Image Handler 3 Support Thread (for ZC v1.3.9)

The kids are moving out dad! :laugh:

Welcome to the new support thread for Image Handler 3, v3.0.

This version works on ZC v1.3.9. If you're looking for something for a newer version of Zen Cart, see
http://www.zen-cart.com/showthread.php?194740-Image-Handler-4

Image Handler 3, v3.0 is available for download here:
http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?main_page=product_contrib_info&products_id=1910


The previous support threads can be found here:
http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=35913
http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=33373

All support related questions for Image Handler 3 for v1.3.x should be posted on THIS support thread. The Image Handler 2 Support thread will continue to serve as the support thread for those who are not upgrading to Image Handler 3 for v1.3.x.

Any IH2 questions posted here will be (gently) re-directed back to the Image Handler 2 Support thread.(and vice versa)

Image Handler 3 v3.0 for v1.3.x
Image Handler 3, v3.0 for v1.3.x is based on an original contribution by Tim Kröger.

Why the new name??
With the guidance of the Zen Cart admins, Image Handler 3 was submitted as a NEW add-on with a new name to minimize confusion so this new CLEAN support thread could be started. The bugs/issues reported in the old support thread have been addressed in this new version, and the readme has been revamped to provide MORE information upfront to those who use this add-on which will (hopefully) address some of the usual install and configuration questions.. (versus having to search through a 5 year old support thread)

So on to the good stuff.

Here's the answers to the most frequently asked question: "What does Image Handler 3 do?"
(which BTW REALLY IS explained in detail in the readme for those who REALLY wanna know.. it doesn't hurt to download the fileset..)

Purpose & Aim
Image Handler 3 at the heart of its code is really meant to ease the management of product images (particularly the management of additional product images), and to help improve page performance by optimizing the product images.

Image Handler 3 generates product images (based on your image settings) in the Image Handler 3 bmz_cache folder. It DOES NOT replace or modify the original images. So it's PERFECTLY safe to use on an existing store.

Image Handler 3 enables you to use GD libraries or ImageMagick (if installed on your server) to generate and resize small, medium and large images on the fly on page request. You can simply upload just one image or you can have different sources for medium and large images. Image Handler 3 further enables you to watermark your images (overlay a second specific translucent image) and have medium or large images pop up when you move your mouse over a small image (fancy hover).

This contribution includes a powerful admin interface to browse your products just like you would with the Attribute Manager and upload / delete / add additional images without having to do this manually via FTP. Image Handler 3 works fine with mass update utilities like EzPopulate.

Features

• Improve site performance (faster loading, faster display)
• Professional looking images (no stair-effects, smooth edges)
• Choose preferred image-types for each image size
• Uploading one image automatically creates small, medium and large images on page request
• Drops in and out seamlessly. No need to redo your images. All images are kept.
• Easy install. One-click-database-upgrade.
• Works with mass-update/-upload tools like EzPopulate.
• Watermark images to prevent competitors from stealing them.
• Fancy image hover functionality lets a larger image pop up whenever you move your mouse above a small image (switchable).
• Choose an image background color matching to match you site's color or select a transparent background for your images.
• Manage your multiple images for products easily from one page just like you do with attributes in the Products Attribute Manager.

Image Handler 3 is meant to ease the work required to setup images for your store. It works WITH default Zen Cart functionality, it does not replace it.

It is very strongly recommended that you read through the ENTIRE "Configuration" & "Usage" sections of the Image Handler 3 readme file. There you will find out exactly what Image Handler 3 can do.

BEFORE YOU POST A SUPPORT QUESTION HERE READ THROUGH THIS SECTION (this is from the Image Handler readme file):

Troubleshooting Basics
Make sure your custom template is active. (Admin > Tools > Template Selection)

Make sure Image Handler 3 is installed. Admin > Tools > Image Handler3 > Admin. Set permissions in both your images and bmz_cache folders to 755 (eg: both of these folders need to have the same permissions. For some webhosts you may have to set these permissions to 777).

If Image Handler 3 does not work or gives you errors:

• Make sure all files are in correct location
• Make sure you uploaded ALL the Image Handler 3 files
• Make sure the files are not corrupt from bad FTP transfers
• Make sure your file merge edits are correct
• MAKE SURE YOU RE-READ THE CONFIGURATION AND USAGE SECTIONS!!!
• Make sure that there are no javascript conflicts from other programs
• Make sure that your main product image files names DO NOT contain any special characters
  ie: non-alphanumeric characters such as
  / \ : ! @ # $ % ^ < > , [ ] { } & * ( ) + =
  
  Always use proper filenaming practices when naming your images - See this document as a reference: http://www.records.ncdcr.gov/erecords/filenaming_20080508_final.pdf\

When posting bugs/issues aboutImage Handler 3, it's a WHOLE LOT more helpful to resolve them if you post details. Just saying "it's broken" or "doesn't work" does not provide nearly enough information to help YOU resolve YOUR issue.

