Mod gone bad? - fonts somehow screwed up

[notageek]

Okay, I removed the file from my override directory to see if the define_main_page_lower.php in the template_default directory would work, and although it seemed to access the directory and record the test message, still nothing is showing in my main page center box.

I noted the "get" command is from zen_get_file_directory and thought of checking PHPMyAdmin as my tables do not begin with "zen" but there is no such table.

So, I guess that is the extent of my capability to explore this problem after trying to check for differences in what I did and what the instructions advise to do.

[notageek]

Well, maybe someday someone will benefit from this monologue. I found that the although the Numinix Centerbox Categories module seemed to help by placing 3 commands in the Index Listing referable to the center box, when I activated the center box categories it was the default Zen Cart categories that came up. I had placed category numbers of subcategories in the box to choose categories, and it ignored that, and when I finally put the category numbers there it made no difference, and has the same appearance as the Zen Cart categories as they appear in the center box.

I see there is a "Define Page Status" under the Admin->Configuration menu. I am wondering what it would take to make a page status become active in that menu for the define_main_page_lower box that was attempted pursuant to this thread. I still do not see how to add text below my 3 top categories on my main page.

Also, I find that the "Featured Products" box that I wanted to include in the center box on the main page will no longer show up, and I suppose that is because I now have categories showing.

Am I right in thinking if categories show up, then the featured products center box cannot show in the center box? I now have a tremendous amount of dead space on my main page below my top paragraph plus one line of 3 top categories with images. This is my WAMP test server, so I have not posted a link.

[pdxdoug]

Regarding the splitting of text on the main page - bunyip provided the instructions for this modification. His post is here:

http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showpo...31&postcount=6

I followed his instructions as laid out and the modification worked perfectly. Maybe it is a template issue - the templates for both sites I used this on is iC_AcadameV.12

[notageek]

Doug, thanks for the reply. Does your define_main_page_lower show up in the Admin->Configure>Define Pages?

Does your page work as set up if you add text to the Admin->Tools->Define_main_page?

(Really nice presentation on your site, by the way. Would you be using a grid template to place each item in its own box?)

Your responses may shed light on what is going on with my process.

Thanks.

[pdxdoug]

No, the new define_page_lower does not appear in Configure/Define Pages. In fact most of the additional define pages I've added do not appear there.

The new define_main_page_lower as well as all the other new define pages (about 20 new pages) all can be selected and can be edited with Tools/Define Pages Editor.

For the product listings, I used the Column Layout Grid for Product Listing contribution:

http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?ma...products_id=77

and then had to fiddle with the css to get it right.

[notageek]

Still trying for text below products on main page center box. The last thing I tried, following bunyip's directions in post 6 of this thread, was to add the following at the bottom of includes/templates/MYTEMPLATE/tpl_index_default.php:

[CODE]
<?php if (DEFINE_MAIN_PAGE_LOWER_STATUS >= 1 and DEFINE_MAIN_PAGE_LOWER_STATUS <= 2) { ?>
<?php
/**
* get the Define Main Page Lower Text
*/
?>
<div id="indexDefaultLowerContent" class="content"><?php require($define_main_page_lower); ?></div>
<?php } ?>
/CODE]

Basically I was following a suggestion from another thread where the poster repositioned text from the top to the bottom of the file which called the main page text, and I modified the language to match bunyip's code (could not locate the post at this time).

I also tried repositioning the original code without the above modifications, calling the define_main_page, to the bottom without any changes occuring on refresh.

This is a test WAMP server home page running version 1.3.8a of Zen Cart.

It seems odd that I cannot see the text but I successfully added the define_main_page_lower to my configuration file in MySQL and it does show up in both the admin->tools>define pages and the configuration->define pages menus.

As an alternative, I was able to get text to show up on the includes/templates/MYTEMPLATE/common/tpl_main_page.php, but it is not dynamic and needs a bit of html coding, so I could use that as a last resort. This was from a suggestion in the "Re: Adding content to main page above and below "Featured" products???" thread.

At least I have the ability to do this "some" way now, thanks to Aly22's and giftmeister's posts in that thread, for which I am very thankful.

But I seem to be missing something very basic to get so far with bunyip's method, and accomplish being able to see the pages in tools and admin menus, but still not be able to see text at the bottom of the home page under the products pictures.

Even if there are no products, it should show up, and be controllable separately from the top text.

I just can't seem to move on without accomplishing this, and keep coming back to it. It's actually quite fun to try to accomplish it, but tiring, and I really should move on but I hate to leave this undone; it seems like such a necessity at the moment.

[pdxdoug]

Before Bunyip was so kind and posted these instructions, a web design firm has hacked my main page to do something similar by using define_page_4 as the lower main page text.

Attached is my tpl_main_page.php that had this hack. Search for define_main_page_4 and see where they inserted the text. They removed the define_main_page and inserted some static text at the top.

Maybe this file might help. Like I posted before, Bunyips code fixed the hacks in this file.

[pdxdoug]

Oops, file didn't get attached.

See lines 101 and 113 for start of inserted code.

[notageek]

Doug, thanks very much. This seemed promising. I compared your tpl_main_page.zip with includes/languages/english/html_includes/define_page_4.php. As you are aware, there were 3 lines in define_page_4.php and 200 in your tpl_main_page.zip, but I saw no overlap of the two files.

I looked at the lines you referred to, and tried them in the includes/templates/MYTEMPLATE/templates/tpl_index_default.php changing words to call the define_main_page_lower. Your template's lines calling that page were much more complicated than those already in the Zen Cart file to call the main_page.

While this was instructive to see similar coding possibilities, I am not seeing any change at all on my main page, oddly. The hack does make one appreciate the simplicity of coding in Zen Cart. If only I had a better grasp of PHP I might make better sense of it all.

[pdxdoug]

Can I make a suggestion-

Backup your tpl_main_page.php file, load this in and see if the define_page_4 content shows up. That way you can see if this works with your template.