Random Products Display on Homepage

[CJJUNE]

Great. At least I got the gift certificate removed.

[battra]

I just made changes to remove random display for new products so I thought of posting it here.

File to change: /includes/modules/YOUR_TEMPLATE/new_products.php

1. Add sort by date to the $new_products_query variable (around line 19 & 25). Mine looks like this:

$new_products_query = "select p.products_id, p.products_image, p.products_tax_class_id, p.products_price, p.products_date_added
                           from " . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p
                           where p.products_status = 1 " . $display_limit .
                           " order by p.products_date_added desc"; 

$new_products_query = "select distinct p.products_id, p.products_image, p.products_tax_class_id, p.products_date_added,
                                           p.products_price
                           from " . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p
                           left join " . TABLE_SPECIALS . " s
                           on p.products_id = s.products_id, " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_TO_CATEGORIES . " p2c, " .
                           TABLE_CATEGORIES . " c
                           where p.products_id = p2c.products_id
                           and p2c.categories_id = c.categories_id
                           and c.parent_id = '" . (int)$new_products_category_id . "'
                           and p.products_status = 1 " . $display_limit .
                           " order by p.products_date_added desc"; 

2. Around line 38, change

$new_products = $db->ExecuteRandomMulti($new_products_query, MAX_DISPLAY_NEW_PRODUCTS); 

to

$new_products = $db->Execute($new_products_query, MAX_DISPLAY_NEW_PRODUCTS); 

3. Scroll down and find this line:

$new_products->MoveNextRandom(); 

and change it to

$new_products->MoveNext(); 

[CJJUNE]

Hi Battra,

Nice...May I have look at your URL?

[battra]

My Zen cart is still at my local PC I plan to use it as a gallery/showcase instead of shopping cart and that's why I need to put the latest item (chronological, not random) on the main page.

[MeltDown]

You could customize the file:
/includes/modules/new_products.php

And change the select statements to add an order by products_date_added so the new ones are at the top ...

if ( (!isset($new_products_category_id)) || ($new_products_category_id == '0') ) {
  $new_products_query = "select p.products_id, p.products_image, p.products_tax_class_id, p.products_price, p.products_date_added
                           from " . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p
                           where p.products_status = 1 " . $display_limit;
} else {
  $new_products_query = "select distinct p.products_id, p.products_image, p.products_tax_class_id, p.products_date_added,
                                           p.products_price
                           from " . TABLE_PRODUCTS . " p
                           left join " . TABLE_SPECIALS . " s
                           on p.products_id = s.products_id, " . TABLE_PRODUCTS_TO_CATEGORIES . " p2c, " .
  TABLE_CATEGORIES . " c
                           where p.products_id = p2c.products_id
                           and p2c.categories_id = c.categories_id
                           and c.parent_id = '" . (int)$new_products_category_id . "'
                           and p.products_status = 1 " . $display_limit;
} 

Is it possible to do this with all products randomly instead of new products? I've used javascript to create that effect on the main page of my BeadedLily site, with active links imbedded in each of the product photos. However, the process is not, of course, very time-efficient. I like the idea of all products randomly presenting themselves because it takes potential customers deeper into your inventory, shifting focus from just the new, specials or featured.