best starter guide / publication?

**skipclay** · 12 Apr 2012, 08:50 PM

I am new to zencart. I just installed the system and have been exploring the layout and administration panel. What is the best publications that explain altering the pages layout and looks. And also explains the best approach to setup.

I am finding the basic tutorial pages on zen-cart to be difficult to sift through.

**davowave** · 13 Apr 2012, 01:08 PM

the book advertised at the top of the page is pretty good. www.zen-cart.com/book I bought it when I started and it goes through all the links in the admin and explains them one by one.

Also googling:
site:http://www.zen-cart.com something
will search only the zencart site for 'something' which can be better than the on-site search.

**schoolboy** · 13 Apr 2012, 01:29 PM

Don't waste time... buy the book advertised. Get the eBook version. www.zen-cart.com/book

Very helpful to newbies for getting your head round the admin panel - which should be your first priority.

There is a need to learn a bit about the PHP files, because some of these need to be "customised" to your needs - particularly the LANGUAGE files. But the principle of editing them is pretty standard... Worry about this later. You should spend at least 7 to 10 days learning the admin panel. And if you loaded the DEMO DATA with your install, so much the better, as this will help you understand the detail behind all the product configurations... and there is a LOT of detail.