How scalable is Zen-Cart?

[tanya3]

give Write permission to image folder as this is needed if you are going to upload images via admin interface.

This is incorrect. The product's small image is always uploaded via the the Admin interface and its directory permission is 755.

What OS are you running on your web host?

[gjh42]

Do you truly not want to allow the store manager to use FTP for the images, or do you just not want to allow complete FTP access?

[tanya3]

Do you truly not want to allow the store manager to use FTP for the images, or do you just not want to allow complete FTP access?

I don't want the person who uploads the product descriptions (along with their images) deal with two different interfaces (Admin and FTP). Zen Cart is already inconvenient & confusing enough by spreading the necessary product information over different menu items and pages (for example, description and attributes).

I like the Admin profiles add-on and it seems to be doing what I need (different rights to different "admins").

I just don't want to:

1. Require the product descriptions uploader deal with FTP.
2. Bother with creating and managing FTP accounts, passwords, etc (which could be another point from which hackers can break in).

If generic zen-cart supports 3 different image sizes, why doesn't it support uploading all 3 of them via the Admin console? This is beyond me...

[afo]

How? Using the Image Handler add-on? or using a different add-on?

Notice (just as kuroi did) that the requirement is that all image uploads are to be done from the Admin console and not via FTP.

Thanks - Tanya.

https://www.zen-cart.com/tutorials/index.php?article=58

[Website Rob]

afo, your link talks about Additional Images (uploaded through FTP) which is not the desired method.

tana3, you bring up a good point and a somewhat odd one. Most scripts provide for different image sizes of a Product but I don't know of one that allows you to click on an image and then see a large image of something different. People want to see a large image of the image they are already looking at.

If you want to use different images then you would need to use Additional Images and the link provided by afo would explain how; but FTP usage is required. If you want to show the same image in 3 different sizes but only use the Admin section to upload the image, then ImageHandler 2 will allow one to do that.

[tanya3]

https://www.zen-cart.com/tutorials/index.php?article=58

From the tutorial you just brought:

Now you use your FTP program to upload additional images to...
For the large image (used in popups) I use FTP and upload...
For the medium image ... I upload via FTP

This is useless to me. My entire post was about not using FTP.

Do you know of an add-on that allows me to upload all 3 images sizes via the Admin console?

Thanks!
Tanya

[tanya3]

If you want to use different images then you would need to use Additional Images and the link provided by afo would explain how; but FTP usage is required.

How about this add-on. Will this do the trick? Will this allow me to use Additional Images without requiring FTP?

Thanks!
Tanya

[Website Rob]

Admin interface for Additional Product Images

This Contribute will allow admin to easily upload additional images for products, rather than uploading them through ftp program.

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From the Addon description I would say Yes. Not having used that module though, I have no experience on exactly what it does or how.

[gjh42]

You actually can add all of the product images via admin, though it requires a disciplined approach and can be time-consuming for large numbers of images per product.

Say you want a small thumbnail, a different size for the medium and a different image for the large.
In the product editing page, browse to the large image; in "Upload to directory: []" select large and preview and update.
Edit again and browse to the medium image, select the medium directory, preview and update.
Finally, edit, browse to the small image, select Main Directory, preview and update.

The important thing to remember here is that the *last* image you upload this way will become the product's base image, and must be the thumbnail.

If you change the large image or add additional images, you will need to reconfirm the base by selecting the thumbnail on the server.

[Website Rob]

Glenn, your approach will not work in conjunction with IH2; since it uses its own 'bmz_cache' dir. for all images.