rmamtparcel, rmamtsparcel, rmpfgeconomy, rmpfgvalue) as they are no longer available

      NB. Version 3.7.0 - 3.9.2 is designed to work with Zen Cart 1.5.8 upwards. Use version 3.6.0 for any lower versions of Zen Cart. You will have to manually update the rates which you can find in the (rates file. You will also need to turn off the following methods ( rmamlargelettersf, rmamlettersf, rmamparcel, rmamparcelsf, rmamtletter, rmamtparcel, rmamtsparcel, rmpfgeconomy, rmpfgvalue) as they are no longer available UK Tracked 24 and 48 are not available in that release.

  4. If you want to force a minimum delivery method, then set the appropriate attributes for each product. This can be done by visiting the product

    1. Login to your Zen Cart admin

    2. Use Catalog > Categories/Products, then navigate to your products

    3. Setting attributes for the product (click on the A in a circle).

    4. Select Minimum Delivery Method: [Read only]...

    5. Select the appropriate option value.
      The order is:
      i. Large Letter
      ii. Small Parcel
      iii. Medium Parcel
      iv. Special Delivery or Parcel Force
      v. Do Not Use Any Big Royal Mail Modules

      Therefore, if you select Large letter, only standard letter will be excluded.
      If you select Medium Parcel then standard letter, Large Letter and Small Parcel will be excluded. For more information, see Attribute Pricing

  5. Check the default shipping and packing configuration.

    1. Login to your Zen Cart admin
    2. Use Configuration > Shipping/Packaging
    3. Check the value of Package Tare Small to Medium - added percentage:weight.
      The default is 0:3 which will add 3kg to the shipping weight.
      I use 0:0.05 which adds 50g.
    4. Check the value of Larger packages - added packaging percentage:weight
      The default is 10:0 which will add 10% to the shipping weight.

NB.

  1. I have now changed the modules to allow you to use attributes to determine the minimum delivery method for items (take some size into account). This does not take into account multiple items that when packed together would make the parcel larger than the size set. Therefore, you may still need to consider which modules you install. Additionally, this does not take into account package dimensions introduced in version 2.0.0 of ZenCart

  2. All pricing information is based on Kg, not Lbs. If you are using Lbs as your weight measure, you will either have to adjust your product weights to Kg or recalculate the weights to Lbs.

  3. If you are using Kg and have not already done so, see ZenCart Docs Product Weight - changing from pounds (lbs) to kg

  4. If you wish to modify any of the text in the language files please use the template overrides system. Prior to Zen Cart V1.5.8 copy the file to your template folder in the includes/language/english/modules/shipping/YOURTEMPLATE this way you will not lose any changes if you install updates. As of Zen Cart 1.5.8 you only need to define the values you are changing. See Zen Cart documentation.

  5. Zen Cart 2.0 has a new method. See Zen Cart documentation Storeowner Docs\Shipping\Shipping Dimensions

  6. Printed Paper rates are no longer provided as Royal Mail has unified them with normal parcel rates.

If you are upgrading, please read the file Upgrade.

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