Phreebooks/Phreesoft

**kburner** · 29 Mar 2011, 08:27 PM

I use several different ways for payment for my store. I found an online web-based program called Phreebooks to help with this. It is free. I could not locate via search information that anyone has posted. If there is..please redirect and forgive me.

Does anyone use Phreebooks? or had any experience with it?

As I took a look at the software...because it states it is compatible with Zencart and order will be store from Zencart. Where would put files? in your public folder?

Thanks, Kim

**gjh42** · 29 Mar 2011, 08:55 PM

I heard about Phreebooks here a year or so back. Haven't tried it out yet, though.

**lankeeyankee** · 30 Mar 2011, 12:51 AM

I have used phreebooks (now a part of a larger package called phreedom) for a while now. It's amazing and flexible. There is a zen cart connector that allows you to download orders from zc to pb, upload products from pb to zc and a sync to update inventory and other product data.

I am working with the developer to augment the zc connector to completely map zc product attributes to specific skus in pb. You can either append a defined string to the model number (which is an sku in pb) or specify a different pb sku per attribute. So, for instance if you are selling t shirts and the base sku is tshirt1 and you have different sizes as attributes in zc you can append a sm or md or whatever so the sku becomes tshirt1sm. Let's say a t shirt that is red has a different sku, so you could tell it to make a red tshirt1 have an sku of redshirt. You will also be able to specify quantities of attributes. So if I sell a widget and the attribute is screws to mount it to a wall, and widget 1 uses 2 screws(a different sku than widget 1) and widget 2 uses 3 screws(the same screw sku as in widget 1) you can specify this, and in pb a line item is created in the sales order with the quantity and sku. All of this is set up in attributes controller in zc. I have yet to find a way to accurately import attributes in any other accounting/erp software including quickbooks 2011 premier.

Another great thing about pb is the author is active and available on the forum, he is open minded and takes people's suggestions seriously and with respect. He also helps solve problems specific to a user's needs, posting code and different reports as needed.

I wholeheartedly endorse it and suggest that everyone using zc check it out. It's entirely adaptable to any country's bookkeeping regulations so can be used by any around the world.

Have any more questions? Just ask, I will help if I can. I will be adding the zc connector to the downloads section here in a few weeks once we finish ironing out the attributes mapping.

**kburner** · 30 Mar 2011, 01:01 AM

How did you load the files that come with it? To your public_html or root directory? or did you load in zencart directory with admin, includes, etc folders?

Did you need your web host to do anything? like....You will also need to have a database defined with the username and password. Do I need to do anything to my zencart database?

I am not needing attributes. I have a bookstore and have the bookstore product module loaded.

Thanks for your feedback from post. I would very much like to get this software active. Kim

**lankeeyankee** · 30 Mar 2011, 02:03 AM

you can install it in any directory in public_html, but not recommended to install in your zc directory. Yes, you should create a new database or you use your zc db if you can't add another (the installation script offers the option of a prefix to keep it separate from other tables that might have the same name).

There are a few small modifications to core zc files, well one in your case if you don't use attributes so you will only need to modify admin>orders. If you have never modified that file you can just use the one that comes with the zen cart connector.

There is a minimal configuration once the zc connector is installed but it's easy and like installing a new zc module.