Please provide as MUCH information as possible including:

• The version of Zen Cart you are running
• The version of Image Handler 3 you are running (you can see this by going to “Admin > Tools > Image Handler3” – the version is displayed in the upper left hand side)
• Any other add-ons you may have also installed
• Hosting/server information (PHP versions, mySQL versions, hosting provider etc)
• The EXACT error/issue you are experiencing
• AND if you're REALLY detail oriented, tell us the install sequence/method you used to install Image Handler 3.
• Post a link (not a screen print) to a specific product/product listing page where the issue you are experiencing can be seen (Please DO NOT make folks fish through your site looking for an example of your issue)
  
  AND this last point is important.. The volunteers who help here need to SEE what you see LIVE. A screenprint really isn’t good enough.

And a (gentle) reminder about FREE forum support:
This is ain’t Microsoft folks!
[SIZE=1](a frequently used analogy by some to compare open source projects to commercial projects)

[/SIZE] Like other open source projects, this support forum is manned by VOLUNTEERS (ie: unpaid folks). They are not OBLIGATED to assist here, but they do so because they WANT to. They give of their time here when their individual schedules permit. Usually the response is pretty quick 'round these parts, but when it’s not or your question has gone unanswered this may mean one of a few things:

• NO ONE has an answer to your question/issue.
  [SIZE=1](Some folks will only respond when they have something MEANINGFUL to say versus a blanket “I don’t know how to do that” kind of answer.)[/SIZE]
• Folks are just busy and will answer if/when they can..
  [SIZE=1](family and other personal obligations, day jobs, paid jobs, etc will usually trump forum participation – this is to be expected – after all it’s unrealistic to expect that folks are sitting around this forum all day and night waiting to answer questions)[/SIZE]
• Your question got missed. (and while I’m on this point) Your post MIGHT have been missed if your post is now a FEW pages back (like more than TWO or more pages) with no response.. Missed does NOT mean “it’s been an hour and no one responded to my question, so let me 'bump' the thread by re-posting my question again”

Anyway.. carry on.. Enjoy the new version..

Zen Cart and Image Management
Image Handler 3 is meant to ease the work required to setup images for your store.. It works WITH default Zen Cart functionality, it does not replace it.. Here's some additional FAQs which discuss how product images work in Zen Cart.

• Image Preparation - How-to
• My images are distorted/fuzzy/squished, help?

Information on how Zen Cart identifies/manages additional product images can be found on these Zen Cart FAQs:

• Why am I seeing images for other products on my product pages?
• How do I add multiple images to a product?
• How do I add more than one image of a product? I want to have a main image and also one or two other images that show more parts of a particular product. How/where do I add additional images to a product page? Thanks!

Check out these FAQs and see if they help clarify how Zen Cart works with product images.

Prepare Your Site for Growth
Not many users are aware that Image Handler 3 can manage the needs of a very large site as easily as it does a small one. When first building a site, the owner of a small site needs only to load images to the images folder. But when the site gets bigger and images multiply like rabbits, this can cause file naming confusions for Zen Cart and slow down the site. Preparing for your business to grow from the beginning will save you hours of work later on!

Without Image Handler 3 installed, Zen Cart requires you to create, optimize, and upload three different size images for each image you want to use. You must name these images using naming suffixes, and place them in corresponding folders inside your main image folder. For example: A product called "Widget" requires images/widget.jpg (small image) images/medium/widget_MED.jpg (medium image) and images/large/widget_LRG.jpg. This is such a hassle, especially if many of your products have multiple images. And as your site grows, it becomes an impossible task!

With Image Handler 3, you no longer have to make three sizes of the same images and place them in different folders (unless you want to)! Instead, you need upload only one image in one folder and Image Handler 3 will do the rest! Simply upload your largest highest quality image and Image Handler 3 will resize and optimize your image as needed, and serve up small, medium, or large image sizes appropriate to the page loaded - all automatically and all without actually modifying your original image file in any way! Check out the Configuration Tab of this ReadMe for more info about this awesome functionality!

Prepare your site for growth by simply creating sub-folders in your main images folder. For example, you may want to put all your "widget" images in a folder called "widgets" and all your doodad images in a folder called "doodads" , like this:
Product: Blue Widget with 3 images
----------------------------------
/images/widgets/blue_widget1.jpg (main product image for a blue widget, i.e. front view)
/images/widgets/blue_widget2.jpg (additional product image for a blue widget, i.e. side view)
/images/widgets/blue_widget3.jpg (additional product image for a blue widdget, i.e. rear view)
Product: Red Widget with 1 image
--------------------------------
/images/widgets/red_widget.jpg (main product image for a red widget)
Product: Gold Doodad with 2 images
----------------------------------
/images/doodads/gold_doodad1.jpg (main product image for a gold doodad, i.e. view from above)
/images/doodads/gold_doodad2.jpg (additional product image for a gold doodad, i.e. view from side)
Product: Silver Doodad with 3 images
------------------------------------
/images/doodads/silver_doodad1.jpg (main product image for a silver doodad, i.e. product)
/images/doodads/silver_doodad2.jpg (additional product image for a silver doodad, i.e. product detail)
/images/doodads/silver_doodad3.jpg (additional product image for a silver doodad, i.e. product's silver stamp)

Using Image Handler 3, you can easily sort and manage thousands of images without confusion or hassle! When selecting the main image for a product in the Image Handler 3 interface, Image Handler 3 lets you pick the location for this image. This prompt disappears afterwards because Image Handler 3 knows that additional images need to be in the same folder as their main product image and handles that automatically!

