Redirecting a subcategory to an external site

[DSCARMS]

Thanks Stevesh - I did try the Kludge previously and then after you suggested it. It does redirect but it is not the desired webpage my customers requested but it may have to do for now while I figure out something better.

Thanks Blackbelt - I will look into trying that with the ezpages link #'s and see if it will work out.

Thanks for the help and suggestions. I may end up at a programmer to accomplish this, reconsider the main page layout, or going with another cart all together (but I really do not want to do that). I am sure there is someone at some point in the past that has wanted the same redirect and solved it - especially with all the redirection that goes on - on the web.
Once again thanks for the suggestions and ideas. Please feel free to post more suggestions if you think of any.

[DrByte]

There's a caveat to all this, which the others have touched on indirectly: What if I'm shopping on your site, add some things to my cart, and then click a link that takes me to some *other* site, buy some things there, and completely forget about completing checkout back on *your* main site? Instant loss of sales, and confusion for the customer.

[DrByte]

I think using EZ-Pages for this is the wrong way to go.

Glenn is more correct in the idea of creating a mapping of categories and corresponding destination links, and then doing routing where appropriate.

Do you have a list of which category cPaths should be redirected to what URLs?

[gjh42]

In regard to the question of orphaned cart items on your main site - if you can track the referrer on the other site, store the info in the session, and after checkout suggest returning to your main site where relevant, that might alleviate the potential confusion. Will all visitors to the other site come from your main site, or are there other routes of access?

[gjh42]

Just thinking about a simplified way of making the corresponding links...
you could define a constant for each subcat like

define('FIREARMS_LINK_32_57', 'http://www.yourothersite.com/whatever_page'); //for cPath=32_57

then in the category listing, see if there is a constant that matches the cPath and use its defined value instead of the regular link.

[DrByte]

Right.
Then use an observer class to hook the NOTIFY_HEADER_START_INDEX notifier point, and simply do a zen_redirect() to the corresponding URL whenever the specified cPath is clicked.

Could use constants to do the defining, or just an array of values, or even just a bank of case statements in a switch() loop.

[DSCARMS]

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you all for the suggestions.
To Dr Byte - Regarding your caveat - The three main categories on my main page www.dscgunstore.com have different legal and shipping requirements if purchased. Multiple purchase checkout within the same category can be done without any problem and in the same shopping cart. The multiple checkout issue between different categories and/or subcategories is basically moot because of the different legal and shipping requirements within each category. Basically the "Black powder" category and the "NFA" category products are done in-house and the products in the "Firearms" are to redirected to other webstore of mine that is at one of my distributors. The products purchased in the "Firearms" category are shipped to my physical store for the customer to pickup. So the purchase would have to completed and then instructed to go back for other category purchases. Most purchases are done singlely anyway with very few multiple purchases of these items.
I agree using EZpages is not what I wish to use - other than the fact that it contains in the ezpages part of the zencart program an option to redirect offsite to a specified url and/or ccurl or cpath. I just wanted it to be part of the category/subcategories area. As far as other routes of access to my other webstore at my distributor - yes there is access to it but there are links provided to go to my main (or originating) site. Purchases there can only be made there - however multiple purchases from the same site using that shopping cart.
I do like the simplification idea of Black belts - just do not know where i would put the code or program instructions to accomplish what you both have so graciously and intelligently suggested to solve my boggle.

Blackbelt, Dr Byte and everyone else has been super - problem is I am extremely new to the programming thing with zencart and I am learning as i go along. My daughter had set up the sites and dumped them in my lap because she no longer wanted anything to do with it anymore and walked out entirely.
So Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks to all!!!!!!

[DrByte]

So, are you wanting to redirect *category* links, or wanting to redirect *products*?
ie: when a visitor clicks on the "Benelli" category, are you wanting them to see a list of related products on *your* site? Or be immediately redirected to the *other* site?
And do you have a list which maps those "source click" and "destination URL" pairs someplace?

Thus far you're only talking in theory, and not exact specifics. So all we can really do is give you ideas of what to do, which we've done.

[DSCARMS]

Thanks again - DrByte for the all the assistance.

The specifics are as follows - if a customer goes to the "firearms" category (on www.dscgunstore .com site) and then to a subcategory (for example S&W) and then further subcategories of "Handguns" , then to a futher subcategory of either "Pistols" or "Revolvers" and when the customer would choose either one of either "Pistols" or "Revolvers" subcategory it would be re-directed to my other webstore at Davidsons (my distributor) inventory (urls) to purchase the products. The customer can surf within my webstore at the Davidsons site and make multiple product purchases if they wish. The products will be shipped to my physical store for that customer.

The other main categories (Black powder and NFA) products listed on www.dscgunstore .com site would be handled within the DSC gunstore website shopping cart and within my physical store only - largely due to legal and shipping restrictions.
In answer to your question, the "source click" would be the Subcategories on the dsc gunstore site and the "destination url" would go to the urls at my webstore at the Davidsons in the specific manufacturer and model/type area (ie. revolver or pistol). At this point in time I have not compiled an actual list but could easily copy and paste them if I could get the zencart categories or subcategories to have the option to re-direct it - whether it would be on a categories/subcategories template or in the program php code itself.

Basically I want to re-direct the subcategories from my dscgunstore site TO the actual instock, realtime, inventory of products at my Davidsons webstore - for purchase.
I hope that eplains in detail what I am trying to accomplish.

Thanks for all the suggestions, assistance and help. If you have any more specific solutions, please feel free to suggest. Thanks Again.

[gjh42]

The suggestion I made in posts 10 & 15 will do exactly what you want. A more specific solution would be writing the actual code for you.
Using the observer/notifier system instead of modifying the listing file, while more elegant, would require up-to-date programming skills and a knowledge of Zen Cart's structure. How much experience do you have with PHP?