2012

Name-Value Pair API Developer Guide August 2012 17
PayPal Name-Value Pair API Basics
NVP Format
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1. Invoke an API operation, such as SetExpressCheckout, that sets up the return URL to
which PayPal redirects your buyer’s browser after the buyer finishes on PayPal. Other
setup actions also can be performed by this API operation.
2. Invoke additional API operations after receiving the buyer’s permission on PayPal, for
example, GetExpressCheckoutDetails or DoExpressCheckoutPayment.
The following diagram shows the execution flow between your site and PayPal:
Token Usage
Typically, the API operation that sets up a redirection to PayPal returns a token. This token is
passed as a parameter in the redirect to PayPal. The token also might be required in related
API operations.
NVP Format
NVP is a way of specifying names and values in a string. NVP is the informal name for the
query in the URI specification. The NVP string is appended to the URL.
An NVP string conforms to the following guidelines:
 The name is separated from the value by an equal sign (=). For example:
FIRSTNAME=Robert