Multiple users working on the same site

[Jarryd]

Hi,

I am fairly new to zen cart and currently using version 1.5.1. I work with a colleague and we need to be able to work on the same websites together, whether it be from remote locations. I have used xampp to install mysql, php and apache however currently each of us are running a seperate installation of xampp and zen cart on each pc. Does xampp need to be installed on a central computer, and if so how how are the separate installations of zen cart linked? And with regards to working from remote locations, is a VPN needed to be setup with zen cart installed on the remote pc?

Thanks in advance

[swguy]

Why don't you just buy a hosting account and use that to run the website?

[Jarryd]

Well I'll be creating a couple of sites and I'd prefer to complete them locally and then upload them to my hosting company once they are finished?

[swguy]

If you want to collaborate with someone else, what I'm suggesting is the easiest route. Note that your development doesn't have to reside in the root domain of the site -you could do

www.my-final-site.com/test_site

just by updating the configure.php files and putting a robots.txt in the root directory.

[Jarryd]

So utilizing my desktop as the host with xampp installed and remotely connecting over vpn isn't a good option? I appreciate your help though I was worried nobody would reply as I have seen some posts

[RodG]

So utilizing my desktop as the host with xampp installed and remotely connecting over vpn isn't a good option? I appreciate your help though I was worried nobody would reply as I have seen some posts

Since Xampp is going to be installed on your desktop the *you* won't need a VPN connection to access it. However, your collaborators will.

Yes, it is possible to set up a VPN *to* your home machine from your collaborators home machine (which I think is what you are trying to do) but that will be an overkill in my opinion. It'll be easier to setup and use something like dyndns.com (assuming you don't have a static IP) then opening up the HTTP & FTP services to 'the world', but restricting access to your collaborators only.

swguys' suggestion is still the best option though.

Cheers
Rod

[swguy]

I appreciate your help though I was worried nobody would reply as I have seen some posts

Welcome to the Zen Cart forum! If you write a post that no one replies to, you've done something wrong. This is the canonical answer to the question "How do I ask a good question on StackOverflow?" and most of what's written applies here too:

http://msmvps.com/blogs/jon_skeet/ar...-question.aspx

In general, posts that don't get responses have one or more of these problems:
- Not enough information
- Vaguely worded question
- Poster appears argumentative and has already made up his mind
- Question has been answered many times before
- Poster appears unwilling to do any work to help himself

Avoiding these pitfalls will ensure that the friendly participants on this forum will give you the advice you seek. Good luck!

[schoolboy]

Collaborative workings are best done over a properly configured hosted webserver for three main reasons...

1. The infrastructure is already there, and is properly configured (so why try to re-invent the wheel? ... and a bad wheel at that).

2. Installing in a sub-folder... you can lock down that folder with its own htaccess and passwd configuration, preventing everyone (including SE spiders) from getting into it.

3. Moving (or activating) the site when it is ready is a simple and quick affair.