How do you make the center box static?

[ExtremeRC]

Hi,

I am trying to make the center box on my homepage static.

The center box has been set to "Show New Products on Main Page"

the columns set to 3, it shows up fine, but it rotates constantly and I asked my template designer to make it static.

Can someone please explain how to do this, website is:
www.extremerc.com.au

Thanks!

[kdays]

What do you mean by rotate? Are you referring to the products change on each page refresh/reload or has your template been set up to scroll/rotate through products using javascript?

[ExtremeRC]

The centre box default is to change whats showing every time you refresh, rotate the products, I want to stop this so the 6 items in the centre box stay static until I choose to update them.

So yes what you just said :) product change on each reload of the home page.

I also want to be able to edit whats showing in this centre box. I am guessing that may be harder to sort out?

[tino.schlegel]

You have to use the featured product box to do this. You can choose which products are featured on you webpage in the admin area. Your designer should know this. Especially if you pay her/him.

[schoolboy]

I would agree with tino... This is a very basic concept in zencart. if your designer did not know this, then RUN FAST from your current designer and look for someone else...

[ExtremeRC]

Yes this is obvious which is why I didnt mention it, the featured products is already being used as the right hand column, it was in the design brief. The guy doing the templates told me to change one of the other choices for centre box would take lots of programming and time, another friend reckons it should not be that difficult to make the "products for November" (as example) a static box.

So any ideas? :)

[rstevenson]

I suppose you could simply edit the center contents of the home page in admin, using Tools/Define Pages Editor and selecting define_main_page.php as the file to edit.
If you're not into code editing, keep a template file set up by your designer in a text editor on your local drive which can be used with a bit of copy/paste to change the page occasionally. I do this for the content on the home pages of both my sites, though my layout is much simpler than what you need.

Rob

[ExtremeRC]

I have already edited that file to include a homepage video and intro text, the centre box is not editable however.

Obviously no one knows how to do this, and those who do are going to want to be paid for it, so speak up anyone who can do what I need and give me an idea of cost please.

[kdays]

RC, what do you have in Admin for the following settings?

Admin > Configuration > Index Listing > Show Featured Products on Main Page

and then

Admin > Tools > Layout Box Controller > sideboxes/featured.php


It is standard Zen Cart to have both a Featured Products centre box and a Featured Products sidebox.

Let's say you have 12 featured products. If your Featured Products centre box is set to show 12 products and the Featured Products sidebox is set to show 4 products then it appears that the centre box stays static and the sidebox changes with each reload/refresh. (I believe the centrebox may change the order of the products on each refresh though, but it would be the same products.)

Would this suit your requirements?

It's an easy change too to use the featured centre box functionality and just change the title so you don't have two 'featured' sections on the home page.

[ExtremeRC]

It sounds promising but I have the featured sidebox running and the products in it need to stay the same until I decide to update them, thats what I need for the centre box as well, I have featured jets on the sidebox, and I wanted "new & coming products" in the centre box sitting static and only changeable in admin when new products come out.

Even the sidebox changing the order of the products on each refresh is annoying and something my IT guy was supposed to fix, he refuses to reply to me now he has the majority of his payment!