HTML banners do not record the clicks on the banner

[aNaBoLiC]

Hi
Very new at this...
Just wondering why this is, HTML banners do not record the clicks on the banner, and if there is a way to change this so that clicks are recorded.
Reason I ask is beceause I have a few banners on my site and would like to know which ones are more effective, etc.
Thanks

[Ajeh]

HTML banners do not go through the site they are a direct link to what you have setup so that link should have some form of tracking for you ...

[OFelixCulpa]

Hi. I wonder if I am missing something here. On my test site, I removed the image on a banner and put this:

<a href="http://office/BBT/index.php?main_page=redirect&action=banner&goto=12">Test HTML Banner</a>

into the HTML Text section in the Banner Manager instead (I copied it from the html output for the image link). The text link shows up fine and the banner manager seems to be counting the clicks made.

Since it isn't following the predicted behavior, I worry that I may have messed it up in some way.

Thanks.

[Ajeh]

That code doesn't do anything as it isn't complete ...

You need to actually use something that would run if in a normal HTML page if you want to utilize the HTML code of the Banner ...

[OFelixCulpa]

Ajeh,

Thank you for the speedy reply.

I'm afraid my ignorance has to come out now...I guess I don't really understand what the HTML banner is supposed to do. I thought it was just to create a clickable link to the site listed in the Banner URL field. That seems to be what is happening with what I entered. Is it meant to do more than that?

Would there be any problems with using the HTML Banner as a text link (for which the displays and clicks are counted in the Banner Manager) the way I did?

Thanks again.

[Ajeh]

What do you think that code you posted is suppose to do?

[OFelixCulpa]

I thought it was to create a simple text link in the banners_all sidebox (albeit one which is tracked by the Banner Manager).

It seems to be doing that, for there is a link in the box that looks like:

Test HTML Banner

In the Banner URL field, I have:

http://www.lulu.com/content/466605

And it clicks through to the site for the Zen Cart Manual, and seems to be counting the displays and clicks just fine.

Apparently, I'm missing something about what is supposed to be going on. What is it?

Thanks again.

[Ajeh]

This doesn't appear to be anything "real" ...

<a href="http://office/BBT/index.php?main_page=redirect&action=banner&goto=12 ">Test HTML Banner</a>

You need a real URL that actually does something will cause something to happen ...

What do you think that is suppose to do?

[OFelixCulpa]

Ajeh,

I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to explain myself very well. I went ahead and installed a fresh ZC on an empty domain of mine so that I could show you (my cart is in development and exists only on my test server right now).

Check www.ofelixculpa.net

In the banner_box_all sidebox, the middle ad now has "HTML Banner Text" as a link. When clicked, this link brings up a the url I have listed in the Banner URL field (www.ofelixculpa.com -- just pictures of my house).

The banner manager is also counting the clicks on that link (which I understood the directions to say that it wouldn't do).

Anyway...I'm so confused that I don't even understand what's supposed to be happening and how what happens there is different.

Sorry. I know confused people can be a real pain. Thanks for helping!

Oh...Just in case you want to see what I did, the admin username is "admin" and so is the password. The admin folder is still named admin as well.

[Ajeh]

You have two things happening here ...

You have configured this with both a Banner URL and HTML ...

HTML by itself does not know what to do for counting clicks ...

Banner URL overrides the HTML ... and Banner URL knows how to count ...

This makes it appear that your HTML is counting but the HTML is not really running as the HTML code you put in there is the Banner Code generated for that Banner URL that you have in it ...