default template not showing up on template selection screen

[vintagetwitch]

Hi,

I've searched the form but haven't come across my issue exactly. I have never touched zencart in my life, but I am comfortable with css and customizing wordpress templates, though I know this isn't the same. I am supposed to customize the template at the following url: http://gel-glossrv.com/zen-cart/. I followed the tutorial on creating a new custom template folder and have uploaded it into my /includes/templates/ folder. My issue is that when I go to my "template selection" screen in the admin panel, I don't see anything listed, not even the default template information, let alone the custom folder I uploaded.

All I see are the "Template Language", "Template Name", "Template Directory", and "Action" headings. Then below it says Displaying 0 to 0 (of 0 template associations)
Page 0 of 0
Then there is a button for "new language". From what I understand, there should be a dropdown menu listing the different templates. Am I missing something obvious. The site is obviously using the default template, but I'm just confused as to why I'm not seeing anything. I did not install this. Someone handed me the keys and said "make it happen."

Any help would be greatly appreciated. And if I missed a similar thread on the forums, I apologize.

Thanks,
Kevin

[vintagetwitch]

Hi again,

I thought I might add some more information that probably is pretty relevant. We are running multiple sites on the same hosting that are all pointing to the same zen-cart installation folder.

http://gel-gloss.com/zen-cart/
http://gel-glossrv.com/zen-cart/
http://trindustries.com/zen-cart/

If I login to the admin for trindustries.com, and go to the "Template Selection" page, I am able to see all the appropriate dropdown template information the I was missing before. However, I am still not able to see any of this if I login to the gel-gloss or gel-glossrv admin panels.

Thanks,

Kevin

[stevesh]

None of the three URL's show a Zencart installation - 2 404's and a goDaddy parked page - have you actually installed Zencart on these?

There shouldn't be a problem having 3 different domains on the same server, each of which uses 'zen-cart' as the subdomain, if each has it's own database.(I assume that's what you meant.)

I'd install (or move) Zencart to each site's root, but you may have reasons to do otherwise.

What version of Zencart do the problem sites use?

[vintagetwitch]

Hi,

Thanks for your response. I'm really dumb; the reason you're getting the 404 errors and the godaddy parked page is because they are changing their hosting, and the sites I linked to are on their new hosting account. The DNS records have not been redirected yet. You would need to change the settings in your host file to see the pages I linked below. (72.47.199.52 gel-glossrv.com - for example)

To my knowledge, we are using a smarty templating engine for all these sites. Depending on the site, everything reroutes accordingly. The smarty templates and zen cart install exist as subfolders inside one document root. There is only one zen cart install to my knowledge. And this might explain why I can only see my template drop down list if I go to the "trindustries" site. Any ideas? I'm not even sure they what they gave me to work with is even possible.

thanks so much, kevin

[stevesh]

I doubt if you can use the 'smarty templating engine' to template Zencart, and I wouldn't try.

If there's only one Zencart installation, (on the trindustries site) then that's why you can't see any templates on the others - I'm not sure how you're logging in to admin on them.

If I understand correctly, they want each of these sites to have a Zencart installation attached, called from a link on the home page, as the current cart is now? (I can see the root home pages on the gel-gloss and trindistries sites - both have a non-Zencart shopping cart now.)

I wouldn't do it that way. The main pages are pretty simple designs - it should be pretty easy to install Zencart in the root and style it to look like the site looks now (if that's what they want). Zencart seems happier when it's the whole site.

If I'm not understanding correctly, let me know.

[vintagetwitch]

For example, if you go to http://gel-gloss.com/index.php?pageId=357, you will see a basic product page. When you click on one of the products, you will be linked to the appropriate zen-cart product page. That's the idea at least.

We aren't templating zen-cart through smarty. That's just the regular portion of the site. But they did want to have each site's zen-cart shopping cart to have its own "look". But like I said, there is only one install. So I'm beginning to think this isn't possible.

Compare the following: http://gel-gloss.com/zen-cart/ - When I login to the admin here, I can't see any of the template info. As you can see, it's just loading up the default.

http://trindustries.com/zen-cart/ - When I login to the admin here, I can see the template info and link it to my custom template.

So I guess my question is, there really is no way to throw a separate template to each site without separate installations of zen-cart?

thanks a bunch

[Website Rob]

I do believe the Tutorials mention about either coping the entire "classic" dir., then renaming it to YOUR_TEMPLATE name and/or specifically about the "template_info.php" file. In order to use a Template and let Zen Cart know it is there, one must have a "template_info.php" editted for use with a specific Template.

includes/templates/YOUR_TEMPLATE/template_info.php

[stevesh]

So I guess my question is, there really is no way to throw a separate template to each site without separate installations of zen-cart?

I see now. No, you'll need a separate Zencart installation for each domain.

Also, Zencart isn't designed to be used as a back-end shopping cart. Generally, you can't have the products on your non-Zencart pages linked to the cart in Zencart. Causes problems with customer sessions switching back and forth.

[vintagetwitch]

Thanks again for your insight. You made my first experience on this forum a good one.