Banner Manager

[rbarbour]

This is an area in Zen Cart I really never played around with ...

Lets say I upload (3) images and assign them to: Banner Display Groups - Header Position 1

How do I display all (3) images at once instead of 1 random image per page load?

[rbarbour]

Never mind, figured it out.

[mc12345678]

Never mind, figured it out.

And the answer is for those that happen across this thread looking for the same thing?

[rbarbour]

And the answer is for those that happen across this thread looking for the same thing?

Custom Coding

This is probably a unique situation of my clients and the reason for doing so can be seen here.

Simply allows my client to use the stock Banner Manager, show multiple banners as a group (jQuery Slide) and assign different effects to each banner group.

I needed a simple lightweight solution and alternative to ZX_slideshow and other sliders that require hard coding images in tpl or define files.

All banners loaded record Banner Views
All banners loaded record Banner Clicks

[DivaVocals]

Custom Coding

This is probably a unique situation of my clients and the reason for doing so can be seen here.

Simply allows my client to use the stock Banner Manager, show multiple banners as a group (jQuery Slide) and assign different effects to each banner group.

I needed a simple lightweight solution and alternative to ZX_slideshow and other sliders that require hard coding images in tpl or define files.

All banners loaded record Banner Views
All banners loaded record Banner Clicks

Ummm I believe the ZX Slideshow uses the banner manager and so does the slideshow Anne includes in her templates..

[mc12345678]

Ummm I believe the ZX Slideshow uses the banner manager and so does the slideshow Anne includes in her templates..

Yes, the slideshow of Anne's templates (at least recent ones) does use the banner manager. Not familiar with the older templates, so can't speak for/about them.

[rbarbour]

Ummm I believe the ZX Slideshow uses the banner manager and so does the slideshow Anne includes in her templates..

Yes, the slideshow of Anne's templates (at least recent ones) does use the banner manager. Not familiar with the older templates, so can't speak for/about them.

Good to know for future reference.

I have used ZX Slideshow and from my experience it "ADDS" additional banner groups and would require including its tpl_ file to include those additional banner groups.

I simply needed to make the "Stock" banner groups display dynamic banners without the shop owner entering the HTML code which also doesn't record the clicks.

[DivaVocals]

Good to know for future reference.

I have used ZX Slideshow and from my experience it "ADDS" additional banner groups and would require including its tpl_ file to include those additional banner groups.

I simply needed to make the "Stock" banner groups display dynamic banners without the shop owner entering the HTML code which also doesn't record the clicks.

Right.. The ZX Slideshow does add additional banner groups as does the slideshow Anne uses in her templates. Neither requires entering in the HTML code for the slides, they utilize image banners so it does record the clicks for each slide.. This means that it's EASY to add new slides and there's VERY little chance a client could foul up the slideshow (which is why Anne changed the slideshow she uses to use the banners feature). The ZX Slideshow only makes one SMALL modification to the "tpl_index_categories.php" and "tpl_index_default.php" files to include a call to the "zx_slideshow.php" file. The "zx_slideshow.php" file is where the new banner groups are called..

So yes if you want to use the stock banner positions, you will need custom code.. What code depends on whether you want one slideshow per banner group versus one image per banner group..

Now if you wanted to use the stock banner groups/positions with the ZX Slideshow code you could adapt some of the the "zx_slideshow.php" file's code to suit your needs. For example in the "tpl_main_page.php" file you could add modified code from the "zx_slideshow.php" file near the banner position you want to use.. You could then remove ALL of the current stock banner code in the "tpl_main_page.php" file. (this is not ALL of the "zx_slideshow.php" file, just a small example of how the code might be adapted)

<div class="slider-wrapper theme-<?php echo ZX_SLIDESHOW_THEME; ?>">
        <div id="slider" class="nivoSlider">
            <?php
  if (SHOW_BANNERS_GROUP_SET1 != '' && $banner = zen_banner_exists('dynamic', SHOW_BANNERS_GROUP_SET1)) {
    if ($banner->RecordCount() > 0) {
        echo zen_display_zx_slide('static', $banner); 
    }
  }
?>
            
            <?php
  if (SHOW_BANNERS_GROUP_SET2 != '' && $banner = zen_banner_exists('dynamic', SHOW_BANNERS_GROUP_SET2)) {
    if ($banner->RecordCount() > 0) {
        echo zen_display_zx_slide('static', $banner); 
    }
  }
?>

This all assumes that you want the slideshow to display in ONE location on the page using only the stock banner groups..

If you were instead wanting to use only ONE banner group per SLIDESHOW (versus one image per banner group), then this of course will not work..

[rbarbour]

Right.. The ZX Slideshow does add additional banner groups as does the slideshow Anne uses in her templates. Neither requires entering in the HTML code for the slides, they utilize image banners so it does record the clicks for each slide..

Right, but in order to use the six stock banner positions and use dynamic banners one has to enter the via the HTML code section.

This means that it's EASY to add new slides and there's VERY little chance a client could foul up the slideshow (which is why Anne changed the slideshow she uses to use the banners feature). The ZX Slideshow only makes one SMALL modification to the "tpl_index_categories.php" and "tpl_index_default.php" files to include a call to the "zx_slideshow.php" file. The "zx_slideshow.php" file is where the new banner groups are called..

Right but my OP was to find an alternative to ZX, I will take a further look at Anne's.

So yes if you want to use the stock banner positions, you will need custom code.. What code depends on whether you want one slideshow per banner group versus one image per banner group..

Is that a question?

Now if you wanted to use the stock banner groups/positions with the ZX Slideshow code you could adapt some of the the "zx_slideshow.php" file's code to suit your needs. For example in the "tpl_main_page.php" file you could add modified code from the "zx_slideshow.php" file near the banner position you want to use.. You could then remove ALL of the current stock banner code in the "tpl_main_page.php" file. (this is not ALL of the "zx_slideshow.php" file, just a small example of how the code might be adapted)

<div class="slider-wrapper theme-<?php echo ZX_SLIDESHOW_THEME; ?>">
        <div id="slider" class="nivoSlider">
            <?php
  if (SHOW_BANNERS_GROUP_SET1 != '' && $banner = zen_banner_exists('dynamic', SHOW_BANNERS_GROUP_SET1)) {
    if ($banner->RecordCount() > 0) {
        echo zen_display_zx_slide('static', $banner); 
    }
  }
?>
            
            <?php
  if (SHOW_BANNERS_GROUP_SET2 != '' && $banner = zen_banner_exists('dynamic', SHOW_BANNERS_GROUP_SET2)) {
    if ($banner->RecordCount() > 0) {
        echo zen_display_zx_slide('static', $banner); 
    }
  }
?>

This all assumes that you want the slideshow to display in ONE location on the page using only the stock banner groups..

If you were instead wanting to use only ONE banner group per SLIDESHOW (versus one image per banner group), then this of course will not work..

ZX has already been ruled out, not even interested in trying to use it in place of the original six, it severely slows page loads using it just as a main page slider.

[DivaVocals]

Anne's slideshow is constructed just like the ZX Slideshow.. BOTH create new banner groups, and require you to upload your banner images to these new banner groups (one --or more-- images per banner group)

Neither uses the default banner groups and neither requires you to use the HTML code section of the banner manager.... it's all banner images..

Right, but in order to use the six stock banner positions and use dynamic banners one has to enter the via the HTML code section.



Right but my OP was to find an alternative to ZX, I will take a further look at Anne's.



Is that a question?



ZX has already been ruled out, not even interested in trying to use it in place of the original six, it severely slows page loads using it just as a main page slider.