After all tutorials, how do I create a template?

[kobra]

squeakypants,

Zen Cart is not structured as the CMS apps that you refer to. Where the template is more of a skin or set of clothes. over the structure.

What Zen Cart does offer that is easier than a CMS, is multi-looks to match what ever you might want with a couple of clicks. To illustrate; say you sell party supplies online, and want a Xmas look, a New Year look and one for easter summer, fall etc.
You make each of these in template folders in includes/templates and when you want to apply them you would do so in the admin > tools > template selection. Click Click and you are done & ready for the current holiday. Different banner, background, colors, and other things that you have pre-decided.

So a template in the Zen Cart sense is a bit more than just a skin as most all the settings for each are stored in the DB and in files in folders named for the specific template.

If you have loaded Zen Cart you have the default look and style. Now for a custom template, every file that you edit for this specific named look(template) is saved in the same location but in a folder named for the look. Another look and another set of folders named for that look. These folders are created where ever there is a folder named "classic" and house files in the same tree location.

So check the FAQ's & wiki for creating a template, start one based on the template default files(no css original or classic), just the template default stylesheet.css and begin the styling with only the css. About 80-90% of what most want is contained in the css with versions 1.3.x forward.

Wen looking to change some text, use the admin > tools > developers tools > and at the bottom left, enter the text, in the drop down select the all catalog files and then search. This will find the text in the files and provide the file name, path and the line #. You can select the most likely file open it edit the text save and proceed.

Get stumped...post back with the specific problem and if you pose a complete question that others can undestand there will be many that will provide assistance.

[squeakypants]

Thanks, I understand it now, but it's not what I wanted to hear. I don't want the site to look like every other site using ZenCart with different colors and images, I want (and need) it to be MY site, not ZenCart's. Do you get what I'm saying? Can ZenCart accomplish this, or do I have to go to another ecommerce app? I really hope I don't since my client has already put in many items and it would be a pain in the ###### to have to reenter everything.

[kobra]

just saw your last post after & while I was writing mine. This is fully possible, but drop your having to write all this with div's & xhtml... As many of the CMS's this is a full server side php script...and therefore the pages do not exist as such but are assembled on the server and then transfered.

You do not need to know much php (if any at all) to use this cart. I am a semi-living example of this. I know almost no php and do a fair job at most basic styling tasks. I do glitch up where I have to inteface with the php but this is very seldom(thank someone).

Like I said start, get some things done andpost back with where you are stumped.

[Blue!]

Zen cart is highly customisable using the override system. The header and footer can be constructed using your own html, and the columns can be collapsed as is required. The site can be changed to pretty muc anything you want.

However, looking at your mockup, your site doesn't actually look much different to any other zen cart, I think most of what you want could be acheived by replacing images and colours on an existing free template.

[kobra]

You are fully able to use any script that you want but will have much the same problems and not the great features.

See this Zen Cart site and decide if this is like all others for yourself.

Sample Site

[squeakypants]

Once again, thanks for understanding ;) Still, where do I start? It's supposed to be very CSS based (a good thing), so what is the structure the PHP outputs? I can't do anything in CSS if I don't know what I'm modifying.

Can I talk to you on AIM or MSN or something? It's just annoying to communicate like this when it's between 2 people.

EDIT: just looked at that sample site. Very nice ;) Now that I see it is fully customizable, I still need to know how... I'm sorry if I seem stubborn, but I've looked through everything and I can't figure it out.

[Blue!]

one good way of getting a feel for zen cart templating is to check out some of the available free templates that have been donated. Check them out here

Read up on the over ride system, and look into creating your own header and footer using the tpl_header.php and tpl_footer.php files.

Use a donated template, and just have a "play"

[ladysaat]

Thanks, I understand it now, but it's not what I wanted to hear. I don't want the site to look like every other site using ZenCart with different colors and images, I want (and need) it to be MY site, not ZenCart's. Do you get what I'm saying? Can ZenCart accomplish this, or do I have to go to another ecommerce app? I really hope I don't since my client has already put in many items and it would be a pain in the ###### to have to reenter everything.

No no. You can really really alter it! I have seen zen cart sites that I never would have guessed were it! I just wish there was the showcase so you could see some of the amazing ones out there.


ETA: YESSSSSSSS that site is one of the ones I was thinking about! Thanks Kobra!!!

[warstormer]

If you have loaded Zen Cart you have the default look and style. Now for a custom template, every file that you edit for this specific named look(template) is saved in the same location but in a folder named for the look. Another look and another set of folders named for that look. These folders are created where ever there is a folder named "classic" and house files in the same tree location.

So check the FAQ's & wiki for creating a template, start one based on the template default files(no css original or classic), just the template default stylesheet.css and begin the styling with only the css. About 80-90% of what most want is contained in the css with versions 1.3.x forward.

Hi Kobra,
I'm in the exact same stage as squeakypants, as in I know CSS etc, but have been confused as to how to go about creating my own template. After reading this thread it's starting to make more sense but... I have the default Classic Contemporary Green so to create my own I can copy the template_default folder, rename it, then play with those files? ...

[warstormer]

As an addition to the above I've read the following https://www.zen-cart.com/tutorials/i...hp?article=142 and although it's clear in what it's instructing, you basically end up with an 'empty' template folder. Are you then expected to create all the files in, say, template_default, from scratch?