templates for advanced design help

[danzig]

I was reading as many FAQs as I could and searched to the best of my capabilities and either I'm not finding what I need or I'm just not getting it, and I think I'm just not getting it. I thought I knew a little about PHP because I have made sites using PHP but I use dreamweaver with good extensions... anyways. I like to make real graphic sites and I would like to make the best looking cart possible with Zencart.

For example
www.urbanfashiontakeover.com is the site I want to put into

www.bluepixelonline.com/uft/cart

ok so obviously I figured out how to put the header in and change the pagebackround color.

I want to have the cart look exactly the first link site but I want the cart to have "containters" or tables that are completley skinned (image header and footer and table background with CSS formatted text and links and all that)

I can't figure out how to:
A: Make custom tables that will have a product image, link to a page that has more details (wich will be customized as well but I can cross that bridge when Iget there) and a add to shopping cart (custom button I design).

B: Put other forms and PHP scripts (random banner and newsletter sign up box)

C: Have another area that is PHP that will allow me to make my news updates and feature updates VIA PHP (I have designed all the PHP stuff, I'm just not sure how to have it load with Zencart.

Is there an eiser way do it then having zencart open the home page? My main issue is fully skinning Zencart with tables that I have designed.


I'm sorry my first post is a question, I'm great with photoshop, flash, swishmax and dreamweaver so if I can help anyone in those areas I'd be more then happy to.

Thanks!

[kobra]

Well I will attempt to answer you concerns as best as I can.

I am not a php coder, but think that you are making this harder than it needs to be.

First off, your cart page is parsing 11 stylesheets, yes I did not mis-type eleven!!
They appear to be copies of the same but I did not even try comparing them.

ZenCart just got rid of it's nested table based interface in preference to a mostly XHTML compliant css based design. So why would one kludge it up with tables? When all this can be accoplished with CSS.

A: Make custom tables that will have a product image, link to a page that has more details (wich will be customized as well but I can cross that bridge when Iget there) and a add to shopping cart (custom button I design).

You state that you want to link to a page that has more details. Have you viewed what can be displayed on a product page?? One can enter quite a bit of information into the product description. This may not be enough but you should check it out first before wanting to code around the base functionality.

B: Put other forms and PHP scripts (random banner and newsletter sign up box)

Check out the "Banner Manager" in the admin and there is already a newsletter function.

C: Have another area that is PHP that will allow me to make my news updates and feature updates VIA PHP (I have designed all the PHP stuff, I'm just not sure how to have it load with Zencart.

Zencart can have unlimited additional pages via EZPages, these can be internal or external and many other forms. and all included, NO php required.


Just a suggestion, load a base ZenCart install with the demo DB and discover what the base install is capable of before wanting to re-write it for things that are included.

Please take this as constructive...as your php skills can be of great value for these things that are not included and I hope that we see you contributing many modules for those things.

And also search here for the term template_default and read why this is the recommended method to install.

[kobra]

While I do not recommend this as there are many great features that are coming in future releases, you can obtain an older table based ZenCart version(last was 1.2.7) if you feel more at ease with tables. I do not know the level of assistance that will be forthcoming as most have converted to the non-table version.

A site that you can view the design capabilities at might be:Sample Site

[ideasgirl]

I do not know the level of assistance that will be forthcoming as most have converted to the non-table version.

The ZC Team has stated there's no more support around 1.2.7- versions. But just visit the archives forums, there is plenty of information and modules to fit your needs.

I agree with cobra that many (if not all) of the features you want for your cart are already included. With your knowledge, you will just have to work around the code to create your desire look.

Have fun!

[danzig]

so basically i can't use tables with the new version of zencart? if not how should i design the sites that will have shopping carts in them? maybe zencart isn't what i'm looking for since i use dreamweaver and don't know much about HTML or handcoding. I was going to try to stay away from having buy dreamweaver extension but it seems I may have to do that?

[kobra]

but I use dreamweaver with good extensions... anyways.

and

I was going to try to stay away from having buy dreamweaver extension

These are conflicting comments.

if not how should i design the sites that will have shopping carts in them?

Most design their site right within Zen Cart. Do you have any links to an example of what you are trying to accomplish?

I have not encountered any thing that I could not generate using CSS yet. I did have and continue to have problems when I have to enter the php code to alter a style item. And when it was table based I almost lost all my hair trying to determine where each was generated to able to move something without breaking it.

Look at a few of Zen Cart sites Here:
Sample Site 1
Sample Site 2
Sample Site 3
Sample Site 4
Sample Site 5

Almost all of these site belong to Zenners here

[danzig]

if you look at www.urbanfashiontakeover.com you should notice the category "fashion" and there are 2 t-shirts that are in "containers" (although on the site for now it's just one JPG image but that will change) and then on the right under "features" there are 2 more things that I would like Zencart to handle. How can I make zencart only handle those areas that I described and have the rest of the home page be static (the banner that says coming soon is going to be a rotating banner using PHP code that should not be the one that Zencart uses)

Am I making sense?

By the way, my statement about using dreamweaver ext. wasn't really conflicting, the "good" dreamweaver ext. that I am using were free, therefor I didn't have to buy them but I was looking into a program called Kart MX and another called Cartweaver but I would have to pay for both of them and I hear tons and tons and tons of good stuff about zencart.

the sites you showed me (well some of them) just look plain and like the background color and table border was changed only. I want to use all graphics for my backgrounds and images for headers and footers.

[kobra]

How can I make zencart only handle those areas that I described and have the rest of the home page be static

I can not even bgin to determine what it is that you want to do, even aftere looking at your link.

With the exception of one of the sites that I referenced, they all use images(graphics) for theit header image. In addition most of the use images as the side box navigation elements. The background can be anything that you want it to be solid color textured color image, complex image this is your choice.

what I was hoping that you could exract from the examples is that they use images for many things, the header, buttons, navigation items and so forth. And that as images, you could make these images whatever that you might want them to be.

To me you are asking "How can I not use ZenCart for my site" instead of trying to use Zencart and asking "How can I make Zencart look like this". If you are intent on designing outside of ZenCart that is your option. I suggest you give this additional thought and consider that you can design right within the cart.