:clap: its here,

but the link in the first post leads to Super orders :cry: :wink: (link text is ok, but link itself is not)

Design75:

:clap: its here,

but the link in the first post leads to Super orders :cry: :wink: (link text is ok, but link itself is not)

Copy and paste the URL (it is correct..)

I know, I'm smart enough :laugh: . Installing right now

Great starter posts! This is exactly the kind of information I look for whenever I'm reviewing a mod before I download and install it :)

ScriptJunkie:

Great starter posts! This is exactly the kind of information I look for whenever I'm reviewing a mod before I download and install it :)

Thanks.. I had to work fast to get 'em posted to make sure they all appeared together..:laugh:

And all of this SAME useful information is in the readme as well (why re-invent the wheel) :cool:

Just upgraded and everything works as expected.

clydejones:

Just upgraded and everything works as expected.

Awesome!!! :clap: Thanks for the update/confirmation!

Forgot to mention

Upgrade went smooth and all is working just fine (as expected) :clap:

Thanks again for this wonderful mod :thumbsup:

Design75:

Forgot to mention

Upgrade went smooth and all is working just fine (as expected) :clap:

Thanks again for this wonderful mod :thumbsup:

Thanks for the update!!!:clap:

Impressive posts!

Just wanted to add, that there was some documentation online at the old breakmyzencart site. I didn't download the new version so forgive me, if the info is already contained in the new documentation readme. The above site might be obsolete now but maybe there is some useful example.

Cheers
Tim

timkroeger:

Impressive posts!

Just wanted to add, that there was some documentation online at the old breakmyzencart site. I didn't download the new version so forgive me, if the info is already contained in the new documentation readme. The above site might be obsolete now but maybe there is some useful example.

Cheers
Tim

As I have stated in my previous posts leading up to this release, I have already incorporated all of the documentation from your old site into the new readme..:smile: Some of it is obsolete, but the relevant portions needed to be included into the readme docs (and they were -- some word for word:smile:)..

I wanted to avoid the confusion of sending people to your old site because we've had folks download things from there before and come here seeking help with an outdated version of Image Handler.. (hence why we reconciled the relevant information with the previous versions of the readme)

Is IH3 work good in flash site? For first time user, is better to install IH3 directly, or use IH2 first?

hara:

Is IH3 work good in flash site? For first time user, is better to install IH3 directly, or use IH2 first?

Dunno what your first question means.. Are you talking about using FLASH animations as product images??

As for your second question, in my experience I always install the latest and greatest STABLE version..

On another note, posting questions on BOTH support forums is kinda unproductive.. Asking the SAME question about two versions of the SAME software which are largely the same BASE code is redundant.. Please pick a version, download it, and read the readme for BOTH versions (or skip to the changelog of the latest to see what changed) and post your question in the appropraite support thread..

Also you might consider creating a test store and installing Image Handler so you can test it out for yourself.. You'll have a MUCH better sense about what Image Handler does if you install it, and use the readme as a guide to help you configure and use the add-on..

I install version 3 of IH and its working great but I geting in cache error

PHP Warning:  htmlentities() [<a href='function.htmlentities'>function.htmlentities</a>]: Invalid multibyte sequence in argument in /includes/classes/bmz_image_handler.class.php on line 690

vescera:

I install version 3 of IH and its working great but I geting in cache error

PHP Warning:  htmlentities() [<a href='function.htmlentities'>function.htmlentities</a>]: Invalid multibyte sequence in argument in /includes/classes/bmz_image_handler.class.php on line 690

Sounds like invalid characters in your image names.. Re-check that you image names do not include spaces or invalid characters.

I've just upgraded to IH3 on ZC 139H. I have no trouble uploading an image for a product.
Is there a way for IH3 to save the many images that I need to upload in their unique folders other than the images folder my main site directory? I just want to better organize my images once they are on my main site.
thanks
tc

greenenergies:

I've just upgraded to IH3 on ZC 139H. I have no trouble uploading an image for a product.
Is there a way for IH3 to save the many images that I need to upload in their unique folders other than the images folder my main site directory? I just want to better organize my images once they are on my main site.
thanks
tc

From page 1 of this support thread (and included in the readme as well):
http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1022171&postcount=3

Short answer?? IH3 will not create your image folders for you.. You will need to create your image folder structure (via your FTP tool).. You can upload the additional images via FTP is your like.. So long as they are named correctly so that Zen Cart knows they are additional images, IH3 will optimize those images as well with no additonal action required on your part..

Again, re-read all the information in the readme if you need information on how to make this happen.. (which is repeated on page 1 of this support thread) We've provided LOTS of useful information and reference links to help answer all your image planning questions..