including modules into own design?

[romijade]

Hi

I'm new to zen cart and have been trying to figure out how to get zen cart actually integrated into my own website design (see here). From what I understand through reading various posts and looking through the FAQ, people generally use the CSS files to configure the look of their zen cart pages. How does this work for something like mine that is a completely different layout to the existing ones.

Is there a way to 'include' the various modules into my own website. I'll be changing over my html code into php so that I can include various bits and pieces of code/content and was wondering what things I'd actually need to call to get the zen cart modules in there working.

I've already configured zencart to work on my server, so I don't need any help with that kind of thing, just for making it look how I need to (in my own website design).

Thanks!

[kuroi]

When I first looked at your site I wondered if it was a Zen Cart. It would be so easy to implement that (rather nice) design in Zen Cart's template system.

It would be a whole heap of hurt to try to pick Zen Cart apart to insert it into your tables. It's not designed to be used that way.

Your biggest challenge I suspect, in applying that design to Zen Cart will be to move beyond that old-fashioned, table-based layout approach.

[romijade]

I really have very little clue about website design - that was my first site and I guess tables is really the only concept I know. I've been doing a ton of research but it's a big scary world for a newbie like me.

It just seems to be a lot of work turning a million zencart features on/off and I have no idea how to get it to match up like the art I've made, so was hoping I could just somehow integrate it into what I already have as I only want a few basic options so that people can buy some homemade items :)

Even links to any useful tutorials/FAQ's would helpful and much appreciated.

I've seen the CSS file where I can change the colours but can I add the flowers I've made in the background?

I'd hire someone to do it for me but I'm on maternity leave and not working so I'm trying to learn how to do it myself.

Thanks again for any advice :)

[kuroi]

There's a link to the tutorials and FAQs section at the top of the page. It includes a section of new users.

You could add the flowers by setting your site's mainWrapper to a fixed width and designing a background image for the site overall that places the flower images either side of a gap that is the same width as your mainWrapper and attaching toi the boidy tag via the stylesheet.

If that sounds like gibberish now, I promise that it won't once you've worked through a few tutorials and seen how it all fits together.

Enjoy your maternity leave. It's an ideal time for putting together a Zen Cart, as that works best done a bit at a time and you'll no doubt have lots of other things to do that will break up your time!

[romijade]

Thanks Kuroi, I'll start going through them now, though I just wanted to say that I checked out your website and the designs you've done look fantastic. I know I'm a beginner, but I'm kind of picky - hopefully I can get it working but if I can't, I know the first person I'm gonna want to get a quote from :)

[romijade]

I managed to get my site working properly :)

You could add the flowers by setting your site's mainWrapper to a fixed width and designing a background image for the site overall that places the flower images either side of a gap that is the same width as your mainWrapper and attaching toi the boidy tag via the stylesheet.

I'm working on this at the moment, thanks tons!